HOLA!!!

Howdy from Tejas!!! aka Mexico!

I'll start with my spiritual story since the rest of my stories are... well not so spiritual but still good. So last week after I wrote home I was a little upset still from everything going down the toilet. Everything I had worked so hard for the past 2 months of being here disappeared. I know it's because we are doing what is right but it still hurt my feel goods. After we had left the library I called the sister in the mission office because I hadn't been getting my mail in almost a month! She said that there wasn't any for me and that she hadn't seen any. We worked hard that day anyway and later that night we got back to the apartment I always walk over to the mail box to check it. On the way to the mailbox I said a little pleading prayer begging for something in that mailbox to remind me of why I am out here. Thinking that there would be nothing in there as usual I reaching my hand in felt a stack of letters! Seven letters that had my name on them. The mail I had been missing the past several weeks were inside that mailbox, not by coincidence, but by the Lords hand. I got a letter from the mutual kids of the ward that Sister Hansen had sent after they had a missionary night and Mama Thompson shared some stories. I cried reading those letters. Many of the letters said that they wanted to serve a mission now or that they looked up to me. I don't think of myself as an example and I probably never will because I am far from perfect but the Lord blessed me that day not only by answering my prayer to have a letter to get me through the day but to also give me that knowledge and strength to know that I was making a difference for not just the people in Texas.

ART

Okay now for the chistes!  We have been teaching this young couple who has a baby and they are hard to get a hold of so the other day we just decided to go over to their house to see if they were home. They weren't there but the dad was. We talked to him on the porch for a bit and he was telling us about Virgin Mary. He was like "When I look at you I think of a virgin" and pointed to my companion.  I tried not to laugh because usually I'm the one the Mexicans love to pick on! Then he makes us walk over with him to look at his Virgin Mary shrine in his front yard. (these are all over the place) It was like a half of a shed and made out of bricks. He had the thing decked out with lights and statues and pictures and other random crap. He also put our cards that we gave him in there! Oh well. After that we both knew we weren't going to be able to do much here so we nicely told him we had another appointment and that we had to go. He then PALMS my forehead/face like a basketball! and says, "GOD BE WITH YOU!" I was like a deer in the headlights! Like what the freak just happened!!? Then in my mind I was thinking "Please do it to my companion, please do it to my companion" He palmed her head too! It took every fiber of my being not to laugh because he was serious!!! We had a good laugh in the car afterwards.

We also ate at a families house and the lady made us all hold hands in a circle and pray. It caught me off guard. It was kind of cool though and It was the most action I'll see in the next 15 months... holding hands! Just kidding mom.

We contacted this one house and taught a lesson. Afterward I invited the lady to church and she told me she couldn't come because she didn't have her papers and so she was afraid to drive. So we talked for a little bit more and then randomly I was like "Do you shop for your groceries at Walmart??" and she gave me a weird look and was like "Yeah we go there all the time" So then I was like "You have the faith to go shop at Walmart and not get caught but you don't have the faith to drive to church and be protected by God?" She told us she would come to church! I'm known by the missionaries in our district to be good at doubt busting (telling people nicely to get their priorities straight). It's just because I'm the youngest and blunt and sassy;  I've had lots of practice sweet talking! Another lady told me this week, " I LOVE your legs!" I probably offended her by the look I gave her when I awkwardly said thank you. It was the nicest/weirdest/ gayest compliment I've ever received. These are the reasons why I love tracting is because we literally never know who we are going to run into and what crazy stuff we are going to hear and see. There are some amazing and strange people out there but I love them all!!

we went to a bodega today which is like a giant DI that you have to dig through all of the clothes. it was gross but cool i feel like i have lice now haha

My companion and I have been noticing that every house we go to, the little kids always bring me all of their toys that they own and hand them to me! The other day we were in a lesson and by the end of the lesson when we were about to pray I had 9 stuffed Elmo dolls in my lap. Then the day after it was ponies with a different family. Then literally after was stuffed bears with another family! I told my companion that the kids can all call my bluff. They know I'm pretty much a giant kid in a big person's body, probably because I actually pay attention to them and I  teach them how to wheelie and play soccer. The other day it was pouring rain. Yes, it has been dumping down here too. I made the kids come out with me in this flash flood to jump on the trampoline! I was in a dress but we still had a good ole time. My comp just talked with the parents inside. The kids make things fun and they all have big hearts. I think that as we get older we forget to enjoy life and when life rains on you... jump on the trampoline because its going to rain anyway it just depends on how you look at it. Look at everything like a child would and life is grand! It's the small and simple things like jumping in the rain that counts:)

Have a good week everybody! Thank you for the letters, love, and support! You all are great people! Enjoy the small things in life and enjoy this week! I love you!!

Love Hermana Thompson