The Crazy Life

February 8, 2016

Biking in the middle of nowhere

I literally feel like I am living in a dream! We have been so busy that I don't even have time to think! Today we are leaving to another meeting down in McAllen. My companion and I have to give a training in Spanish. It will be good I hope. We will get home later on Thursday.  I won't get to work in my area until Saturday because we have exchanges with some of the sisters. We had three exchanges this past week. I have learned a lot. Sometimes I feel like I'm not doing anything because I'm working with so many sisters in different places that it's hard to see the progress I'm making. So that's been a struggle lately. 

                                                           Sunsets in the new area

On one of the exchanges one of the sisters asked me how she can have more faith and we talked about that for awhile. I told her that faith isn't measured by success but by action. I talked with her about doing the small and simple things and the Lord will trust us in doing the bigger things and that's when miracles happen. It just starts with a willingness to follow the Spirit. We had a great exchange and I think I learned more than she did!

Last week my companion and I were knocking doors at this complex that apparently is "golden" (It is) and we were walking around and these chihuahuas from a second floor balcony started barking at us like crazy so we talked to the people that were sitting out there. We were yelling up to them and they were yelling down. The lady's name is Ruth. Turns out she dated an RM five years ago and was going to church with him up in the middle of the Corpus area. I asked which building the street was on and it ended up being the building/ward that I had just come from!  She said she was never baptized but that it was the only church that she ever liked. We got to talking and it turns out that she is a dental assistant and that she was getting her wisdom teeth out the next day. I asked her if she got a sweet deal on paying for them and we got talking about it and I told her my dad is a dentist and she was so shocked by that point at all the things that happened to be "in common." It was a tender mercy from the Lord. I told her that it wasn't a coincidence and she agreed. She then invited us back after she recovers from her surgery for her wisdom teeth. So I'm excited to get to teach her! (Whenever I make it back to my area to work) 

It was 87 degrees the other day!!

We have an older man that is less active that lives in a nursing home in our area. We went by to visit him. I die a little inside when I go into those. They are so sad! There were old people in wheel chairs all over the place! They just seemed so unhappy being there. It made me think of how precious this life is! We talked with this little Mexican man before the visit on the way in and on the way out we saw him with his family in the front lobby area. We decided to go talk with his whole family as well. They were with his father- in-law who was having really bad head aches and is 94 years old. I asked them if it would be okay if I said a prayer for him and so we all had a prayer in the front lobby of this old folks home. It was great. I love the random places that we are able to teach people whether it's at a Walmart, McDonald's, a gas station, sitting in the dirt, on the front porch or even doing yard work; the gospel is for everybody anywhere who is willing to hear it.  

A little boy we taught.  He wanted to wear my nametag.

We are still getting to know the area and the members we have here. All of the missionaries in the mission talk about the "Robstown Ward" and how good it is. I can see that this is such a great place all ready for miracles! We weren't left with any real investigators or even a map. So it's been an adventure, that's for sure.

I love you all! Thank you for your love and support to help me be down here. I hope y'all have a good week! 

Love, 

Sister Thompson