Feliz Navidad and a Happy 10 Months!

December 21, 2015

So I got my greenie! Her name is Sister Castro. It's funny because when I got the call to train I was joking with the Elders and Sister Painter that I wanted a native speaker AND a black companion so I was hoping for a Dominican. And.... My companion is from the DR!!! She moved to America when she was 10. We talked about the Dominican Republic the whole way up to Corpus!  That's all we talk about still. I thought she was going to have a heart attack when I told her that I'd been there 3 times!  During transfers they said that I'd be the one driving the van back up. I felt like the ultimate soccer mom with all of these greenies and luggage everywhere. 

Angelina and Natalie's baptism yesterday

This week has been the longest and shortest stressful week ever though! I feel like I'm losing my brains! Planning who to go by and getting ready for the baptism just about killed me. In the mission we call it "duck ponding" it; meaning the ducks above water appear to be looking calm as can be, but under the water their feet are freaking out going really fast. This week will be much better now that we both are a little adjusted and that I'm not planning a baptism. We have to get up at 4:30 in the morning tomorrow to drive down to McAllen for the Mission Christmas party. This will be the 3rd time in a week I've had to do that! I feel like a zombie.

We go to the LeBarons every Sunday and have fun over there with their family. They loved my wings;) 

Annie and me

The YSA elders in our district got emergency transferred (I'm not allowed to say why) and so we all had to sing in their sacrament meeting for the Christmas program. Sister Castro and I were sitting there and sacrament began to start. I realized we were the only missionaries in there and I may have freaked out a little on the inside thinking that we would have to sing just the two of us. I texted the zone leaders and they hurried and showed up. Then I texted the sisters because they were supposed to be there but they decided not to go because they thought it was a practice. I told them it wasn't and they made it just in time. Then I texted our district leader and he didn't even know about it!  They literally just barely made it.  The first song, silent night, not too shabby. The second song literally none of us had ever heard of! On the start of the third verse the piano player decided to be Beethoven or something and busted out with this I don't know what you would call it and so we all slowly one by one stopped singing until one of the sisters was forced into a solo! Then we all awkwardly started to join her but realized the words weren't matching up with the song! It was honestly hands down the most horrible song ever! We all found out REAL fast that none of us are musically talented!  

New district, minus the two Elders

4 Generation Picture

This transfer I want to teach Sister Castro about service.  I have been trying to plan at least one a week that we can do for people. This week we went to a lady's house and climbed on the roof and in a tree and picked her oranges. That was the first time I've done that! I was praying that I wouldn't fall through the roof this time and into their living room like i did in La Joya;) 

Picking Oranges

I'll talk to you all in four days so I wont say too much. Remember what this Christmas season is about and take the time with the family to tell your testimonies:) I love you all! Enjoy your holidays:) 

I took a picture of this house on Candy Cane Lane......

Look closer.........
Creepiest thing of my life!

Love, 

Hermanita A. Thompson 

Be HaPpY!!!!!

December 7, 2015

Howdy y'all!!!

This week has been a good one! It's starting to warm up again which is nice! I think it was in the 70s. I can't believe that it's December already and Christmas is right around the corner. People have their lights and trees all up and it just seems all too wrong! 

Last Monday night we got a call that our investigator Robert was in the hospital. I mentioned him the first week I got up here. We went by and gave him a visit on Tuesday. He has lots of kidney stones. We taught the plan of salvation in his hospital room and I let him borrow my mini Book of Mormon in case he got bored after we left;) He actually read a good chunk of it so that made me happy. I asked him if we could do anything for him and he said he wanted us to bring him a Gatorade.  On Thursday when we went by I bought him an orange Gatorade.  He told me he had forgotten all about it and was glad I didn't forget. Our lessons are really good with him. The spirit is always so strong and he is very prepared to hear the gospel. We teach him on his patio in the back yard because he is a single man and we can't go inside.  Before we started the lesson I was asking him about his life and things and we were all just talking. I asked why he had a metal bucket of water sitting out in his lawn and he told me he burnt a painting that brought back bad memories and that it was his way of moving on.  I thought it was super great of him.  As he continued to describe why he burnt the painting, he started to tell us that he had oil that he put every where on him and the painting and then he held the mini Book of Mormon while it burned. I would have been fine not knowing that detail. Robert tells us how happy he is when we come over and how he knows that this is what he wants because he can see it in us. It's people like Robert that keep me going. Helping someone find hope and happiness can make a person just as happy themselves. 

This was outside the hospital

Matthew got baptized yesterday!  During Stake Conference we had the Elders go and fill up the font. When we got in there to prepare for the baptism 45 minutes later it was only 2 feet full.  We figured the plug wasn't in all the way.  Sister Painter kept the sliding door closed while I took a swim to plug it. That felt a little weird. I'm hoping it washed a few sins away;) Matthew was such a good example to his mom and sister. We are going to go by tonight and visit them. I hope that his mom will push a little harder to be married now that she has seen her son take those steps into eternal happiness. 

Matthew's Baptism

His Primary teacher baptized him

We asked for the keys to the font and this is what Brotha Johnson handed us

My shoulder still hurts all the time and I hate having to carry a bag. The other day it hit me that Jesus Christ carried a cross a lot heavier. What we do as missionaries is such a little thing compared to what we share as missionaries and that's the message of the Atonement and true happiness. It doesn't matter the trials, afflictions, heart ache, happy times and joyful moments, without the Atonement none of them would matter. Without Jesus Christ none of us would matter but because we have a Savior, He can help us through the hard and the ugly and he celebrates with us the happy and the joyful moments. Invite the spirit of Christ into your homes this Christmas season because he is the best gift of them all. 

Sister Painter wanted to celebrate Sinter Klaus (a Dutch holiday)

Elder Felix gave Sister Painter and I a committment to buy a stuffed animal and put it in the car for "Animo." Ha ha!
This one is mine.  His name is Beevis.

I love and care about y'all very much! Have a joyous week and brighten someones life! 

Love 

Hermana Thompson