Letter Dated October 7, 2013

Hello again! Oh my heavens, how did you all like General Conference?!?! Amazing right? I'd love to hear all of your favorite parts! I couldn't help but to feel the sincere love that our Heavenly Father has for all of  us as I listened to words of our holy prophets.  It was so uplifting and inspiring and I know that it was as if the Savior himself was speaking to us.  I know that our prophets are inspired men of God, who truly deliver the messages that we are in need of. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to watch conference in Members homes both on Saturday and on Sunday. :) Saturday we spent morning and afternoon sessions at the Jacobs home.  :) it was amazing! We had homemade chicken noodle soup for the first session, (since it starts at 12 out here) and the second session we had some yummy pizza! :) they took really good care of us! I felt really spoiled, and soo thankful that I had a comfy couch to watch conference on instead of the not as comfy benches at the church. ;) it was really neat! And the Sunday sessions we spent at the Campbells home! :) they are amazing as well! We got to watch both sessions at their house as well! :) The Zone Leaders (Elder Cooper and Elder Jones) also watched conference with us andon Sunday they brought one of their investigators. :) her name is Cat and she is the coolest person ever! oh my gosh, I wish you could all see her willpower and her drive to do what's right to become a member of this gospel! :) I'll tell you more about her later because we've got to go to a lot of her lessons even though she's not our investigator, and thank heavens because she's AMAZING!!! oh my gosh! anyways, we got to spend time there and have lunch/dinner between sessions at their home! and it was so yummy! I can't express how much it means to me as a missionary to be in an environment that feels homey and welcoming! It was so comfortable in their home, and they were so kind and made sure we were all feeling okay and such! Their home was beautiful. and Sister Campbell made the yummiest apple dumpling dessert! that was my first experience having that and it was TO DIE FOR!! it was really yummy!!

 

General Conference was an amazing way to end the week.  And I sure started it not on the brightest note.  Monday night I got soooo sick with the stomach flu! I felt so bad for Sister Walborn because she felt so helpless and didn't know how to help me as I made the bathroom floor my new friend. She called Sister Topham for me and then called the doctor.  She was so kind and helped me soo much.  After a while of not feeling any better she called our ward mission leader and him and his son came over to the apartment to give me a blessing! I was so thankful and felt so loved! I felt so comforted and I could truly feel the power as they placed their loving hands on my head and gave me a blessing with the most wonderful power, the priesthood. I cant express enough gratitude for their willingness and worthiness to come to my rescue! The next day they continued to take really good care of my by bringing me soup and Gatorade! :) I have such amazing ward members who take such good care of us! It's not hard to feel the love that everyone has for one another in the ward, it truly is an amazing ward family! I can't express how blessed I feel to be here serving in my current area with the most wonderful companion! I know we won't have the opportunity to serve together my whole mission....although that would be ideal! :) I love her very much! She has been the most wonderful trainer, and has been so patient, kind, loving, motivated, and so willing to teach me to help me become a better missionary, and eventually become the missionary that the Lord needs me to be.  I have been so blessed to have had her as an example of the companion that I want to be, and of how I can eventually become that missionary.  I wish you all could meet her! She rocks!! haha we have so much fun while we're working. :)

I love you all so much and thank you for helping me get here! I couldn't have done it without you all! I'm sorry this is such a short update. You all rock! try to reread the talks given in conference as they come out on the website and in the ensign, and see if you can get something new out of them as  you study them more in depth! I'm looking forward to printing them out and reading over them again! one of my favorite quotes though from President Uchtdorf, "Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith." :) he's such an awesome guy and always has something awesome to quote! haha I love you all! and I'll talk to you soon!

 

Love,

Sister Thomas!

Letter Dated September 30, 2013

Alright! Update for this week! :) Let me just start off by saying that fall here is the most amazing thing!! :) There are soo many trees in Pennsylvania and they are all changing at different times and the more days that pass, the more colorful Elizabethtown gets! :) Sister Walborn and I have been loving it, and really getting into the fall season! :) we bought a yummy fall smelling candle and a candle warmer (since we can't have open flame) and we got some baby pumpkins that sit on our study desks! We have been LOVING it! I wish you all could see it! I feel like this time of  year is making everyone happier! We've definitely noticed when we are talking with everyone, they bring up the upcoming holidays and the beautiful weather! Its cooling off, but its not too cold yet. :)  We're very grateful for the awesome whether, because our teaching pool has decreased.  :( Dalitza is moving to Lancaster, and Dale had dropped us a couple weeks ago, and Mikey told us that he wasn't interested at this point in his life...he feels he's just too busy and doesn't think  his life will slow down for at least four  years.  He was really sweet about it though! And then, Ken and Deb, seriously I love them sooooo much! but Ken is feeling very involved in his Methodist religion, and deb is really interested in our church, but the conflict is causing problems in their marriage....so we're no longer having them as "investigators" investigating the church, but we're just going to be the best support we can for them and try our best to just help build their faith! We love them so much, seriously the other day Deb told Sister Walborn and I that she thought of us as her daughters! (I'm sorry if I already told you this....I forget what I've told  you and what I haven't) We really enjoy visiting them, last week we got to help Deb plant some succulents and a butterfly bush! It was so nice to be working outside in the beautiful weather! :) Even though our teaching pool has decreased, and its been hard for us to find people to have lessons with, its been so nice tracting in the cooler weather! The other day we were driving to go visit a Less-Active in our ward, and Sister Walborn and I have been trying really hard to find unplanned service opportunities, and there was the cutest old women outside across the street from us pulling some weeds along her white picket fence, and so we decided to stop and go ask her if she needed any help.  We started talking with her and she had said that she didn't need our help, that she had two of her daughters living with her that gave her all the help she needed (however they were both just sitting on the side porch...haha) so we sat and started chatting with her.  We had talked to her about a lot of different things, and got to know her a little bit better.  She said that she didn't believe that God hears her prayers, that she had been praying for a long time for her husband but he ended up dying of cancer and she truly believed that God had just abandoned her, and did not hear her prayers.  It was so heartbreaking to hear about her broken faith, she talked about how she doesn't believe that there is anything after this life, and just a lot of really sad things.  But Sister Walborn and I were able to talk to her about the church, and the happiness that it brings to our lives.  Anna had expressed to us that she really enjoyed reading Amish literature books, because they were easy for her to understand and they made her feel good, and peaceful.  She talked about how she really enjoyed reading, so Sister Walborn invited her to have a Book of Mormon, and to read it.  Anna said that she definitely wouldn't promise anything, but she started right then to open it, and skim through some of the verses in First Nephi, and the power from the scriptures was just tangible for me...and she accepted it, and said she'd put it with the other books that she was reading, and if she felt like it sometime, she'd pick it up to read it.  It was just a cool experience for me.  My strength definitely is not just randomly talking to people we see on the streets, but the thought that just came to me to stop and offer to help her, and then the feelings that I had while we were talking with her...It was just so amazing, I felt so sad, and so sorry that she had felt so bitter and negative towards our Heavenly Father, and I wanted so badly to share the light and knowledge that we had with her.  Sister Walborn and I definitely walked away from that experience feeling very hopeful for her...she was searching for hope, even if she didn't know it, there were just some things she was holding on to that that hope and faith can build on.  We  can't wait to get to see her again sometime soon.  :) There was also another super cool thing that happened! The Zone Leaders in our area have this really awesome investigator, her name is Valerie, and she is sooooo golden! Oh my heavens, they just met her on the street one day while she was walking home from the grocery store, and they just invited her to come to church, she accepted! and so the Elders arranged a ride for her, and there she was....sitting in church! :) (this was a few weeks ago.) Her first Sunday there she was so content and sat listening so closely to the lessons in all three meetings, and after church, she participated in the choir practice! That day in Relief Society they talked about the priesthood, and it wasn't very basic stuff, so I just leaned over and tried my best to describe what the priesthood was and kind of tried to keep her up to speed throughout the lesson, and afterwards, she said that she knew it was true, even though she isn't married and she doesn't have children, she knew that the power there was so important and that she could also benefit from the priesthood.  At the end of choir practice she volunteered to say the closing prayer, and she expressed in the prayer that she was thankful for the priesthood. What? She is AWESOME!!! the only problem the Elders had was that she is a single women and it made it hard for them to teach her, and she is right on the border between our mission boundaries, so guess what? they got permission form President Topham to hand her over to us! :) YAAY!!! :) We were so excited! she told us that she is so excited that we get to teach her, and we can't wait to have our first lesson with her! She is just a rock star! :) Sister Walborn and I had an amazing week, we worked hard, and had fun, and we can't wait to see what this next week has in store for us! I love you all so much and I can't wait to get to talk to you all again next Monday! :) Have fun watching General Conference! I can't tell you how excited I am about that! We get to watch the Saturday sessions at the Jacobs home! and I can't wait! Love you all!!

love,

Sister Thomas

6 things :) Letter Dated September 16, 2013

Okay, so this week....kinda crazy! Thankfully no one in our district was transferred!! YAY!! :) I love them all so much!! But, we did get new sisters in the Lititz area, so we did get an addition to the area.  They seem super sweet! And one of them is a newbie! :) guess what that means, I'm not the youngest one anymore, (according to how long we've been out on our missions!) can you believe it, tomorrow will be my two month mark! I can't believe that I've already been out that long, sometimes it feels like I've been away from home for a long time....and then other times, I feel like I've only been out for two weeks! haha! I can't believe it! I have already learned so much and I am enjoying my time here sooo much!! I really love it here! We had a really good week! We decided to focus on less active work this week, and we had some really amazing things happen! There is a less active, part member Family that we just love here! They live up the street a ways from us, and we visit her every week.  She is the member, and she has a husband and three children, none of them are members.  Soo....one day she just asked if she could have us over for dinner, and set up a day where her husband could be home and there as well, so we set up for Friday, and ended up visiting her on Tuesday last week as well. Well, she has had a hard time with some people that meet at our building in a different ward, and every time she's tried to come to church they always give her a hard time, which is really sad! but her husband had expressed to her that he thinks that they need to start going to church....what the what?? He's not even a member! :) He has been expressing interest in the church for a little while now, but they want to move closer to her parents and all that good stuff, and she said that when they move that they were planning on going to church up there because they'll have a new start and everything.  Well, her husband just got his license back, and they're looking for a car, and he wants to take everyone to church because he feels that it will be beneficial for the family.  :) So on Friday when we went over for dinner, we were able to have a lesson with them about the importance of families, and he was really involved in the lesson we shared.  It was really awesome! We're very hopeful for that! :) but we also visited Grace, she's one of our regular less actives that we meet with each week, and I can't tell you how many times we have invited her to come to church, we always have a ride for her and someone to come pick her up, and she always says no...ALWAYS!! and she tells us all the time that Heavenly Father wants her to go to church....but she just wont come.  But we've been working really hard on trying to have her come to the conclusion that she needs to come to church, instead of us inviting her, and instead we're extending other commitments, like this week we asked her to read a story out of the ensign and she said of course she would....I think my jaw may have dropped! We've never had her agree to do anything! haha! and then we asked Vicky, (another less active) to call her and ask her if she wanted to come to church...well low and behold, while we're singing the opening hymn, I look over and in walks Vicky and GRACE!!!! ahhh!!! I was soooo excited!!!!! :) Sister Walborn started to tear up, and I was just so overcome with gratitude that Heavenly Father allowed the spirit to work in Grace, and for her to have that desire to come to church and ride with a women she had never met before! it was sooo amazing! :) I was so thankful! and Then, we also had Brother Brown at church....with his daughter! :) he also comes from a less active part member family.  He has been inactive since he had graduated High School, and Sister Walborn and I were able to go visit them for the first time ever! We were able to get into their home, and the wife was soooo sweet! I loved talking with her! She was a little bit stand offish at first and you could tell that she didn't want us to sit and talk with them, but her home was soooo cute! She had a lot of damask pattern everywhere, and I complimented her on it, because lets get real! I love damask!! and she invited us into the living room to see more of her home! It was sooo pretty! and we were able to talk with them for quite a while, and when we left she sent us off with some cake and tomatoes! it was so awesome! and then Brother Brown came with his daughter!!! We were sooo happy and so surprised!!! :) it was an amazing week for less actives at church! :) We also had two investigators at church.  We met with them last Monday night, (that wasn't our first time meeting with them) it was Ken and Deb, they were the ones that we met from helping Jen and Athena move. And they live just across the way from us. :) It was so sweet when we met with them because Deb because we got to talk to them to tell them kind of what to expect when they're attending our church, and before we left Deb made a comment about how much she loved us, and she said it was like they just got two new daughters! It was the sweetest thing ever! She is just sooo sweet! and I love her sooo much!  Her heart is so open and willing to learn, Ken's on the other had is not. He's sooo sweet and kind to us, but he is Methodist to the bone...And last sunday we went with Ken to his Methodist Sunday School! haha! it was definitely different, we didn't get to stay for the service though because it was the same time as ours, and so they came with us this Sunday to church, and it was awesome! :) we got to help them understand some of the differences, and they stayed with us for Sunday school, and actually participated in the discussions.  It was pretty neat! they didn't stay for the third hour, which was really sad because I think Deb would have loved relief society. :) But she seemed to like it a lot, we get to meet with her again tonight! Ken has a meeting of some sort, so he wont be able to be there, but we're excited to talk to deb. :) It was a good week! Not everything was hunky dory though, we got dropped by Dale, you know the one that was going to come to church, but then the ward member forgot to pick him up? yeah that one....That ward member came to a lesson with us and it was awesome! we talked about the Word of Wisdom, and the member that came with us was a convert so he testified to Dale that the Word of Wisdom is such an important thing and he told him how it had blessed his life....well Dale likes to drink occasionally and he likes to smoke....he didn't like that too much...he said he was trying to quit smoking, so sister Walborn and I told Dale to call us when he was having a hard time with wanting to smoke and we'd talk with him and come visit him, all that good stuff...well the next morning, Dale called  us.  He said that he had been thinking about it again, and he didn't remember anywhere in the bible it talking about coffee and tea, and that Mormon just wasn't for him.. :( it was sad.  But the good news is, we have planned on different ways that we can find more people to teach this week! So we're going to try our best.  I love every one of you! and I miss you all so much! :) thanks so much for the letters and emails! You have no idea how much they mean to me! I'm sorry I'm just terrible at getting back to all of you but, I promise I'm working hard on it.  and in case any of you forgot....which I know you haven't, but Heavenly Father is amazing! He loves us so much! and He gives us so much! And I know how much he loves us!!! He is always mindful of us and had provided so many tools for us to be able to return to him! The scriptures and prayer are definitely ways that He talks to me, and helps me realize the ways that I can be better, and how he lets me know how much He loves me, and blesses me.  I pray for you all! and I hope everything is going okay.  :)

a few quick things I wanted to share about Pennsylvania,

1. I swear....NO men EVER wear shirts here! Even the nasty old ones with big gross beards and their butt cracks hanging out.

2. Where I'm serving, it smells like brownies a lot of the time because of the chocolate factories that are around! it's amazing!! :) and really bad, because it makes me crave chocolate ALL the time....at this rate I'm going to be 1000 pounds by the time I get home

3.  Everyone LOVES pork chops and saucer kraut here...together....it smells disgusting. :) but When I eat it, I just smile away! haha!!

4. I saw the fattest cat I've ever seen in my whole life!!! hahah!!! it was awesome!! :) his name was boots and I don't know how his itty bitty legs supported his big fat body! haha!

and 5. They have yellow watermelon here! and it is sooo yummy! it's really sweet! maybe I've just been living under a rock my whole life and its really common everywhere...but the first time I had it was here...and its good! :)

oh, and 6. Pretty sure I have the best companion in the world....in case you were all wondering! :)

The church is true!

love you all tons!

-Sister Thomas

Moldy biscuit they found in the fridge when they were cleaning it out  

In the Vineyard

Rainstorm

Sister Thomas, Sister Walborn and Belen the ward missionary. 

Letter Dated September 9, 2013

Hello, Hello!! :)

Oh my heavens! I wish every single one of you could be here with me to experience how awesome my mission is!! :) not to brag or anything...but I'm pretty sure I've got the best mission in the whole wide world...with the greatest companion you'll ever find! :) This past week has been suuper awesome in some aspects....and not so much in others. Haha! We've had kind of a rough week with our investigators.  We'll start first with my friend Dalitza. We had such an amazing lesson with her this week! oh my goodness, she opened up to us like she never has before and expressed so much to us! and we tried our best to follow the promptings of the spirit and the lesson was just amazing! We had a member there, her name is Belen! and she ROCKS!!! oh my gosh! I love her so much!!! We have a lot of fun! Her family is soo awesome and so kind to us! they definitely take care of us! and Belen just has such a strong testimony! She is so good at finding a way to relate to other people, and she has really befriended Dalitza and has tried really hard to relate with her and involve her in a lot of church related functions, as well as outside of a church setting.  She just really cares for her so much and wants so badly to help Dalitza, so it was cool to see their friendship within that lesson and the hear the advice and the testimony that Belen was sharing! :) She's basically the best! But it was really sad, that even after that really awesome lesson...this Sunday we had arranged for Belen's family to pick Dalitza up for a ride, and before church Dalitza said that she just really didn't want to come to church yesterday.  Ugh...it was so sad! it just breaks my heart to feel the spirit so strongly in a lesson, and know that they are feeling it too..but then for them not to act upon that to build their faith.  But it's okay, we just keep trying.  And then, we have this other man, his name is Dale.  We've taught him quite a few lessons and have invited him to come to church three times, well the first two Sundays he was having feet problems and cancelled on his ride at the last second. :( well he had agreed to come with us this Sunday (yesterday) and he was really excited to come! We had called a member and got a ride all arranged for him, and talked to the member Saturday night...well, then yesterday morning we get to church and see the brother we had arranged to pick Dale up...but we didn't see any Dale....weird.  So we walked up and Sister Walborn put her hand on his shoulder to get his attention, and he looked up at us and immediately gasped, dropped his chin to his chest and said that he had forgot.  Ooops! that's a big oops.  So we called Dale and it turns out he had been waiting outside for over a half hour waiting for his ride to pick him up.  Oh, it was so sad and frustrating.  Dale said it was okay though and that he was looking forward to coming next Sunday! I had felt so bad, but I was so happy that Dale responded so well despite the suckish situation. So this last Sunday was kind of sad, we didn't have any investigators at church. :( but there is always room to improve so its okay.  We'll get em next time! haha and we'll definitely have one other one at church this upcomingSunday! his name is Ken, him and his wife are so cute! I love them to death! haha but he had promised us that he would come to our church to check it out. But he also requested that we went to his church to see what it was all about.  So we said we could do that, unfortunately his service started about the same time  ours did and so we couldn't go to his service, we could only go to his Sunday School.  We went to that yesterday morning, and it was really interesting.  Ken is a Methodist, and their church was so different. haha it was really fun to see! when you walked in it kind of felt like a school building, but he showed us around, and their chapel was very pretty.  It had a lot of pretty stained glass and big crucifixes everywhere, and this room that he took us to was where they had what he called the traditional service, and then he took us down to a different room where they hold a "contemporary service" and they had a rock band warming up and preparing for the service that day...and that's what he says he likes the best! He says they all sing and dance and sing their praises to the Lord....It was a very interesting experience for me....definitely different from what I'm used to.  I think it might be a little strange for him when he comes to our service because we're so reverent...and don't have rock bands! :) haha its going to be fun! oh my! and I saw their preacher people and they really wore the big robe drape things..it was pretty cool.  haha! I definitely don't see that every day.  anyways, the best pats of this week were probably my companion and the weather! Oh my heavens! the weather was amazing this week! we had like, no humidity at all!! and it wasn't so stinkin hot! it was perfect temperature! It was awesome! And my Sister Walborn and I had so much fun! I mean of course we worked suuper hard! But we just made the most of this week! We just had so many fun bonding moments and we were able to understand each other so much better, and we laughed and had a good old time, with absolutely no problems whatsoever! not that we ever really have problems! haha you know, we're just sisters and we sometimes tend to be emotional. haha! But Sister Walborn is so awesome! and I'm sooooooo SOOOO excited that I get to be with her for another transfer! She has taught me so much! and she just has such a fun personality! You'll all have to meet her some day! because she's awesome! haha! Well I love you all! and the church is still true! :) And I love E-town sooooo much!!! I can't even express how thankful I am to be here and the overwhelming feelings that I get that I know I'm supposed to be in this place at this time! :) it's the best! stay true and be diligent in your works! I love you all so much! Talk to y'all next week! :)
Love,

Sister Thomas

Letter Dated September 3, 2013

(Message from Kelsey: I am sorry that it has taken so long to get this posted. Life has been a little crazy. I will try my best to get them posted the day after I get them but I make no promises but send Sister Thomas some love she would love to hear from you all! Send letters she LOVES them!! Anyways thanks for being patient with me!) 

Hey Hey! I'm sorry! I didn't write a group email last week! and this weeks is going to be kinda lame...But that's okay! Because you love me anyways, right? ;)

Welp, as you all know yesterday was Labor Day! :) I hope you all had a good time! And I hope you enjoyed yourselves at the extremely long Payson Parade! hahaha! Believe it or not...I really missed it this year! haha I couldn't help but to think of all of you that are at home sitting at the parade in front of Grandpa's Shops enjoying each others company! :) It was weird not being there! But we have the best ward here! (but don't worry....our ward at home is still the very best! :) haha) but the Greenway's invited us over to their house for a barbeque to celebrate Labor Day! and it was the best! because yesterday was P-day, and the library was closed we couldn't email or anything, and we got to go to their house in our jeans and enjoy such nice company! The Greenway's are seriously some of the best people I know! They are sooo good to us!  They both served missions in Brazil and they just have the cutest little family! An oldest boy, and two little girls! and they are so stinkin cute! the Greenways also had the Hansens over, and they are just a cute little family too! so we all piled in their home, with the other two Elders who ware serving in our area, Elder Cooper and Elder Jones, and we had the best lunch! It was so fun and yummy! and It was just really nice to be wearing pants! haha instead of a skirt, and to just be able to sit and chat with the girls, while the Elders and the other guys were in the other room chatting! haha it just felt normal for a few hours, and that was so nice! Sister Walborn and I really felt at home and it was just a nice way to spend our P-day! haha, now we can get back to the good stuff right? the work that is going on! We had one of our investigators, Deb, come to church this Sunday....and guess what, She brought her husband too! :) that was soo awesome! and they really seemed to enjoy it! It was fast and testimony meeting on Sunday, and it was so fun to hear all of the testimonies that were given! they were all so sincere and so in tune with the spirit! The spirit was so strong, and I know that some of the things that were said were just for Deb and her husband! Right now we're teaching a few different investigators.  We've got Deb, Dale, Mikey, a different Deb and her husband Ken, and Dalitza. I swear all of their names start with D's :) And Ciara moved. :'( that was really sad! But it was so fun to get to know her! and we got to meet her family before she left and they were just as sweet as could be! They were loads of fun! and Did I already tell you that Athena and her mom moved too? That was so sad! The whole time they were talking about moving we were all under the impression that she would be in the same ward, but they moved just like a mile and a half out of the ward boundaries.  We miss them so much! But when we were helping them move is where we met Mikey and Deb and Ken, and it was really awesome, that's how we got in contact with them, and I've really enjoyed teaching all of them! I feel like Deb and I really had a connection, we're actually going with her and her husband to their Methodist church this Sunday, and then the next Sunday they will be coming to ours. :) It's going to be really cool to learn more about other religions.  There are so many different religions around here I can't even believe how many there are....some that I have never heard of my whole life. But it's really cool because I feel like everyone here belongs to a religion and a lot of people exercise a faith in Jesus Christ, which makes it both hard and awesome all at the same time.  Ahh! and now it's time for me to go.. :( haha I'm sorry I'm so disorganized and I bounce around so much! let me know if I've talked about anyone and I've left you hanging, because I can't remember everything! haha, but I love you all so much! and I can't wait to hear from you all and to get to talk to you again next week!

I love you all so much!

love, Sister Thomas!

Letter Dated August 19, 2013

Hello, Hello! :)

This week was awesome! First of all, let me just tell you...when I heard everyone talking about P-day I just thought it was the best day and you had all this time to do whatever you wanted and you'd just have so much time to take a super great nap (which I miss...soooo much!) but it's a lie! haha! P-day is seriously just as busy as every other day, if not it busier! haha! but it's good busy! we have time to do things that we normally don't get to do during the week! and the best part is I get to write to all of you! :) yaya! But last week right after Pday ended, we went to dinner at the Greenways! and they are so sweet! They are the cutest little family and they make amazing dinners! haha! They're so fun! and then right after that we had to jet home because last week was Exchanges! which means I go for a 24 hour period with a different companion and my companion does the same! I got to go to Ephrata with Sister Kirk who is our Sister Training leader! and it was so fun! I learned a lot! At first I was really sad about exchanges because I love my area and Sister Walborn so much, I didn't want to leave! Especially because on Tuesday we had some lessons planned for some of my favorite people! But it was a really good experience! Sister Kirk is soo awesome! she has a super funny sense of humor! and she also is very knowledgeable and in tune with the spirit! the lessons that we taught were awesome! Oh...and also, did I forget to mention on Tuesday morning we had a flash flood warning....yeah! it was raining sooo much! hahah! Aand...we had a leak in the bathroom....so sister Kirk and I had a lovely adventure that morning going to the leasing office and all that fun stuff bright and early! we actually left the apartment and did our studies in the car in a random parking lot while they had someone fixing out leak! and later that day we were out doing our work and getting to our appointments and such and we had to find long roundabout ways to get to different peoples homes because the water was so high in some areas the roads were closed! I'll send you some pictures! it was so fun! :) anyways then I got to come back home! and I was really happy about that! ha! oh!! oh my gosh! and how could I forget...one of the members in Ephrata fed us ham loaf...ick! sooo yucky! there are some really weird things that are served here in Lancaster county! haha! but anyways! now I can tell you some really cool stuff that has happened...Do you remember me telling you about Ciara? well, on Monday we had a lesson with her, and we got to talk a lot about putting our faith in Heavenly Father, and she had mentioned that she was really nervous about telling her parents that she was wanting to become a member of the church and that she wanted to be baptized...and so we shared some scriptures with her and testified that things would work out like they should! And at the end of it we asked her if she would be willing to talk to her parents about it before we met the next time, and she agreed! and on Wednesday night we got a text from her saying, "Hi sisters! I know its late but I just thought I'd tell you I talked to my parents tonight!!!! I told them I wanted to be baptized and they were so supportive!! I am so excited and relieved! Now I didn't get to delve into a huge amount of detail because I brought it up so late but yes! haha! I'm just so overwhelmed with emotion right now and just had to let you know! :)" Ahhhh!!! how exciting is that!!! Sister Walborn and I were sooo excited! We called her up and told her how excited we were and how amazing that was she then told us that Ether 12:27 was her inspiring verse that gave her the courage to talk to her parents! That verse says, "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." How amazing is that! the importance of the scriptures!! The Book of Mormon is amazing and is our most important tool as missionaries along side of the Holy Ghost and the power of prayer! This was such an amazing testimony builder to me! The scriptures are amazing and have brought me so much joy since I've been out here and I have learned so much from them! I challenge you guys to be more diligent in your studies in the Book of Mormon, especially if you have a question or a topic in mind as you read! I promise  you, that you will benefit from this, that your testimony will become strengthened, and allow your Heavenly Father to talk to you through this wonderful book! However....on a different note, It was so exciting that Ciara has come to the decision to be baptized!!! I am so excited for her! she is just the most amazing person! her faith is so strong! but sadly...we don't get to baptize her. :'( She is moving back to college this next weekend, and even though she is sooo ready to be baptized, President told us that she needs to be baptized in the ward that she'll be living in to build those relationships there. which is okay! I am just so glad and so happy that I had the opportunity to teach her for the time I did, she came to church with us this sunday and everyone was just so surprised that she was an investigator! She seriously just glows! :) we actually had two investigators with us at church on sunday, and we had seven less active members that we teach there too! that was AWESOME!! ahh! we were so excited! and little Athena that got baptized last Sunday was confirmed in church yesterday! :) We've just had a really amazing week! I wish you all could be here...because words just can't describe how amazing my mission is! I love it! and I can't believe that I've already been out here for a whole month! ahh! It has seriously gone by so fast! I'm sorry this email is so jumbled....all of them are! haha! I hope you can understand me! and know just how grateful I truly am to be here! I am so blessed! I love you and I miss you all! Thank you so much for sending me your love! :) I pray for all of you all the time! I know that Heavenly Father hears every one of your prayers! and he loves you so much! I can feel his love so much more now that I'm a missionary and I am so grateful for that! it truly is an amazing thing to testify of the love that our Heavenly Father has for you, and that our Savior has for you! I love you!!! ahh! :)

Love always,

Sister Thomas

Pictures of the week!

Sister Thomas, Ciara, Sister Walborn

Letter Dated 8/12/13

Hello Everyone! :)

I cannot tell you how much I love getting to email home!! This is seriously what gets me through the week!! I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to hear from all of you! :) anyways, I'll let you know a little bit about my week! I have had the most amazing, frustrating, wonderful week! haha! the life of a missionary is sooo bipolar I swear! you have so many ups and downs all in the same day! But it is the most amazing thing to rely completely on the Lord and allow him to lift us from our disappointments and to rejoice with Him in our triumphant moments!! First thing first...WE HAD OUR FIRST BAPTISM YESTERDAY!!! YEAH!! :) :) I can't technically claim her as mine, because the sisters before me taught her the most...but! it was still an amazing experience!! I had the opportunity to teach little Athena about three times, as well as a couple other visits just for some service, her and her mom are moving to the other side of the ward later this week (so they won't be in our area anymore. :( the good news is we'll still see her on Sundays!). Athena is a cute little ten year old, and her mother is a member, however she is less active, and it has been such a blessing for us all to be able to go into their home to have some lessons with her. :) Her mom is very supportive and she knows that the church is true and that she needs to be better at attending and living in accordance with the gospel.  She is just struggling with some addictions right now and it's hard for her to want to go to church, but she supports Athena so much she is willing to attend church for her, which is awesome! They were both at church yesterday and it was amazing! sacrament meeting was the best! there was a young man in our ward that was giving  his farewell talk and it really touched Jen a lot (Jen is Athena's mom).  He talked a lot about how through the Atonement we can be forgiven of our sins, but we must also forgive ourselves of our sins, and that really touched Jens heart.  She went up to him yesterday and thanked him for his talk and expressed how much it meant to her! it was amazing! And she was just so proud of little Athena for deciding to be baptized on her own and to covenant with her Heavenly Father!

We had the baptismal service right after church, (this was the first baptism I had ever been to that was on a Sunday! ha!) and Athena was soo nervous to be baptized in front of so many people, so we had the opportunity to go into an empty room and pray with her that she would be able to feel comforted and to not be nervous anymore, and after she got out of the font, she told us that as soon as she touched the water her fear went away! it was such a neat opportunity to hear how Heavenly Father had answered her prayers! :) Next Sunday she will be confirmed and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost!!!! How amazing that is! :)

Second! last Tuesday we had the opportunity to meet with Ciara at her home, she was the girl that contacted us after she ran into us at the gas station and hers is the house that we tracted.  It was amazing! She is just the cutes thing ever! She was so kind and loving and her heart was so open and prepared!! She had expressed that after she had turned 21 she would go out partying with her friends and things, but that she just felt like she needed to stop, and so she stopped drinking alcohol as well as coffee and tea without anyone telling her!! how awesome is that!!! and we just got to talking and she was expressing how she felt like we were kindred spirits and how thankful she was that we had come in contact with her! It was an amazing day for Sister Walborn and I. We went into the day fasting that we would have the spirit to be with us in our lesson with her, that we could truly relay the things that our Heavenly Father wanted us to tell her, and it was amazing! I felt the spirit so strongly during her lesson, as I got to share some of my favorite scriptures with her, and testify of our Saviors love for her, because I could feel it soooo strongly! I got to tell her about my background, and that I was the only active member in my family and the strength that that brought me, and how I knew that if she continued to do things that she knew to be right, even if her family had a hard time accepting it, Heavenly Father would bless her immensely! and would give her the strength to carry on! Sister Walborn got to testify of how much the gospel blesses families, and how much it would bless her and her future family as well as her current family! it was just  so wonderful! She had had some lessons before hand with other missionaries before us as well as she had been to church quite often on her own as well.  I can't express the love that I felt there, the love that I had for Ciara, whom I had just met, and the love that our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ had for her! It was so thick in the air!  I know that she could feel it too! we get to meet with her a little later today and I can't wait to get to meet with her again! :)

 I miss you guys so much words can't even express! it has been really hard, but this has been the most amazing experience of my life...already and I've only been in PA for two weeks!! haha! this Saturday is my "click day" which means I will have been out for a month! HOLY COW!!! It has gone by sooo fast! I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to be so close to my Savior, and to study the gospel everyday! it has been such a neat feeling for me to be able to feel the spirit so strongly! I have never felt him with me quite like this! It is so comforting to know that I'm never alone, not only for my sweet, amazing companion, but also for the fact that the Holy Ghost can always lead us, and keep us out of danger, and to truly be the senior companion in our companionship to lead and guide us in lessons as well! I am so thankful for every one of you! I love you all so much and pray for you all the time! :) and send me letters! :) It's so fun to get letters throughout the week! :) definitely a boost! haha! I'm so sad! there is so much I haven't got to tell you yet! darn computers! but don't worry! I can still send you some good ol' hand written ones too! I know that my redeemer lives, and his hand is always in my life, and that He is very mindful of me and of every one of you! Just have the strength to reach up and ask him! He will help you. Ugh I hate saying goodbye....just until next week! :)

Love you always!

-Sister Thomas :)

(these are some of the pictures she sent with her email this week. I am not sure what is going on because she didn't have time to explain.)

YAY! DR. PEPPER!!