Primera Semana en Mexico! (1st week in Guadalajara & actual WEEK 6 of mission!!!)

So we arrived at around 12:00 at night on lunes from the airport and already it was such a different world. We met our president outside the gate and I knew immediately I was going to have a great mission president. Throughout the next day we hung out with the mission president and his wife until we were to meet our new companions in the afternoon. My fears were growing as throughout the day they said don't worry if you want to go home, mostly every person is begging to go home after a couple days, they're super sick, and just want to give up. But that this is normal and they promised that you would make it through.

So my nerves were continually building and I wasn't sure if I would get a good companion to work with. My new companion is Elder Pacheco. He's lived in Mexico his whole life and he has 15 months in the mission. I cannot express how lucky and blessed I am to have him as a companion. Its always great work with him.

Now for what the president and his wife were saying about it being horrible... I honestly have no idea what they were talking about. I am absoluetly loving this! My area is called Arquitectura, its a little section of guadalajara about an hour or so from the temple. The area we are in has a tremendous amount of hills and already my calves are really toned and will continue to grow in size and strength. We probably walk atleast 20 miles or more a day with most of it beinghills. I never really comprehended how the poverty would be here in mexico, and I'm even in a nicer part.. But all is well and it hasn't effected my work in the slightest. To be honest I'm actually enjoying livinglike this and being in these peoples homes. Everyone is nice to us, even those who dont want to hear our message, and those we teach are willing to share everything they have to help. Life is much more simple. Its great. 

My favorite part of the day is always teaching and talking with investigators and inactive members. Even though their spanish is incredibly faster then that at the MTC and sometimes I understand 25/100 of what is said, it doesnt stop me from building great relationships with these people. This last sunday we had several families come to church who havent been in several months and we've commited someone to baptism. However the baptism dates are further away then other missions because as a requirement they have to attend much more church sessions. (helps them stay converted) 

The surrounding area of the outskirts of guadaljara are absolutely breathtaking, large expanses of cliffls and jungle as far as the eye can see. I'll see if I can get some pictures this next week. But don't expect tons of pictures ecause our mission president asked us to refrain for safety reasons.

Now time for the food... Oh. my. stars.... I absolutely love the food down here! we eat at a members house every day and always its something delicious! Brennan was not kidding! The only problem with the food is that my stomach isn't accustomed to the different foods, so I'm dealing with that right now, I'msure it wont be long until I'm fine! I'm always excited for more!

There is so much more but I'm not even sure what to write! Just know that I feel so blessed to be here and serve, and the people of Mexico are taking good care of us. 

until next week!

Elder Thompson IV

P.S. The buses here are muy loco! I need much more practice with my balance as well, I fall a lot.. jaja

P.S.S. I accidentally forgot mi mochilla with my papers in it, so I will write an address next week! Love you all!

Semana numera 5! (Week 5!)

Things have been great here at the MTC! Hemos estado usando mucho espanol en nuestros conversaciones, entonces podemos practicar mas por Mexico. I'm nowwhere near fluent but I felt pretty good when we had a "lesson" with our teachers where they were supposed to correct all of our grammar mistakes, i felt good because I was only corrected three times in the whole hour! I feel so blessed at how quickly this language is coming!

I've made a lot of great friends here at the MTC and I find it very strange that I'm leaving this next monday to Mexico! The time flies by so strange here it feels like I just got here yesterday, but at the same time its weird thinking of a time outside the mission. I find that I'm loving this place more and more each day. The nervous feelings have been finally creeping up on me, however visiting the temple today I feel much better! The lord answered my prayers instantly while in the celestial room today, confirming that I do have gaurdian angels watching over me. Four that I'm absolutely certain of. Cindy, Nana, Gpa Richardson, and someone that I don't know yet but I will come to know as he enters this world as one of my sons. It was a very profound revelation given to me through a vision while reading the scriptures. The spirit testifying of its truth. So I know I will be closely watched over while in Mexico.

As time goes on, I hear more and more great things about Guadalajara! Its one of the more nicer missions in Mexico, its significantly less dangerous there than other places, and the temperature is 65-85 year round! It's gonna be great!

The best part about being here in the MTC is how close I've already grown to the savior. Now that I've seen his love from a more clear stand point, I will do my best to emulate his love in everything that I do and to all those people that I meet. While studying which attributes of christ I wanted to work on the most I prayed for guidance on the ones I needed most. After searching I could not decide on anything then like the flip of a switch I fell asleep. I had a very interesting dream that at first was fairly random and didnt make sense. I had someone tell me I needed to milk a cow (random I know) and someone was sent to teach me how to do it. The guy was very obciously not wanting to be there, playing on his phone and paying no attention to what i was doing, which led to me being very distraught and frustraded. Then the dream switched and someone else was showing me how to do it. He slowly walked me through it, made jokes, and showed that he really cared, which was a pretty good experience. The dream then switched again where I saw a pretty hermana standing with a sad and embarrassed face in only her underwear. Immediately I felt compassion and sorry and walked over with a cloth and covered her up, telling her that everything would be alright.

I didnt know what to think of that dream and was contemplating the meaning when the spirit spoke in a loud voice as if sitting right next to me at dinner. Saying "Act in a way that you can be focused on what is happening ut more importantly take every single oppurtunity to teach and guide those around you with a genuine sincerity so they feel the saviors love through you. Also, work towards having a godly mindset. Thinking in any given situation of what your lord and savior Jesus Christ would do, keeping your eyes single to the glory of god." 

This is only but one of my profound inspirations that the spirit has told me. Some things have been so amazing but the spirit tells me to keep them sacred to myself. This is the greatest feeling in the world!

Con mucho Amor

Elder Thompson IV

Week 4...We've made it a Month!

The week has really been a great one here at the CCM (MTC). The spanish flows mas y mas como aprendo. I love the Lord in all I'm doing and things have been pretty relaxed these couple days.

This morning I had the chance to go clean the temple and we got to see and help clean off chandeliers, it was a great blessing limpiar la casa santa del Señor. Fue mi primer experiencia limpiando, y fue muy raro viendo el templo con nada personas.  and we also saw the carpets all torn up. Very interesting! I know the lord is pleased to have his house cleaned.

I´m loving being a companion del espiritu santo. (holy Ghost) its blessed my relacionship with god in soo many ways and it will only keep growing. During every personal study I keep finding very profound revelation as given by the lord, yesterday being one of the most spiritual exhausting moments i´ve ever had in my life! I found out through Neil L. Anderson in his devotional tonight that often times after having the spirit your own sould can become exhausted from the energy used. Thats definitely what I felt yesterday. I wish I could share with you guys what I felt, but the spirit keeps whispering me to keep it to myself, so I will hold back. I´ve also had a prayer answered three times this week by three different apostles. The question I´ve had is now that I´ve been having the spirit with me is how to tell if its my voice or the voice of the lord. This is what has been said three different times.. If you have the feeling, DO NOT QUESTION IT! Always, always act on it and later (sometimes years later) the spirit will testify of itself. We just need to make sure ourselves that we are listening to it. 

Things have been going great with my companion. We now understand eachother a lot more and we know how to act to keep each other going strong and progressing together closer to the lord. During testimony meeting on sunday he testified about loving others rather than judging others and he said several times throughout that he was grateful for the advice that I have been giving him. The spirit testified to me the importance of taking every chance to build and up lift others, whether through actions, sayings, or advice. 

I got my first baptism commitment yesterday as well!!! ok.. so it was just a practice investigator but that doesn´t demean from how spiritually real and authentic it was. Me and Elder Nielson have found better ways of studying and preparing for our lessons which has greatly contributed to keeping the lessons personal and to have the spirit. So when we had that lesson on baptism, the spirit was so strong it was almost palpable.. I´m loving this calling more and more everyday. 

The language is still coming very rapidly and I can hold quite a long conversation no problem in español, pero for whatever reason its harder for me while writing it down. I´ve almost come to the point where I can just start talking and not think ahead about translating from english to español. The only thing im struggling with is conjugating the irregular verbs and every now and then I get lazy on gender and number. But its all good!

Yo amo a ustedes!

con mucho amor,

Elder Thompson IV

Semana 3!!! (week 3)

Not getting an email from my boy was hard enough but then I was happy to get one in the mailbox the other day warning me that I wouldn't.  Too bad I got it after the fact!  Oh, the worries of a mother!  I am happy to report he is doing GREAT and LOVING his mission!  Grateful he is in the Lord's hands and putting his WHOLE heart and soul into the work!  That's my boy!  



Semana 3!!!
Lo siento mi familia por no escribi ayer!. I was not able to write yesterday because I was in Las Vegas all day yesterday. So my Branch president allowed me to hop on for a couple minutes right now to write you. Going to Vegas was actually a really interesting experience that I actually enjoyed. I and 9 others had to fly down to go to the Mexican consulate and finish some last stuff for our Visas. I now I have my Mexican Visa! 

This was my first trip out of the MTC and back into the real world for me while being a missionary. One thing I learned is that everyone watches you, which made me realize how important it is to carry the Christ in our countenance and in our words at all times. Although I think lots of people were just staring wondering why a bunch of kids were wearing suits and dresses in 115 degree weather.. ^^'

We had a few missionary experiences throughout the day of talking to members and non members alike, talking to one we committed one man to attend church this sunday with his grandma that he was visiting and he said he would, which we were pretty excited about. ^^ So we got up that morning at around 4:00 and had breakfast at the airport at 5:30, but in Vegas for whatever reason our strange (he did have good intentions) service missionary wouldn't let us get food until we went back to the airport. Which was a bit of a problem because the Church gave us $10 for food for the entire day. Which at an airport gives half a meal, (except for $5 small meal at Mcdonalds that morning) so we each had $5 left and no where served less than $9. While trying to figure it out a non member walked up to us and said "My favorite tennis player just advanced in Wimbledon and so I want to celebrate, but the real reason is because my brother is an assistant to one of the 70's and I really qppreciate the hard and great work you guys do." Then she handed us some money for food which covered just enough for all of us to eat. Normally I wouldn't take such an offer but I've learned several times including from a general authority, that we should except these gifts from the people and let them receive their own rewards and blessings from god for helping. 

My relationship with my companion has been increasing more and more everyday. He's now realizing that we should not focus on ourselves, but should focus on our investigators and the work more and then the improvement in ourselves will come. I've also noticed that he's experiencing feeling the spirit for the first time and he actually acted on it today which left us with chills after. If he continues at this rate he will make a fine choice of missionary. 

We are currently teaching 3 mock investigators right now one of which is known for being the hardest investigator to teach ever in this MTC. They were not kidding.. he's a professor and is agnostic (almost atheist but havent completely ruled out there being a God) he also loves to talk and our first lesson he talked 26 of our 30 minutes, asking extremely deep and hard questions that would be hard to answer even in english! Today however we were more prepared then ever before and we came in firm and strong and got our point across very well. Teaching him about the BoM and how to/why we read it. We read the second to last parrafo of the introduction page, then I used Enos 1:15, Alma 32: 21, 2 Nephi 28:30. We then talked about it for a while and was trying to find everyway he could to contradict us, but for every question I had an answer or a scripture. I invited him to read Alma 34 which he agreed to do, He then read the last parrafo of the introduction page and my companion, although he didnt understand what was going on, testified to him, which was powerful and completely lead by the spirit and no one could have said it more perfectly. Which left him speechless and then we ran out of time. I know the spirit has guided us in so many ways. Although it is a mock lesson, if you could keep Javier in your payers that he might feel the spirit and open up to the lord I would be full of much thanks!

I'm actually running out of time and so I have no time to answer personal emails, but know that I really want to! and to answer a couple of things really quick, yes I have received my pants and its nice to finally have something to change into ^^' Also, thank you for all the letters and the package from dad, I really love them! Although I learned that I'm actually only allowed to write on wednesdays so if I recieve letters I'll write them and send them off thursday mornings. However I have responded and sent letters to those who have written me so you should receive them soon. Love you all! and please keep the pictures coming! I love looking at them!

con mucho amor!

Elder Thompson IV