The week of absences! (WEEK 9)

This week has been a bit strange of a week. We´ve had somany people that have made appointments with us, several that walked up to us first to ask. However, about 75% of the people weren{t there! I mean, It was great for exercise but bad for sharing the gospel! I still fill confident with most of them though, and I´ll make sure we try again this week.

I can see the work of the Lord progressing more and more inthis area. I feel truly blessed to be a part of it. We find so many people that want to hear the message and several who have that desire to be baptised.However, to be baptised you have to assist the church 5 times and another list of things to do. Almost every investigador that we teach follows andlistens to the list, but when it comes down to it almost no one leaves for the church. Whether its menos activos or investigadores its the same problem. Me and Elder Pacheco have been trying different ways to teach this important commandment and requirement for baptism. So far without much success, but we will continue to look for other ways to teach it and to get these people to Church. Tambien it would help significantly if you could say a prayer for these people as well, They truly are amazing people. All they need is to take that step of faith and attend church.

We have one investigator that shines so bright with the Light of Christ its almost blinding. His name is Gael. He´s only 10 years old and in his family his mom, aunts, and grandparents are all inactive members except for his grandpa. He has been keeping every single commitment with reading, praying, and he has been trying his hardest to attend church. Usually his mom doesnt let him, but now she lets his grandpa Rodolfo take him. The thing that impresses me with Gael the most however, is not only is he completely faithful with all his commitments, He takes every chance to teach his family and friends about what he´s learned. Many times I´ve heard what he´s said and always its in a profound yet simple way, always full of love. As if Christ himself had said it. I´m excited to see him progress more on this Great plan set by our Savior. He will make an incredible disciple of Christ and bring forth much great work under the Lord.

My favorite scriptures I´ve read this week were definitely about the strippling warriors. The amount of faith these young men had is beyond comprehension. One of my favorite verses about them is Alma 56:47. Which then led me to Proverbs 3:5-6. If we trust in the Lord with all our hearts, doubting not and leaning on the teachings of our mothers. The Lord will direct our paths and deliver us through all our trials. So lets do our best to stay faithful and putting all our trust inthe Lord!

I had a pretty cool experience this last Friday. It was a follow up for all the new missionaries that are in the state of Jalisco to see how the training is going. So we all got to meet with P¨resident Wagner again. Which is always great onmy end. Never before have I met a man more straight in your face and direct about the gospel, and he has taught us a lot on how to be successful missionaries. He reminds me a lot of the apostle Jeffrey R. Holland. So this is the third time I´ve had a devotional from him already in the mission, which I find awesome. The best part of this meeting though, was definitely seeing all my friends from the MTC. Swapping stories and just talking again. All of us holding conversations in spanish and practicing with eachother. The growth that has only happened in one month is really astonishing. I can only imagine what it will be like in two years!

Alright time for me to sign off!

Love you all!

Elder THompson IV

P.S. I´ve lost 30 pounds so far and still losing! I find it pretty funny because absolutely none of my clothes fit me! (good thing I still have one belt that fits!)

Another week gone by! (Week 8)

So I got mugged this week!!! 

sort of

This drunk guy came up to me demanding my money,( not a very nice lookin guy). About to hit me, I was about to give him "all" the money I had (6 pesos of my 50). But then he forgot what he was doing and walked away.. it made a pretty funny experience for me and Elder Pacheco.

Things have been going pretty well out here in Mexico. The food is still really good, the people generally are really great and loving people. The language is coming more and more. But I have to be honest, those pictures I sent were kind of false advertisement. Thats the outskirts of my area, the outskirts of Guadalajara. My area is tons of proverty stricken houses and streets with very little grass (plenty of colorful trees) But I still find it very beautiful in its own way. I would take pictures but once again, everytime I´m about to I get a very strong feeling just to leave it in my bag. Theres a lot of drugs and issues with that so who knows whos on the other side of the camera.

Time truly flies here on the mission! In no time at all I´ll be heading home.  It´s made me realize how valuable this time really is and how us as missionaries need to take every chance to push forward the work. Its something I´ve been fervantly looking for in my prayers and studies. To change my way of thinking into that of the Sons of Mosiah and other prophets during that time. To look at every situation, and treat it as a teaching oppurtunity to bring someone closer to the Lord. To be Bold but not over bearing (Alma 38:12) and to be Wise but Harmless. (Alma 18:22) and to be like Ether and be so full of the spirit of the Lord that no matter how tired I am I will spend every ounce of my being in preaching the restored truth and having faith that this message can change lives for the eternities. This is my goal. I ask to be humbled as unto a child, that I may boast only of my God. (Alma 26) because I want to stand before God at the last day and say "I did my best. I did everything I possibly could to bring more souls unto you."

Do we treat everyday like this? 

Do make God our top priority or do we let him sit on the back burner?

Do we do our best to bring others unto Christ?

Do we do our best to follow his commandments?

God is and unchangeable God and like my brother Elder Thompson III said 

       "Those who do repent and obey, prosper.  The Lord says we too will

prosper if we are obedient.  In D&C 82:10 it says, "I, the Lord, am
bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no
promise."  I feel that that pretty much sums it up.  I could go on
forever stating scripture after scripture that supports that idea.
Really though, it's pretty clear.  If we are obedient, the Lord
promises us countless blessings, and he is and honest God and cannot
go back on His word."

So we need to make sure we are doing our best and following that fifth step of the gospel Enduring to the End. 

As I do my best to live this principal I find that little by little the Lord is answering my prayers. I gain the confidence more and more everyday to share this message with people in the streets, and every place I go. Sometimes the reaction is bad, lots of people laughing, saying not very nice things. But always I share with love, and as I teach I feel a power of the Lord I´ve never felt before. As I go with this attitude I see the Lord blessing us more and more.  As Ether taught "by faith all things are fulfilled" (Ether 12:3) This week we´ve had several experiences of people walking up to us making appointments and wanting us to teach their families. Then people we´ve contacted inviting us to their homes. Tripling our number of new investigators, all with baptismal dates. I will do my best to keep this going strong.

I keep you all in my prayers and love you very much!

Elder Thompson IV

P.S. I found out for packages you send them to the mission office and the deliver them out to the missionaries later.

Week 7 ~ Una Semana de cosas

this is the outskirts of my area of Arquitectura! I can't take very much inside the area for security reasons..

Things are still going great here in Guadalajara! I started this last week being sick again, but I've been becoming better every day. It's actually been pretty funny, the miembros offer to feed us everyday and they all heard that I've been a little sick. So to try and help me they've been making soups full of vegetables, and sometimes vegetables without soup.. So I've basically been a vegetarian these past 2 weeks ^^' I appreciate them looking out for me, and the food tastes great, but I look forward to the meals with meat, thats what my body is accustomed too. ^^' 

The work has been great, I'm still learning a lot every day, for that I'm grateful to my companion Elder Pacheco! He's really patient with me and allows time for me to figure things out and work them out in my head, plus many times he lets me take lead in lessons. My spanish has grown enormously from it!

I'm having the same experience as my brother Elder Thompson III with reading the scriptures. This is the first time I've ever felt the tremendous power in those words. I wish I could stay and read it all day, but like Elder Thompson III dijo. That would be only a little contradictory. So its all good because I love sharing what I learn with my investigators and menos activos.

With one of the Hermanas in my ward Hermana Cata, we visited her my first day here and so she saw how bad my spanish was. We've visited her three times since and always she says to those around that "Elder Thompson can't understand very much and can speak very little" Its kinda been a joke between me andmy companion because I can understand everything she says to me now. I can understand much more then people originally think ^^' Most the time Ijust didnt hear the first time.

I've been feeling the spirit a lot this week, its been a great experience. The Lord has been leading us to more people who are ready to recieve the gospel. With many, we made first contact and our impression was the complete opposite, the the spirit whispers to go back, and we've gone and talked with the same people and they were excited to hear from us. With that family we have an appointment tonight. Im not sure what happened but I'm glad the lord is softening their hearts. 

My prayers and scripture studies have been truly great this past week, I've realized sometimes during my prayers its like it says in the scriptures, wresting with God. But our work and the amount the spirit guides us has tremendously increased. And right now Im feeling like im on the same path as the Sons of  Mosiah. Not as grand, but I hope to feel those same feelings that Ammon has at the end of his journeyings. That with great rejoicing I can boast of my God and how I was blessed enough to be an instrument in his hands.

The lord is great my friends!

Love you all!

Elder Thompson IV