This week was awesome!!

This week was awesome!! Except I missed everything fun. We had back to back exchanges and both times I got picked to go to the other areas, so I wasn’t in my area for a combined total of about 48 hours. Of course in that time Elder H and first Elder B and then Elder F; contacted a referral, set up about a million appointments (exaggerating), taught three lessons, and found three new investigators. Meanwhile back in the Ward: when I'm not tracting, I’m getting stood up on appointments and force fed ice-cream and cherries by overly generous British people. ; P

But life is good! : D There are a lot of good things happening in our area that I was actually able to be around for.

Like I said there really isn't a whole lot I can report on this week as it seems like anything interesting that happened in the area this past week happened while I was gone on exchanges. We had back to back exchanges Tuesday into Wednesday and Wednesday into Thursday. We did find three new investigators this week, but I have yet to meet any of them, but our return appointments with them are coming up so I look forward to meeting with and getting to know them soon.

One thing that's kind of cool that we have been working on this week is we set up to have weekly splits with the Elders and High Priests every Thursday night. Our first priority will be to have hopefully 2 lessons with investigators scheduled during that time, but after that we will be visiting Less Active Members (preferably with their Home Teachers) and helping to uplift and encourage them.

The Ward Mission leader is really on board and the Quorum and Group as a whole seemed fairly in favor of the idea so the first of these "rescue nights" will be this upcoming Thursday. I'm excited to see how it goes.

I love the area. I love the people here. I love my companion. I love the work. I tolerate the weather. Life is good. God is good. The church is true.

Love ya lots!

Elder Thomson

P.S. To answer your questions:

I’m serving in a weird place, cool people. As per the usual in Canada none of the streets make sense. The weather is as far as I can tell consistently too warm, but we just mooched a fan off of the First Ward Elders so we should survive...maybe.

My Companion: Weird guy... that pretty much all there is. He is a nerd, a dweeb, and a dork, and I love him for all of those reasons! His favorite past times are juggling and Rubik’s cube. I know... right? But he has impressive skills in both and more women (i.e. girlfriends) than any other Missionary I have served with, and for that he is a stud... but I don’t understand how...  ; P

The apartment: Small, but clean. I have seen bigger shoe boxes, but compared to my last apartment it’s a gold inlaid shoe box. We live under a super cool family. And the members in the Ward are awesome.

 

Several Awesome Miracles!

Hello family!

This past week has been wonderful. We witnessed several awesome miracles, and the Lord has blessed us indeed. Funny thing about miracles: I never seem to stop being surprised when they happen. You'd think that sooner or later after seeing so many we'd get desensitized, or they'd stop impressing us quite as much, and I guess that does happen, but it’s usually more of a deficiency of gratitude than anything else.

 

Anyway this past week we had two miracles with referrals and one miracle new investigator.

 

Our miracle new investigator's name is C, we met him after Church when our Ward Mission Leader (Brother S, who is awesome) came running up to us after church and said for us to come quick because he had someone for us to meet. That's when he introduced us to C. Turns out C has been coming to church for a while at different buildings, he has been unofficially investigating for a long time and some recent challenges in his life have thrown into sharp contrast the proper order of his priorities. He attended several other Wards yesterday, and talked to missionaries in all three wards. He was in Gospel Principles which is where he met our Ward Mission Leader and told him briefly his story. Anyway, we were able to meet with him after church and get to know where he is coming from, we shared our testimonies with him of the Church and of God's hand in everything, we shared some scriptures and he said that he would be attending Church next week as well, and we set up another meeting for after church. He seems very humble and very sincere, he said that he is searching for something, for a place where he belongs, so I think good thinks are ahead for him.

 

Both of our miracle referrals were from Missionaries; one who just left for her mission to Nevada and another who just returned. Turns out one of the referrals is actually a part member family that we didn't have on our records, and when we went over to see them they were super friendly and invited us back for another time.

 

The other referral we have not been able to contact yet but it was also truly an unexpected miracle.

 

That’s cool that we passed the home inspection thingy for Adult Foster Parenting. It’s also cool that you got released from RS President, but not so cool that you got sick. Woot! A Stake Primary calling! That’s going to be awesome!

 

I love you soooo much too. Sorry my emails have been kinda weak lately. I keep telling myself I'm going to do better but then I get distracted.

 

Anyways! Questions I want to know about home:

 

Who are the Elders in our Ward right now? How is their teaching pool?

 

How are things in politics/the world? I haven’t got an update on that in a while?

 

Also a kitchen update would be cool.

 

How are the Wolfes doing? Is everything going well there or are they ready to through in the towel and come back to civilized country?  :  )

 

Also if you could send me a hard copy of the edited letter that I wrote for the Sons of... whatchamacallit camp that would be awesome! :D

 

The Lord is just and merciful, the work is hard and miraculous, the Church is true and that's it.

 

Love ya!

 

-Elder Thomson

I did indeed get transferred!

I did indeed get transferred. I am now serving with Elder H. This is his last transfer of his mission, which means he has been out exactly one year longer than me. He is super cool, and our personalities are scary similar. This is either going to end really good or really bad.

 

We live in the basement. Just btw, you don’t need to put “basement” on the envelope. The people upstairs are members and they will just give us the mail.

 

In other news... remember how I got two packages at the same time a week before I got transferred? Remember how I had to ditch so much stuff? But in other news the Zone Leaders now love me forever because I gave them a box of Angry Birds Cheese Nips and a box of Goldfish Crackers and half a box of Oreos. I couldn't leave that for the new Elders!

 

Oh! I got whitewashed again! That makes me three for three on the whitewash. Weird. I'm actually going to write President about that right now. ;)

 

Pray for me!

 

Elder Thomson

 

Oh, and I love Kyri too. And I love being a Cuz-Uncle. And I love being a Missionary, and I love Cherries and Legos and my companion. And I love the Scriptures and I love the Savior. And I love all you guys at home.

 

Love me back? :D

 

 

 

"Peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment."

I'm sorry to hear about the passing of Aunt Alisha and Uncle Nate's baby. Destiny is such a beautiful name for an equally beautiful daughter of God, who was just too good for this evil world. Please tell them that they are in my prayers, and share with them my testimony that they will see her daughter again. "peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment." see D&C 121: 7-8

Your calculations are so correct! If one of us is getting a call to be transferred we should be getting it this evening. Side Note: we had dinner with the N family yesterday and Sister N's sister has a son serving in Toronto so while we were there she was writing him an email and I had her put in to have her son say "Hi" to an Elder Romrell serving in Mandarin work in or near Toronto. ;) So we'll see if the message gets through. ;) I have been in this area for three transfers now (4 1/2 months for those of you who are keeping track at home) and so I wouldn't be surprised if I left, but at the same time I wouldn't be surprised if I stayed.

This is a tough area, I'm not complaining or making excuses (I have before, but I'm not now), it just is. But good things are happening in the Ward. We had a meeting with Bishop last Sunday afternoon and set up with him to have a Missionary Correlation meeting with him and his Councilors and a representative from each Priesthood and Auxiliary Presidency. Ward Council and PEC are good, but Missionary work gets five minutes, tops, and that just to ask if there are any investigators that they should know about or that we need help with.  That first correlation meeting happened Tuesday night, at that meeting Brother O, a member of the Bishopric stepped forward and volunteered to serve as the interim Ward Mission Leader, until our recently called new Ward Mission Leader returns from his seven week vacation. The next afternoon we met at Brother O’s house with Brother A (our Ward Missionary who plays for the BC Lions), and Sister H (our upstairs neighbor), we hashed over the Ward Mission Plan, and set some serious goals for the Ward Mission, and some super manageable baby steps to get the members helping to accomplish those goals. It was really good. Then yesterday Brother O (politely) hijacked PEC and we spent the whole meeting talking about Missionary work. THEN after church we met with President K of the Elder’s Quorum and went over the Ward list and talked about who he thought would be good for us to visit or what we could do to help the members fellowship these people. ALSO we got our first batch of 20 names for the Lost Sheep rescue effort so pretty soon we will be dividing those 20 between us and the Sisters so we can start tracking 'em down. ;) Good stuff.

As far as transfers go though, I don’t know what stresses me out the most.  I don’t necessarily like saying goodbye to everybody, that’s stressful. There are so many cool people in each of the areas that I’ve served, both members and nonmembers. I’m not a fan of packing up all my junk or trying to juggle everything while I travel. I’m always plagued by the fear that I’m forgetting something. And honestly if I move this transfer I’m getting rid of a bunch of it and just keeping the things that I really need... or like. I hope you don’t mind but I already gave my EFY CD's to Elder A because now that I have the USB I don’t really use them anyway, but thank you so much for the CDs and the USB, they have both been wonderful. But I think the thing that stresses me out the most is the fear of the unknown.

In other news.. we are taking our second hour of email in the Clerk’s office at the church today so you get pictures!!!

 

Love ya. Gotta run! Bye! :D

Elder Thomson

Lego!!!

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

I think this actually might be a better goofy glasses picture:

Me doing cool things with a flashlight ;)

District:

Happy Canada Day and Independence Day!

Good morning! : D

Nope, didn’t get my face painted for Canada Day and I didn’t see anyone with a painted face either. The ward did have a BBQ, and I guess we could have gone since it was our P-day, but we were busy cleaning the whole time so instead of celebrating Canada’s independence from Great Brittan, we fought for our own independence from dirt. We did a halfhearted, at best, job cleaning the car and apartment a few weeks back (because we got distracted playing Frisbee with the District and ran out of time) and we never really recovered. So we were due for a deep clean, and both the car and the apartment are looking good now.

I also cut two Elders hair yesterday. I can’t remember if I told you or not but a few months back I got sick of other people doing an awful job cutting my hair, and so I decided that I couldn’t do much worse myself so I have been cutting my own hair for a while now and so far everything seems to be going good (but you wouldn’t know otherwise since you haven’t gotten pictures in like FOREVER. I do feel bad about that, I really do, I’ll get right on that. I’m 500 lbs. btw. So FAT!) Anyway! both Elder S’s in my District; Zone Leader Elder S, and greenie Elder S, thought I did an alright job on my own hair, and I guess they figured if I did an okay job on my own hair I couldn’t do too terrible of a job on theirs, so they both asked me to cut their hair yesterday, and I think they turned out alright. We will see if they ask me to cut their hair again, then we'll know what they really thought. ;)

Anywho! I thence for titled myself Zone Barber, which is far better than my previous title of Poverty Boy. I ran out of money for food early last month because I didn’t budget well, and so I was mooching food left right and center. I did end up buying some stuff on personal funds last week, and I do feel bad about that but I was hungry and that frozen food tasted so good!! I had to buy pens anyway, right?

Oh, and I totally did see that broadcast. https://www.lds.org/training/wwlt/2013/hastening/special-broadcast?lang=eng

 IT WAS SO GOOD!! You have to watch it! Watch it now! And then watch it again! And then tell me what you thought... in your letter... because I don’t have that much longer on the computer. I took a really long time to email the Mission President today. :/

 Anyway, I love and miss you all terrible much. Time flies when you're having fun. Pigs fly when you throw them far. And when it’s hot out have a Melona Bar. (I think the company that makes them is called Bingrea, or something like that. You should try them if you can find them. They are super good! )

Love,

Elder Thomson

P.S. I miss the Wolfe’s already!! :(  Make sure they know exactly where they have to be on September 10th 2014. That’s right! Back in Corvallis... or else! ;P

 

This week

This week I saw many miracles, most of which I was to blind and ungrateful to recognize. The ones that come to mind at the minute are first: health and safety. Through no great effort on my part my health and safety seem to be fairly well. My diet is probably next to the worse it has ever been and yet I am still not grotesquely obese. Around here, everyone and their uncle drives like a maniac (I drive defensively... even cowardly at times) but it is still a miracle that no one has smashed into us yet, though we see accidents all the time. The Lord protects his Missionaries.

I also had the opportunity this week to teach a lesson to a Mandarin (Chinese) speaking couple who don't speak a word of English. That was an amazing experience that I could spend hours writing about. It was a miracle that we even met them and that we could teach them. I was truly blessed to be there. They are the parents of the Chinese Branch President visiting from China for three months. They are not members, they don't even really know that much about Christ, but they are so very open to learning and have very big hearts. We called the member family because (unbeknownst to us) even though they attend a different unit since they live near us they have records here and so they were on our Ward list. When we called Sister G told us that they have not had English speaking Missionaries to their home in over four years, and the week after her Mother and Father in law arrived from China we called. Inspired or what? We went over to their house and talked about Christ (Sister G translated for us) we shared the “Finding Faith in Christ” DVD in Mandarin and left them with a copy so they could watch it again on their own. They are attending the Mandarin Branch and being taught by the Chinese Sister Missionaries. I was so happy for the chance and miracle it was that we were able to meet them and share with them about Christ.

I was rather blessed to learn something in a new light this past week. in sacrament meeting on Sunday Brother L spoke of the path to exaltation, and he mentioned five steps (go figure) that at first sounded unrelated to the five steps to the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we as Missionaries preach every day, but upon further reflection started to sound very, very familiar. The five steps were these:

Desire to Believe:

Not everyone has faith, in fact we run into dozens every day, many even say that they wish that they could believe they wish that they could be partakers to the gifts of peace that come from strong faith and trust in the Lord. But for some reason they consider themselves separate, and unable to develop such faith, they recognize in themselves those human doubts and adversary inspired cynicisms that keep them from developing such faith.  Such obstacles are easily overcome if we can just desire to believe. Alma 32:27 "But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words."

Develop Testimony:

Once we have exercised this desire and developed a particle of faith it is then our duty to nurture the seed we have planted to nourish it and help it to grow. We do this but study and prayer, keeping the commandments, statutes and abiding by the precepts of the Lord. When we do this our testimony is strengthened and we gain a more sure knowledge of the goodness of the seed of faith.

Strengthen Conversion:

Conversion is more than a testimony. We become converted not just by believing or doing but by becoming. Believing and doing help us to become more like the Savior, but to be truly converted we must have a "mighty change of heart", and have "no more desire to do evil, but to do good continually". True and lasting conversion comes over time, by continuing to strengthen our faith repent and follow the Savior in all things.

Luke 22:32 "But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren."

Partake of Salvation:

The ordinances of Salvation are essential to our eventual exaltation and we cannot receive exaltation without them. The Atonement of Christ delivers all that with believe on this name and keep and do his saying. But for those that continue in rebellion against God, mercy cannot claim them, unless they will repent. Though we may continue to fall short of our potential (and we will fall short, we are only imperfect beings), our ultimate destiny (and Divine Potential) begins to be realized as we faithfully and diligently follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As we partake of the ordinances of Salvation we become partakes to the fullest degree in the Atonement of our Lord and Savior.

Receive Exaltation:

Preach My Gospel tells us that the Gospel brings us happiness and joy not only in the eternities but right now. Adherence to gospel principals brings peace. John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." As we develop testimony, strengthen conversion, partake of the ordinances of salvation we come closer to our Savior and our Father in Heaven. As sin separates us; Faith, Repentance, Baptism, and receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost bring us back to God.

John 17:3 "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

I am so grateful for this time that I have to serve as a full time Missionary. I am grateful for this Gospel and the immeasurable blessing it has been in my life. I am forever indebted to the Savior for his Atonement and for the blessings he gives me every day, a debt made even larger by my frailties and insufficient gratitude for those blessings. I am grateful for and testify of the restoration of the Church that Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God established, and of the restoration of Priesthood keys. I know we have a living Prophet and Twelve Apostles on the earth today.

Love,

Elder Thomson

Five Smooth Stones

I'm not very good at sharing my personal experiences. I guess I’m just too close to my own life to see the whole picture but there are a few things that I have seen.

Remember the story of David and Goliath. David, the rather weedy shepherd boy, who was recently and subtly anointed to be the future King of Israel, and Goliath a Giant and a Man of War?

As you will recall, the army of Israel under the leadership of King Saul was engaged in a deadly war with the army of the Philistines. One army was poised on one hill, the other on an opposite hill, with a valley in between. Now, the Philistines had among their men a great giant of a man named Goliath of Gath. His height was six cubits and a span. If I have figured correctly, that would put him somewhere in the neighborhood of nine feet tall. What a basketball center he might have made!

Clad in his armor, he came down to the valley and called out to the army of Israel:

“Choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.

“If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. …

“I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” (1 Sam. 17:8–10.)

When Saul and the army of Israel looked at this giant and heard his chilling challenge, they were frightened because they had no one of their own of such stature.

Now, while all of this was going on, Jesse, David’s father, asked his young son to take some food to his three brothers in the army. When he arrived at the battleground, Goliath came out again, issuing the same challenge, which David heard. There was fear throughout the army of Israel. David, who was no more than a boy, said to the king, (and I paraphrase his language): “King, why are you so afraid of this giant? I will go and fight him.”

Saul replied, “Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he [is] a man of war [trained] from his youth.” (1 Sam. 17:33.)

David then persuaded Saul to let him try. He told the king of how he had fought with a lion and a bear to save his father’s sheep and concluded by saying that the Lord would deliver him out of the hand of the Philistine. Saul, possibly thinking that one more life lost would not be serious among the great losses they had already sustained, said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with thee.” (1 Sam. 17:37.)

Saul then placed armor on David until the boy could scarcely walk. David said unto the king, “I cannot wear this,” and he took the armor off.

He then “took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had … and his sling was in his hand.” (1 Sam. 17:40.)

We don't fight against swords or spears, or with staves and slings, "...we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:12) The armor and weapons of Saul (or of the world) will avail us nothing, but the Armor of God and his Five Smooth Stones will grant us victory over all things.

These are them; these are five smooth stones that will guaranty you success, as a Missionary, as a Man, as a holder of the Priesthood of God. Treasure them, keep the sacred keep them safe, polish them every day and every week, and share them with everyone you meet who may not have been to the Brook of Living Water and found them for themselves. 

Faith

I used to struggle with faith. I didn't understand why I needed it. Knowledge seemed so much better than faith and I envied those like Paul and Alma the Younger who as it seemed to me didn't need to have faith. But I've come to learn on my mission that faith isn't something God asks us to have for him, it’s something that God asks us to have for us. It is a blessing and a protection, and the power that makes miracles possible. Knowledge never moved a mountain or parted a sea, knowing would be nice but faith is better. Seek learning, "seek knowledge by study and also by faith", but for those things you don't know yet, or can’t ever prove have faith and bear testimony, faith grows when it is shared.

Repentance

Alma 60:23-24 "(23) Now I would that ye should remember that God has said that the inward vessel shall be cleansed first, and then shall the outer vessel be cleansed also. (24) And now... repent... and begin to be up and doing."

Repentance is about changing, about doing, and being, better than we are right now. None of us are perfect, especially me, but through recognizing our faults and shortcomings, and by repenting we can get a little bit closer to the perfection of our Savior and our Father in Heaven each and every day. I know for me personally it would take a long, long time to get even close, but that is all the more reason to get started now. Don't procrastinate the day of your repentance, the longer you wait the harder it gets. So get started now! There are lots of little things that we can all change to be better, I'm sure you wouldn't have to look too hard to find something. If you don't know what or how to change or repent ask for help, I'm sure your parents, leaders, or bishop will be there for you, and point you in the right direction. Be humble, fear not, trust in God.  Get up, go and do.

Baptism (Covenants)

Baptism is our first covenant, and we renew that covenant every week when we partake of the sacrament. Making and keeping covenants gives us a strength, power and blessings that nothing else can. As you prepare for your mission and go through life you will have the opportunity to make and keep many more covenants. Honor them and keep them, they are the way to eternal life, and will protect and deliver you from the powers of temptation and sin.

Gift of the Holy Ghost

Look at Ephesians 6 again. Notice that the only offensive weapon is the Sword of the Spirit. Everything else is for our defense and our protection, but the spirit is our weapon, and as a Missionary it is impossible to succeed without it. Strive now to have the spirit as your constant companion, practice listening for and following the promptings you receive. This will be an invaluable skill to you in the mission field and throughout your life.

Endure to the End

I can’t say it any better than the Prophet Nephi in 2 Nephi 31 "(19) And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. (20) Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. (21) And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen."

“And the Philistine (Goliath) said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves?”

And Goliath swore at David, saying, “Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.”

Then David spoke these great words:

“Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. [1 Sam. 17:45]
“This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; ...that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.” (adapted from 1 Sam. 17:42–46.)
In anger Goliath came at him. Then David, running toward the giant, “put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.” (1 Sam. 17:49.)

These Five Smooth Stones: Faith, Repentance, Baptism (Covenants), the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End, are the way, they are the Doctrine of Christ and they are the five things that you need to have in figurative Shepard's bag before you go out to face giants. Your staff is the Scriptures, they are the iron rod, the words of God, if you can’t carry them with you in your hand, treasure them up and keep them in your heart. Your sling is you testimony, practice with it every day, as often as you can.

In closing I leave you with my testimony; That God is very, very real, and that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God, the Savior and Redeemer of the world, that this is His church restored in the latter-days, and that it is lead today by a Prophet of God, even Thomas S. Monson.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Elder Alex Thomson

* [Italics taken from "Overpowering the Goliaths in Our Lives" by Gordon B. Hinckley, April 1983]