Blue Collar Man 5/24/2022

Its been a long grindy week. We're working our tails off out biking in the heat and knocling doors, but the days have all been worth it.

 

As we've been around the neighborhoods, we've had some awesome opportunities to talk to a lot of active and inactive member families which has been a blessing to us and im sure to them as well. We've also gotten to see alot more BoMs being handed out. 

 

Nothing too much else has really happened to take note of but its been the small and simple things that have helped us to find gratitude and be happy with where we are. 

 

-Elder Thompson 

Family Tradition 5/18/22

 Nothing too interesting happened this week but I'd say it was pretty solid overall.

 

After a long zoom meeting with our bishop and mission president and a member immigrant from Nigeria, we got the go-ahead to baptize Remi, so now she is on date. She was really excited to hear things worked out. We learned as well that the traditional wedding of families in Nigeria is still valid even though it gets really confusing for families that are trying to move to the U.S.

 

The rest of our time we've been doing a lot of biking and tracting out in the hot sun. It's really tiring but it most definitely worthwhile work and I've continually seen the blessings that come from serving the Lord.

 

-Elder Thompson

Mother 5/12/22

 This week definitely had its ups and downs. It made for a weird week for sure. May the 4th was this week too so may the force be with y'all as well.

 

We had a lesson with our friend Tabitha on Tuesday. She really liked what we taught her about the Plan of Salvation and the Book of Mormon, we can definitely see her progress in the future. 

 

Wednesday really threw us off track. We got a text from our bishop saying the Olatoyes are legally divorced, meaning we can't quite baptize Remi yet. It caused a whole mess of confusion and uncertainty when we tried explaining things to them, but they still remain ultra faithful and are ready to do whatever they need to get Remi baptized asap. 

 

That night I went on exchanges with Elder Stoddard to Pecan Grove, and the next day after district council we ended up spending way too long helping the Sisters in Eldridge Park do service for a lady. We helped cut palm leaves off, paint some stairs, and detail her garden decorations. It wasn't anything I'd ever think I'd help with.

 

On Friday Bro. Martinez from the Eldridge Park ward brought us a bunch of food and sat down at our outdoor lounge to discuss how we are in a fantastic place as missionaries and our futures will be bright and blessed. It was super nice and he wanted our moms to know that along with a heaping pile of barbeque we also had some carrots to be healthy. 

 

We got to help Bro. Boyce on Saturday with yard work. He chopped down a tree and we did the cleanup by bundling the sticks and raking leaves. We also got to see Bro. Harris again who we try and see every week as well as visit our friend Robert. We were exhausted by the end of the day being out in the hot sun working and biking. 

 

Sunday was Mother's Day and I got to lead the primary children singing in Sacrament meeting. There weren't a lot of kids, so I'm sure the congregation got to hear some of my horrendous vocals as well. I also got to lead singing time in Primary which was a blast. It's definitely something I never thought I'd do on my mission, maybe ever so I'm glad I got that chance. We then both got to help the children make some flowers for their mothers. 

 

To cap it all off, for our final p-day this transfer we went bowling as a district, so it was a great end to a turbulent week.

 

I want to end with my testimony of how much my mother has helped me get to where I am, and has helped me learn so much about the gospel and Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for her and everything she has done for me, even if I seem uncaring most of the time haha. I love you mom!

 

-Elder Thompson

Peace of Mind 5-4-22

 This week we did a ton of biking and going out to find people, and although it was tiresome, we found satisfaction in putting forth effort even with minimal results.

 

We had interviews with President Richards this week, and as much as i wanted to point out all the bad about the area, he did a good job encouraging me and my comp and thanking us for the hard work, so i didnt get the chance to remember everything I had to be upset about. Interviews are always a great way to make us feel like we're doing a great job and get advice on how to excel.

 

I'm not sure if im allowed to complain about this, but members have been giving us way too much food. Our goal as missionaries is to sit down and have a nice meal to get to know the members, then share a message to bring in the Spirit, then offer service or the ability to teach anyone they know. Our members our awesome, so much so that they all want to come by at some point to drop us off a meal. Its nice and all and appreciated, but our fridge gets overstocked and we can share a message with any of them. I know I shouldn't complain, this is spoiled missionary problems. I'm sure im gonna get transfered to an area without member support at all.

 

This week we did actually get to meet a few new people whether outside biking or inside over the phone, and we're excited to hopefully teach them in the near future.

 

My comp and I got to relax a little and have the pressure taken off of us when our friend Remi showed up to church this Sunday. That means that she will be able to be baptized on Saturday! It was all dependent on whether or not she was able to come to church. We also got to practice leading and singing with the primary kids at church for Mothers Day next week.

 

I'm grateful for all the opportunities and blessings Heavenly Father has given us as we've devoted our time to him and I know as we all put in effort to serve him we can reap the rewards of heaven.

 

-Elder Thompson

 

P.S. I couldn't get an amazing picture since we were in a car, but this is what my dream car would pretty much look like. I love all the sick cars and paint jobs here.

Monster 4/26/2022

 It was a kinda hectic week, and we did in fact witness some real-life monsters at one point.

 

Tuesday was wack. We taught our friend for a couple hours which turned into a Bible Bash, but then he decided to take us out to lunch afterward which was pretty unexpected.

 

On Thursday, we the mission got a live virtual tour of the sacred grove historical site which was super cool. We ended up having our district council at Cullinan park outside which was pretty cool since we just virtual visited a special forest and then got to be outside in a nearby forest. Elder Amrine and I went to the lake inside the park and looked around. We saw lots of birds, fish, turtles, snakes, and massive alligators. I don't think my pictures really convey how cool it was to have gators swim up to the deck and be right near your feet just chilling. There were some pretty massive ones too.

 

A couple of times throughout the week, members have had to bail us out and pick us and our bikes up since we constantly got flats. The roads here aren't biker friendly at all but we're staying positive and pushing harder.

 

Sunday we got to meet with a few members and even give a blessing to round out the week on a high note. P-day was extra awesome because we got to go to In N Out then I had a blast playing all sorts of fun guitars at the nearby guitar center.

 

It was a solid week and this upcoming one looks to be quite good as well. Keep looking towards Christ and having faith in Him.

 

-Elder Thompson

The Ecstasy of Gold 4/21/2022

 It's been a great week full of highlights. So much so it's taken a hot second to write out this email.

 

Early in the week, we got the opportunity to attend a ward activity in the park. We ended up just playing football and frisbee with all the youth.

 

Wednesday we had a great zone conference. Lots of different missionaries led a lot of different trainings on how to find new people around us using various methods. It was a blast talking to other missionaries, especially since we were joined by those in my last zone.

 

We helped out our friend Trevor with raking his lawn on Thursday, and in return, he bought us a bunch of groceries, much more than we thought he would so we're pretty stocked up at the moment.

 

Saturday morning, we got our friend Hannah to meet the Sister missionaries 8n the YSA and got her excited for some of their FHE and group activities, so hopefully, she starts making good connections in the church.

 

Saturday evening we had a special opportunity to attend a late-night fireside with Brad Wilcox. He gave us a wonderful talk about our divine purpose here on the Earth and what we can do as missionaries. We even got the chance to talk with him and take pictures so we didn't end up getting home until midnight. 

 

Sunday we had stake conference and it capped off an awesome productive and spiritual week. As Sis. Richards was speaking, she made an example out of her missionaries and had us stand up, so we thought we were off the hook for the rest of the meeting. Turns out, Elder Johnson of the area seventy missed having a choir, so he had all the missionaries go up to the front to sing called to serve. That afternoon we also had an awesome Easter lunch with a few member families as well.

 

It was a pretty eventful week and the only thing I regret is not getting more photos.

 

-Elder Thompson

 

Facebook Post from Debby Richards 4/22/2022

 Over the last two weeks, we’ve had the chance to gather for Multi-Zone Conferences. We focused these conferences on building missionary skills. We had 8+ trainings led by our missionaries. We also loved the training given by Samye Martino Peterson on health, nutrition, and budgeting. She definitely inspired us!!! We are always working to develop the whole self. (More group pictures are coming! I’ve included just a few that I have on my phone. I always wish I’d taken more. Look for another post today or tomorrow with group pictures).

You may have also heard that we had a special fireside with Brad Wilcox. This was an incredible opportunity. He was coming to speak at the conclusion of the Houston South Stake Youth Conference. At the conclusion of their fireside, about 180 youth and about half of our mission sang the EFY medley together. It was so powerful. I videoed it (included) and you know I had tears. The Spirit was so powerful!! It was amazing to feel the strength of the mission added to the strength in our local youth!

We then had an unusually late fireside for the mission. One-third of the mission listened on zoom. The missionaries within a 30-minute drive were able to come in person. Brother Wilcox spoke to the missionaries about our "birthright" as children of God and members of the house of Israel. We laughed, we listened, we pondered and learned. He went through all 12 tribes and talked about how we receive blessings for our tribes and how we help gather Israel in the way that we are destined to. He said that any question of "why do I have to do this or why do I have to do that" can be answered by remembering who we are: Children of God. Heirs to the throne. Members of the House of Israel. We are so grateful to understand more deeply of our divine heritage Ask your missionary about what they learned from this incredible time together. “Don’t let the world change you when you are meant to change the world!”