It's the people that you meet when you're walking down the street...it's the people that you meet each day!

September 8, 2014

"There I was just a' walking down the street singing doo wa dee dee dee dee dum dee dee doo." 

Actually I was probably singing "i am a child of god, and he has sent me here" which is what my companion and I always sing when those rap beats be bumping along the street. (don't worry, full beat boxing included.) 

When a guy suddenly stops us. 

"I didn't see you at church today." 

we look at each other. "Did you go to church?"

 "Nah. That’s probably why I didn't see you." 

I like this guy already. 

Turns out he is Native American, and a very firm follower of Jesus Christ. He said that many of his friends tease him for not following more closely the "native ways" but "Jesus created all of this for us anyway, man. I mean, He's the God of everything." 

Yeah. He's one of those people around whom your find yourself fighting the urge to say "dude" and "man" every other sentence.....Man it was refreshing to talk to "a fellow traveler in this journey." 

He promised to come to a service project this weekend. So- will keep you posted. 

The scene changes:

I shut the car door and step onto the sidewalk. I see this guy eyeballing' us. "Hey are you giving out free bibles?" 

Jackpot. 

"They're LIKE the bible in that they're records of God's dealing with ancient civilizations. Have you ever heard of the Book of Mormon?" 

"You guys are Mormon? Man, I ALWAYS defend you guys. You guys get a bad rap." (Amen brother)

Turns out he is looking for a new church and is really interested in learning more. 

Five minutes later. (Actually, like 45 minutes later, because we talked to that guy for a while) 

"Hi"

"Hi. Are you guys Mormons?"

(Why as a matter of fact we are.)

"Yes." 

"O.k. that's cool." witi witi cajeta (I just found out yesterday that that's like bla bla bla in spanish) 

"So I'm diabetic, and I'm waiting on disability. I'm living at the Lutheran Church over there on the corner but I'd like to go to your church tomorrow." 

People are cool. I love getting to wear a nametag that basically gives me free license to talk to anyone and everyone. We sometimes miss out on the coolest people because we never introduce ourselves and we miss the best missionary opportunities because we don't open our mouths when we walk in the street. 

-Hermana Thomas 

A quick but delightsome photo tour

Well here we are again. The blog. 

Well I should probably start by saying that one of our investigators got baptized this week. She is incredible! Would it be incredibly lame to just take you on a picture tour of my week?....i don't hear any objections so let's begin! 

on your left we see dinner with a recent convert (and his family who refused to be in the picture)  

and straight ahead if you walk quickly you will catch a glimpse of the rare "baptism photo" in it's natural color of white. 

next we have a an hermana thomas in mint condition, with original accessories of spanish hymn book and flute.  

well. sorry folks, that is this week's snippit with the snippit of time I had left. love you all! 

-Hermana Thomas
​

Time goes at inter-galactic-light-speed when you're teaching the gospel!

August 25, 2014

Seat belts, everyone! It feels like time is moving at warp speed now a days. You know the saying time flies when you're having fun?" well. Time goes inter-galactic-light-speed (reference-to-star-wars) when you're teaching the gospel. Wait, was that star trek? I don't know, I've been out of the world for too long to remember. (pun, pun.) 

Anyway. 

This week our lessons were pretty through-the-roof. We are gaining popularity here in the urban town of San Bernardino. We have people giving us dinner every single night of the week, and an investigator who insists on serving us lunch at least 4 times a week. Que Bendicion! (Translation: What a blessing!) We really believe that we are receiving blessings for our obedience. 

For all of you who are not familiar with the ins and outs of missions, there's this little thing affectionately known as the  "missionary handbook." It has all rules meticulously mentioned and covers everything from "arise at 6:30 A.M." to "stay within sight and sound of your companion." The first time I read the handbook I took a figurative (and possible literal, I don't know, it's been a while) step backward. “Whoa! Missionaries have a lot of rules!” Time and time again our leaders emphasize the importance of being "exactly obedient." For example, not getting up at 6:31. Not leaving our companion even for a minute. 

From the outside looking in, this may seem ridiculous or unnecessary. But the principle is that the Lord blesses us for our obedience. If we are exactly obedient we get all the blessings, and use our short time here on the mission wisely. If we let "little" things slide, we cheat ourselves of the blessings and growth we could have received. Being obedient we become people of character, discipline, and integrity. 

The commandments that God gives us are like our "human handbook." if we abide by the principles and are "exactly obedient" we are safe and able to feel the Holy Ghost. If we let the "little things" slide, we turn into people we wish we hadn't become. 

I urge you to be "exactly obedient" in the things of the Lord. Read your scriptures EVERY day. Pray SINCERELY. Keep the Sabbath day holy ALL day. I promise that the sacrifices are small, and the blessings are great.

I love this gospel of Jesus Christ with all my heart!  

-Hermana Thomas  

A happy frozen yogurt moment!

Too much fun in San B!

August 18, 2014

bum bum bum bum bum bum -da da da da da dadada duh duh. duh duh duh dada da da da duh duh. duh duh duh duh duh duh dada. duh duh duh dada duh. duh duh duh. 

did you get that? it's the song from the parent trap. the "new" one, although it was Lindsey Lohan pre-freak out which seems like it was a while ago. Wondering why I brought it up? glad you asked. I just found out this week that part of that movie was filmed in my area!!! evidence? ok ok here you go 

​here's the lake where one blonde step-mother-to-be may or may not have woken up on a floating air mattress. yep. I'm pretty much famous. 

Anyway. 

this week was exciting and adventure-filled. First of all, i had my very first "herbal life" shake. One of our investigators sells herbal life at her house. what's the proper term for that? distributor? that doesn't sound right. Where's google when you need him? Anyway, she invited us over to try the "breakfast" a.k.a. lots of herbal teas and such and then a shake. I must admit it was very delicious. The best part was meeting her friends and seeing how well she took care of them. Martha, our investigator, really cares about people taking care of their bodies. She is so sincere in her desire to heal. When we taught her the word of wisdom she bore her testimony that she already knew that it was true. She is amazing!

 also, we got to go to a boda (wedding). They got married on saturday, and the husband got baptized Sunday. 

 Probably my favorite Mexican wedding tradition is that the second dance of the evening (after that of the bride and groom) is for anyone to come up and dance with the newlyweds. They tape a dollar onto the bride's dress and then "cut in" and dance with either the bride or groom until the next person tapes a dollar. Such a fun idea! 

It was fun to have so many adventures this week and then top it all off with three baptisms in our ward! We just got news that Hermana McCartt and I are both staying in San Bernardino for the next transfer so I should be blogging about some miracles soon!

 Have the greatest week!  Much love, 

-Hermana Thomas 

The Water Oscars

August 11, 2014

Would you like a weight loss tip? (That random moment when your faithful blogging missionary becomes your dietitian). 

Drink water. 

Many times people think that they are "hungry" when in all reality; they are just missing some of that good, quality H2o. We eat and eat and eat and eat (I hope i am speaking for more people than just me here) and never feel fully satisfied because what our body is really craving is water. Water. Let’s talk about water. I love it. Lets actually turn this into the Water Oscars. (A bubblegum pink stage pops out with a cheesy swoopy-haired host and flashing lights.) The nominees for BEST WATER MOMENTS ARE:

1. When you are reeeeeeeeeally thirsty and for some reason haven't been able to access drinkable water. not just normal thirsty. We’re talking absolutely and utterly parched, sirs and madam! Your tongue feels sandy and desert-like and your throat is sandpaper. Then you somehow get a hold of cold, refreshing, bottled water. That first sip is like the fountain of life, and you gulp down the rest. 

2. When you've been running/biking/hiking/working in the garden/ camping/exerting ALL energy for a long period of time. It’s been hours or even days of living in crusted over sweat and filth. Your hair is plastered everywhere and your tight, sunburned skin has a layer of shiny. When you finally step into the shower and that sweet water rinses away all of the impurities. You feel completely clean and rejuvenated. Like a whole new person, able to enjoy the achy soreness of your workout in clean skin. 

3. When it's hot outside. It's been months since it's rained. All of the pollution and smog and smell of dumpster/cigarettes has not only infiltrated, but also been infused into the air. It's like living in a plastic container full of nastiness. And it just circulates, circulates into every breath you take. But then the rain comes. It’s just sprinkling at first but then it pours. A heavy, replenishing, renewing rain. It clears off all the heat from the pavement, sanitizes, and renews the city. The air is fresh and new, and you feel it too!

There are so many adjectives we can associate with water: Clean, pure, refreshing, rejuvenating. Is it any wonder that Jesus is considered the living water? 

Want a weight-of-your-sins loss tip? Turn more to the living water. Turn to Jesus Christ. Instead of filling your life with more and more junk and things that advertise themselves as the solution or happiness in a bottle, turn to the source that will REALLY quench your thirst for Joy. Christ said (John 4:13-14)

 13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life  

He truly is what we are seeking for. Here is a picture of someone using water in the best way possible this week. Baptism! Enjoy the photos and this week; commit yourself to drink more deeply of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Much love,

Hermana Hope Thomas

McMission McMusings

 August 4, 2014

​let's play a game. who recognizes any of these toys? 

​ok what about this mascot? 

​a little before your time? let's try this one. (i like it because the plaque looks like a missionary tag)  

ok ok you guessed it. I'm at the site of the very first... 

​McDonalds!!!

Did you know that McDonalds was started in San Bernardino? I did not. Did you know that it used to be "McDonald's Barbeque?" I was oblivious. Did you know that the McDonald brothers sold it for 2.7 million dollars? I admit I was surprised. 

These are the kind of things you learn when walking the streets of Good old San B. 

I would just like you to know that I have started this blog about 7 times. I have honestly no idea what to say. So I will just tell you a story, and share a scripture. Interpret it as you will. 

This week we went to the house of a less active member of the church. She is very kind but is going through some really hard things at this point in her life. She has a few big decisions to make and stands at a critical crossroad. We invited her to start reading the scriptures and praying for guidance. we invited her to come to church. She responded that she would really like to, but with so many things going on, she didn't really know how much time she could devote to that. We pleaded with her to change the focus of her life and turn to the Savior. With so many problems and thoughts swirling around she said that she would try but we could hear the lack of commitment in her voice. We testified of the blessings we have received from putting the savior first in our own lives. we challenged her to take small steps to return. She said that she was going to wait until everything else resolved itself and THEN work on her relationship with God. When we left we heard her un-pause her netflix show.  

If you are going through something especially hard, or just the normal riggers of life, please don't focus so much on the problem that you overlook the solution. 

Matthew 11:28

 28 ¶Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

I hope things are going well for you this week!

-Hermana Thomas