June 25, 2012 - Super human powers

Hola todo!

As I sit down to write this I find myself really praying that all is well with everyone. Last night I had a very realistic dream that I was done with my mission. Yeah, I panicked. I am so thankful that I still have time to serve the Lord and to be His mouthpiece, I love the work.

So you all remember Bryan? He is our investigator that I told you all attended church last Sunday. Well he went yesterday too and is all ready for his baptism next Sunday! Honestly he is SOOO excited. I have prayed my whole mission to meet someone like Bryan. He is one of those who has really been prepared to receive the gospel. I have to tell you all what happened the other day. We were just finishing up with a lesson with him and he asked me to say the closing prayer. Well I did say it and after it was over and Hermana Sant and I had said "amen" he just kept my prayer going and said "and Dear Lord, thank you for my friends and for bringing this gospel into my life, Amen". Oh man, it was the cutest thing that I think I have ever heard...such an "aawwww" moment. Seriously though I thought my heart was going to burst with joy. He LOVES the gospel and it like second nature to him to learn more truths. SUCH a blessing. I love him!

So this last week was for SURE the hottest week of the summer thus far and boy was it blazing...we walked in it all week long. We had a very full week! I have no idea how far we walked but I am pretty sure I am getting calves of steel. We also rode the bus every single day, multiple times. I have never in my entire life seen as many crazy things as I see on one nice long bus ride in Kansas City, Kansas. The things that you only hear about in the movies come to life there. Last Saturday we needed to ride the bus to our chapel to go to a going away party for a missionary in our ward. He is one of the very first missionaries ever to leave from our ward who actually lives inside the ward boundaries, so it is a VERY momentous occasion. The party was to help him to gather enough stuff to be able to have all of the things he needs while out there. Let me just say that I am so glad that we survived this bus ride. Because it was a Saturday night the bus was JAM PACKED like I have never seen it before and our ride was an hour and a half long. I was attempting to write in my journal in the beginning but had to give up on this fairly quickly because it is an insanely bumpy ride. Also we were sitting in the front where the seats are facing the side instead of forward and I started to get super motion sick. I told my companion that I needed to move to the back so that I could face forward, but the problem with the back is that you get bumped around way more and that kind of motion makes her sick, so it's kind of a lose lose situation. Well we finally found room for both of us in the back but after a few minutes I looked over at my companion and she had a look of panic on her face. I leaned over and asked her if she was okay and she told me to look over at the couple that was sitting right next to her. I looked over and I saw that they were meth users and had a lot of open sores that were bleeding. I think I talked a little about how my companion really does not like germs. Well she HATES blood. So. She was in the part of the bus that makes her the most sick, with some people with bloody sores...also it was very hot. Oh. And shortly afterwards some very nice looking Colombian guys our age got on the bus and started trying to flirt with us. I was never so happy to get off of the bus.

Earlier in the week I had the chance to go on exchanges with the sister missionaries who are closest to us. They live in Lawrence Kansas which is about 45 minutes away from us. I got to be companions for a day with a sister named Sister Van Camp. I had such a good time! I think that the chance that we get to go on exchanges once every transfer is so inspired. These experiences really help me to see things that I could be doing better and to feel re-pumped for jumping into the work. Also Lawrence is so different than anywhere that I have thus served(ha ha the two places that I have thus far served in). We had to ride the bus there too but it was really clean and quiet and there was only a few people on the bus. Also the bus driver knows the missionaries and is very nice. While I was there I got to go with Sister Van Camp to the Salvation Army to do service. We worked at the food kitchen and served people lunch. This was the first time that I had ever done this and I seriously loved it. I met a woman named Lupe there and she was so excited that I could speak Spanish to her (the sisters that serve there are always English sisters). So it is seriously easy to make friends with most Hispanics because they are usually so friendly, the only problem is the when you speak Spanish to them they get really excited that you can speak Spanish and they start speaking this rapid fire language that can in no way be recognized as the language that I have been learning for the last 7 months. Well it's not that bad but sometimes the fact that I just love to laugh in most situations really helps me out because if I don't know exactly what they said I laugh and nod my head or use filler words. It's great. I love Spanish. I learned a lot from Sister Van Camp and I was also happy to come back to the Kaw River ward.

So just to finish up this email I need to say that I know that real, sincere, heart-felt, faith infused prayer works. Yesterday we went to church and by the time we got home I was so tired from the week before of all of the walking in the hot sun and humidity that I thought I could not ever get off of my bed after our hour of dinner was over. I felt like I literally did not have the strength. At this point I remembered what my companion had told me the week before. She said that while she was in the MTC Elder Holland had come and spoke (lucky, right!) and he had said that the he expects missionaries to have super human strength. I remember thinking about this for a long time and wondering if in my moments of exhaustion am I using the special power that is given to me with my calling? I still felt that I could not get up off of my bed and spend the next four hours walking in the heat trying to find the people that have been prepared for us. So I rolled off of my bed onto my knees and I prayed. I prayed that the Lord would give me that super human strength that comes with my calling, because an apostle of the Lord said that it does and I know that words that he speaks are true. Well I prayed for about five minutes, then I got up and we got ready and left. In the next four hours after this experience we ended up finding two new investigators, a less active member who we had not been able to see in a month and who invited us to eat dinner with them(this was a blessing all in itself because we were VERY low on food and my dinner had consisted of old chips and salsa, ha ha), and we found a part member family who was SO excited to see us and the husband who is not a member was like "Well at least you can skip that part of having to convince us that this gospel is true, we already know it's true". In the moments when we wonder if we really can do it I can promise you that on your own you cannot live up to the full potential that the Lord has in store for you. Just like the Savior said to His disciples "Come and see". Come and see kind of superhuman power the Lord has waiting for those that ask.

I love you all,

con amor,

Hermana Thorne

June 18, 2012- Good night nurse...it's hot out there...and the field is white, already to harvest!

Hola todos! 

Hermana Thorne here sitting in a beautifully air conditioned library, writing my loved ones. How are all of you?! Oh man I pray you are all doing fantastic. Hermana Sant and I are just starting off our week without a car and the temperature is supposed to go up significantly this week. I have never been so sweaty in my whole life(I am not even being dramatic about this...well not REALLY dramatic :D). Have any of you experienced humidity? I had not before, it's like breathing hot tub water. AND I still love it. It's hard to walk all day in the heat, don't get me wrong, but on the weeks that we don't have a car we tend to find more people to teach because we are always walking by someone or riding next to them on the bus. I also have decided to start using a handkerchief to wipe away the sweat(yes mom, you read correctly, I am sorry for all of the times I teased you for doing this...). We laugh as we try to talk about the heat in Spanish and I try to sing the hymns in Spanish on our walk to and from the bus. I will never forget this time. 

So last week I told you all that Kathy was getting baptized....AND SHE DID! It was such a wonderful time! I had worked with her so long and I just love her with all of my heart. She was really excited and totally ready to make this promise with the Lord. I was able to give her a picture of us standing in front of the temple and I know that as she works hard she will be able to go to the temple in a year and do the work for her mom and dad like she wants to. Honestly as I watched her go under the water and come back up(on the time that she finally went all the way under, she is a pretty big woman and the elder that was baptizing her was at least half her size ha ha, so it took four tries...) I was happier than I have ever been in my entire life and I KNOW with all that I am that the Lord wanted me to be there with Kathy, that he puts missionaries in specific places at specific times, and that I am really in the right place. I was able to sing "Teach Me to Walk in the Light" with some of the other sisters and it was such a privilege. It was beautiful. 

Some other good news!!! We have an investigator named Bryan who I think I told you all a little about. He did miss church last week because the ride that we found him could not find the chapel, but he went for the first time yesterday!!! He is getting baptized on July 1! I have never met anyone like Bryan. He says that he thinks he has been ready to join this church for years and he is so glad that the sisters came and found him. He loves the Book of Mormon and remembers everything that we teach him and really all that we say. 

Also we are planning a ward activity for Pioneers day in July. Just Hermana Sant and I...do you guys have any ideas about activities. We want to do pioneer activities and to have dinner, we were thinking about having an outdoor movie of 17 Miracles when it gets dark...please let me know if you have any ideas. :D 

So in my studies I have been reading Jesus the Christ a ton. I absolutely LOVE this book. I know and understand my Savior and His ministry better than I ever have in my entire life. It is so beautiful and some days my personal study really does not feel like enough time. to get the reading in that I want to get in. Also D & C is AMAZING. The scriptures are just golden(well not literally, I mean they were...well the Book of Mormon...ha ha ha ha ha-missionary joke, you would not believe the kinds of things that are funny in the field, but that one is funny for anyone so it's okay if you laughed). 

The people in this ward are just wonderful. I LOVE especially the Hispanic women. They just are so loving and they would give you the shirt off of their back, sometimes we have to tell them to please stop giving us so much because their family needs it. They LOVE when we come to eat with them, but sometimes it's a little tough because the way that they show us that they love us is by giving us food...a LOT of food. Also they don't eat with us, they just like to watch us eat, and they like to make sure that we eat a lot. The food that they feed us is FANTASTIC but sometimes I already feel tired and I know that we have to walk a ton afterwards, but then I see their cute little faces asking me "usted quiere mas Hermana" and then I just eat more, and they smile. It is worth it. These women are angels walking here on earth. They love the Lord very much and they work VERY hard to give their family what it needs. 

Okay so a quick side note, I called the woman that we are eating dinner with tonight to ask her what time she would like us to come over. Well she did not answer so I left her a message. The thing is that instead of asking her what time she would like to feed us I asked "Hermana a que hora usted quiere a comer nosotras?" = Sister what time would you like to eat us. Yes. My companion thought that this was hilarious and in the middle of me trying to leave the message she is trying to hide her laugh. I am just so glad that the sister who we were calling understands because she is learning English. She just called us back and acted as if nothing had happened. Very nice of her. 

OH! And we are going to start teaching English classes! Hopefully within the next few weeks. We really think that this will help us to get more investigators and to make a difference in the community. So many of our members are already really excited. They want to learn english very badly. I am REALLY excited about this! 

I want you all to know that I know that no matter what circumstance you are currently in, NOTHING is more powerful than the love that the Lord has for you. If the Lord can help me to learn this language( I will forever be learning Spanish I think) then He can help you do the hard things that you encounter in life. You not only can do hard things through Christ who strengthens you, but you will be stronger as well. 

I love you all very much!!! 

con amor, 

Hermana Thorne 

la obra de Dios - June 11, 2012

Hola todos,

Como estan? Espero que todo esta bien. I cannot even believe that this week has already passed by. As I am writing this I must admit that I am a bit worn out from last week. I think that I have mentioned in an email previous to this one that during here in Kansas City, Kansas Kaw River Ward we only have a car every other week. This means that every other week we walk a ton. The temperature just keeps rising and with it the humidity. It is seriously like breathing water...SOOO different than Utah or Idaho. I love it though, it's nice to experience something different, although the other day we experienced our first red warning day(meaning that it is so hot and the air is so gross that it is dangerous to be outside). yeah, I am for sure not used to this either and we both did feel quite sick that day, but do not fear, we felt better after eating at this very special place that serves AMERICAN food. Yes that is right, we got to eat good ol' fashion American food the other day. I had a burger, fries, and a milkshake. You would think that this would not be a big deal seeing as how I am currently serving in the United States...yeah. It's a big deal. We eat in a hispanic home every night, and don't get me wrong, I LOVE hispanic food I just have missed American food and I think my body has too. This little place that we went to is called Fritz's and no joke, after you order your phone on this little telephone(like at One-Man Band) this toy train that is above you brings you your food. Do not fear! Of course I took plenty of pictures of it! I just don't currently have a card reader to put them in this email. It was a wonderful treat.

This last week we worked really hard to get the people that we are teaching progressing in the gospel and to find more solid people who want to learn. We really had some success and we actually set a date for baptism for one of our investigators named Bryan. He will be baptized on June 24th! We actually introduced two of our investigators to each other so that one of them could give the other a ride to church(they only live like three blocks apart). It worked out really well and we felt like for sure they were coming. So at church we waited. And waited. And waited. And they did not come. We were both really pretty sad about it but on the mission I have learned that you roll with the punches, looking to the Lord for comfort, and then you move on. After church we went to go see both of them and see if they were okay and we found out that they had been looking for the church but could not find it. You see our chapel is actually outside of our area and a bit tricky to find, but Hermana Sant had tried to help our investigator who was going to be driving with directions but he said "No I have lived here most of my life, just give me an address and I can find anything..." Oh boy. When we saw him after church he got all sheepish and said "Well I couldn't find the dang thing!" Yeah. Triste, no? Esta bien ahora. We are trying to find a more reliable ride for Bryan for next week and praying for success as we work our hardest.

So a quick side note about this Joe character. This last week we taught him a few times and at the beginning of the week when we were done with our lesson and saying goodbye to him my companion stuck out her hand to shake goodbye. Well he grabbed her hand and then pulled her into a hug, then he looked at me and I knew what was coming. The thing is that he is like 77 years old so I could not go with my first instinct, which was to bowl the old sicko over, so I just let him awkwardly side hug me. When we left we talked about it and decided to just explain it to him how we cannot hug any men as sister missionaries. So on our next encounter we tried this at the end of the lesson. I honestly believe us telling him that made him want to hug us more, so he did. Well yesterday when we went over to see why they did not come to church, I had about had it with him and when he tried to hug us I had to pray to the Lord for strength to not assault the old duffer, especially when he hugged my companion. It is safe to say that we are turning him over to the elders and never visiting him again.

On this same note I have realized that something that is going to be a bit of opposition in this area is the many, many...MANY men that hit on us. As a sister missionary I do not feel like a woman that should EVER be checked out, but since I have been here I have never felt more like a piece of meat at times. We are CONSTANTLY having to ignore the stares of men of all nationalities. Seriously guys, it's a problem. I asked Hermana Sant if they had this big of a problem before and she said no they did not because most of the people thought they were young teenagers(she does look really young and the sister that was here before me as well). Oh, also people here on the street have asked me if Hermana Sant is my daughter. Vaya!!! I do not look that old!!! During the day I find myself praying that we will find women to teach because last week we had so many men act interested and then make some kind of comment about our appearances. Asco. This too shall pass. Not entirely sure what to do about this but I know that the Lord will provide us with families to teach and women because we are praying for it.

SOME WONDERFUL NEWS!!! Do you all remember Kathy? My dear, wonderful, cat women in the Riverview ward? Well this next Saturday she is getting baptized and Hermana Sant and I get to go because it is not too far away! Hooray!!! I am so excited to see her. She is one of the first people that I taught on my mission and now she is about the enter the waters of baptism. It is such an incredible feeling. I love this work so much. Everything we do is so incredibly worth it. I love the Lord!!!

Never forget that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. ALL THINGS.

Les amo, siempre!

con amor,

Hermana Thorne

June 4, 2012 - There's No Place Like Kansas, There's No Place Like Kansas!

Hola todos,

Oh goodness! How are you all doing? I pray all is well in your various regions of the world :D Well I am still her in good ol' Kansas city Kansas, loving the work and trying to be better. Being out full proselyting is very different. You know those stories that you have heard about missionaries falling into bed with exhaustion? Well I thought that I had felt that before, yeah...turns out no because I do now. My companion and I really decided to commit to commit ourselves to being missionaries and not just doing things that missionaries do. We read a talk together a few days ago in our companionship study called "The Fourth Missionary" and as we read it I felt such a change come over my mind, a desire to be so much better than I have been. In this talk the author speaks of how there are four different types of missionaries and to sum it up the fourth missionary is the missionary that not only does a ton of good in every area that he/she is in and changes many lives, but the missionary changes as well. The actual character and nature of the missionary changes because he/she is not just doing the work because it is what is asked of him, but because they have given up all of their other desires to serve the Lord while they are out there serving the Lord. They do not think about the things that await them back home but they think with every action that they are taking "Is what I am doing right now helping me to bring others closer to Christ?" Honestly this is sometimes hard to do. Sometimes I let my mind wander to what we will be doing after we get done with the appointment that we are in, or when I will be able to take a rest, or how tired I am. I experimented these last few days on how I could focus more on the work and really BE a missionary. Well I asked myself tons of times through out the day if what I was currently doing was helping others come closer to Christ, and when it wasn't I found something that was. After we both(my comp and I) decided to really re-dedicate ourselves, we really saw the fruits of our labors increase and we both felt such a different feeling, a feeling of REALLY being missionaries! I know that you all are not missionaries but if you have time to read from this talk I still feel like it will benefit you in your lives.

 I want to share a couple quotes from the actual talk: "Happiness is the product of righteous desires, desiring what the Lord would have you do." Okay I need to double testify that this is SOOO true. Being on a mission sometimes is the hardest thing that I have ever experienced. And. I LOVE it. I believe it is because I have finally decided that what the Lord wants really comes before what I want in my life. Before I was like "Sure I want what the Lord wants for me, if its something that I like or want to do." Ha ha. Yeah. Well I am finally learning to REALLY want what the Lord wants, whether I think that it is the best thing or not. Um. I guess you could say that I am less of a control freak...or I am getting there. Some days I don't know what to do...not even remotely, but when I clear my mind of all of the things that I want and need to do, He gives me peace and the knowledge of what NEEDS to come first, and the rest follows. All is well, all is well.

Another quote I love from this talk is "You change immediately with each good thought, each good act, every good word changes you for better." muy poderoso no? I love this! So. Will you all commit to ask the Lord what is His will and be willing to do it? I know that the Lord asks us to only do good things, and then with each good thought, each good word, you will be changed and you will help change others.

My area is fantastic. So very different but I love it and I love my companion. My Spanish is improving because I NEED it. We are two gringas walking the streets of little Mexico. I NEED SPANISH. It's an adventure and I feel so blessed to be in this area with these people. They are my people and I have grown to love them with all that I am.

Well, I love you all, please keep the letters coming because it's so nice to get one at the end of a long day. Remember you can email me to:D

Go do some good!!!

con amor,

Hermana Thorne