Hola todos,
Hermana Thorne here. Today I am feeling great! I went to the doctor last Tuesday and turns out that I had Bronchitis and Laryngitis so the doc put me on an anti-biotic and also have me an inhaler. Yeah I have never used one of these in my entire life but it really helped me and I feel SO much better. It's funny because I really did not want to go to the doctor so on Tuesday morning when I woke up I told my companion that I was fine because my voice had come back a bit. I told her that I did not need to go to the doctor. I then started getting ready for the day and I knew that I really needed to go to the doctor. I actually felt a really strong impression from the Lord asking me nicely to please go. So I went and I am incredibly glad that I did so. Later that night I was looking at the paperwork that my doctor had given me and I realized that I was supposed to be resting my voice but I really had not been. Although I did not have much of a voice I had been trying to use what I did have all day long, Because I did not want to cause permanent damage to my vocal cords and I really needed to get better quickly I decided that the day after I went to the doctor's office I would not talk at all. Now this may sound like a small thing but believe me, it really was not. Can you imagine me not talking? It is rather absurd right? Well the temptation to speak was too hard to stay upstairs and the doctor ordered that I rest but I could not stand being downstairs in the VC watching any more church videos. I had gone through most of them all in Spanish and English by this point. I then decided to clean out the guides' room where all of the sisters eat and store their belongings. I ended up taking out two big, black trash bags full of garbage and from the fridge and cabinets of things that had been there for a very long time. It was FANTASTIC! It felt so good to be making a contribution to the Visitors' Center even though I could not take guests on presentations.
Okay. This day that where I could not speak taught me a few wonderful lessons. It is so crazy how much more I noticed when I did not speak at all. I was able to realize how much words make a difference whether for good or for bad. There was a situation that happened where I was not able to explain myself when one of the sisters at the VC chose to be offended because I had pointed out that her that garments were showing and I thought it would about kill me that I could not answer back. I really wanted to be able to tell her why I had pointed out that her slip was too high but she went on the defense right away and because I could not speak I could not defend myself. I then realized that I had not been rude at all or judgemental, I just had let her know something that would have wanted to know if I was in her shoes and me trying to explain myself would not have helped. Some times people choose to get angry when they know that they are not in the right, I know that I do it and because I was not able to say anything to her I was able to really realize what was happening. It is crazy the power that can come from REALLY listening, not just listening because you are waiting for the other person to pause so that you can put your two cents in. I believe that this is how the Savior Jesus Christ listens. He does not make a judgement right away or try to interrupt so that he can get His point across. He listens because He really and truly wants to understand how we are feeling and because He really and truly loves us. You know those moments when there is something that you want to say to someone while you are in a conversation and so you are waiting for them to get done speaking so that you can say the thing that you want to say but the subject changes and so you don't get to explain yourself or to prove your point? So many times in my life instead of just letting the thing go I felt like I just HAD to say was I was going to say, and time and time again what I had to say probably was not really important and just ended up hurting someone else. A lot of the time the thing that we want to say is just in defense of ourselves, but when we really know who we are we will not feel a need to constantly be defending ourselves. Feeling like you always have to be defending your point of view or your intentions can get exhausting but when you are trying your best to be close to the Spirit these feelings can be eliminated and you can enter into a type of rest that the Lord speak of in the scriptures. Your life will not all of a sudden cease to have trials but you will know where your true source of happiness and peace lie. You will feel whole and happy in a world that will not be able to give you those things.
I want to share a miracle that my companion and I experienced the other night. Due to the fact that I had been quite sick we had not found anyone new to teach last week and we were both quite bummed about it. On Saturday night our appointments fell through and the temperature had dropped to freezing. We both did not know where we should go or what we should do so we said a prayer and decided to head over to a less active's house because I was not supposed to be out in freezing weather for too long as I was still getting over the Bronchitis. Well the less active member of the church lived in an apartment complex but we did not have their apartment number. We then started looking for them and as we walked over to their building we saw some people standing outside of one apt and as we came close they went inside. There were loud voices coming from inside of the apt where the people had went back in so my companion and I looked at each other and we knew that we were both nervous to knock that door because we did not want to be cussed out or worse...finally I just knocked on the door and the lady who answered the door invited us in and we ended up teaching her and her husband and her daughter! We were able to get 3 new investigators! It was awesome and such a tender mercy from the Lord. I had been praying so hard for Him to help us find someone to teach and instead He helped us find 3 people, we just had to do something that made us feel a bit nervous...ha ha. We had to step into the dark and bit and have faith that the Lord would light the way. He always had and I know that He always will.
Okay one last little bit of news...this morning I finished reading the Book of Mormon out loud in Spanish! I feel so happy about this because it was a pretty intense thing to do. It took me a little while because I was not only reading it out loud but I was writing things down and also marking it a ton. I actually read the whole book of Ether yesterday at the VC and also 6 chapters of Moroni. By the time I went to bed last night my brain was exhausted. As I finished up this morning with the words of Moroni my eyes filled with tears because I realized that I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me. I just finished reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish when a year ago I could not even speak Spanish and I have not even had formal training since junior high. How is this even possible? It still leaves me in wonder. I know though that it has been by small and simple things. I read from the Book of Mormon in Spanish everyday and I recite from memory our purpose as missionaries, the first vision, the baptismal invite, and the question for referrals in Spanish each morning. I have not been perfect with my studies but I am continually trying to progress. I know that the Lord blesses us when we do those small and simple things. He will open your mind and illuminate your understanding. He has done it for me, I know that He can do it for you.
Continue doing those small and simple things my friends, and you shall come off conqueror!
I love you all!
con amor,
Hermana Thorne
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