The Master is Calling! : First you sow, then you reap.

Dear Family and Friends,

Last transfer felt a lot like we were sowing seeds. Developing
relationships with the ward, making friends, being seen in public,
basketball games... Etc. But this transfer feels a little different.
This week started pretty normal, trying to contact less-actives and
potential investigators with no one answering. On Tuesday we got to
have another lesson with the Pratt's. For this lesson we were going to
review the first three lessons because we had been reading with them
for so long. Probably the most exciting surprise was that the young
boy, Kevin, had brought his friend over for the lesson. Even better,
we knew this kid! His name is Ryan, we met him at a basketball game.
When the lesson started, it was obvious that they weren't quite
focused, they also hadn't been reading or praying. We struggled
through the restoration and then the spirit told us we needed to
change our approach. It is so incredible to feel the spirit working
through you, saying what it needs to say, accomplishing God's
purposes. We talked about the plan of salvation and why it is SO
IMPORTANT. We talked about all the wonderful blessings of the plan of
salvation and the fact that they only come if you do your very best!
We talked about the gospel of Jesus Christ and how having faith in
Christ, repenting, getting baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy
Ghost, and enduring to the end is what helps you achieve eternal
salvation. We told them we loved them, and then we recommitted each of
them to read, to pray, and to come to church. Kevin hasn't come to
church. He doesn't like crowds and he was just really resisting. When
we committed him to church this time he said, "maybe," like he usually
he does, then out of nowhere his nonmember friend looks at us with a
smile and says, "I'll bring him to church!" Haha we were just a little
shocked... On Sunday we waited for them anxiously and were so excited
when the whole family showed up, with Ryan! They fit right in at
church. The young men took the two boys right under their wing. We
were super excited.

We saw the Solomon family a lot this week. They live in Columbus and
they own a really cool food truck called The Big Fat Lunchbox. We have
been trying to get to their food trailer for months but haven't been
able to get there before they close after lunch. However, this week
they were supposed to feed us, so they invited us over for our very
own VIP food trailer experience! We sat in the back of the trailer
while they cooked us up some impressively good food. I ate a burger
that tasted like heaven and was so big, I had to unhinge my jaw to eat
it. Needless to say, I was thoroughly impressed. They sent a picture
to my parents! The next day we were driving through Columbus and we
saw them shoveling gravel, trying to level the property they parked
their trailer on. Because we had no scheduled appointments at the
time, we dropped our plans and went to see if we could help. It was
nice to get out and do some hard labor again, even though everyone
that drove by on Main Street stared at us like we were crazy to be
shoveling gravel in our white shirts and ties. It was fun to be of
service to someone that had served us. They told us if we could get to
Columbus the next morning, they'd give us one of their famous
breakfast burrito's! The next morning we had to be in Laurel at 7:45
so we could ride up with them to zone training .so we stopped at the
food trailer and had the best breakfast burritos I've ever had. We
love the Solomon's. They have been so helpful and kind this week!

We found two people in the area book, Jim & Gail Young, who looked
like they might be very promising so we decided to stop by. They raise
Alpaca's, which are very funny looking creatures. We knocked on the
door and were surprised when it opened up to the biggest smile we'd
received in a while. This very kind lady welcomed us in and told her
husband excitedly that it was, " the elders!" They are two of the most
wonderful people I have ever met in my life. We sat down with them and
got to know them for a while. We learned quickly that they each had a
few things they weren't willing to change, having gone through 6 years
of missionaries, but they told us they would feed us any time and we
were always welcome in their home. She showed us how she makes yarn
out of alpaca fur with her spinning wheel, which was super cool. It
was cool to be with them, and though they have chosen not to accept
the gospel completely, we could see their faith in Christ increase
just a little bit. We love them very much. On the way home we saw the
mountains emerging from a sunny cloud cover. It reminded me of the
Young's because even though they have some clouds of confusion in
their life, there is something truly magnificent underneath. There is
potential in each person we meet, it all just depends on whether or
not they choose to step out of that cloud cover.

This week has been so incredible, there's just not time to include it
all! The last amazing person I wish to talk about this week is a man named
Adam Watson. We met Adam Watson last transfer, though we didn't know
anything about him. We were shoveling the walk at the church when a
car pulled up and told us we didn't need to do that because he
snow-plowed it every Sunday morning. We thanked him for his service
and he drove off. We didn't know who he was but we just assumed he was
a member. However, we didn't see him at church the next week, or the
week after that, or the week after that... Suddenly there was a
mysterious character no one knew anything about! Many weeks later, our
branch mission leader tells us, last Sunday night, that a man had come
into the church that day (while we were in the Absarokee branch) and
talked to him, asking if there was a way to send missionaries to his
friend in Bismarck, North Dakota who was suffering with terminal
cancer. He also said that the Mormon church had the best missionary
program out there and that the missionaries could come meet with him,
he lived right next door! When we contacted him, he had a very
familiar face. We told him and his fiancé about the Book of Mormon and
the pamphlet. He seemed excited to have them. We invited him to church
that Sunday and he accepted. He also admitted that he had been plowing
the walks. The mystery is solved! The mystery man is Adam Watson.
Well, Sunday rolled around, it was fifteen minutes before sacrament
meeting and no Adam or Christina. We gave him a call, no answer. We
got a text five minutes later, informing us of their choice to go to
their old church that day, but they still wanted to meet with us this
next week. It is hard to describe how heart breaking this is. Your
heart just strains within itself because there are so many different
feelings filling it. I wished with all my heart they would come, but
wishing has nothing on agency. We don't quite know what happened in
the days after contacting him, but we both wish we had practiced the
principle of daily contact this week, it probably would have helped.
Please pray for Adam and Christina. We hope that they will still be
receptive when we get there on Tuesday!

I know this gospel is true. I know there are people out there that God
is preparing for us. The relations we have with the random people we
meet out there are so important. Keep being missionaries! I love all
of you so much.

Love,
Elder Thomas

Dinner with the Solomons!