The Master is Calling! : God Does All the Hard Work

Dear Family and Friends,

I have gotten a few requests to tell about the miracles I see every
week. Pretty much everything that happens is a miracle. So, instead of
just mentioning what happens, I will also try to point out the
miracle.

The first is Linda. Linda is a woman that has just moved in to
Corvallis and is trying to get settled. She lives in a little trailer
house and has the sweetest little shih-tzu. The issue with this is
that she has no fence and her little dog can't run around, so we've
been trying to find someone that can provide her with a fence. We made
a few inquiries his Sunday and found a member who had plenty of, and
was willing to donate, the supplies she needed! Heavenly Father has a
way of setting things up at the perfect time and place.

A week ago Sunday, we met a wonderful woman named Victoria. She shared
some amazing experiences with us, including one of the most precious
dreams I have ever heard. She told us that she shared those
experiences because it is her duty to share these special experiences
after she received them. We told her that's why we're here, to share
the amazing things we've experienced. She opened up pretty fast at
that point. We shared this story this week with a woman named Deb and
her boyfriend Patrick. We used this to explain why we wished to share
the message of the restoration with them. They opened up a lot more
after this and we were able to schedule a solid return appointment!
The miracle is that God places the words of eternal life in the mouths
of two 19 year old boys who are not eloquent or knowledgeable in any
shape or form. It's a miracle that God works through us.

Joel and Marilyn Jessop are still holding strong! Joel is a very good
man and he and I get along very well, which usually results in us
laughing at one of our jokes and everyone else being confused. He is a
good man and has sacrificed a lot of pride to be where he is now,
which is a hard thing to do as a man. Marilyn is fiery. She teases
often and loves being teased, though you need to be careful because
her comebacks are quick and sharp. She is full of faith and has really
pulled her family through this whole process. They have four little
girls, Rachel, Kloie, Molly and Olivia. Rachel is about 8 and she is
very shy, but has warmed up to us and now talks quite a bit. We taught
her the sign language of the Ten Commandments (hand signs to help us
remember) last time we were there and she had them memorized when we
came back! She is the sweetest little girl. Kloie is 6 and is very
inquisitive. She loves to draw and will often draw a picture of
whatever we are teaching about that day. She loves to tell us stories.
Molly is 4 and she is a talker. Her parents say she was born making
noise and she hasn't stopped since! She loves to act like she wants to
give me a high five but as soon as I go for it she moves her hand,
little stinker haha. Olivia is 2 and she is a bowling ball. She has
little scratches and bruises everywhere, she drives her mother crazy.
She also doesn't like it very much when the attention isn't on her.
She is the cutest and sometimes makes it very hard for me to focus on
the lesson. This family is a miracle in our lives. They bless us so
much and we absolutely love teaching them. They have each, especially
Joel and Marilyn, had so many miracles to bring them to this point.

One of the biggest miracles, this week was the Walkers! We felt a very
distinct prompting to go to a group of apartments here in Corvallis
called the Courtyard. We tried a few places and no one answered, then
we noticed the Uhaul truck. We could see a family moving stuff out of
the truck so we offered help. They were super thankful because the
father had some really bad back problems and he couldn't help them.
They thought it was cool because they had been praying for someone to
stop and help when we showed up. How much fun it is to be an answer to
someone's prayer! We gave them a pamphlet, bore our testimonies and
told them we would stop in again.

When we met with Will and Kara this week, something had changed. There
was just a light about them that hadn't been there before. They asked
a few questions and then they gave us the surprise, they were ready to
start the interview process. WHAT???? Neither of us saw this coming at
all. They had done their part and they received their answer. So, now
they need an interview with President Wadsworth. They're so ready.

We taught a great restoration lesson with a potential investigator
this week. We've been trying to get in this whole transfer and we were
finally able to get in. It was a super good lesson and he is searching
for truth. He wants us to come back and he is super excited about the
Book of Mormon. His name is John Reed. His kids were a little
distracting; whenever their dad says no, they come ask us. Kids are
cute and amazing and all, but sometimes they just want to be loud! If
any of you have any ideas of how to distract children or something,
please let me know. It was a good lesson though!

The last experience I want to relate was our dinner last night. At
church, the couple we were having dinner with approached us and told us
they were going to bring us to a family party in Pinesdale. Just so
you understand, Isaac Jessop, the one we were having dinner with, has
30 siblings. We weren't quite sure how we'd be received. We had barely
arrived when we were received with love and kindness! It was kind of
like an extended family reunion, except it was just one family. I
spent most of my time talking to Isaac's mother, she was a very cool
lady. I love the people of Pinesdale. They are wonderful. I was sad to
leave. Also, their fish is divine.

I love you all! Keep doing missionary work, someone is waiting for you
to touch their lives.

Love,
Elder Thomas

The Bitterroot Mountains