Sick and Tired... AND HAPPY

HI!

So this week we were doing transfers for half the week, and sick for
the other half... So it was a little rough.

BUT we did teach Yessica and Mari! I don't know if I have mentioned
them, but they are the coolest. Yessica is a young 15 yr. old girl
that we kept running into a couple times and we would have these
really cool gospel conversations. Well eventually we saw her and her
sister Mari outside helping their neighbor move in to their apartment
complex so we went and helped out for a little bit. After we got their
neighbors moved in, we ended up sitting outside and having the coolest
first lesson ever! That was a couple weeks ago, but this week we had
another lesson with them and it was so good! Mari is 20 and was
baptized when she was 8 but hasn't been active her whole life. Yessica
is 15 and was never baptized. Their mother lives in Las Vegas and came
up and went to church with them on Sunday!! It was beautiful. She
cried sitting there with her family and the girls loved church.

We also got to meet with our Brazilian investigator named Carlos! We
ran into Carlos when I was on exchanges in Pioneer Park. He and
another man were cutting down a tree across the street, so we went to
see if we could help. They said we could but they wanted to pay us and
we tried to tell them no haha. That was an awesome conversation. Later
that week the Pioneer Park elders went and did service for them and
found out one of them, Carlos, actually lived in our area! In the Book
of Mormon, we read of a prophecy, that the descendants of the
Lamanites will receive the gospel, and we saw that come true last
night. He listened, he felt the spirit and committed to act. He is
going to read the Book of Mormon, and he is SO excited that there is a
modern day prophet! His son is also very perceptive to the spirit and
amazed us all with his knowledge and testimony of Jesus Christ.

Those are the craziest events of the week! We have been very sick and
very tired, but getting better! Hopefully...

Love you all!

Love,
Elder Thomas

Temple Tuesday! Not a thing... but it was this week!

This reminds me of The Best Two Years, and they are AMAZING.

Where is your focus?

First of all, some pretty great moments from the week:

IS THAT THE MORMONS?? RUN THE OTHER WAY, RUN THE OTHER WAY, IT'S THE MORMONS! Haha
-Random Polynesian guy on the side of the road. We thought he was joking, but he was NOT interested haha.

This week Elder Emms was trying to introduce himself to an elderly man but he kind of cut him off mid sentence, so we made the most of it...
Elder Emms: My name is Elder Emms...
Old Man: I'm Catholic.
Me: "Good to meet you Catholic, I'm Elder Thomas!"
That made him laugh, even though he wasn't interested:)

Hallo My People,

First of all, a thank you to all of you dear people that have read over my emails and written me such kind and uplifting responses throughout my mission, it has meant a great deal to me. I am now entering the last 6 weeks of my mission. We received transfer news yesterday and I am staying in Blue Creek with Elder Emms for my last transfer!! Though I love you all dearly, my heart is very heavy as I consider the burden of leaving the mission field. I love it out here, and I wish I could stay forever, but God has many other things for me to do, so I will not kick against the pricks, but rather go where he wants me to go.

Second, details of the week!

It is the last week of the summer, which means EVERYONE is on vacation! So this week we were outside the whole time, knocking and contacting but NO ONE was home haha. So, though many things did happen this week, none of them were super crazy, except for one thing I can't actually tell any of you about because of legal complexities... and I would rather go play games with the missionaries than write emails haha.

How about a spiritual thought??

"Satan likes to keep us focused on the past or the future because we have control of the present and he wants to distract us."
-Cary

As in the story of Peter walking on water, (Matthew 14:31) we must keep our focus on Jesus Christ, and not all the turmoil and mess around us. As soon as we stop focusing on moving toward Christ and we instead focus on dodging the big waves, we shall fall, and Christ will ask, "O ye of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" Get up, focus on Christ, and walk on that water. He'll take care of the waves.

Love,
Elder Thomas

Beautiful mural of our Savior

Study the scriptures every day peeps.

New ride ;)

ECLIPSE (93% but still)

Picking up new cars from the dealership for Elder Baird!

"It would take a miracle..." -Miracle Max

Dear Family and Friends,

This was a week of faith and miracles. And yes, we did have fun
"storming the castle." (If you don't know the quote, go watch Princess
Bride!)

Preparation day on Monday was a BLAST. We ended up playing some of the
most intense games of podball I have ever participated in. I felt like
I was some superhero running, dodging and diving through some crazy
war zone... really I just picked up the ball and threw it... but it
was sick. Elder Emms then ran off on exchanges to one of my old areas
(Red Lodge and Absarokee) and I stayed here with Elder Hockersmith and
another Elder who was staying with us for the day, Elder Peterson. We
ended up having a crazy night playing basketball with some nonmember
kids.

The next day was super busy. Lots of administrative and busy work! We
did still get to have two amazing lessons though, one with Sister
O'Connor and one with our investigator named Jessica and her inactive
sister, Mari. The lesson with Sister O'Connor was super spiritual as
always, and we even got to talk about Psychology for a little bit,
which I'm always down to talk about. Elder Peterson left right before
dinner so Elder Hockersmith and I finished off the night having a
lesson with Jessica and Mari. They are both incredible people and what
we would term, "truth seekers." They want to know what is true and
they are willing to hear knew things and take them to Heavenly Father.

Wednesday was crazy awesome. I had a Skype lesson I was going to
participate in at 7:30 and Brother Wilson wanted us to come to a lesson
with Patrick at 7:00, so the Sweetgrass elders came to do splits with
us so we could do both. We split at 6:45 and Elder Wallace and I went
to do some finding until 7:30. While looking for an investigator,
we knocked on the wrong door and met Michael. We had a super cool
conversation with Michael and set up an appointment to come back and
teach him. Then... I GOT TO FACETIME INTO A LESSON WITH MITCHELL
GOLD AND THE CHAPMANS!! If any of you read my emails from back in my
Corvallis days, I really looked forward to lessons with Mitch at the
Chapman's every week. The lessons were amazing, the testimonies were
profound, and the warm tapioca pudding at the end was divine. I love
these people and it was excellent to sit in a lesson with them again.
Mitchell is still as "Gold" as ever and is still progressing and
growing. He will soon be having his interview with a General
authority, then it's just one more with President Wadsworth, and
baptism. I love these people, the missionaries (Elder Zeller and Elder
Wright) did a great job, and yes, they had tapioca pudding without me
but I'll get over it haha.
Elder Emms and Brother Wilson had a great first new member lesson with
Patrick that I wish I could have been there for but we can't be
everywhere. The spirit however, can, and he is the important one!

Friday felt like a lot of busy work, including finishing the last
three hours of the night moving stuff for a nonmember relative of a
family in the ward. It was a good day, but we continuously prayed the
Heavenly Father would help us find more people on Saturday to make up
for the people we were unable to find on Friday.

Saturday was the miracle we prayed for. First thing in the morning, we
met a really good man named Joel who was interested in learning more
and invited us back. We then ran off to help a member in our ward,
Brother Stephens move a 5000 pound desk (you probably don't believe
me, but it sure felt like it), had a good old Taco Bell lunch (I
really am trying to eat healthy mom, I swear) and ran off to find
people. We got to our lesson with the Morrisons early, so we ran over
to talk with their neighbor Bobby. I don't know if I have mentioned
Bobby already, but Bobby is an elderly woman who is very close with
the Morrisons daughter, Sariah, and last week we gave her a Book of
Mormon. Well when we saw her his week, we asked how she enjoyed it and
she started telling us all her favorite parts!! She really likes Lehi
haha it blew us out of the water! Her only embarrassment is that she
only gets 30 minutes in every night... she is AMAZING. After talking
to Bobby we had a simple Plan of Salvation lesson with the Morrisons
that they loved and we ran off to meet with Pete. Pete just soaked in
a review of the Restoration lesson and then showered us with candy and
Gatorades. He is too nice for OUR own good haha. That night the dog of
the members we ate dinner with nipped Elder Emms when he pet it,
giving him a bad scratch/cut/thing and was growling and staring at me
the whole time. I thought I was going to die.... but we made it out
alive!

Sunday was awesome! When we arrived at the church in the morning one
of the members greeted us and said, "Elders, you're singing today!"
Whoops... haha we totally forgot. We quickly ran into another room and
threw together a rendition of Love One Another. It actually went
pretty well! In the afternoon we went to a group baptism for a
non-denominational group called elevation because one of them is our
neighbor Carl and he invited us to come see his son get baptized. It
was actually pretty cool to see the way other churches do it. You
would not believe the funny looks we were getting though haha. The
most unusual part of the day was something called a Missionary Musical
Fireside. There was a huge musical concert thing put on by us
missionaries last night that a lot of members and non-members came to!
It was amazing. Throughout the musical performances, we got to hear
testimonies of recent converts. I had the opportunity to sing in the
choir and in a quartet. The other performances were absolutely
wonderful! It was a wonderful week!

Love you all!

Love,
Elder Thomas

We got Hydro Flasks, and I love it! 

So our next next-door neighbor does spray paint art and 

he gave us the second one because he kinda messed up, but we love it! 

The first one is a Star Wars one and we think it is sweet. 

Look him up on YouTube at MTPaints:)

Elder Emms and Elder Muhlestein found a rattlesnake on 

exchanges, so they skinned it and gutted it and we breaded it 

and fried it for lunch. It was alright I guess...

Receiving Miracles in Bulk

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was SO amazing!

I'll jump right into it. On Monday we went to Pryor to do some
service, which was cancelled without telling us haha. So we spent the
evening contacting potentials and street contacting until we had to
drive back to Billings to switch for exchanges.

Exchanges were super fun! I was with Elder Epperson in Pioneer Park
and we had a blast, it was a busy though. The highlights were getting
in contact with some awesome people who were doing some work across
the street from their apartment and setting up an appointment with
them, talking with some super drunk homeless people, and finding some
super awesome new investigators. It was sweet.

Wednesday was Zone Conference, and it was inspiring and motivational.
We've now got what is called Tiwi... which is a little computer that
monitors our driving. It talks to us when we do something wrong, so we
named it mom (sorry mom haha). It is actually pretty cool and is
making me a better driver. The only way to describe the teaching that
took place that day is that I left that place shaking with the spirit.

When we planned for finding that night, we felt a prompting to tract
near the park. While we were tracting near the park, we got a call
from the bishop and assistant ward mission leader who were apparently
there with our investigator Patrick and their question was, "what is
keeping Patrick from getting baptized?" We thought about it for a
second and realized, "nothing! He has had all the lessons, the church
attendance... Only his personal revelation that he is ready." Then we
hear Patrick on the phone, "Well I'm ready now, I want this." It was
AWESOME. So we sat down in the grass and had a lesson over the phone
and set a baptismal date... for that Saturday! Haha.

On Thursday we did weekly planning. In the evening, we did a short
exchange with the Red Lodge elders because they needed to interview
Patrick. So Elder Emms and Muhlestein went to the interview and Elder
Hockersmith and I went finding. We found a new family and a new
investigator!! It was sweet. The spirit guided our every footstep and
we saw miracles.

Friday night we went and drew an interactive Gospel of Jesus Christ on
one of the pathways to the park and found 1 new potential investigator
and a family to teach!! It was really cool, and super fun. We made a
video and took some pictures that I will share.

On Saturday, PATRICK WAS BAPTIZED!!!! It was SO COOL. On Friday night
the entire ward had gone down to the Jorden's ranch (My cousin, Emilee
Barry's parents) to have a ward camp out. We went up in the morning to
share breakfast with them and get to know the ward a little better.
Patrick was there and right after lunch, He was baptized in the Jorden
River!!!! Haha well that's what we're calling it, it was really the
Pryor river. It was so special. The spirit was so strong! It reminded
me of the baptisms you read about in the Book of Mormon, on the banks
of a river in the america's. The confirmation the following day was
powerful, one of the most spiritual confirmations I have experienced.
Patrick truly understands the need for Baptism and the Gift of the
Holy Ghost. He wants it and recognizes that he needs it. Sister
Beadling AND the Morrisons also came to church!

After church we went to the Morrisons house and had a lesson with
Sister Gray. The Morrisons daughter, Sariah, has now set a date to be
baptized in September!

This week has been amazing. I love these people and their remarkable
faith. I'm never leaving.

Love,
Elder Thomas

Found a Toyota Landcruiser FJ40 for sale... Best day ever :)

Service at a food bank with Elder Epperson!

El Zono

Found Elder Peterson!!

MY SISTER CAMI AND HER KIDS BROUGHT ME FOOD!!! 

Haha my family is full of dare devils! 

When you find Montana missionaries on a Uhaul haha

Patrick's Baptism!

Kids chasing a drone at Campout :) 

The Baptism of a convert! 

The Breaking of the Trioship

Dear Family and Friends,

Elder Chamberlain (or as I now call him, "champ") has left us and gone to accomplish his big life plans. We miss him a ton, but we continue to work hard and help this area to keep growing! However, he didn't leave till Saturday, so he was here for most of the week!

One of the highlights of this week was getting to teach Carl! Carl has been taught and trained in all the ways of anti-Mormonism bashing, but is willing to discuss and learn more. When we first encountered him, he had kind of a feel of a bible-basher, but the spirit prompted us to give him a try. It ended up being one of the funnest lessons I have taught the whole mission. One prompting we received before the lesson was that he would know more bible verses, but that we knew more about the Holy Ghost. So as we taught and he brought up scripture after scripture to prove us wrong, we had scriptures to counter each point but the spirit told us not to share them, save a few, but rather to listen and testify. When the lesson started, he was in an immovable position, seeking only to convert us to his view. When the lesson ended he had agreed to read the Book of Mormon and to pray before reading it and after reading it. It was incredible. We do not know if he will choose to be baptized as a result, but we know he has come closer to Christ by being willing to act in faith.

The next day while spending some time on the Native American reservation in Pryor, we got to help the local Christian church set up a huge circus tent for a big Christian revival they were going to be having that week. It was super fun, and super hard. We kinda felt like we were setting up the entire tent by ourselves because when we showed up most of everyone stopped working and just watched us... which was a little weird but they all helped us with the final and hardest part. Highlight of the night was hearing all the white people jokes from the little kids haha.

We found an amazing young woman this week when we followed the spirit to an apartment. She was willing to listen and hadn't heard a whole ton about the LDS religion but wanted to, and she was willing to have the missionaries stop by. Sadly she doesn't live in our area and was just visiting, but we pray it will all work out for her.

Splits this week were amazing and we found new people to teach! I got to talk to Patrick Shorter, a remarkably good man, father of 2 and married to an inactive member of the church who was willing to hear more, and actually came to church! Elder Emms also got to talk to Tammy which I was pretty jealous of. Even she doesn't know where her daughter is now, but apparently her daughter is doing well.

A lot of the week was spent taking Elder Chamberlain around and getting him ready to leave. This was very bittersweet for him, and just bitter for us. On Saturday we dropped him off and it was rough! We are going to miss him a ton. We are still complaining about him being gone.

Speaking of Elder Chamberlain being gone... So Elder Chamberlain is gone which is super sad, but also part of my story. So the day after we took him to the airport was Sunday and Elder Emms and I were supposed to speak in Sacrament Meeting. The meeting is at 8:30 so we usually head there right after we get ready. Well, I sleep with earplugs and Elder Emms apparently can't wake to alarms... so 8:20 rolls around haha and Elder Emms is frantically tapping on my feet saying something, so I pull my earplugs out and here, "Elder, it's 8:20!!!" Oooooh my gosh. We threw our clothes on and rinsed off a little and ran to church, we were only a few minutes late, but it was SO embarrassing and everyone was laughing at us. AND everyone kept pointing out my scruff cause i totally didn't have time to shave either! It was crazy, we miss Elder Chamberlain!

It was an amazing day. We finished the day providing service for Sister Beadling and being dangerous. (Sorry mom!)

Love you all!

Love,
Elder Thomas

Love these Elders

The district

TRIPANIONSHIP/ STAR WARS TIES

Dropping off the champ.

Painting Sister Beadling's house!

Look mom, only one hand!! ;)

Trio Goals

Dear Family and Friends,

This was a week of miracles.

Monday evening we unfortunately had to drop Aaron, but it was needed because he is unwilling to listen and learn at this time. We talked with him about it though and he understands why.

 On Tuesday we had Mission Leadership Council in Helena. It all went well, till the fire alarm went off during the opening song... we finished the song anyways though haha. Someone had left a box of granola bars on the stove top and someone else had bumped the buttons, so Elder Baird, our vehicle coordinator, did the heroic thing, and picked up the burning box and threw the box outside on the grass. He did burn his finger really bad though, but it's healing. We quickly found out there was a real fire, after we finished the song, and all ran out to watch the box burn... haha it was crazy. The rest of the meeting was inspiring; my favorite thing that was said was, "You can't teach obedience and expect people to be obedient. You CAN teach Christ, and expect people to be obedient." -President Wadsworth

One of the coolest things about Tuesday is that Elder Chamberlain stayed with another elder that is going home soon and worked in our area all day! We felt very lucky to have that blessing, because we didn't get back to Billings till about 8:30.

This week we got to teach Andrea the full restoration lesson and it was incredible! Andrea has a heart of gold. We love teaching in a trio and we're each able to testify of the truthfulness of the restoration. We have seen her heart soften, and we are dearly hoping she will be willing to keep learning.

Friday was rez day! Elder Chamberlain spent the morning in Billings with Elder Hunter who was with us for the day before he headed home the next day. Elder Emms and I went to a tiny little town at the outskirts of our area called Pryor and it's part of the Indian reservation. It's decently ghetto, but the people are just awesome. We were walking the streets, getting funny looks and talking to whoever would listen when we got talking with two young men and Elder Emms followed a prompting to ask if they play basketball. Well soon enough, we were playing two on two, natives vs. missionaries, and boy we had some lucky shots. Now the native Americans think the white boys can play basketball... pray for us haha.

Saturday morning we got to help Loretta Beadling scrape off an old pealing layer of paint and begin applying a new coat! It was so much fun, we had the scaffolding, ladders, people everywhere. Just what every missionary dreams of for their investigators!

The next morning, Sister Beadling came to church! We were SO excited to have her there! Even better was that we had President and Sister Wadsworth there as well. Sister Wadsworth sat by her and they got pretty close. That evening we got to teach her a lesson, WITH Sister Wadsworth, and it was perfect. We discovered so many of her concerns and worries and we learned how we can help her even more! It was beautiful and the spirit was powerful.

Also on Sunday we found TWO new part-member families to meet with through tracting and contacting. We have been focused on setting goals for finding new people through prayer and then having the faith to go out and find those people and it works! Make certain to set goals through prayer, and then go out and work to accomplish those!

I love you all. One last thought: When I was young, someone in my family often would ask the question, when doing something hard, "Why are we doing this?" And the rest would respond, "because it's hard, if it were easy, everyone would be doing it."

We are often led to ask, why are we doing this in the eternal work? The toils of a mission weigh on our shoulders as a great burden. But remember, how much control would we have without gravity? How strong would we be if not for weight? How much would we grow spiritually if not for trials? So why? BECAUSE WE GROW. Because it's HARD. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.

Love,
Elder Thomas