Week 20

Bonjour/hi from Good ol' Kirkland! 

et Bonne Fetes du Peres! 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Father's Day! We sure did, it was a beautiful Sabbath day and we got to have a beautiful church meeting where we talked all about Heavenly Father's love for us, as His children. I even gave a talk about it in Sacrament meeting, and it was such a blessing for me as I prepared it, and really pondered on the all encompassing love God has for us. It's almost overwhelming to know that our perfect Omnipotent Creator of the whole universe loves each and everyone one of His children on earth. And knows them individually too! That's pretty amazing. That's something to be grateful for.

At the baptism of the cutest girl. 

Then her family invited us for dinner

 after the baptism and man we just had a party. 

The family was super Quebecois and we are just in love with them :)

So another week has passed, and with it, some crazy experiences as always. We gained two new investigators but also two of our previous investigators asked to stop meeting with us, something that was very sad for us as missionaries, but because we respect peoples agency and choice, we have to respect that. And now all we can do is pray for them. And remember that this isn't our work, but the work of our Heavenly Father. Maybe now just wasn't the right time for these people, but maybe in a few months or a year, when other missionaries are here, maybe they can touch them and help them accept the gospel in their hearts. 

Anyways, onto our two new investigators, we just are already crazy about. 

Robin: She is from Connecticut and has lived in Canada for over 40 years so she says that she feels Canadian more than anything else... She is something called a naturo-path and believes in energy and that it can heal you from any symptom. We had dinner with her and she told us some crazy stories but she already loves the Book of Mormon so that is pretty solid. She said "I collect people so I think I will keep you in my collection." It kinda freaked us out but then she explained that she collects people at her dinner table, so she's had all different kinds of people over at her house. I guess now she can check off "Mormon Missionaries."

Jenny: GOLDEN GOLDEN GOLDEN. We met her knocking doors in a city called Beaconsfield. We saw this adorable blue cottage and I said "Sister we have to knock this door, it says its a cottage and its beautiful!" So we knock on her door and she answers with her giant dog and we say "Hi how are you?" and she just says, "What's the next question?" so we awkwardly try to scramble something up and the whole time we are just thinking, "She's not interested, she doesn't want anything to do with us". But she tells us that she is moving, and as we keep talking with her, she bursts into tears. She tells us that her husband just passed away from cancer and that she is been having a really hard time. So I ran up the stairs and just held her as she cried. Then she looked me in the eyes (I was crying by that point too) and I promised her that she would see him again. And that he wouldn't be riddled with any sicknesses or infirmities, but that he would be at peace. I promised her that they could be together forever. That their marriage could continue on into eternity. We then asked if we could come back on Saturday and share more and she said yes. As we were leaving she said, "I just feel so much better thank you so much". So basically she's perfect and we love her. 

But other than that, not too much has happened. We've been doing a lot of contacting and finding those who are interested in our message. Barely anyone ever says yes, but we keep trying and we are constantly seeing the blessings from opening our mouths. 

Again I'm so grateful for my Father in Heaven. And His perfect ability to love me and all of us. It's such a blessing to know that our God is a God of love and mercy. That's the first thing we teach people, because it's that important. It's that essential for people to understand! And once people do understand, trust me, it changes everything. Sister Zobrist and I have seen that as we teach people who had either no preconception or a negative preconception of God. It changes their whole outlook on life. So everyone, remember that God loves us. And don't forget it. EVER.

 

LOOK AT THIS GIANT RAINBOW. OH MY GOSH.

 We were driving and we about crashed

  (just kidding we were safe) we saw it. 

OH MAN. It was BEAUTIFUL. I pulled the car 

over and got out just to look at it. Then it started pouring, 

so this was the resulted picture. Man my mission is perfect.

I love you all,

Sister Thomas

hellllloooo it's [Adel]

Hiiiiiiii everyone,

So quick update, remember last week how I said I was going to be a trainer and receiving a new missionary? Well, there were some complications and my missionary didn't arrive this past week (but hopefully she will be arriving sometime within the next few weeks), so instead I received Sister Zobrist! Aka my MTC homie. When I was told she'd be my new companion I was SO PUMPED to get to work with her. So she arrived this last Wednesday and we've been running around Kirkland ever since. It's funny to see how much we have both changed just from the MTC, and it was only like 3 months ago. She's an excellent missionary. So good at following the Spirit and helping people understand the basic doctrine. I'm so lucky to be with her and I'm excited to see all that we will be able to do together for the (possibly) short time that we have. 

 

 Me and the fab Sister Zobrist, MTC buddies back at it.

This week we've been visiting an investigator named Adel. (Noooooo not the singer) He's actually a 60-something year old Egyptian man who we just love so much. He's met with us like 5 times in the past week, and each time has been jammed pack with him asking us questions and us trying to teach him about the Restoration. He's been a Coptic Orthodox (aka Egyptian Orthodox) Christian his whole life, but he's really interested in the church and said that he would be baptized if he received an answer that it was true. So he's had a lot of questions about how the church works, like how we are married, does every member have to be a missionary, is there a hierarchy in the church, do we believe in divorce, do we celebrate Christmas, etc. And we've been able to answer everyone of his questions and he's really liked what he's learned. Last night we re-taught him everything about the Restoration, going super slow, making sure he understood every principle. And at the end we powerfully testified of the Book of Mormon and its divinity and we explained to him that the Book of Mormon was the evidence of everything we had taught him. We told him that the sure way he could know if Joseph Smith really was a prophet of God, was by prayerfully reading and pondering the words in the Book of Mormon. By the time we were about to leave he was so excited to read it, and he promised that he'd spend an hour a day reading and studying it in Arabic (aka his first language) and English. AH he's so cool. We really do love him so much. And each time we've visited him we bring Helen (our recent convert who was baptized in May) with us and she adds her testimony to ours and really helps Adel see how the gospel can change is life for the better. She's the perfect member to bring to lessons.

Also, since Sister Zobrist has spent the past three months in a French area and has been able to really improve her French, she's able to help me improve mine. It's honestly really cool to be the same mission-age as your companion, because you're able to level with each other on things, talk about your experiences and help each other decide what really works. No one feels better than the other, no one feels like a less-capable companion, and there's just been a lot of love between us. It's a blessing to be able to be with her right now. 

The Down family. AKA my two favorite people in the world.

 They made us an AMAZING dinner this last week, and

 Brother Down is seriously the funniest person in the world. 

AH I just wish all of you could come here to Canada and meet all these amazing people.

And that's about it for this week. I hope everyone has a beautiful week and remembers how many blessings our Father in Heaven gives us. If you ever feel like your lacking blessings, just think about God's beautiful Plan of Salvation for us and I'm sure you'll find something to be grateful for. 

Till next week,

Sister Thomas

 

  Went to a members house last week and half way through a lesson 

we look out her window and find this HUGE PREGNANT RACCOON. 

The member felt so bad for the thing she chucked some cat food out the window. 

Guess ya gotta keep the indigenous population of raccoon stable here in Canada.

je me souviens

HELLO WORLD

SO MANY AMAZING things have happened this past week, and I just wish you could have been here with me to experience it all. Too much to bother with an introduction, so I'll just jump right in.

* Remember that crazy experience I shared about finding an investigator after I had mis-dialed a phone number? Yeah, well his name is Frank, and he's amazing and we got to see him this week! We tried to meet with him on Thursday, but he canceled super last minute and then told us he was leaving on a trip to California the next day (aka Friday). So we asked if we could run over and give him a book, AKA The Book of Mormon, duh, and he said yes so we went over super quick on Friday afternoon. He lived in an apartment complex so we just a had lesson in the lobby, and we talked with him about the Book of Mormon and we explained what is was about and why it was important. We read the introduction with him and made sure he understood, at least a little, why this book was one of God's greatest gifts to us. After we had kind of finished the lesson, he told us more about his friends he was meeting up with in California. He told us he met them in Utah, and that he was planning another trip back there this time. And we were like, "Frank, do you know the Church's headquarters are in Utah?" And he was like "No, but I'll be going to Salt Lake City, is it close to there?" And me and Sister Hoffmann ABOUT DIED. We told him he HAS to go to Temple Square and walk about the visitors centers, and see the history and also the missionaries there (hehe, sneaky missionary tactic). After we told him, he was so pumped about going to Utah. We've been texting him since then, and he's been reading the Book of Mormon on the bus ride down. He should arrive in San Fran today, so updates on Frank to follow next week. AH JUST A MIRACLE.

 LA FAMILLE DROUAL 

AHHHH my heart loves this Frenchie French family so much. 

Alida is from Madagascar and Charles is from France. 

They have the CUTEST KIDS. I mean LOOK

* GUESS WHO CAME TO QUEBEC THIS LAST SATURDAY. AN APOSTLE OF THE LORD, AKA ELDER RENLUND. Elder Gong of the Seventy also joined him, and both of their wonderful wives. They spoke to us on Saturday morning in a beautiful devotional for the Stake of Mont Royal here in Montreal. It was so special. I just wanted to share a little bit of what Elder Renlund talked about. First off, on all the license plates here in Quebec there's a saying on the bottom that reads, "Je me Souviens" which translates to "I remember." And It's supposed to be for remembering their French heritage, but Elder Renlund spotlighted it in a way of us remembering the Savior and His atonement. He said that no matter what is going on in our life, if we remember the Savior, and everything that He has done for us, everything will work out exactly the way it needs to. He said by remembering Him, we can have a great eternal perspective and not get too caught up in just the day to day thinking. He said that if we remember Him, we will be able to make correct life decisions and that we will be immensely happier. I add my testimony to his, as I've come to know my fully in my life who Jesus Christ is, I have been happier and I do feel His love more abundantly. I know that Christ really is my Savior. I know that He has redeemed me from all the mistakes I've made and continue to make. I know that by remembering Him we can make better choices, and our lives will be changed as we continuously use His infinite, perfect atonement. 

AND, if you were wondering, I totally got to shake Elder Renlund's hand, and have a small conversation with him. Making him the FIRST APOSTLE I've EVER met in real life. You'd think that living in Utah for 3 years would have given me some opportunity (and it totally did, I just wasn't smart enough to take a lot of them), but nope. I met my first apostle right here, in Montreal, Quebec. AKA my favorite place in the world. 

* Also, last little bit of news. We had transfer calls last Saturday night, and of this next Wednesday, I will be training a new missionary! A fresh new "greenie" will becoming and joining me here in Kirkland, and I'M SO EXCITED! As her "trainer" I'll be showing her what missionary work is like outside of the MTC. I'm so excited to meet her, and as of right now I have no idea who she is, but I love her already. Sooooo updates to follow on who my mystery companion is next week. Stay tuned. 

Me and Sister Hoffmann saying goodbye to Sister Dukovac

 (aka the best Relief Society counselor ever). 

The ward really was so upset when they heard 

Sister Hoffmann would be leaving. 

They love us so much as a companionship, 

our bishop even tried to bribe our mission president to let us stay together.

* Oh, I also cut my hair like 3 weeks ago, I just haven't sent a picture because I still haven't accepted my new length. But a haircut was necessary because the ends of my hair were just dead and gross, so what better time to grow it out now, where my appearance matters very little.

Life is so wonderful. We are all so blessed. 

Remember to remember Him this week.

With all the love a missionary can muster,

Sister Thomas

 

 Cutest kids with the most interesting names. 

Here we've got Awesome and Praise right next to me, 

and then Light and Rejoice in front of us. 

Nigerians, whatcha gonna do? (the answer is love them)

Faith the Size of a Bread Crumb

Bonjour Mes Amis! 

Hope everyone is doing well. Canada has FINALLY warmed up and Sister Hoffmann and I couldn't be happier. This week has been jam packed but I'll just share a few of the highlights. 

* Yesterday we went and visited a 86 year old women, who can't get to church anymore, so we have a priesthood holder come and bring her the sacrament. Her name is Shirley, and she is the most "with-it" 86 year old I've ever met. Her mind is still so sharp, and she was, and still is, a professional piano player. And watching her play the piano is one of my most favorite things. Anyways, before we gave her the sacrament we had a super deep discussion about the Plan of Salvation, as she needed some reassurances as she gets (in her own words) "closer to the other side." And it was a great experience for us, as missionaries, to confidently answer all the questions she had about what happens after death. By explaining the plan, we gave her comfort and peace by helping her understand what happens to us and to our spirits after we leave this mortal life. After we taught her, she was very calm, and more than ready to receive the sacrament. And we watched as a humble priesthood holder, who was maybe 20 years younger than her, kneel and bless the bread and the water for her to partake. It reminded me of the story Elder Renlund shared in conference about how individual our relationship is with the Savior, 

       "A friend of ours in South Africa shared how she came to this realization. When Diane was a new convert, she attended a branch outside of Johannesburg. One Sunday, as she sat in the congregation, the layout of the chapel made it so that the deacon did not see her as the sacrament was passed. Diane was disappointed but said nothing. Another member noted the omission and mentioned it to the branch president after the meeting. As Sunday School began, Diane was invited to an empty classroom.

     A priesthood holder came in. He knelt down, blessed some bread, and handed her a piece. She ate it. He knelt down again and blessed some water and handed her a small cup. She drank it. Thereafter, Diane had two thoughts in rapid succession: First, “Oh, he [the priesthood holder] did this just for me.” And then, “Oh, He [the Savior] did this just for me.” Diane felt Heavenly Father’s love.

     Her realization that the Savior’s sacrifice was just for her helped her feel close to Him and fueled an overwhelming desire to keep that feeling in her heart, not just on Sunday but every day. She realized that although she sat in a congregation to partake of the sacrament, the covenants she made anew each Sunday were individually hers. The sacrament helped—and continues to help—Diane feel the power of godly love, recognize the Lord’s hand in her life, and draw closer to the Savior."

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/that-i-might-draw-all-men-unto-me?lang=eng

The spirit in that room with Shirley was so strong and I felt how much our Savior truly loved this woman. 

* Here's miracle. We have this investigator who travels a ton. So he was out of town and didn't come to church, so we dropped in to see him after church. Then his girlfriend comes in and we explain what we do and she mentions that her kids haven't been baptized so we tell her that's why we're here: to prepare people to be baptized and to help them learn more about Jesus Christ and God. So she says it's a good idea, she gives us her phone number and I programmed it into the phone while Sister Hoffmann wrote it down (last night we realized we had different numbers). But then we get back to our apartment at 9pm and Sister Hoffmann texted and said, "Hey Caroline, it's the missionaries- it was really nice meeting you, hope you have a great day!" Then we get a call from the number and it sounded like a younger guy. And he says Caroline is his girlfriend and we were like what the what?!?!? (because our investigator is older so I'm like oh my gosh what is happening and I'm trying to contain myself laughing) and anyway too many details, and not enough time to write but, turns out this guy's girlfriend is obviously a different Caroline, who lives near us and he lives near our investigator. And he's 18, and just recently got involved in religion. And as we're on the phone putting all of this together, we both come to a conclusion, that this misdial wasn't a coincidence at all. I told him it was a sign and he was like "yes! This totally is a sign!" So he agreed to meet with us this next week to talk more about our message. Sooo people, in conclusion, coincidence is NOT a thing. God is REAL. And He works in a lot of funny ways. 

Here's a family photo of us and Mike <3 <3

* ALSO, really quick, a BIRD ran into our window this last Thursday, and we thought it broke it's wing. So of course, we took the poor thing and started taking care of it, made him a little home in a shoe box, gave him some crumbs and water, ya know the works. And we planned to take him to a vet after a meeting with the other missionaries in our district. But, after I said a prayer, to begin our companionship study, and to bless that the bird would be able to heal, the bird started FLYING AROUND OUR HOUSE. And after I managed to catch him, and bring him outside, he just flew away. Sister Hoffmann and I are convinced it was the faith that we had in my prayer that healed our little bird friend, AKA Mike. SO, everyone, FAITH WORKS. 

Okay, I have to go now. But I hope everyone has a wonderful week! 

Remember that God loves you, and so do I! 

Sister Thomas

Close up of our handsome faith-healed bird before he flew away

Happy, Happy, Happy!

Hiiiiiii,

Oh man this week has been so good. So busy but so full of happiness. First off, P-day got switched from Monday to Tuesday because of VICTORIA DAAAAAAAY (which is basically the equivalent of Memorial Day in the states). It was so fun, we got to do a service project in the city of Montreal with a ton of different faiths, where we cleaned up the streets and planted flowers. We even got a free shirt out of it so double yay. 

 

 

a few weeks ago when we did service project outside with some members. We didn't bring any jackets, but when evening came it got super cold, so the member let us borrow some winter accessories. We were also eating dinner outside, so double buckets of joy.

 

This week we had a super cool experience with a couple from Iran. They were baptized in the church a few years ago but haven't really been to church since. The husband is Reza, and his wife Yalda. And we've been meeting with them for awhile, and they said they had a copy of the Book of Mormon in Farsi (which is the same thing as Persian) but that it was only a selection of a few chapters that was translated. Rewind to a month ago, after having first met them, we went to the mission office and found a Book of Mormon in Farsi, but it looked really big, so we thought it might be the entire book translated. Now press play and you'll find us (after several times of stopping by and trying to get a hold of them) FINALLY seeing them and giving them this Book of Mormon we found in Farsi. We told them we thought it was complete and Reza was so surprised, that he check 4 times to make sure it was the whole thing. He counted the chapters out loud, making sure he had each one, from each book. He asked us how many chapters were in Nephi, and Alma, and Mosiah, etc. and made sure that that was how many they in the Farsi translation. And after he was sure it was complete, he went silent and started reading. We continued to talk to his wife about it, but for the rest of the time we were there he sitting there, wide-eyed, reading this book with all the fervor of his heart. AHHHHH it was so cool. To see someone holding in their hands that sacred book, in their OWN language, was one of the most special things I've ever seen. It was amazing to know that the gospel is being taught to every "nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” (Rev. 14:6.)

We also had another lesson with our perfect investigator, Gabriel. He is the answer to so many of our prayers. We were able to have a beautiful lesson on the Plan of Salvation, and after it was over, he asked us what the church thought about men having piercings, he having both ears pierced, but felt it was justified because they were crosses. We began explaining, but he had to leave, so all we were able to tell him was that it was discouraged. We then went back and saw him a few days later, wanting to explain more of the answer to his question, and before we even started talking he lifted up his curly hair and showed us that the piercings were gone. He said that he had woken up the next morning, after we had the lesson with him, and just felt no need to put on his earrings. He said that if couldn't wear them to church on Sunday than what was the point. It was beautiful and amazing to see a person acting as their own personal agent, deciding to do things that God and his prophets have asked us to do. He is such a special person, and both Sister Hoffmann and I feel that it's such an honor to teach him the message of the restored gospel. 

Man, Quebec is such a special place. A place that will have my heart forever. I love being a missionary. 

Hope you all have a safe and wonderful week,

Outside the basilica notre dame in Old Montreal, where we went a few P-days ago. 

It was still super cold and windy, i.e. why I'm wearing the scarf and jacket. 

Stupid Canadian weather.

D'ou stat daram (which is I love you in Farsi)

Sister Thomas

j'ai pleuré

Hello everyone!

Hope everyone had a wonderful week. It was so busy for us and it went by so fast but man was it just an amazing week. 

We went on exchanges with some other Sisters and we stayed here in Kirkland, and divided and conquered. We were busy all of Tuesday as we tried to find people to contact and get to all the lessons we had planned, but it was so good and we found 5 people (two of whom are a super cute couple from Iran who were are going to give a copy of the Book of Mormon in Farsi) who are potentially interested in the church and it was just an all around success. 

We also got to celebrate a birthday of one of our less active members. Her name is Bridget she's from Nigeria and she's like 7 months pregnant, but she was SO excited for her birthday. We brought over a cake with Sister Roy and had a little party for her, it was so cute. She's told us before about some of the crazy things that have happened to her, but also about how she is so grateful to God for everything that he has given her. And in Nigeria, it's tradition to name the baby after how you feel, so she said she's going to name the baby Great if it's a boy, and Gracious if it's a girl, because she has felt God's greatness and His gracious attitude help her through this pregnancy. Go figure, but one thing this baby will know is how much its mother loves God. 

Bridget's birthday partyyyyy :)

And finally, I titled this email "j'ai pleuré" which translates to "I cried" because yesterday was just PERFECT. Gabriel, one of our investigators, CAME TO CHURCH! And it was Stake Conference, so he was able to see all of the members of the church in the English speaking side of Montreal. It was an AMAZING conference and he was there to hear every word. We talked to him after the meeting and asked what he thought, the first thing he said was "God is NOT dead!" He was so surprised and happy to see how many people still believed there was a God, and that He was our loving, and merciful Father in Heaven. He said he would come back next week, and that he would bring his whole family, because he just felt so good there. He is literally the definition of a miracle. Donc, (aka "so" in French) it's obvious why I cried. 

Anyways, I hope everyone has a wonderful week. We watched Elder Holland's conference talk again this last week with a less active member, and I just wanted to attach a little quote, 

"Please remember tomorrow, and all the days after that, that the Lord blesses those who want to improve, who accept the need for commandments and try to keep them, who cherish Christlike virtues and strive to the best of their ability to acquire them. If you stumble in that pursuit, so does everyone; the Savior is there to help you keep going. If you fall, summon His strength. Call out like Alma, 'O Jesus, … have mercy on me.' He will help you get back up. He will help you repent, repair, fix whatever you have to fix, and keep going. Soon enough you will have the success you seek." (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/tomorrow-the-lord-will-do-wonders-among-you?lang=eng)

What a true statement that is. Christ can help us. He will repair and restore us, He is our Shepard and He is always there to lift us and all we have to be doing is trying. Trying to love Him, and keep His commandments. Trying to be better, trying to align our will with His. Trying to be patient in trials, trying to be more humble, and trying to be more aware of His love. Remember that this week. 

Sis. Hoffmann and I trying to enjoy the sun 

for the literal second that it was out. It's an eternal winter here. SOS.

Love you all!

Sister Thomas

The Gift of Charity

Rebonjour!

This week has flown by! I have no idea how it's already May, and apparently Canada doesn't either, it's still cold and windy here, so me and Sister Hoffmann are just praying and begging for some sun. Literally S.O.S

Sis Hoffmann and I flashing some shades a member gave us

This week has been pretty rough. Our investigator pool is shrinking and we are desperately trying to find people who actually want to hear about the restored gospel. On Tuesday we drove to an area and spent the day there trying to contact people, and no one wanted anything to do with us. We met a few people who were nice, but mostly got responses like, "please don't come back," and "try someone else." But we did get one that was pretty funny, we went to family who had been investigating the church a few years ago, and we approached the dad as he was working on his car outside and he told us, "You girls impress the bleep out of me, especially when people tell you to get the bleep off their property- you just keep going. Now, I don't have spiritual faith. But, I have faith in my motorcycles." He then went on to explain how he believes in reincarnation and how he wants to come back as a trash can outside of a McDonald's. As you can tell, he was quite the character. 

So because of our lack of success in finding people to teach, this week we did a lot of unplanned service. We had the opportunity to help a member clean her house, a house that had been neglected for years and years. She had reached out to the missionaries after she had tried to contact other members of the ward and she was denied. And because she was desperate, we were more than willing to help. It took hours just to get parts of the house in order. But as me and Sister Hoffmann prayed and pleaded with the Lord to bless us with charity and love for this member, we were able to do difficult work effectively and with smiles on our faces. We truly felt the pure love of Christ working within us and as we went about helping this women. We read in the scriptures how important serving our fellow man is, but one thing I want to emphasize is the huge blessings that come because of the service we render. God truly is mindful of us and our efforts to help one another. That when we "are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death," we are promised that we "may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life." (Mosiah 18:9)

 

HELEN'S BAPTISM. 

AH, she's an angel the Elder's found and she was baptized yesterday. 

She met some LDS kids on a cruise ship, was touched by their example,

 ordered a Book of Mormon when she got back and started working the with the Elders in Kirkland. 

She is the definition of a miracle. She has such a beautiful and pure testimony and it was 

SO cool to be able to participate in her baptism.

Blessing ABOUND when we comfort people, when we serve people, and when we love people. I have sure seen that to be true this past week. And Sister Hoffmann and I have faith that as we continue to work and to labor as Christ's representatives, that miracles will continue to come, and that we will find people to teach and to share the message of the restored gospel with. 

Hope everyone has a great week and remembers how much God loves us. 

Keeping it chill in Canada,

Sister Thomas