July 30, 2013
Elder Benjy Christensen said something really profound in an e-mail last week that I got. "It's amazing how fast time flies by, and at the same time, how not fast it goes by" or something to that effect. To that I say, AMEN! HALLELUJAH!!!! Holy canoley. It's like I've been out here for an eternity but like nothing at the same time. But I love it and everything is going well.
Last Tuesday we had my very first Zone Conference. I have to tell you, I'm pretty sure that the whole thing was for me. Seriously. There were at least 30 other missionaries there and President Wall started out the day by saying "Sister Thornley, I think you're going to really enjoy this," which was kinda scary, but at the same time I was excited to see what he meant. In our weekly letters to him last week, I told him about what I had read in Alma 10. I guess that he based all of the zone conferences in the mission on that because I had emailed him about it and another missionary had too, so he taught everyone from that chapter about using members in our work. It was so stinkin neat. and they taught us about managing stress which is sooooo useful At the end, they asked me to bear my testimony. Seriously, the whole thing was rigged. They knew exactly what I needed to hear and learn about.
After that, we tried to go and see a referral and got lost. We ended up talking to a guy and giving him a Book of Mormon. His name is Shag and he was very nice. After that, we had dinner with one of the sweetest couples on the face of the earth. They are quite a bit older and they fed us and gave us a tour of their house (for the second time). They gave each of us like a quarter of a watermelon for dessert, mmmmm. ALSO!!!!!! We got word that (if we don't get transferred) we will be moving to a really nice apartment complex in a couple weeks. It's called the Highland Club. You can look it up and be jealous. It's got a putting green and a fully stocked lake for fishing!!!!! ahh. anyways.
After that, we tried to go and see a referral and got lost. We ended up talking to a guy and giving him a Book of Mormon. His name is Shag and he was very nice. After that, we had dinner with one of the sweetest couples on the face of the earth. They are quite a bit older and they fed us and gave us a tour of their house (for the second time). They gave each of us like a quarter of a watermelon for dessert, mmmmm. ALSO!!!!!! We got word that (if we don't get transferred) we will be moving to a really nice apartment complex in a couple weeks. It's called the Highland Club. You can look it up and be jealous. It's got a putting green and a fully stocked lake for fishing!!!!! ahh. anyways.
Wednesday we went and visited an older guy that has a son in our ward. His name is Tony and him and his wife June aren't members but they come to church every single week. They are so sweet. He's 69 and he sat there talking to us without a shirt on and so Sister Seegrist and I jsut sat and looked the other way for most of the lesson. It was really funny actually. They are a really prepared couple but they are intimidated that they need to know everything about the gospel. AND! he knows the Book of Mormon is true. So we have dinner with them tomorrow night. We'll continue to work with them :) After we got home, we needed to blow off some steam so we sat and made videos until bed time. If you send back my other SD card I'll send you this one and you can see how weird we get when we are working 24-7 :)
Thursday we met a lady with a member. She is now officially an investigator. While we sat and taught her from the Book of Mormon, she finally said, "Well do you have some literature that I can read?" I told her she could have the Book of Mormon. She goes, "Oh no! I couldn't take your book!!" We laughed, and I told her that's what it was for. We are going to try to her see her again tomorrow and hopefully she will have read and prayed about what we talked about!!!!!!!!
Friday, we spent all morning making these beautiful cookies for some less-active members. I put them in the oven and they came out and they were awful!!! Seriously, I have never made something in my entire life that turned out so bad. I was so embarrassed. So, they ended up in the garbage. After that, we went out to a less active named Shelbi. She is from Logan and she doesn't believe in the Church anymore, but she has so much potential. If we could get her husband to listen and agree, then I think she would come back, and he would be baptized. But right now, we have to tread lightly with her.
We went back to the wonderful/crazy man that introduced us to the term coonass and this time he gave us an even better story. He started stroking his beard and goes, "You, too can have a beard like me one day. You can be the bearded ladies. You just have to take lots of testosterone." We're just like ... yeah ... ok. It was really awkward, and then he proceeded to tell us that he has saved every beard that he has had trimmed or cut off for his entire life. Sister Seegrist asked him why. I was so grossed out that I didn't really care. So he told us about a fifteen minute story about how (imagine a crazy old cajun with a white beard and a Southern accent talking) "in ancient China the eunichs were the king's guards and they had to have ...." [a body part] ".... cut off and so in case they ever left the guard, they kept their ...." [body parts] " .... in a jar so when they died they could put the jar in the coffin with them and they would die a whole man. I have kept all of my beards so that when, I die they can put my beards in the casket with me so I die a whole man" what the heck! hahahahahahaha. I don't know if I have ever thought I was going to die of laughter, because he kept such a straight face. it was so funny. He's like Uncle Si.
Saturday we went to more less active members We went to one sister who has like a million cats and she has a really mean cat. So I was trying to be a good missionary and be kind to her lovelies even though I don't like the kitties. I held out my hand to this mean cat and the sister goes, "Oh don't even try to get her on your lap. She's so mean it took me at least three months before she would ever sit on my lap." Well you can guess what happened. The cat ran over and jumped up on my lap and curled up and wanted me to pet her. Stupid cats. Ha. I never want them to like me and they always like me. Sister Seegrist wants them to like her, and they never go to her. Oh well, I'm pretty loveable ;)
After that we had the neatest experience with a lady and the Book of Mormon. She was baptized but knows/remembers very little about the Church so we started in 1 Nephi 1. It started like "Oh you girls can read it. My eyes will hurt too bad" After a few verses, she started relating it to her life and asking questions. after a few more verses she would say, "Read that again... Ooh I really like that." Then by verse 8, she was up and looking for her Book of Mormon and asking questions and reading it herself saying things like "Why did I never know this?! It all makes so much sense!... Can we keep going? I love this" and so on. By the end of it, we finally had to tell her that we had another appointment and really had to go. She told us that she was going to clean off her kitchen table to read more and she was going to keep reading. It was amazing how after she put in the effort, her mind was so enlightened. The Spirit was truly there leading her through the scriptures.
We had a crazy rainstorm on Saturday night. it did a little damage but we were fine.
After that we had the neatest experience with a lady and the Book of Mormon. She was baptized but knows/remembers very little about the Church so we started in 1 Nephi 1. It started like "Oh you girls can read it. My eyes will hurt too bad" After a few verses, she started relating it to her life and asking questions. after a few more verses she would say, "Read that again... Ooh I really like that." Then by verse 8, she was up and looking for her Book of Mormon and asking questions and reading it herself saying things like "Why did I never know this?! It all makes so much sense!... Can we keep going? I love this" and so on. By the end of it, we finally had to tell her that we had another appointment and really had to go. She told us that she was going to clean off her kitchen table to read more and she was going to keep reading. It was amazing how after she put in the effort, her mind was so enlightened. The Spirit was truly there leading her through the scriptures.
We had a crazy rainstorm on Saturday night. it did a little damage but we were fine.
Sunday, we were kind of running late to church because Sister Seegrist was still working on her talk until the last minute. So we walk into the church and I hear, "Sister Thornley!" I look around and see beautiful [2nd cousin]Shelbie stand up from a chair in the foyer, and I was honestly a little shocked!! It was so cool though. She said she's in 2nd Ward; we're in 3rd. She had to get a picture to send you guys and she said she picked up our number so she can steal us to feed us dinner sometime soon. I wish we could have talked more, but it's definitely a comfort to have someone with a familiar face close. I know that her and Dallas would take care of use in a heartbeat if there was a storm or anything, so that should be a comfort to y'all too.
There are so many people down here that are traveling to Utah or just getting back. It's weired to thing that theyre allowed to do that. I keep catching myself thing, "Isn't that against the rules for people from Louisiana to go to Utah?" Apparently it's not ;) Good for them, weird to me.
I la la love you millions. The Church is true and the Book is blue. Help the missionaries out.
Write me some letters. I love letters. They are amazing. Keep up the good work.
Love,
Sister Thornley
Sister Thornley
