It was both and amazing week and a slow week - As above mentioned, I
got a cold, which wasn't fun; and a lot of appointments either weren't
made or fell through, but that left time for other miracles :)
We met all kinds of people this week - a 19 year old sister,J___ , working for the army, who said she decided to turn her life
over to God about two weeks ago, and then all these great things are
happening, including meeting us, getting a position, meeting a
boyfriend...she's just a great, bright, happy person!
And a Philipino sister, N___, who we ran into because someone we
wanted to visit wasn't home. She's been working crazy all-day hours but
we sat down in her restaraunt with her, her nine-year-old son, J___, and a
sister, J___, who's here visiting her fiance who was baptized last
week and came to spend the day helping the missionaries, and shared a
bit about the Restoration - she said she grew up Catholic, but it
started to become more political than centered on Christ, and so she's
been looking for "something" ever since but hasn't quite found it. It
was beautiful to be able to promise her it was here if you honestly
seek and ask God if this is it or not. And right at the end, her
husband, Frank, a soldier who's a little skeptical of religion, but
willing to listen, he came and we got to meet him as well! We're quite
excited to see them again.
And the P___! Sister F___ran into K___ all over the place, so
she gave us her number, and we met once a week or two ago. And then on Sunday,
Sister P___, on her way out the door, says something about us and
their family and K___ and her family eating dinner together on Sunday...What?
The K___ we're thinking of? It turns out that their kids play together a
lot, so they know each other pretty well! So we all had dinner together
yesterday
while the kids played, and then shared a message about Christ.
Hopefully we'll see them tonight at family home evening/dinner at the P___'s house!
As for other adventures, we met a 15-year-old sister, C___ , who was
baptized in December, and then kind of fell off the face of the
earth... She's so funny, and loves the missionaries :) We had dinner
together to get to know each other, find out where she is, and such - She loves the church, but is a busy student (it's hard to understand how
busy they are here - when people say "Asians are smart!", it's because
they work hard and study hard. It's the summer break
right now, but everyone is still going to school for summer study, and
it only lasts three weeks. Lots of students don't get home until at least eight
at night. Anyway. Give them some credit :)) and hasn't figured out how
to make school and church a priority. It'll be good to start meeting with her again :)
And we went to the temple to do proxy baptisms for the first time
with S___! She is a beautiful person, with a beautiful soul :) She
had to go pretty quick to work afterward, but it was a nice experience
that she understood well and deeply the sacredness of it.
And speaking of sacredness (my thoughts don't usually transition as
smoothly as this!), one of my thoughts this week is about sacredness.
It's an attitude that we don't see much these days. Sister F___ and I
disscussed this after attending the temple, and came to the conclusion that things
become more sacred as you treat them sacredly. The house of the Lord,
the temple, is sacred and holy when it is kept clean, and nothing
defiles it. Our bodies are similar, as are our homes. As we view these
things with more respect, they can fulfill the "measure of their
creation", so to say.
That, as well as Galatians 5:16, and Mosiah 3:19
- Putting off the natural man, and humbly walking in the spirit is one
of the greatest things to strive to learn, which I still don't feel that
I've fully mastered. It's an invitation from Christ to each one of us,
to put myself aside, and let Him make more of me than I ever could
myself.
I'm grateful and happy to be here!
LOVE! Sister Thomas
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