Week #4

Dear Family and Friends,

Wowowowow!! What a crazy week is has been! I can't believe I'm a real missionary now! I am serving in Chillicothe, Ohio and it is one of the weirdest/best places I've ever been! It is pronounced CHIL-e-koth-ee, I know, I got assigned to an area that I cannot even pronounce!  Hahaha! It is full of wonderful small town people (many without teeth) and trailers! I have an awesome companion, her name is Sister Asay!  Sister Asay's first name is Hannah, so hence the awesome-ness!  She is from Gilbert, AZ and she is so patient and so nice, which rocks, because I am a hot mess out here! Hahahaha! I'm only sort of kidding.  The work is rough and I am doing my best to keep up as a real missionary.

We have already taught a few lessons and it was pretty darn emotional and amazing!  I've already met some very cool new people. One person I met this week was Bill. Bill is a recent convert. He's a huge, elderly black man with one lung and a breathing tube and one gigantic heart. Bill lives in assisted living right now because he is not well enough to go anywhere or do anything on his own. He has stolen my whole heart. He LOVES sister missionaries. He calls Sister Asay and I "Charlie's Angels!" Hahaha, only those of you alive in the 70's will understand that! The first time I met him he said to me, "Wow, if my ex wife was as beautiful and spiritual as you, she wouldn't be my ex-wife!" I laughed so hard. Bill is such an amazing human. He has had a crazy life. Right now he is very, very ill and is about to go through chemo. Please pray for him. If I was in his shoes, I don't know if I would be as positive and as amazing as he is. He is so strong and loves God so much. I have enjoyed visiting him and sharing my testimony with  him.  He is someone to look up to.  What a journey he has had but he found the gospel and is stalwart!

Also, Ohio has the craziest weather!!! The day I arrived here it was 70 degrees, then the next day it was SNOWING. Kind of like Utah! My body doesnt know how to react. hahha. It's okay though. I dont mind. I  haven't  had to ride my bike yet because my area is big and spread out and so we need to drive or else it would take all day just to get to one area and to another.  There are only 4 missionaries serving in this area.  My companion and I and two Elders.  The ward is small but at least it's a ward.  The ward struggles for leadership but the bishop is pretty awesome.  The work here is so frustrating. All we do is contact all day.  The people are so nice (most of the time) so I'm grateful for that, however,no one wants to hear our message, they just want to know where I am from after I speak because I sound funny, apparently. Every corner we turn has some weird type of church. If we hand out a BOM or a passalong card we always ask if we can stop by and visit another time, and they usually say yes.  But when we vist them again, they are never there. I just dont feel like we are getting anywhere. But my companion and I are working hard to come up with some creative ideas to server the people in this area.  They really like the fact that my companion and I are from the desert, maybe we can plant cactuses or something!  Hahaha!

President Daines is a little intimidating but nice.  Sister Daines is lovely and I adore her!  She is a good mother to the missionaries and she definitely loves us!  All the missionaries that work in the mission home are nice and really want to help you.  I'm thankful to be here even though it is a bit rough.  Don't worry, I'm pretty stubborn so I can take rough.  I haven't been in the field too long and I already have this great desire to serve and testify to everyone.  Look at how weird I already have become.  Please pray for all the missionaries in Columbus, Ohio!  We need it! 

That's really all I have for this week though!! Remember to pray, and read those scriptures, ya'll and thank your Heavenly Father everyday that you live the same time as Harry Styles!!! Bye for now!!!

--Sister Hannah Thomas

371 Plyley's Lane #145

Chillicothe, Ohio 45601

Week #3

Dear Everyone,

It has been a crazy last week at the MTC!  I cannot believe I am already writing that, "last week at the MTC!"

In just one week, I have become the QUEEN of four square, (not really, I stink) and my comp and I committed our investigator to Baptism! I would say it was a productive week.  Life is CRAZY!!!! But really though, this last week has gone by so fast its insane!

Honestly, the whole MTC experience has gone by fast. I have learned so much and have grown close to so many people, BUT I CAN'T WAIT TO LEAVE. We have to be at the travel office tomorrow at 3:30 in the morning, that's AM, in case you were wondering. This is so we can catch a train, and then trax to the airport (mom, do not get up early to try and ride the same train), so that we can make our 7:00 AMflight. There are 15 of us going to Columbus, Ohio tomorrow. The Elders in our district left early this morning for Utica.  Last night we had a testimony meeting with all of us together and it was very sweet. The Elders cried and so did the Sisters, me included. Our Elders are so great, we were so blessed to have such great guys serving with us in the MTC, I know they will rock it in New York. The last thing they all said to us was "KILL IT IN 'LUMBUS!" Hahahaha, we laughed way hard. We will miss them lots and lots.

 

WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW. I can't believe that my "His Grace" video for the Mormon Channel has been released. Nobody here at the MTC really knows about it (which is good), but I was able to get on Mormon Channel and watch it. It's a little weird because I just shared a very personal and crazy moment in my life to the world, I hope it helps at least one person. I watched it on Youtube for a second and I saw lots of lovely comments from random strangers I don't know, it was very nice. So thanks random strangers for your support!!!! You rock!!! I hope the video is well received and that from it, we as members of the church can start a new conversation about a topic that is "taboo." I really hope this happens and that the stigma can be eliminated. I'm glad I could be apart of the conversation. 

Sister Brush and I have had some incredible lessons this week. The Spirit has been so strong. We committed our TRC investigator to baptism. We were worried she wouldn't do it, because she is so worried about her family back home and breaking traditions. We told her she was going to be a missionary to her family in Thailand and she got so excited. She offered to say the closing prayer and the only thing she prayed about was us. The entire prayer was about her gratitude for us and she blessed us as we move forward.  It was sweet.  When we left the room Sister Brush and I cried because of how beautiful it was. The spirit was so strong. It made me so excited to teach actual investigators.

 

We had an incredible devotional last Tuesday! Elder M. Russell Ballard came to the MTC and spoke to us. It was so powerful. He spoke about how our attitude and the way we think about a situation or a problem on the mission is half the battle. He kept saying "You need not wait to be great". I was so great and just what I needed. He's so cute (can I say that about an Apostle?). He also talked about Dr. Ben Carson and how he changed his entire life with hard work and a positive attitude. Elder Ballard loves Carson almost as much as I do. LMAO.

The Spirit has been so strong this week. We had an incredible lesson in Relief Society this week! Also, I just realized that this is the first time I've ever said that sentence about Relief Society, but it was really good!!! It was about the Book of Mormon and I grew an even greater love and appreciation for Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. The girls in my zone are all so cool and all have such cool stories as to how and why they decided to serve. I am inspired by all of them everyday. I will miss them all so much, but I (thankfully) wasn't called to serve in the Provo MTC Mission, I was called to serve in the Columbus, Ohio mission. I can't wait go. I love you all so much! The church is true! I've never felt more certainty about that in my life! Through Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith restored this Gospel back on the Earth in this dispensation, and for this moment in time. I'm so grateful for love and prayers from you all back home. I feel them everyday. My heart is filled with so much love all day everyday I feel like I might explode!  Which is weird for me. I've only been gone for 3 weeks, and I already feel a change in myself. I'm no longer a grumpy troll who lives under a bridge!!!! I'm just a normal troll who lives in Ohio!!!! That's all I have to say this week!!! Thanks for everything!!!!  Ohio, here I come!!

Bye!!!!!

xoxoxoxo,

--Sister Hannah Thomas

Week #2

Yep. You heard it here first, folks. If you've ever been to the MTC then you know exactly how it feels to walk up and down like 8 flights of stairs multiple times a day. it's terrible. It's even worse when you fall down them.  It's v embarassing. It's even worse when your elders are so nervoud about you getting hurt that ask if hey can give you a blessing. IM FINE THANKS. Also, you never live it down. Now everyone knows that i'm the "sister who fell down the stairs" its gr8. im gr8. 

Anyways, other than me falling down a bunch of stairs, there has been lots of drama in the zone this week. One of the sister's in my zone had a very close friend pass away on Friday. she entered the MTC on Wednesday. It was really sad. She decided to stay in the MTC though, which was really cool of her. She is very strong and brave in my opinion. Sister Kraus from my distric has been really really sick, so the elders in my distrcit gave her a blessing. It was acually really cool. I've never seen kids myage use their preisthood power to help administer to the sick. I was very impressed. They were so nervous lol. But they did a great job. Also, Elder Hederson our ZL is going home :( He tore his ACL playing basketball (lol) so when his zone left for their missions, he flew home. We are all so worried for him because he is an incredible guy, and it took him alo just to get here. He an apache indian from an indian reservation in arizona, and he has some crazy stories. Please pray for him. He is an amazing missionary. 

Thanks to you all for the help with Atonement for our investigator, Paul. WE'RE DUNKIN HIM! Not really though, because Paul is just my teacher, so it's not real, but it was so cool. it took alot for him to commit to baptism though. Are you ready to here what happened? Okay, so his atonement question had me studying lots and lots. With the help of mom and courtney as well, Sis Brush and I were feeling really confident about our lesson plan. We get in there, teach him a beautiful lesson about the atonement, and at the end he just stares at us and goes "It really does sound nice and all, and i want to believe that the atonement works, but it just deosn't make sense" Sis. Brush seemed to get pretty devistated, and I just kinda got mad at Paul. I instantly remembered a line in PMG that says something like "investigators must resolve for themselves their concerns and objections. You can help as you focus them on what will strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ-reading and praying about the BOM. When they strengthen their testimony of the Restoration, they will have the strength to overcome their objections and concerns." We had done all we could do for Paul. we gave him all the tools. He now had to learn for himself. So, I looked at him and said "Paul, this is all we have for you. We have taught you all we know about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Sister Brush and i know it works because we have felt it. Now you have to feel it too." And then we invited him to baptism and he said yes! He said he'd repent and use the Atonement and get baptised. it was amaing. It felt so good to see him get ready to baptised. Our real life investigator, however, wasn't as successful as we hoped. Wan-Yu was the perfect investigator! She loved learning and she could feel the Holy GHost! We were only able to teach her 4 times, and every time we asked her to be baptised. She originally said no the first times because she wanted to learn more, and then she said said no our last lesson with her because she was nervous to leave her families traditions and religions. It was really sad, because we knew she was ready for baptism, she was just scared of change. i hope that one day, new missionaries will knock on her door and she will finally be ready for baptism! 

You now what else is crazy? My district and I are now the senior district! That means I've only got about a week left here!!! I am so ready to leave the MTC. It was a little sad last night, because we had to say bye to some pretty amazing people. I made some pretty great friends in the district above me. They are going to be amazing missionaries though! All of them! 

wElp. I think that's all I have for you this week. I love love love you all, and im so grateful for you all. 

xoxoxoxooxoxoxoxox

-- Sister Hannah Thomas

Week #1

Yes hello it is me, Your daughter/sister/friend/niece/granddaughter? Yeah. Well. Im alive, I have lived to see yet another week at the MTC. I'm going to be honest, the MTC is the weirdest place in the entire world. It's like we're just our own little coven of missionaries that everyone knows about, but doesn't dare come near, because they'll be cursed or something. IDK. I just feel like I'm on my own little planet, so it'scrazy to remember that my house is only 15 mins away and my big sister goes to school right next door. I'm going to be honest here...the MTC is one of the hardest things I have ever done in my whole life.  But I also can't see myself being anywhere else. I wake up and go to bed every night thinking about my investigators. Even though they aren't real investigators, they are playing a part, I still feel this love for them that I have never felt in my entire life.  What is happening to me?  Why do I care so much?  If this is how much I am going to love real investigators, real people I will teach, my heart will probably burst. 

My companion is Sister Brush and I love her so much. We are complete opposites, but I think that's why we get along so well. She was a soccer player and a runner in high school.  She hates make up, dressing up, and anything "girly." She's also sooooo quiet. However, she's also hilarious and it's the best because she'll say something funny, but nobody else will hear it except me and then I just crack up laughing and people are like, "what's wrong with her." Then I laugh even more. Sister Brush also has this amazing understanding of the doctrine. She's so smart and a fast learner. One of our teachers taught us the restoration and after teaching us she challenged us to say the whole thing in three minutes!!!!! WHAT?! I CANT DO THAT!!! IT'S SO HARD!!! It takes me so long to explain anything yet alone the restoration! So I've been practicing everyday with Sister Brush. She's got it down to a science. She seriously rocks and I'm learning so much from and because of her. She does, however, have a hard time opening up to people. She struggles talking with people and sharing her testimony. She  really wants to bond with our district and she feels like she doesn't know how. That's where I come in, I love to talk and bond and stuff.  I'm also not afraid to share my testimony.  She is good at teaching and I can testify.  She is a little nervous to talk to people she doesn't know and I will talk to strangers.  We make a good pair.  

Also, my district came from heaven above. I love them all sooooo much. All of the sisters in our district are going to the Columbus mission together!!! Isn't that so cool?!!! The Elders aren't though and that's really sad because they are some of the nicest/ funniest people I've ever met. They are all going to upstate New York somewhere, but I can't remember the mission. I'll send pictures of our district later. I also have pretty great teachers. My morning teacher is so freaking sarcastic I can't handle it, I just laugh. My afternoon teacher is very hard on us and really stresses me out because she pushes us but she knows we need it.

I've taught so much this past week it's insane! I've taught Paul, Julian, Paola, and Wan-Yu. Paul, Julian and Paola have been my teachers role playing as investigators, and it's been soooo cool. Julian was the first person Sister Brush and I taught, and our first lesson was TERRIBLE. It was so awful but kinda funny that our first lesson was so bad that we had nowhere else but up to go. It was our first time teaching the restoration. We butchered it so badly that even Joseph Smith would have been very upset (I'm starting to sound like a missionary in my head, oh no!).  Hahaha! I walked out of the room and just laughed so hard because it was so bad! Sister Brush was like "What's so funny?? that was terrible!!!" I smiled and told her that now every time we teach we will be amazing in comparison to that lesson! Then we both paused for a moment and just laughed for a good 5 minutes straight because it was so bad. Our next lesson with Julian went sooooooooo much better. We taught by the spirit, just like Preach My Gospel explains.  I felt inspired (like I was totally prompted to open my mouth) to share my testimony of Christ's love for him. It was crazy. It was like the spirit opened my mouth and guided me to share that thought, but I honestly don't remember what I said. Apparently, it was good because Julian (my teacher) got really emotional afterward, we were both crying and all that mush crap. We only got to teach Julian twice and we invited him to baptism and I think he would have committed at the next lesson if we could have taught him again. Now we are teaching Paola, so I hope it goes well. We're also teaching Paul right now and he was a very difficult question that I don't really know how to answer, so I need your help. His question is this, "I do believe in Christ but why would someone dying thousands of years ago have an imapact on my life today?" It just doesn't make sense to him that Christ Atoning and dying on the cross years and years ago could have an impact on him today . I've tried explaining it to him but he doesn't seem to understand what I am trying to explain so if any if you have an idea of what to say to him please let me know!! We're also teaching Wan-Yu. She is cool and she is a real life investigator from Taiwan. She's is here learning English,and she rocks. She is so cute.  She has the same question as Paul. She wants to know how the Atonement applied to her now.  I do not know how answer their question and I am getting a little frustrated. Theyre both very left brained people and I obviously am not So it just doesn't make sense. Help me!!!! 

Other than than that I am feeling really good! I truly do know that this is where im supposed to be. I know that I am supposed to be serving a mission at this time and that the Lord has a plan for me. The MTC is hard, and I'm tired a lot, but its all very worth it. I miss you guys so much and I hope you are doing well. Remember that charity is the pure love of Christ! I'm challening you all (family and friends) to do something nice for someone else! Serve! Serving never fails to make me feel better! And I promie that if you serve with a pure heart and a smile, you'll feel better too!  The gospel is true folks and I still love Michael Clifford!

Love you all,

--Hannah