Week #8 HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Hi guys!

Today has been a very lovely birthday. I feel so loved! Shout out to Bro-in-law Ben for the beautiful rendition of Wonderwall. I loled for a very long time. Thanks for all the gifts and for the Subway gift card (@bowen I see you). You all made me feel so special on my birthday and ya'll are way far away from me! Sister Asay and I went to the Hopewell Mounds Museum today! It was way cool and it was a beautiful day to walk around outside in nature. The mounds were cool.  There is some pretty amazing history in Ohio. I also baked cupcakes from the cake mix mom sent me. HI MOM!! THANKS MOM!! We found these mysterious Australian cupcake foils in our house, (no one knows how long they have been here). They included matching Aussie flags to go with them so we put them on the cupcakes. Which was perfect because I was missing 5SOS (5 Seconds of Summer) and real world music today and then I saw these Aussie 5SOS tin foils and I immediately felt better, so BLESSINGS STRAIGHT UP. (:

This week was pretty uneventful. It was a busy one.  Busy is good. We had a lot of meetings that were out of town this week, so we were driving a lot! I went back to OSU for  a four week follow up training! It was lots of fun, and I got to go out and proselyte on OSU campus with my old MTC companion. I have missed her!  (': It was so tender. (': I was pretty proud of myself, four weeks ago I would have been TERRIFIED of walking up to people and sharing the Gospel, but I think I did a pretty good job at OSU. I’m getting a hang of this missionary work stuff.  I'm still an awkward human being but that's okay cause that's how God made me.  I was able to smile and laugh with the students we introduced ourselves to and spoke with.  Hahahaha! President Daines taught all of us as new missionaries about dedicating ourselves to the Lord.  He taught from a really cool talk called "Becoming a Consecrated Missionary." It was about leaving all worldly things and emotions on the "altar." It was a big slap in the face. One of the things the talk is about is negative emotions. You can't be a good missionary with negative emotions, and that's hard for me because I'm literally Squidward from SpongeBob at times, so I'm learning to become more positive in my thoughts.  I think watching the Womens Broadcast and hearing Sister Burton's talk about being a "Certain Woman" really helped.  I think her talk was just for me. “Certain Women” are not grumpy trolls living under bridges!! They are happy and positive and they let their light shine, so that is what I'm trying to do this week, be a “Certain Woman” and be positive and shine. It can be hard to do at times when people slam doors in your face or don’t yield when you are on your bike. Hahaha!

Stephen is still doing “swimmingly” (see what I did there?). He loves the gospel and is still PUMPED for baptism. He continues to study and grow and despite his family’s negativity he is stalwart. He can't wait for next week!!  Remember to give him a shout out in your prayers because he is really awesome! I am learning so much from him.  His testimony is growing day by day.

Thanks for all the love and birthday wishes. Today has been perfect! Love you all and I’m grateful for your support.

"Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep growing. Keep believing. Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever."

--Sister Hannah Thomas

Week #7

Girl at the door: "Have you ever seen Parks & Rec?" 

Me: "Yes."

Girl at the door: Yeah, you're April."

That was an actual conversation I had at a door this week...I should probably work on being more chipper on doorsteps maybe... 

HI GUYS!!! 

We had a pretty normal missionary week!

Stephen is still PUMPED for baptism!! We went over tithing this week and he was so into it! He even paid tithing on Sunday! We told him that he didn't have to start paying tithing until last after he was baptized and he was like, "I need all the extra blessings I can get right now." Lol. He's been telling his family this week about the gospel and his upcoming baptism, and apparently it hasn't been going well. I hope they will come to his baptism. Keep him in your prayers.  

 

We met this adorable girl, Morgan.  She is so receptive to the gospel and she wants to be baptized.  Morgan is 16 years old. We met with her at a members house and she has the craziest, saddest life story ever. She comes from a terrifying family.  Morgan has tried to take her life twice and is in a lot of pain. She has a friend who is a member and he told her about the gospel.  Unfortunately her friend and his family had to move (to Utah), because his dad is in the army. We taught her the entire first discussion and afterwards we asked her if we could meet her at her house next time.  She let us know that her parents didn't even know that she was meeting with us. The last time she asked her family if she could go to church with her friend, they flipped out and said she had the devil in her!  Then they locked her in a dark closet for the night and forced her to go to some crazy revival church the next Sunday.  She's only 16 but she's graduating early from high school, so she can move to Utah to be with her friend and his family. Her life is so scary and I wish that I could help her so badly, but without her parents' approval we can literally do nothing. We did leave our number for her and told her she can contact us at anytime. My heart breaks for her and her situation. Please pray lots for little Morgan, she needs the gospel light in her life. 

Other than that, this week was pretty uneventful. 

EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT WE WERE WALKING DOWN THE STREET LAST NIGHT AND THIS LITTLE KITTY KEPT FOLLOWING ME AROUND. It followed me for a straight hour and I wanted to take it home but my companion wouldn't let me, something about mission rules! :/ Hahahaha! He was so cute. This week is going to be crazy busy! We have lots of lessons scheduled and we won't be spending a lot of time in our area! We have exchanges scheduled and then meetings with the mission president and  then I have a "One Month Missionary Training" at OSU (which will be cool)!! 

I love you all so much and I'm so grateful for you all. Thank you for the prayers and your support.

The church is true, the Book is blue!!! I know it!

Be good! 

--Sister Hannah Thomas 

Week #6

Wowowowowowoow! This week has been crazy!!!  We have done so much! We have three progressing investigators! We used to have five but unfortunately we had to drop Rhyan and Sam. :( Rhyan and Sam are a couple and they've met with like 10 different sets of missionaries.  They want to get baptized, but they never keep commitments, and they are never there for appointments. It was really hard to drop them, but in several months a new set of missionaries will meet with them (they will find them in the area book) and then hopefully they will be baptized then!

Stephen!!!! He is so amazing. He’s still on date for baptism, however, this week he got really nervous because his family are all of the Evangelical faith and they make him doubt what he is feeling. Also, satan seems to do everything he can to keep people from getting baptized by immersion into God’s true church. So, we took some time to plan a great lesson that would help Stephen with his doubts.  We met with Stephen and we were prepared with a lesson that was filled with faith and trusting in the Lord and full of inspiration on how to do all things with Christ.  But, when we arrived we found out that he had already prayed about his doubts and he had read his scriptures.  He was like, "I'm not worried about baptism anymore. I know it is right and this is what the Lord wants for me.” What?! He said, “he was excited and ready." We thought, "hmmmmm, well there goes our lesson!"  It was one of the best moments ever!  He is so cool. We then taught a different lesson on the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity.  Stephen said after the lesson, "oh, I do love sweet tea, and I drink coffee sometimes, but that all makes sense, and God commanded it so yeah! I'll follow and obey both of those things." HE'S AWESOME. I started crying after the lessons we had with him because I was literally watching true conversion right before my eyes! I could see it in Stephen’s face and I could feel it.  I got to be a small part of it and I’m so grateful!!! It was truly an awesome experience.

We are also working with Belinda. She's the sassy grandma who takes care of her two granddaughters. We've been meeting with her and she's taken everything really well...up until last night. We taught the Word of Wisdom and she did not get it at all.  Hahahaha! She was like I only drink coffee sometimes and I only drink sometimes, so what's the big deal?” We told her to pray and ask God about it.  We will see how that goes. She is so cool and I have no doubt that she will come to understand and accept it.

Then there is Monica. I love her! She is HILARIOUS! She is 20 and she has a one year old son and he is so cute!  We are kindred souls.  Before I arrived in this area, Monica was on date for baptism.  We had to change her date because she lives with her boyfriend.  Whom, by the way, she doesn’t like. He’s not a very nice guy and she isn’t happy, but she has nowhere else to go. She has zero money and she doesn’t have a driver’s license. She doesn’t currently have a job.  The church is starting a self-reliance program here in Chillicothe, so we are hoping to take her to that. She loves the gospel, and she comes to church every Sunday. Please pray for her!!! 

I also had the amazing opportunity to meet and hear an Apostle of the Lord! Elder Stevenson is such a cool human. I have been struggling with the adjustment to missionary life, so I came to the meeting with an empty stomach  (because fasting) and an open heart, and some questions I needed answers to. Guess what???? Every question I had was answered. I felt like Elder Stevenson was speaking directly to me. After he bore a very powerful testimony, he started sobbing, and then gave us all an  Apostolic Blessing. It was the most powerful and moving thing I have ever experienced. He blessed every single one of us. He said some pretty inspired things. Every missionary was crying, every last one of us. The spirit was so strong.  I know that Apostles are men of God.  God has called them to do his work on this earth. After what I was able to feel and witness, I don't think I will ever be able to deny that.  Elder Stevenson is incredible.  I could feel his powerful spirit when he shook my hand. The priesthood is real and I am so grateful for it. 

Other than that, it's been a pretty normal week. I was able to pet some cute dogs and I knocked on some doors. God is real. Prophets are real. Apostles are special witnesses.  They are called of God. Dont forget that!!! Oh, I wasn't able to run into Twenty One Pilots, hopefully, next time.  

--Sister Hannah Thomas

371 Plyley's Lane #145

 Chillicothe, Ohio 45601

Week #5

Dear Family & Friends,

Let me just start off with a laugh, hahahahahahaha, because Ohio is trying to kill me! Hahahahahahaha! We had a tornado blow through this week! That was fun and nerve racking!! We also had two CRAZY rain storms, they were so severe. There was so much thunder and lighting. It was insane! Also, there is a prison in Chillicothe and TWO PRISONERS GOT OUT!  The prisoners were hiding in some shady areas of Chillicothe!! We had to follow our safety protocols.  It was also a little nerve racking.  Also, the city of Chillicothe does not believe in sidewalks or street lamps. As I was riding my bike, on the side of the road, I almost got hit by a car!  So much drama and excitement for one week! So fun!! Hahaha!  Never a dull moment in Chillicothe.

It really has been an eventful and incredible week! We have 3 progressing investigators and one in date for baptism! Our one in date for baptism is Stephen (Caitlin you would love him).  He's is 24 and he's Filipino. He moved to California from somewhere outside of Manila, Philippines when he was 11 years old. His family all moved to Ohio after that. Steven and his family belong to a Methodist church. The missionaries originally knocked on his door about a year and a half ago, but he wasn't interested. Then a new set of missionaries would come to his apartment every six months after that. Sister Asay and her last companion found him again and I guess he just argued with them for like a straight hour about the gospel. But his heart has softened sooooo much over the last few weeks! He loves the Book if Mormon and we started talking with him about the priesthood and he got so excited. He also loves temples and temple work. He wants to go to the temple and do temple work for his ancestors. He is on date for an April baptism. It is so exciting and so humbling to teach him.

We are also working with Belinda! Belinda is so great. She is a sassy grandma.  She has full custody of her two grandchildren. One is 10 years old and the other is 18 months. She is a hard working woman and she loves her grandbabies. We meet with her every Friday, and she loves to learn. I think she has some reservations about modern day prophets, but we are working on it.  Haha!  She is so cool and I love her so much. We feel she is ready and so we are going to invite her to be baptized this week! Also, the ward here is amazing and they truly know what it means to "magnify" their callings. They are so helpful with the work and they have welcomed me with open arms. They all rock so much.

Elder Stevenson is coming to speak to our mission this week!  I am very excited about it.  We will have the privilege of meeting him.  It is going to be pretty amazing.  I also have zone conference this week so it is going to be a busy one. 

I FOUND OUT WHERE TØP (Twenty One Pilots) ARE FROM! I am pretty sure that is one of the reasons the Lord has sent me to Columbus, Ohio! They lived in my companion’s last area! They live in a city right outside New Albany called Westerville! I will be in that exact area this week for zone conference!  Cross your fingers folks, I could run into them, it could happen!  Then Book of Mormon miracles could happen after that!

That's about all I have for ya'll this week. God is so good! Look for him in everything you do! He's there and He knows you! He is in every detail of your lives. I would encourage everyone to read Elder Uchtdorf’s talk called "Fourth Floor, Last Door" you won't regret it! Love you all!!! Be good!

Love,

Sister Thomas