Week #16

Hi!!! Transfers happened and I'm alive and still in Chillicothe!! But this time I'm in a trio!!! And I'm loving life!!!! Sister McClellan and Sister Andersen are my comps and they are beautiful tropical fishes and they wear all my clothes and I love them!!! I am stressed as I am leading the area and our trio, but it is all good! We have had some pretty amazing experiences this week.  We are so busy, which is a blessing. Thomas is continuing to progress like a ROCKSTAR. He loves the Book of Mormon and says he's pretty sure that it's all true! Heck yeah it is, my friend!!!!! He is still on date for baptism and stalwart!!!

Best moment of the week: 

We went out to Frankfort, which is a small small place, it actually is so small it is a village, not a town! But it takes a lot of miles, and a lot of time to get there so we don't make it out there very often. But we went to visit an investigator named Dennis. Sister Asay and I met him a little while ago.  At that time he just wanted to argue but he softened a little as we taught him and then accepted to read the Book of Mormon. It was time for another lesson so off we went. When we got there he was laying sod in his front yard where a flower garden used to be. He told us he had read the Book of Mormon but he hadn't prayed to know if it was true. We invited and I might even say implored him to ask his Heavenly Father about the Book of Mormon. He told us some of him concerns, he had been looking up stuff online and had come up with some "anti" material. Sister McClellan  (my hero) said, "so instead of praying, and seeking answers from God, you are looking to the world for answers?" He was kind of taken aback, (so was I, that had just came out of her mouth?) and he responded, "well I guess so...." and so we re-invited him to seek answers from God. We gave him information about Mormon.org, and lds.org and invited him to find answers there or to just ask us. Then we gave him a Plan of Salvation pamphlet to read to prepare for our next lesson and he jokingly says "wanna dig out this stump and roots for me?" And I said, YES!  I could totally do that!  After 5 minutes of trying to convince him I would do it in a skirt, he told me that I could read him the pamphlet while he digs the hole  so we sat and read the plan of salvation pamphlet while he dug out a tree root. He got to ask the questions he had, which were all good questions by the way. More importantly, we were able to resolve a lot of concerns. It was such a dope lesson. We're gonna baptism him, I know it. It's gonna be great!  He is such a wise man and is so ready for the gospel in his life. 

Incredibly unfortunate/awkward moment of the week: 

As a district we decided to start a group fast to figure out how to get the wards in our area more involved in the missionary effort. Our district leader, Elder Chournus, texted us to let us know that we were going to do a conference call that night to start our group fast with a prayer at 9:30 PM that night. WELP. My comps and I totally forgot (because we are immersed in the work!) and I got in the shower when we got him that night because Ohio summer makes you feel like a giant, sticky, swamp monster. While I was in the shower Sister McClellan and Sister Andersen BURST THROUGH THE BATHROOM DOOR AND SCREAM "SISTER THOMAS WE FORGOT ABOUT THE CONFERENCE CALL!" GR8! I turned off the shower and whipped on a dang towel and we jumped onto the conference call. All the while we are trying to hold in our laughter because I'm STARK NUDE IN A TOWEL AND WE ARE ABOUT TO SAY A VERY IMPORTANT PRAYER. Then, of course, because my life is not normal and always hecka awkward, Elder Chournus via conference call decides to ask ME TO SAY THE VERY IMPORTANT PRAYER TO START THE FAST. DON'T FORGET THAT I AM STARK NUDE IN A TOWEL! OH MY! Sister Andersen and Sister McClellan LOST IT (missionary humor)! Elder Chournus was on the phone and was just like, "uuummm what's so funny!?!?" So, to try and make the situation less awkward than it already was I just said "nothing, I'm just really excited to say the prayer!!!!!" Good cover, I thought! So then I said the prayer to start our fast in my towel and yes, my life is awkward and it always will be. LOL!!!! 

ANYWAY, 

Life is so good. Chillicothe rocks and I never want to leave!

Be happy! God is good! 

Read 2 Nephi 2:25!

-Sister Hannah Thomas 

Week #15

Dear Family and Friends:

It's transfer week!!! Also I'm officially done with training!! All good things!!! Sister Asay is leaving (good for her, she's been here for 12 weeks) :( but I get to stay in good old Chilli town! Not sure who my new companion is, but I will let you know.  So many awesome things have happened this week!

Stephen went to the temple to do baptisms for his ancestors! He loved it. Sister Asay and I got to go attend with him and share in this spiritually uplifting experience.  Stephen told Sister Asay and I afterwards that he could feel his ancestors with him the whole time. It was such a cool experience to be apart of. I love the temple and I love this work.

Here's another gosh dang freakin MIRACLE that happened this week: THOMAS CAME TO CHURCH!!!! AND HE LOVED IT!!!!!! He is such a spiritual man. He was loved and extended friendship by the members. I just love him so much. He is trying really hard to live the W.O.W so please keep him in your prayers. He is progressing well and is on date for baptism.

Also, we get to do service twice a week at the senior citizen center.  We help serve the seniors lunch and we eat with them and do crafts or play games or just converse with them.  It is the best and I love it.

I got to speak with my family, whom I love on Sunday.  It was great to see their faces and laugh together.  We cried a little too but it was all good.  

That's about all the coolness from the week. Said a lot of prayers. Talked to alot of people. Met a puppy and cried because he was so cute, and prayed with a man we met on the street and who was nervous about getting a tattoo on his butt cheek. True story. He asked us to pray for him, so we prayed with him and asked for him to have a little comfort and not be nervous.  Heavenly Father will bless ALL of his children, even those who are nervous about tattoos. (: I LOVE OHIO!!!


Have a great week!

-Sister Hannah Thomas

Week #14

Hola!! (That's hi in Spanish) See!! Look at all the cool things I'm learning in Ohio!!!! 

This week has gone by sooooo fast. It's crazy! We have done so much, including driving all the way to Dublin (Ohio not Ireland LOLl) to get a new car!! It's a beautiful 2017 Toyota Rav4 and I'm in love with it. We are like the cool sisters in this car while driving down the road!

We have so many new investigators and lessons right now that we don't even have hardly any time to go tracting!! What a huge BLESSING!! God knows how much I hate tracting, so he's giving me a nice break. Hahahahah. Jk!  But we are truly blessed with so many people to teach and love. We have had some awesome lessons with Thomas this week!!  He's still developing in his faith and he still feels like he hasn't received an answer from God, but he really loves learning about the gospel. He reads and he prays and he is now officially on date for baptism!! He was a little skeptical at first, but he accepted the commitment and is working hard! I know the Lord will answer all of his prayers before his baptism date. He is so prepared! He just needs to get his butt to church!!! We are still working on that. 

I was having a rough week this week. I have been feeling a little home sick and what not.I have a new niece and I haven't seen her and the like. Boo hoo! I was questioning my existence and my life and all sorts of different and stupid things. I prayed really hard to Heavenly Father to help me have some sort of peace and comfort. The next morning during study time, I was reading the scriptures and I had an itch to start reading in D&C. So I did the magical, "close my eyes and open up to a random page thing."  I opened to D&C 38: 32-33 which is revelation from God given to Joseph Smith.  It says, "Wherefore, for this cause I gave unto you the commandment that ye should go to the Ohio; and there I will give unto you my law; and there you shall be endowed with power from on high; And from thence, whosoever I will shall go forth among all nations, and it shall be told them what they shall do; for I have a great work laid up in store, for Israel shall be saved, and I will lead them whithersoever I will, and no power shall stay my hand."

OKAY YEAH! If that wasn't my peace and comfort from God I don't know what is!! Craziness!! God knows us all individually and He answers our prayers individually. That for sure was something I came to know this week. He listens and He knows what we need.The power of prayer is real, and God loves us all infinitely.

Anyway, I went to the park today for PDay and I tried pet a swan and then the swan tried to bite me so now I am scared of swans. That's all. Bye. I LOVE YOU!  Life is good!  The church is true! 

--Sister Hannah Thomas