When You Ask for Help

¡Hola po!


Mi familia, como estan. It sounds like you guys are all trying to get sick or something!! I hope you guys are starting to feel better. And I´m also glad that the crazy week has ended for catering. Is this one going to be a little better? Well, I´m glad to hear that Brent is home, sounds like it was a pretty sweet trip for him. Can´t wait to get an email from him...cough cough!


I have some really good news.....we had a baptism yesterday for Miguel! ¡Por fin! This last week we had a really powerful lesson with him, and he really felt that he had received his answer. Yesterday was the baptism service and it was really neat. We tried to get his brothers to come and support him but his entire family is against him to being baptized. But there were lots of people from the ward that came and some other missionaries too. Hermana Dutton and I sang, but it was really pretty bad, but that's ok because it didn´t matter at all. Basically yesterday was just an all around amazing day.


Later that day we were supposed to have a lesson with Anjelica but she couldn´t come. So as we were leaving the church we felt that our back up plans weren´t what we needed to do. We said a prayer and afterwards we just kind of stood waiting to see what we were feeling. We decided to just start walking and knocking on doors. Well, turns out the second door we knocked on was this little old lady and right away she invited us in. This usually never happens, so Hermana and I looked at each other and gave each other the, this-is-cool-look, and followed her into her house. It turns out that this lady is a member and she has been inactive for many years and just before we came to her house she had been praying for someone to come to her. When you ask for help, chances are Heavenly Father is going to send the missionaries!! Haha. Well, it was so cool to talk to her and to re-invite her to church.


Later that same night we found like 7 more people that we really felt like we needed to find. All of them have citas (appointments) this next week!


There was another really big day this week that I have to tell you about. We went on divisions again this week, or "splits" I think is what they call them there. My companion is in charge of divisons among the sisters in my zone and on Tuesday she told me that I would be going with Hermana Johnson who is brand new to the mission. She has been here two weeks tomorrow! When my comp told me that I about had a panic attack. This meant that I was in charge of our sector, finding our appointments. . . oh ya and talking to everyone and leading all of the lessons. Did I mention that Hermana Johnson doesn´t speak a wink of Spanish. I was so scared I can just barely understand people and my speaking skills are way less perfect and then I had to be in charge of another missionary, who I was in her shoes no longer than a few weeks ago. 


I am here to tell you that I survived the day and we even had some really good lessons. I still couldn´t understand everything that the people said, but I think my companion was trying to show me that I know enough. I still have a ways to go, but I learned that I´m going to be ok.


The other day I was reading the Joseph Smith story. The part that stuck out to me this time was right before Joseph saw the light, he says that he was at the point of almost losing complete hope of being saved. Perhaps he felt like he was at that point right before the edge of the cliff and the next step was over the edge. Well, at that moment when we feel like we just can´t do anymore, and it might just be too diffcult, when we might sink into utter despair...´I saw a pillar of light´.....are his words. Sometimes we have to take steps into the darkness to receive the light. I know that no matter the trial or struggle the light always comes and Heavenly Father is always there to pick us up when we feel like we can´t do it anymore. The Light always comes, the blessings will always come when we are obedient.


These pictures are from the hike we went on last week. Isn´t is so pretty here!?! The town behind me is my sector. That's Graneros.

Then the baptism picture with Miguel and the Bishop who baptized him. Miguel is the shorter one! Ok, so I tried to send the better baptism pic, like the one where I was looking at the camera, but it wouldnt work sorry. Maybe next time I can get a better picture!

Well, LOVE YOU GUYS SOOO MUCH!!!!!!!! Have fun in Utah with the family!! I MISS YOU GUYS!!!

p.s. I got Grandpas letter and it was soo cool!! My companion thought it was the sweetest letter ever. OH and wow a meth lab in shelby huh? crazy!!

con cariño,

Hermana Thacker

(Received Monday, March 19, 2012)

Tender Mercy

Hola Familia

¿Como estan? Yo creo que todo esta bien. Yo espero que ustedes sea felizes siempre. ¡Hay mucha obra en Chile y en Graneros, pero vamos a cambiar las vidas de todas las personas aqui!

Ok, that's enough for the Spanish, but I figured I could give grandpa some words to work on! How is everybody? Mom I was super excited to get your email today because before we went and printed things off my comp and I used her recorder to record a little of my voice--there is about12 minutes worth, but at least you will get to hear my voice. I haven´t listened to it, so hopefully I don´t sound stupid. I hope it works too because I also want to send some pictures with this email as well. And there are even going to be some with me smiling. I really hate those ones though. There´re just not me. haha

That is super cool that there is a whole family in Shelby that the missionaries are teaching. Tell them congrats for me. They even have them coming to church. Mom and Dad, as a missionary I´m going to tell you to help the missionaries as much as possible and help to make those people feel comfortable and welcome in church. You really cannot imagine how much easier it is to have the help and support of the ward. Truly most of the members are amazing in Graneros and are so willing to help. Our ward mission leader is the BEST. Whenever we ask him to come with us to a lesson he never refuses. I just love him. He truly gets the meaning of missionary work. Its not just for those people with tags on. Anyways, I´m sure that the missionaries appreciate everything you do for them but just keep in mind their investigators as well!!


I am really bummed that I had to leave our internet place and you guys were both there waiting for me. I feel really bad. My comps trainer ended the mission today so we had to plan around going to the office when she was there to say good-bye and such. Actually, I´m really glad we did because her suitcases were too heavy and she left behind her fitted sheet which I took as a tender mercy because I was trying to find a fitted sheet the other day and they were kind of expensive; so, I thought I could just tough it out with a stupid flat sheet that I have to re-tuck in everyday. But no longer!!


This week was actually a tough one for me. It was the last week of the change (transfer) and I was thinking about all our investigators that we have. I was so excited to have baptisms in my first change but then they both fell through. Cristina, our other fecha, has difficulty with tea and she drank tea a week before her baptism. I was really bummed especially because she had been doing so good. This week it all just hit me. Like maybe I could have done something more to help them understand. I just felt down and couldn´t shake it--which is lame as well. One night Hermana and I came back for the day and just decided that we needed a pick me up. We read out loud Alma 26 which is one of my favorite missionary chapters. It actually helped a lot to remind me of my purpose. It also had many words of comfort for those trying times.


Everyone always said that the mission was going to be hard. I didn´t expect it to be like this though. I can handle the physical. If I have to walk up a mountain everyday to find people I could do it. But this is so different from what I imagined as difficult. It is a struggle to know if I am doing enough. Alma 42:27 has been another scripture that I have looked to a lot lately. It says something along the lines of those who will come, can come and those who choose not to come are not obligated. I can only do so much, but people still have their agency. Dang it! :) haha just kidding. But now I know how it feels to know the right answer and watch people walk away from it.


With that said I have so many goals for this next change. I am going to do everything, everything that I can possibly do to be obedient and  hopefully my obedience will bless my investigators. We have soo many investigators and we keep finding more. This is going to be a great change I can feel it!


I have to tell you about my week; it was a good one besides those few stupid moments of feeling down, but we had some good lessons and I have no doubt that our two fechas that fell through are going to be batpized in the near future. We had really good lessons with them this week and they both were in church on Sunday. That's the real test. If they come to church they are golden. We have another fecha with this young single mom but she has yet to attend church so we will have to work with her on that. 

I have to go! I love hearing from you guys and mom you don´t have to worry about sending packages to me all the time.  I know they are expensive and I´m well taken care of here. But since you are sending one could you throw in some fruit roll ups for my companion she loves them and they don't have them here!!

LOVE YOU GUYS SOO MUCH!! Thank you for your prayers I feel the effects of them everyday!!

con cariño, 

Hermana Thacker

(Received Monday, March 5, 2012)