Out of small things great things come to pass!!!

Written on April 15, 2013

Hey Mom and family!!!

I can hardly believe that time has gone by soo fast. Tomorrow I will complete 17 months on the mission. I feel like it is so unfair that it has just flown by. I still feel like there is so much more to do but so little time to do it all. I really like this idea of packs of awesome. I want to bring that up with the Relief Sociey President here so that they can do a service activity. I know that they were looking for one that they could be a good idea for them as well. The Chileans are really talented as far as crocheting and arts and crafts so I think that they could enjoy creating paquetes bakanes....or packs of awesome!! 

 

I got your package last week right before my birthday so it was perfect and I also got my package from Lois and Doyle!! THANK YOU SOOO MUCH. My companions and I enjoyed it all. I loved the close, but I gave some of my gifts away to my companions and some friends in the ward. I figured that they would enjoy them for more time than I would. Sometimes my companions don't receive many things from home and I get so much that it almost makes me feel bad. But I can't just say don't send anything.

So this last week was really a pretty good week. We found lots of new people to teach and we even had a new investigator in church yesterday, well actually we had two new investigators in church..the other two didn't make it. But our new investigator is a named Molly and she is a hoot. She is widow and lives alone but is hysterical and has a really bright personality. She participated in the classes and loved everything. The first lesson we had with her we invited her to be baptized and she told us, with big eyes, that scares me. But she knows now the reason we come to her home, to help her find the truth, the restored gospel, and that this really is the only way to return back to our Heavenly Father. It was so cool on Sunday just about everyone of the testimonies given said that this is the correct path and the only true church. She told us after church that she loved it, but that she also had lots of meditating and praying to do. I love her and pray that she has the faith to receive an answer that this is the true church.

Well I have to go, time us up!! Thank you for everything tell everyone that I love them. And maybe next week I will get some pictures sent off!! Have a good week, read your scriptures and pray everyday!!! Out of small things great things come to pass!!!

Hermana Thacker

The Gospel is Personal

Written April 1, 2013

Hey there family,

Sorry I told dad too that I don't have much time today since I got a bunch of letters, but I am super grateful to get them and feel so loved! I got my package from Grandma lois and my companions and I were super grateful for the goodies. They were a little werided out about the chocolate with chilis. I told them that Mexico has a big influence on our food choices sometimes. Well at least im enjoying them!! Wow Dad told me that Connor is home now and I was thinking about who is next to go out into the mission field from Shelby? IS there anyone else preparing besides Brent?

Well this week was a good one and a difficult one as well since we didnt have too much success, but we did have some really good lessons. Wel are teaching one guy named Luis and he is amazing. He will be a amazing member of the church one day because He already has a love for Christ. I just love this man already and I hope and pray that his timing for his baptism is before the 16 of may. I want to see it! But we also had a totally amazing experience with a family this week. We have really tried to focus on teaching families these last few months but sometimes it is difficult tto find a complete family to teach. Well we had an Easter activity in one of the stakes in rancagua and as my companion and i entered the church builing a family was standing outsied and they asked us...hey we are new here and have never been in one of these churches..can we just go in? And my companio and I jumped all over that and invited them to sit with us and we showed them where they needed to go. Then we had a really neat experience giving them all Books of mormon and teaching them before the activity. I felt so strongly for this family that I still have such a desire to teach them and help them. But when we asked them were they lived....well it just so happens that they live completely out of the limits of our sector....we happily...looked for the other hermanas from this sector. In the end they asked us if we could go to their house too and teach them and I said...no only if you move into our sector. But I have no doubt that some time in the future this family will be baptized.

I realized from this experience that Heavenly Father gives us blesssings like this one everyday, how grateful I am to at least been a part of this conversion process in finding the truth. I have to say that my testimony of the Book of Mormon is what keeps me grounded in the gospel. I know that it teaches and testifies of Christ. I feel like this book is written personally for me, it teaches me how to come closer to Him and I know that every person that reads, studies, ponders, and prays will have the same feelings that I do. That the gospel is personal, my relationship with God and Jesus Christ is personal. I hope that you can have this too. But just know that I love you all! Sorry it isnt much. But until next week!!!!

Hermana Thacker

Searching for Christ

Written March 25, 2013

Hey there family!!!!

For some reason time just doesn't EVER slow down, but here we are again writing each other. I'm glad that the week was at least a little bit slower for you guys and that everyone is doing ok. I want to know all the changes too mom, but oh well we are both out of the loop with the Shelby branch. But hopefully there are good leaders willing to work. By the way how is the branch doing? Are there lots of people attending now-a-days. And who else will be going out on a mission?
 

This week was pretty good, we found some good people to teach and are excited about one of our investigators that is really eating up the Book of Mormon. Now all he needs to do is go to church and he won't be able to deny that this really is the true church of Jesus Christ. Sometime I think that people just complicate things too much, but I have realized that Satan is so good at what he does that is makes it just that much more difficult for some people to recognize the Spirit and recognize the truth. With our investigator I think that he is sincerely searching to find Christ, which really was one of the things that called my attention, but now we just need him to understand the process repentance and the importance of God's authority in the earth in order to be baptized by immersion.

I am super excited about conference and I hope that you all find the time to watch all of the sessions!! They are all important. I read a really good scripture in Mosiah 2:10 I have not commanded you to come up hither that ye should fear me, or that ye should think that I of myself am more than a mortal man." I think...when King Benjamin is talking about the importance of listening to the words of the prophets. They are literally the words of God...so why is it that sometimes we think that conference is a time to take a break from church? I hope that everyone is doing ok. Say hi to everyone for me!!! I love and miss you all!!

Love Hermana Thacker

Feeling So Blessed part 2

Written 18, 2013

Ok the first one is of my old district and my companion Hermana Adorno.
The second one is of my new comp and I on Sunday morning before going to church.

Ok this is my new companion!! Her name is Hermana Santucho....Santoochoh! She is from Uruguay and is so amazing. She came in pre-trained so I really don't have to do much. We work really pretty well together and I am just so happy that she is my companion. I was praying from the last change that my new companion would be exactly how she is. Fun, funny, nice, positive and a worker and I got everything that I wanted!

 Hey dad!!
 
It sounds like nothing ever slows down ever, but I think that you are all happy at least! This last week was really quite amazing since my new companion is so completely the best! I am so grateful that she is my companion because is the epitome of the word 'sweet'. She is a newbie and just got here last Tuesday but we have worked really hard in this week. I love that I have a real new companion because they come into the mission with excitement and just a pure desire to work. This will definitely help me not be trunky....thank goodness! Well, I am going to send some pictures this week so you know what that means...I won't write much. But tell everyone Hi and that I love them!!

Ok the first picture is of all the hermanas that trained in this changed. We had a huge group of people in the mission home since there were about 50 of us. 25 newbies and 25 trainers and there were 14 new sister missionaries which is the biggest group we have had in this mission.

The next picture is of my old companions. The one on the very left is Hermana Adorno, and the one in the middle is the other sister that I trained my first time...Hermana Neira.

I'm Training a Newbie

Written March 11, 2013

Hey family!!
 

I hope that Grandma is doing better and is at home right now and not in the hospital. But I know that my letters seem to be getting shorter and shorter but I can't help it, I feel like the time just keeps speeding up! But it sounds like the Easter concert was really neat. Did Grandma and Grandpa get to go too? 

 

This last week was the last of the change but I will not be leaving my sector, but I will be receiving a new companion. A really new companion who will come into the mission tomorrow. Well, actually in our mission there are 15 new sister missionaries that are coming in. That is the biggest group of missionaries that we have yet had and almost all of the sisters are going train newbies. But at least I know that I will be here for the next couple of changes. Today I got to see my old Companio Hermana Gallardo and she will be in Rancagua with me now too! I am super happy!! She told me that our investigators from my old sector are starting to progress more and more and I only pray that make the steps to baptism before may so that maybe I can be there. But if not that's ok...I KNOW that one day they will get baptized!!

Well this week was another good week. My sector is really amazing and is at that point that it is ready to explode with success. There will be 3 companionships now with 4 sisters and 2 Elders. So we will see what we can do with the army of missionaries that we now have. But we do have a baptism coming up, and other people that we have met that are really good, so I hope that we can help progress more and more. 

 

You know I don't have much time to write much. Just know that I am soooo happy and I am soo ready to go to work with a new companion. I think that it will only help me learn more having a newbie. Well mom I hope that the week goes well for you, keep reading your scriptures!!!!! Prioridies!!!! Know that I love you all and I try not to think about you too much, but I do pray for you all!!!

 
 OH...I don't have time to write Grandma Lois but I got her package!! Tell her that I loved the granola and all the goodies!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone loved the chocolates!!!  THANK YOU!!!

Until next week!!!

Hermana Thacker

Feeling So Blessed

Written March 4, 2013

Hey there family!!!!

Well I am glad that you got my travel plans because I didn't. But there is an Hermana here, a senior sister that will be going home with me in May and she has been asking if we have the same travel plans and I just say, I have no idea but I am sure everything will be taken care of. Wow, Brookie told me that Hermano Bridge is going go pick up Connor in Argentina, that is super cool, we will be pretty close together here in America Sur.
 

This week came and went and before you know it we have changes again!! Next we have changes but there are a BUNCH of new missionaries coming into the mission. Like the Elders there said that there are so many missionaries going out that the church almost doesn't know what to do with them. Here we have 15 new sister missionaries coming in!! That is crazy!! Almost all of the Hermanas in the mission will be training in the next couple of changes! President has already told us that my companion and I will be training here in our sector and so we will be dividing up our investigators and our sector so that we can start working with the newbies. I only pray that my companion is Latin!! The odds are on my side since only one is coming in from the states!! It just makes it a little bit more difficult when your companion doesn't understand what is going on, but not impossible. 

 

This last week was really a good week. I just feel like I am soooo happy right now in my mission. I really have learned so many things, and am just realizing them now. But I just feel super blessed to be in this sector with the investigators that we have and my old sectors are progressing like crazy...well maybe I was the problem...but I am just so happy with what is taking place right now. The blessings truly come after the trials, or maybe I just learned how to open my eyes and see the tender mercies of the Lord. I think sometimes the mission is like we are working with our head down and we can't see what is taking place around us, but then when we leave and look back we see all the beautiful things that happened as we worked.

I read an amazing part in Jacob 5 this week when I was learning about the Lord`s vineyard. Well lets just say that the work is not just for those who have name tags. We all have our part in the Lord`s vineyard.

Well I have to go I love you all!!!!!

Hermana Thacker

Trust in God

Written February 25, 2013

Hey FAMILY!!!!

Well we had an amazing week this week!! Really!!! Last night my companion and I were talking and I just said, "Wow I am just sooo happy with what we did this week." I felt the Spirit, we had some really amazing lessons, we found some good people and WE HAD A BAPTISM!!!! Well I wasn't a big part of her process in being baptized but I was there in the end and I knew 100% that this little woman had a huge desire to follow Christ. It was probably one of the specialist baptisms that I have ever seen. She was so anxious last week about getting baptized that she could hardly wait. During the meeting she was a little nervous but when she came out of the water, there was only pure joy in her eyes, and when she entered the bathroom she began to cry and only said..."gracias Señor, gracias." She was teary eyed for the whole rest of the meeting even when we the missionaries sang a song....oh it was so bad!!...we didn't practice beforehand because the Elders were late....but nothing could take away the feelings of a true remission of sins. She was truly filled with the Spirit. I was super excited for her to receive the gift of the Spirit on Sunday because if there is anyone who has a pure desire to follow Christ it is Estrella!

Lets just say that I am super super happy...and Mom you are right I don't like talking about the end. I have no idea what I will be doing after the mission, but I will get it figured out when I have time to get it figured out. 

This week  my companion and I had some difficulties with some things, but I think I know the reason why I am with Hermana Adorno. Sometimes the mission is emotionally difficult but I have come to realize that the Lord has taught me something really important in the mission that I didn't realize before. I realized that the Lord has taught me that the most important thing that we can understand is that we are not perfect. We will never be perfect in this life, and I have learned that that is ok if we are willing to repent and become better. I have learned that the Lord doesn't expect us to become perfect over night, but what He does expect is that we become better in and through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I learned that the only expectations that we need to live up to are Heavenly Fathers, and He will let us know through the Spirit if we are living up to those expectations. There are a few scriptures that I like in Alma 36...actually I love this whole chapter because it talks about the conversion process of Alma but in the beginning he is giving counsel to his son Helaman and he says if you want to prosper in the land...keep the commandments of God and then a little later he says, and those who put their trust in God will find help in their afflictions and trials. The commandments do not restrict us, but free us from the bonds of Satan. 

I wish you all could have heard the testimony of Estrella, the little woman that got baptized. She is 64 years old and has so much faith in Christ. When we asked her if she was willing to keep the law of the tithe after her baptism she said, 'With great pleasure and faith in my Savior'. I love this woman. Even though I got here at the end, I feel so much love and respect for her, I think that she has taught me more that I have taught her. 

Hey Grandma and Grandpa, I have been thinking a lot about you guys lately because I have been eating lots of tomatoes. But the difference is that now I don't eat them because I have to now. But I eat them because I want to. I know I am a changed woman. I guess some things do change!! 

Well gotta go, time never lets us do everything...it always runs out!! I love you all!! Just know that I know nothing about coming home! Sorry. 

I LOVE YOU ALL

Hermana Thacker