I hope you are having a nice Monday. My week has been awesome. Last Tuesday, we had transfer meeting, which was so much fun because I saw so many of my old friends like Elder Bennett, Elder Uscanga and Elder Martinez. It is cool to see where everyone is going and who they will be with. Elder Juarez got transferred to a really small town outside of Bakersfield called Taft. He wasn't super pumped to go somewhere so small, but he will be fine. My new companion is Elder Morales and he is awesome. He is from El Paso, Texas, but he also lived in Mexico for a while. I won't lie, last transfer was a little difficult at times, but I have been blessed with a super awesome companion. It has only been a week and he's already one of my best friends in the mission. He is a super cool, funny guy and we work great together. He is a fantastic missionary. I am looking forward to a great transfer working with him.
The rest of the week was pretty cool. We finally had a lesson with this girl named Lilliana, who is a Senior in high school. She is really nice girl and has been in Washington for the summer, working to save up money so she can get braces. She is a hard worker and gives almost all of the money she makes to her family. She's just a really great kid. She met with the missionaries before she left for Washington. It was really good to hear that while she was there, she read a lot of The Book of Mormon and fell in love with it. She is going to school now and has a busy schedule. We are going to work hard to keep visiting with her.
Saturday was pretty crazy too. It was feeling like a pretty lame day at first. We had four set appointments that day and every one of them fell through. It was getting towards the end of the day and we decided to try by Josh and Christina. We had met them a few weeks earlier, but had not yet been able to teach them. We stopped by and Josh was home so we started talking to him a little bit outside in his yard. Then, out of nowhere Rudy starts walking down the street. Remember Rudy? He is the super cool recent convert who has a barber shop in his back yard. He is way into the Gospel and loves the missionaries. So he comes walking up and notices us and gets this huge smile on his face. He came up to us and started talking. It is hard to explain Rudy's personality, but he is so great. He is outgoing and kind of out there, but in a really good way. So he starts talking to Josh about how he just got baptized and how the Gospel has changed his life. He gave him his card and told him to come over for a haircut sometime. It was pretty funny. When he left, we could tell that he really had an impact on Josh. Josh asked us how he could figure it out like that guy. He is really interested in learning more about the gospel. I know that Rudy needed to show up to spark that interest in him. Josh and Christina are great. They have a new little baby boy and they really want to find a church to raise him in. We have an appointment with them this Tuesday and he promised us he would come to church the following Sunday. I am pumped, I really am happy for them. It is awesome to see those little things that show how involved the Lord is in this work. Elder Morales and I decided to go visit them when they weren't even in our plans and Rudy happened to show up at just the right time and say just the things that Josh needed to hear. Sometimes our plans don't always work out, but I know that the Lord will lead us to where we need to be. I know this is true in missionary work and also in everyday life.
Well, I have to get going. Elder Morales is going to teach me how to play some soccer today. I'm pumped! Have a great week, I miss you all.
Much Love,
Elder Chad Thompson