Hi everyone,
I hope all is going well. Life is going pretty well out here in California. It has been a really good week here in Lake Los Angeles. We had a great lesson with Dulce. She is a really sweet lady we are teaching and is probably in her 30's. She has so much desire to learn about God's plan for her family, it's really cool. She seems to have more desire than anyone I have ever met. She has a husband and two kids, a little boy named Omar and a little girl named Camila. They are a really nice family and every time we go over they give us food and candies. We had a lesson with her the other day and it went really well. She opened up a lot. She told us that just a few months ago, her baby died. They had a little baby boy and I guess there were some complications and he passed away. It was so sad to hear, but it helped us understand why she has been so interested in talking with us. She says that she really just wants what is best for her family and wants to learn what God's plan is for her family. I can't imagine how hard that must be. This is one of the many instances in my mission, when I have no clue what the person is going through or how they feel. It is kind of hard because we can't really relate to their suffering. We aren't here so much to be able to relate to people and console them, but we are more so here to help people understand who it is they can turn to for consolation. Turning to the Lord and giving Him our burdens is the best way to get through any hard situation. And with a better understanding of His plan for us, we can have peace in knowing that everything will be okay in the end. That is what we talked about with Dulce. She is so awesome. Although she has suffered such sadness, she is doing her best to keep moving forward. I really admire her.
We also had few really good lessons with Victor last week. He is progressing well and is set to be baptized soon. We are so excited for him and the choices he is making to make a change for the better in his life. This week he had a super cool experience. On Saturday, he went on a trip with members from the Branch to go and visit the Los Angeles Temple. That is one of my favorite buildings and it has a huge garden with a really nice visitors center. He said that he really enjoyed it and wants to go back to visit soon. Victor is such a cool guy and he is excited about everything we teach him. Most members of the Branch already consider him a member of the church. We had lunch with him and his friend this week and they made us some super fancy-looking Columbian food. It was really good!
This week we also had our monthly Zone Training Meeting in Lancaster. I was kind of nervous, because I was asked to give a talk again. I am always nervous when I have to speak in front of people, especially in front of a bunch of people who know a ton more than me. It gets a little easier each time I have to do it. The meeting went pretty well and afterwards we went to lunch at McDonalds, which is a luxury we don't have in Lake LA. The rest of the week went pretty well. I ate another chili, which is always a bad experience. I don't know why I keep doing that too myself.
I hope you all have a great week. We have transfers next week and I hope Elder Dee and I stay together here in Lake LA. He is going home next transfer and I would love to be the one to send him on his way. I miss you all, but I'm really enjoying this time I have to serve.
Much Love,
Elder Chad Thompson
I hope all is going well. Life is going pretty well out here in California. It has been a really good week here in Lake Los Angeles. We had a great lesson with Dulce. She is a really sweet lady we are teaching and is probably in her 30's. She has so much desire to learn about God's plan for her family, it's really cool. She seems to have more desire than anyone I have ever met. She has a husband and two kids, a little boy named Omar and a little girl named Camila. They are a really nice family and every time we go over they give us food and candies. We had a lesson with her the other day and it went really well. She opened up a lot. She told us that just a few months ago, her baby died. They had a little baby boy and I guess there were some complications and he passed away. It was so sad to hear, but it helped us understand why she has been so interested in talking with us. She says that she really just wants what is best for her family and wants to learn what God's plan is for her family. I can't imagine how hard that must be. This is one of the many instances in my mission, when I have no clue what the person is going through or how they feel. It is kind of hard because we can't really relate to their suffering. We aren't here so much to be able to relate to people and console them, but we are more so here to help people understand who it is they can turn to for consolation. Turning to the Lord and giving Him our burdens is the best way to get through any hard situation. And with a better understanding of His plan for us, we can have peace in knowing that everything will be okay in the end. That is what we talked about with Dulce. She is so awesome. Although she has suffered such sadness, she is doing her best to keep moving forward. I really admire her.
We also had few really good lessons with Victor last week. He is progressing well and is set to be baptized soon. We are so excited for him and the choices he is making to make a change for the better in his life. This week he had a super cool experience. On Saturday, he went on a trip with members from the Branch to go and visit the Los Angeles Temple. That is one of my favorite buildings and it has a huge garden with a really nice visitors center. He said that he really enjoyed it and wants to go back to visit soon. Victor is such a cool guy and he is excited about everything we teach him. Most members of the Branch already consider him a member of the church. We had lunch with him and his friend this week and they made us some super fancy-looking Columbian food. It was really good!
This week we also had our monthly Zone Training Meeting in Lancaster. I was kind of nervous, because I was asked to give a talk again. I am always nervous when I have to speak in front of people, especially in front of a bunch of people who know a ton more than me. It gets a little easier each time I have to do it. The meeting went pretty well and afterwards we went to lunch at McDonalds, which is a luxury we don't have in Lake LA. The rest of the week went pretty well. I ate another chili, which is always a bad experience. I don't know why I keep doing that too myself.
I hope you all have a great week. We have transfers next week and I hope Elder Dee and I stay together here in Lake LA. He is going home next transfer and I would love to be the one to send him on his way. I miss you all, but I'm really enjoying this time I have to serve.
Much Love,
Elder Chad Thompson