Hey everyone,
I hope your week is going well. This past week has probably been one of my favorite in the mission. I don't have too much time on the computer, but I'll fill you all in on as much as I can. So Wednesday was really cool. Remember Iris? She was the lady we met a while back who has 13 kids and has a lot of rough stuff going on in her life and wants to become a better mother to her children. Well, we found her at home. She is awesome. She asked us to give her baby a blessing because she was so sick. So my companion and I gave the baby a blessing and it was really cool. We talked to her and her kids for a while. Iris has a friend who had a stroke and is in the hospital. She needs some help so we are going to go by next week to clean out her friend's house with her. After we left her house, we were walking down the street, and we saw this guy and his son walking, so we decided to talk with him. His name is Henry and his son's name is Henry Jr. He told us all about how the missionaries visited him when he was younger, but his Mom didn't like them visiting. He said that they had a really cool blue book (The Book of Mormon) that he loved, and then he asked for one. It was pretty cool, we didn't even have to ask if we could stop by, he gave us his address and told us to come by Thursday at 11:00. So we went over that day and taught him and his son the first lesson. It was really sweet, they loved it. He said that he has been searching for a long time for a church to take his son to. We invited him to church for Sunday and he said they would be there. The only thing he was worried about was wearing a shirt and tie, but we told him to wear what he felt comfortable in.
On Friday, we had exchanges with McFarland. In past transfers, McFarland has been a car area, but it was recently switched to a bike area. So on Friday I had my first day in the life of a bike missionary. I learned something very important............ I am out of shape. I was dying! I thought I would be fine, but I got pretty humble, pretty quick. McFarland is split into two sides and it is divided by the highway. We went over that overpass, EIGHT times throughout the day. On top of that, it got to over 100 degrees on Friday. It was so tough. It was fun though, I think I would like it if I was used to it. I was with Elder Lopez, and he is pretty cool. He is really fast on his bike, so I really had to hustle.
On Sunday, we waited outside for Henry and Henry Jr., but it didn't look like they would come. We went inside and then Elder Ruelas said, "Hey, there's Henry and his son"! I was sooo happy to see them. Little Henry is nine, and he was wearing a button up shirt with a tie and vest and was so cute. Henry was wearing a white shirt. It was funny because he said, "Sorry I didn't wear a tie, I'll have to work up to that." They both really liked church. He kept saying, "it is so peaceful here". I know that is because he could feel the Holy Spirit. Henry Jr. kept asking his Dad if he could go to Primary (the class for the kids). So he went and they ended up staying for all three hours of church. It was so great to have them there. This week, we have also found a bunch of other people to teach. Alma and her husband Damian were a referral from the Peraza family. I really like them a lot. They have six kids and both say they want to be better parents to them. We also met Anet and her daughter, who are both related to two different families in the ward. We have lots of people to teach right now and I hope I get to stay for this next transfer so I can help them.
Elder Ruelas only has two weeks left in the mission. He is trippin' out! I can imagine after two years away, it must be overwhelming to think about going home. I'm super psyched for him to see his family. He has worked really hard these past two years and has helped so many people.
Well, I better go...... I miss you all and I hope you have a great week.
Much Love,
Elder Chad Thompson
I hope your week is going well. This past week has probably been one of my favorite in the mission. I don't have too much time on the computer, but I'll fill you all in on as much as I can. So Wednesday was really cool. Remember Iris? She was the lady we met a while back who has 13 kids and has a lot of rough stuff going on in her life and wants to become a better mother to her children. Well, we found her at home. She is awesome. She asked us to give her baby a blessing because she was so sick. So my companion and I gave the baby a blessing and it was really cool. We talked to her and her kids for a while. Iris has a friend who had a stroke and is in the hospital. She needs some help so we are going to go by next week to clean out her friend's house with her. After we left her house, we were walking down the street, and we saw this guy and his son walking, so we decided to talk with him. His name is Henry and his son's name is Henry Jr. He told us all about how the missionaries visited him when he was younger, but his Mom didn't like them visiting. He said that they had a really cool blue book (The Book of Mormon) that he loved, and then he asked for one. It was pretty cool, we didn't even have to ask if we could stop by, he gave us his address and told us to come by Thursday at 11:00. So we went over that day and taught him and his son the first lesson. It was really sweet, they loved it. He said that he has been searching for a long time for a church to take his son to. We invited him to church for Sunday and he said they would be there. The only thing he was worried about was wearing a shirt and tie, but we told him to wear what he felt comfortable in.
On Friday, we had exchanges with McFarland. In past transfers, McFarland has been a car area, but it was recently switched to a bike area. So on Friday I had my first day in the life of a bike missionary. I learned something very important............ I am out of shape. I was dying! I thought I would be fine, but I got pretty humble, pretty quick. McFarland is split into two sides and it is divided by the highway. We went over that overpass, EIGHT times throughout the day. On top of that, it got to over 100 degrees on Friday. It was so tough. It was fun though, I think I would like it if I was used to it. I was with Elder Lopez, and he is pretty cool. He is really fast on his bike, so I really had to hustle.
On Sunday, we waited outside for Henry and Henry Jr., but it didn't look like they would come. We went inside and then Elder Ruelas said, "Hey, there's Henry and his son"! I was sooo happy to see them. Little Henry is nine, and he was wearing a button up shirt with a tie and vest and was so cute. Henry was wearing a white shirt. It was funny because he said, "Sorry I didn't wear a tie, I'll have to work up to that." They both really liked church. He kept saying, "it is so peaceful here". I know that is because he could feel the Holy Spirit. Henry Jr. kept asking his Dad if he could go to Primary (the class for the kids). So he went and they ended up staying for all three hours of church. It was so great to have them there. This week, we have also found a bunch of other people to teach. Alma and her husband Damian were a referral from the Peraza family. I really like them a lot. They have six kids and both say they want to be better parents to them. We also met Anet and her daughter, who are both related to two different families in the ward. We have lots of people to teach right now and I hope I get to stay for this next transfer so I can help them.
Elder Ruelas only has two weeks left in the mission. He is trippin' out! I can imagine after two years away, it must be overwhelming to think about going home. I'm super psyched for him to see his family. He has worked really hard these past two years and has helped so many people.
Well, I better go...... I miss you all and I hope you have a great week.
Much Love,
Elder Chad Thompson