Hey everyone,
I hope it has been a good week for you. Mine was pretty cool. Since both Elder Morales and I weren't being transferred, we didn't need to go to the transfer meeting. Some other Elders in a bike area needed a ride so we had an awesome excuse to go. It was cool to see some old friends and see all of the new missionaries, a lot of whom came into our District. We have two new missionaries in our District. They are pretty cool Elders, but with one of them it is easy to see that he is having a hard time adjusting. He is a super nice guy and he has only been out for less than three weeks. I am sure he is feeling a little homesick. It was only a few months ago that I was in his position, and I know just what that feels like so I am trying to be as nice as I can. I am excited though, the whole District is still pretty great.
The rest of the week went well. We met Angelica, who was a referral from the English missionaries. When we met her she was on her way to visit her son in the hospital. She has a really hard life. She was talking about how one of her sons died recently and another son has colon cancer. She said he has given up on life and doesn't really care about getting treatment. For a parent, that must be awful. I feel so bad for her. It was really nice to be able to sit down and share our message with her. On my mission almost all of the people I have taught have been going through some sort of trial or difficult time. We all go through difficult trials, life can be hard. The Atonement of Jesus Christ can strengthen the weakest of people in the scariest of times. We don't need to get through our trials alone. It is so great to be able to share that gift with others.
This past weekend was General Conference, when the leaders of the church gather together and give really awesome talks. One of my favorites was the one given by Elder Bednar. He was speaking primarily to those who are not members of our church. He was explaining why we as members of the church have missionaries and are so active in sharing the Gospel. He told the story of one of his little kids who scraped his arm. The boy's older brother took him inside and gave him some ointment and put on some band-aids. The little boy liked how the ointment felt, so he went outside and shared the ointment with all of the other little kids outside. I thought that was the perfect analogy. The Gospel has blessed me so much in my life, that I want to go out and share it with people, just like the little boy wanted to share his ointment. The rest of Elder Bednar's talk was really good. One of my favorite points that I picked up from his talk was that our desire to share the Gospel is a reflection of its importance to us. I thought that was a really cool point.
Well, I should get going. We have a lot to do today. There is a new documentary out called, "Meet The Mormons" that is going to be in theaters soon. Our Mission President got a copy of it so that we can all watch it today. It looks pretty good. Well, I hope you guys have a good week!
Much Love,
Elder Chad Thompson
I hope it has been a good week for you. Mine was pretty cool. Since both Elder Morales and I weren't being transferred, we didn't need to go to the transfer meeting. Some other Elders in a bike area needed a ride so we had an awesome excuse to go. It was cool to see some old friends and see all of the new missionaries, a lot of whom came into our District. We have two new missionaries in our District. They are pretty cool Elders, but with one of them it is easy to see that he is having a hard time adjusting. He is a super nice guy and he has only been out for less than three weeks. I am sure he is feeling a little homesick. It was only a few months ago that I was in his position, and I know just what that feels like so I am trying to be as nice as I can. I am excited though, the whole District is still pretty great.
The rest of the week went well. We met Angelica, who was a referral from the English missionaries. When we met her she was on her way to visit her son in the hospital. She has a really hard life. She was talking about how one of her sons died recently and another son has colon cancer. She said he has given up on life and doesn't really care about getting treatment. For a parent, that must be awful. I feel so bad for her. It was really nice to be able to sit down and share our message with her. On my mission almost all of the people I have taught have been going through some sort of trial or difficult time. We all go through difficult trials, life can be hard. The Atonement of Jesus Christ can strengthen the weakest of people in the scariest of times. We don't need to get through our trials alone. It is so great to be able to share that gift with others.
This past weekend was General Conference, when the leaders of the church gather together and give really awesome talks. One of my favorites was the one given by Elder Bednar. He was speaking primarily to those who are not members of our church. He was explaining why we as members of the church have missionaries and are so active in sharing the Gospel. He told the story of one of his little kids who scraped his arm. The boy's older brother took him inside and gave him some ointment and put on some band-aids. The little boy liked how the ointment felt, so he went outside and shared the ointment with all of the other little kids outside. I thought that was the perfect analogy. The Gospel has blessed me so much in my life, that I want to go out and share it with people, just like the little boy wanted to share his ointment. The rest of Elder Bednar's talk was really good. One of my favorite points that I picked up from his talk was that our desire to share the Gospel is a reflection of its importance to us. I thought that was a really cool point.
Well, I should get going. We have a lot to do today. There is a new documentary out called, "Meet The Mormons" that is going to be in theaters soon. Our Mission President got a copy of it so that we can all watch it today. It looks pretty good. Well, I hope you guys have a good week!
Much Love,
Elder Chad Thompson