Elder Almen Thorpe - January 5, 2014

Hey Family! 

 

Everything is going great! The days get hotter and hotter and the people keep coming and coming. Loving it! Transfers happened this week and only three of us stayed in the flat and we go three new Elders in the flat. One of them is companions with the zone leader under Dunica and the other two new Elders are Elder Wilson and Elder Tuna. Both of them, well all four of them are in the Samoan speaking language which is great because my companion and I get to learn some Samoan language everyday. We have six Elders in the flat and believe it or not we keep the flat spotless, cleaner than anything you have every seen, well maybe not that clean but clean enough that we keep the flat from smelling. We are all having a good time and starting our new year in the right direction which is up, many events have happened to my companion and I over the past week going into the new year.

First of all new years is a little different, how different, well I'd be more than happy to explain it to you! its different. My new year started off going to bed before midnight. Never happened to me before but it felt weird going to bed at ten at night even thought I do it everyday. But the good news is the ward families during new year do not feed you heaps and heaps of food YEAAAHHHH!!! Finally I'm one happy camper.

Anyways I had some miracles happen to me over the past week!! I don't know what it is but The Lord sure does now how to put people in our path. The couple that I told you about in the last email, their names are Danny and Bionca, well my companion and I had a feeling that we should go over and see if they were home. Danny was outside in his yard and Bionca was inside the house. We both talked to them and Danny was telling us that he needed help with a project that he was going to be doing, and that project involves us using nails and hammers. I'm glad I did a little bit of framing back home as a job and helping dad at home doing little projects because this can show Danny and Bionca that missionaries are normal people too. We told Danny we would have to get approval with our Zone leaders if we can help him out with the project and I have a feeling that it wouldn't be a problem.

As we were about to leave, Bionca just out of nowhere asked us if we wanted to come over for dinner the next day, my companion and I just looked at each other shocked because neither of us have ever had an investigator of ours invite us to dinner. We accepted the invention and the next day we went over the their place and ate dinner, it went great! We all visited after we were done eating and we taught Danny and Bionca the Plan of salvation because during dinner they were asking us question like where we came from and where would we go after life ended for us. The feeling we felt teaching them the plan of salvation was unbelievable. Afterwards we could tell that they both were. happy and understood what we just told them. We also said that getting married is the key point between them because right now they are not married and one of the laws is that we have to keep the law of chastity. Marriage is key to Heavenly Fathers plan because he blessed is with the gift of putting us together in families and that is how he wants it done the right way. Our message to both of them about marriage came across well and they have been talking about getting married a couple of times. 

We got done with dinner and asked Danny and Bionca if they could come and meet us at the church the next day for a chapel tour, all went well because the next day they showed up at the church. The Lord works in many ways and I have seen that while on my mission. We took both of them around the church showing them each of the classes and were their daughter Jade who is 13 would go to class. The final place we showed them was the sacrament room. WOW! Is all I can say because as soon as we moved into the room my companion and I could tell that we just ran into a big wall of the spirit! It was just incredible how we felt. Bionca told us as we walked in she said "There's something special about this room, I have a feeling that is just, I don't know, it is just peacful". Hearing those words come out her mouth was something we both knew at that moment she had felt the spirit because Danny felt the spirit too. 

I have so many miracles happen to me that I will never forget, The Lord does work in many ways as long as you keep that strong faith in him. I love what I, do saving souls weekly and being the mouth peace for the Lord.

Patience is the key to success in this life! We all may think he is not giving us the answers right away but then again he is. But we cannot go on l in life just thinking about ourselves and the answers we need, instead we need to start thinking, "How could I pray to help my brothers and sisters out there in the world that are lost? How can I help in his work? How can I be that mouth peace he needs me to be?" He is happy when we are not prideful and He is helpful when we don't think of ourselves. He will help but he can't help if we don't do our part and that even doing the little things in life like praying, paying tithing, or other things. We have to do our part in life, He's already done his part, now its up to us and I know that I haven't been the best at it but now I'm realizing it everyday.

We told Bionca and Danny that they have to do their part as well, we can only do so much but in order for them to know the truth for themselves they have to read the Book of Mormon. That book holds everything they need to know. If you want know how to get help, the answer is in the Book of Mormon. If you are lost, the answer is in the Book of Mormon. If  you want to change, the answer is in the Book of Mormon! Elder Holland once said "no man could write such things unless it was from God", something like that. 

At the end of the day Danny and Bionca felt happy and could not wait for our next visit, The Lord is working on them to come back into his family and kingdom. I want to share my testimony that the Book of Mormon is true, it is from God our Father and it is our key back to Him. He truly is there on our left and right shoulder everyday, he loves every single one of us and all he is asking is that we be obedient. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.    

Love you all from Elder Thorpe.