Hello! its always great to hear from the family! Happy to hear that everyone is safe and still having fun. Thanks for all the encouragement, love, and comforting letters! I just want you all to know that the things you write to me are what I use in the mission field when meeting new people on the road. Thank you for the help, means a lot!This week was really busy week! My companion and I were teaching one of our investigators named Sabrina who is 19. Sabrina expressed to us last time we met with her that she wants to get baptized. Now we have been teaching her for the past three transfers so that is I believe five months....or four I have no clue, I lost track of time but she is a tough one. She had past missionaries also teach her and they all have been stuck at the some spot with her like my companion and I are right now. This week we met back at her house to teach her a lesson. Sabrina gets distracted easily but we have Eva, one of the YSA member girls come with us at the lesson to help. Sabrina's mom is Samoan and doesn't speak English at all so it is tough to try to get her mom in the lesson with us as well. Her mom grew up in the AOG church (I have no clue what AOG stands for). She is in her 60's. She doesn't mind us going over and teaching Sabrina, its just that she doesn't really understand why we come over and visit with her.
While teaching Sabrina a lesson, out of no where I asked her to take her bible inside the house, not even thinking of what I was saying Sabrina gave me a weird look and took the bible inside. When I said that I thought that the bible she was holding in her hand was a different version of the bible with false doctrine...but it wasn't, it was the same one that we read. Sabrina's mom heard me say that from the inside of the house and kept yelling Sabrina's name. We also had the two Zone Leaders show up to the lesson with us which also made her mom mad at us. Too many things going on at once that it was all over the place. We then asked Sabrina if we could come back another day. I felt bad for saying that and getting her mom upset. Ever since I said that I have felt so bad and guilty.
This Sunday I had a good talk with Brother Foshio (Sabrinas brother in law). My companion and I talked to him and figured out that what I said was not polite but also something that we could use to get her mom involved in the church because she expressed herself that she was wondering what we missionaries were teaching her daughter. My lesson was learned this week to be careful of what you say and that sometimes saying something you don't mean to say can be a way to open the doors to others. Hopefully the mom can sit down with us and we can teach her a lesson and also apologize to her. We live and learn everyday and sometimes we have to learn the hard way and not get down on ourselves really hard because we are all not perfect, we all make mistakes. It's just like we have learned, we have to make mistakes in life because if we don't then we won't learn from those mistakes.Last Sunday my companion and I went to one of our investigators house. His name is Picky Williams or Brother Williams. We asked Picky to come to church with us, he said yes and our ward mission leader picked him and his children up for church while my companion and I walked to church. We met up with them at the church and sat behind Bishops wife with his two kids, I'm so glad we sat next to Bishops wife because she kept Picky's little boy busy by giving him little snacks and his daughter as well. This really showed him that as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Saints, we welcome all and we care about everyone that is looking to come unto Christ. After sacrament we talked to him and he told us that he is going to start coming to church every week.
The following Sunday Picky brought his partner to church, she enjoyed it but they left early during sacrament, my companion and I later that night went over to their house to talk to both of them. She told us that church wasn't for her but she would support Picky. We sat down and got to know her. We didn't want us to teach her a lesson but to show her what the church is and how it can really bless her life. We told her about ourselves and where we came from, she then started opening up to us. She asked, "what is it that makes everyone in your church so happy?" We told her that it's that we know for ourselves how much the gospel has blessed our lives and our families as well. Also having the knowledge that we can be with our families forever not only in this life but in the next life as well. The spirit was so strong. Her whole attitude changed, she become more interested in what we have to say, she wants to learn more. She told us right away that she has a smoking problem. What a miracle! This shows that someone like her can change in an instant when you bring up the gospel. Just like Elder Holland said "Something that they say will always highlight a gospel principle. The people we talk to are not lifeless objects but rather our brothers and sisters, they need what we have!". I can testify what Elder Holland said is true, everybody we talk to are not lifeless objects but our brothers and sisters and we need to share what we have with them because they are searching for the truth. We have the truth an should not be afraid to share it. Last nights visit with Pickys wife is what we needed. If my companion and I didn't go to the house she would have thought about herself, not wanting to go to church and stop smoking. She would of sat there in her mind saying that she wasn't good enough. Both Picky and his wife will be getting married this month on the 22nd and baptized. PLEASE KEEP THEM IN YOUR PRAYERS!!!I just want to share my testimony, I know Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father live. I know that we are here to learn on earth. I know that everything the pioneers, Joseph Smith, and the all the prophets of the church went through was for all of us because they knew for themselves that the next generation would be harder then theirs. They knew for themselves that we would be wanting to know who to turn to for help. I'm so thankful for all they sacrificed in order for all of us to be safe and live with all the happiness in our lifetime on earth! I love this gospel, I love my Heavenly Father and I know that through his example and commandment we can all return to him once again. I love you all and will keep you all in my prayers!!Love Elder Thorpe
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