RUNNING, RUNNING AND RUNNING WITH BUCKETS ON OUR HEADS!!

Doing splits in Mono and the taller you are the heavier water jug they give you.

It's so much heavier than it looks!

Lidia made me sit down because I was so much taller than her.

Lidias baptism

Lidias Baptism

Well this week was one full of exhaustion!! i will be spending the rest of my pday in a nice long nap. So we had divisions this week and i went to Momos. its probaly about and houra nd a half on bus but im used to the bus rides form xela. I ended up carrying a giant water bucket on my head up a mountain, and because i was the tallest of them all, i was given the biggest bucket. oh boy. its a lottttt heavier than it looks. A lot of people have to do that just to have fresh water. We also taught in english and it was sooooo hard. I dont htink that the gospel in english is gonna happen for me anymore. It was for a lady from the peace core, it was the first time i had seen an ipad in a very long time hahaha. 

So i got home friday morning when we get a call from Lidia, the investigator who got thrown out of her house just for her beliefs, and she wanted us to come over. So we ran over after giving the Elders some baptism clothes they needed. She then told us that she wanted to get baptized the next day!!! On tuesday we had planned to give her a lesson on tithingin to finish all the lessons, but we started talking about her fear of being baptized because she thought it would break up her family. We were suprised to even talk about this, but the spirit had his reason. it helped her make her decision. So we had to rush to finish the lessons, organizee and itnerview, go back and get the clothes we lent out, and set up a hwole baptism service. For lidia, i would do anything. After she was baptized we were helped her with something and she was like...you know why i am so happpy...because i started a new life today. I felt the spirit testify through me as i told her that she will be able to start over every week as she participates int eh sacrament and renew her covenants. Never ever forget about your baptism and how you felt after, because really thats what we get to feel every sunday. WE got to church to learn btu most importantly renew these special promises with God. I am so grateful for the blessing to repent every single day!!!! 

have a great week!!! 

Hermana Thompson

Lidias Baptism

Hermana Thompson: por fin. I saw a quetzal

Hola! 

So i forgot to mention something...cause you know i am serving in Quetzaltenango so i expected to see this bird somewhere. but it doesnt live here!!! what...but

Esperanza

we wandered into a super lame museum the other pday and it had a stuffed quetzal! maybe it wasnt alive and i saw it. then i had some random bowls from the time before Christ and a skull....so ill just assume its of Nephi and his utensils. ya?? 

Anyways..we had a goal to get 70 contacts in the street this week and with the help of the lord we were able to do it! It was around 8 and we were knocking doors and as normal people were just like...no I have a religion seee yaa...but this lady opened, we said our names, and she said pasen adelante. we looked at each other shocked cause this never ever happens! 

Turns out she and her family were best friends with elders about four years ago, but never wanted to hear the message. her husbaand passed away about six months ago, so maybe th lord has prepared her for us! The Lord really does prepare people! For example, we met a lady named Esperanza. Her dad was a member and always had a smile on his face!!! He was such an example of the happiness that this gospel brings that she knows that this gospel is where the happiness is from! She is so great and just wants to learn more and more!! We dont need to preach all the time...we can show our love and testimony through our example. hows your example??

I hate Mangos....but everyone loves them here!

Paublo got baptized in Hue Hue!

The nativities here are awesome!

Centro Paque in Xela

Guatemala has ruined my feet and my legs....whoops, lets pray for a miracle!

A cool street

I love to see the Temple!

A local volcanoe

We helped in a primary activity and taught primary kids how to be missionaries

A cute little roof top restaurant for P-Day... Food just ok. but the view was great!

Hola,

Someone save me!! i hate mangos and its mango season....they are everywhere!! hahaahah 

So i figured that getting a new comp would mean that the miracles might be different or might just stop. but let me tell you all...they just keep on coming!1 Wow i have never been so grateful. 

Okay fist and foremost. 

Pablo, a kid who has 13 years and is in my first area, who had a date to be baptized but couldnt get the permission. every sunday in huehue he was always sitting right next to me! WEll i receieved a picture from a member out there that he was baptized!! FINALLY! soooo grateful!! my heart was seriously full of joy!! 

Next, we had an investigator named Lidia who I mentioned a while ago. We had to stop teaching her because he family is super catholic and didnt want anything. She went to a catholic camp to please them, but still didny share their same faith. So, the Mom kicked her out of her house and she is living with a member right now. She got kicked out of her house for he testimony, and she refuses to deny it. She even shared this testimony at church with us on sunday. She is such an example of true faith to me!!!! She loves her family, but cant deny what the Holy Ghost has testified to her. 

Now, I told a story about a young couple, Martha and Fernando who called us one night asking to be baptied. They had dissapeared for about a month, but called us on Friday asking for an appointment! Well, they have a baptism date fo may!! They didnt come to church the next day but got a text from them saying that they went to a different ward because it was close to them at the moment, they said they loved it and are going to tell all their family this weeek that they are going to be memebers!!!! WOW!!! 

We also got to help in a primary activity this week and help little kids learn how to be a missionary! it reminded me that i prepared all my life for these short 18 months. i need to use them wisely!! 

speaking of time. i completed 10 months this week. im in shock . the time just flysssss by!!

I also had divisions this week with hna sainsbury who i shared a chapel with in huehue for 6 months so it was fun to be with her!

Attached is a picuter of pablos baptism. i wasnt able to go, but i am so gateful that he finally got to be baptized!!!!

Love you alll 

Hermana Thompson

Gracias a que El Vive

Hola!!!!! 

Well, i have a new companion! she is Hermana Percino from Mexico and is great!! she doestn like to joke around a lot and takes my sarcasm seriously (she thought i was actually from mexico, then i said i was actually from germany, had her going for awhile). but she got me back by saying a pic she had was of her son. and it was just her nephew. Yes, she is still half my size. i shouldnt even be surprised anymore. She has 4 months and cme in the same group as the sister i trained and my last comp. 

So here, they dont celebrate april fools day. But the secretaries do. they happily called me saying i have emergency changes. but then they expressed their love for april fools day so it didnt really happen. 

Thgis week was semana santa and everyone just dissapears to go to the beach during this week. everyone just gave us tons and tons of bread....happy semana santa!! 

So with conference we also had miracles!!! 

Miriam, a mom of a new born baby and isnt married, came to the first session of conference. She has had a really hard life, but felt like the apostoles were talking just for her. We are excited to keep working with her!!!! 

So a man came in and some missionaries invited him, but we dont know who. So this mans brother was a member and died about 20 years ago. a year after this man went to his brothers house and founda book of mormon. He dusted it off and oppened to Alma 28. This is a chapter after one of the worst wars and how the people were morning for the death of their loved ones. in verse 12 it talks about the comfort these people felt knowing that their loved ones were going to live with God. From that day, he knew the book of mromon was true. He could just never come to church or meet the missionaries because his wife is super catholic. But he wants it now and we will be teaching him this week!! Its so great how we can be comforted by the promises of eternal life. 

I just loved conference with all my heart and recieved soo much comfort. I loved the talk by Wilford W. Anderson where he said that i can teach you to dance, but you need to hear the music. For example, its like you pull up next to a car and the poeple are dancing, but you cant hear the music. Looks pretty weird right?? Well, lets just say the mormons are the people in the car dancing and the rest of the world thinks we are crazy. we are different, we dont drink coffee, we dont go out on sundays. but why?? i could give you a hundred reasons. But really the people cant just hear the music. The music is the spirit. To understand why we do the things we do, you have to understand the Plan of Happiness that He has given us. The plan of salvation answers the questions of where we come from, why are we here, and where we are going. Because we know these answers clearly, we also know what we need to do to here on this earth to reach the most happiness. the center of this plan is Jesus Christ and His sacrafice for us. During theis easter season, we need to realize that God sent his own son, Jesus Christ, to die for our imperfections. He ressurected so we can have the same blessings of eternal life. We are sharing this video and its so powerful. http://www.mormon.org/easter watch it. its great. meet with the missionaries and come hear the music. If you dont have a testimony of these things, start from the basics. Build your foundation on Jesus Crhist and you will never fall. 

have a great week!! 

hermana thompson 

My new smiling companion from Mexico, Hermana Percino

Some of the sites in Quetzaltenango

My old zone

A sweet lady in our ward; I told her to make a funny face

The Lord is raining blessings and water

HOLa!!!

Wow what a week!! it went by soo fast!!! it seems like the time just goes faster and faster, i just need a pause button really!!! So right now, its mango season. And mangos and I dont really do very well together...its unfortunate...but its life. I am suffering with a smile. Also, everyone is giving us bread right now. This next week is the semana santa where EVERYONE leaves on vacation and eats bread. Its the same bread always, just in different forms. i like it...but its definitely a lot!

Yesterday my comp and i celebrated easter because we have changes. My mom sent us easter baskets so we both hid the others and then looked for them. silly but the tradition lives on. 

So this week we were blessed with 3 baptisms!! 2 were planned, Salvador and Brandon, and the 3rd was a suprise, Andrea. Lets start with Andrea. I told you a little about her last week and how she has been coming to church for about a month and loves it because it makes her happy. We taught her during the week and she was excited for baptism, but her dad wasnt exactly on board with it. We prayed, she prayed, we all prayed. Because of her amazing faith and desire to make this covenant with the lord and be baptized, her Dad stopped bothering her and her Mom and family came to the baptism!!! Such an example of faith from a 13 year old girl who found the path of happiness in this life. She was baptized on saturday and bore her testimony of how she knows that this church is true. LOVE IT . 

Well this area is full of miracles!! 

So we couldnt meet with Salvador and Brandon because they went to the capital. So on friday was his interview for the baptism and he knew he needed to come. His wife came to the church and asked if the us and the Elders could go to the house because Salvador was really sick. He had an accident a long time ago and has problems with his nerves. When he gets a lot of emotions, his body freaks out. So he couldnt use the left side of his body. As we were about to leave, Salvador comes limping in on the shoulder of her son and wife because he knew he needed to come to the church for his interview. What great faith! He showed his faith and desired by forgetting about his physical health and concentrated on his spiritual health. On saturday, he was so impatient waiting for his wife with the car that he walked AGAIN all the way too the church with just his son!!! We went by that morning to make sure everything was okay, he seemed very happy in his cheetah print robe! hahah But he was so excited to be baptised and has really changed!!! 

This is typical dress and hay they carry all day long.

Yesterday we got the call and my comp is leaving los arcos and we find out tomorrow where she is going and who will be my new comp!! im excited!!! BUT i will be staying here and im just so incredibly thankful to be able to be here for another 6 weeks. 

Enjoy conference and eat some cinnamon rolls for me!! 

love 

hermana thompson

Puppy TOM

Andrea and TOM

They carry the hay like this all day long sometimes.

Andreas baptism

Salvador and his family!! They are definitely hipsters and I love it!

Salvador, Andrea and Brandon got baptized.

Salvador and his son Brandon

Nancy got married.. A member in our ward

The Bishop and his wife Hermana Mati

Eating at a swanky restaurant

Look closely at the picture

Hermana Mati

My Easter basket

WILL YOU MARRY MY SON !!

HOLA!!!

Welll...this week 4 different people offered their sons to marry me. A member claims that she is already my mother in law. So if things dont work out after the mish Ive got some people waiting!! haha 

Well the Lord is still blessing us like CRAZY!!!

 

So thisweek we taugh Andrea, a niece of amember who has been coming to church. We taught her about the Restoration and asked her why she liked coming to church. She says taht in the Church is what makes her happy! It reminded me iof when I knew that this church was true because I realized the amazing happiness that I was receiving. I am so incredibly lucky to have this gospel inmy life because its what makes me the happiest in this life, and I am so incredibly grateful to be able to share it. Andrea texted us the next day thanking us for the Book of Mormon and expressed how much she loved reading it!! She will be getting baptized in April!! 

So the rainy season has begun here. Yes there are two of them. I am ujst grateful that my area isnt dirt roads anymore!! When it rains, it rains and then the power goes out. But hey, I still love Guatemala! Even though the rain caused a waterfall by my bed...leaks are pretty normal here.

So, my brother and I always played pranks. My comp and I have a lot of fun so I thought I would just play a little prank. Dont worry nothing happene.d I put picante (hot stuff in english??) in her water bottle, sadly she figured it out within seconds. Well, about two days later I went to find my waterbottle and drank it, and well, it was the water with the hot stuff. I about died and everyone just started laughing. Karma on my part. but the prank war has begun. So ill keep ya all updated.

Back to Salvador and Brandon. They are set to be baptized and I have never met a man hwo has changed so much in so little time. He comes to church every week in his suite, participates, and loves every second of it. His son is just as pilas and comes to every activity!!! Wuith every lesson I can see their happiness grow stronger and stronger. Sadly, Satan is working hard with his wife and shes being kind of a bummer, but it isj ust making him even stronger! He is really growing his faith and trust in the Lord. He has taught me so many htings and Im so incredibly excited for his baptism and I thnk he is way more excited than I am! 

This week I learned a lot about charity. With all of these poeple wanting to be baptized, it wasnt exactly hard to win their love but i was teaching lessons instead of people. I was so confused because I was not happy, yet having dream success. I realized i forgot about charity! I prayed for so much help to know how i can start teaching people and thats when i relized I lacked the charity because i was just so rushed to teach them the lessons before baptsim. I read in Moroni 7 45 about what it means to be charitable and have chosen to make these things my goal for the rest of my mission, heck the rest of my life! I need to show love for everyone because everyone is a child of god and I need to look at them as one. My favorite part of the mission is getting to know these people, becoming their friend, and learning things from that have and will change my life forever. Everyone I have met here in Guatemala has changed my life in some way and if I can improve my charity and love for them, maybe I can help them out too. 

Charity is the Love of Christ. Without it, nothing is going to work. 

love you all!!!!!

Hermana Thompson

LIVING NEXT TO A BAKERY IS AWESOME!

THEY THINK I'M WEIRD FOR WANTING TO EAT THE DOUGH...IT'S THE BEST PART!