Hot Hot Hot

Mom and Dad, 

This week was really good! The actual week felt a little slow and stuff but Sunday was amazing! 3 of our investigators came to church. I've never had that many people come before! I was pretty overwhelmed! The busker guy is named Andre and he actually came to church this week! He really liked it a lot!  

There is a really good feeling in the mission right now. I really enjoyed the Zone Conference/Special training that we had last week. We got to meet President and Sister Howes. They are REALLY GOOD. He is really smart with scriptures and so gentle and loving and so is Sister Howes.  We were all so spiritually pumped up and ready to go. I'm really excited to have them here. I already feel as if I have spent heaps of time with them because we feel so close already. It is going to be a really great experience getting to serve with them. 

The Lord is continuing to bless this area. There was a period of time where a lot of people were on vacation and things but now they are all coming back and the members are starting to really get excited about missionary work. There is one investigator we have named Lesley and she really reminds me of Mom a lot. She is really nice and loves to do gardening! She even baked Elder Ng and I a nice banana cake! This has been a really great first area for me. The members have been so great and I have built a lot of really valuable relationships here. I think I am ready for something new though. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for me on the rest of my mission. The people I will meet. The service I can do. The growth I can experience. I am just so excited for it all! The feeling of working hard is the greatest feeling, especially when it is the Lord's work! 

Sound like things are going really well! July 4th celebration and Antelope by Moonlight sounded really fun. Two things I really miss!

 

I send my love! May the Lord continue to bless you!!

Love, Elder Thompson

Happy 4th of July

Mom and Dad, 

I love to hear from you two each week. I am sorry to hear about Aunt Debra. It is comforting to know the plan that Heavenly Father has for us. We teach people that death is just the separation of body and spirit. The spirit lives on and the body just waits until the ressurection. I love Aunt Debra and am glad to hear that she went so peacefully. I am grateful to be part of a family with the knowledge and testimony to be able to bear a trial like this. I know that Aunt Debra will be a great missionary in the spirit world and will definitely be taken into a state of happiness. I wish I could be there to help.  Will you send me their address so I can write to them? 

Good to hear about the new job, Mom! Sounds like you will be able to get out and be more active now! That's good! I can't believe how hot it is there! I just realized this week that I spent 3 years in a row of 4th of July away from home. That's kinda a bummer! haha I miss fireworks and BBQ! 

This last week has been pretty good! Pretty fast too! We got a new investigator. This guy who is a busker (street performer). He hand makes his own flutes out of pipes that he collects! It is really cool. He said he can make about $40 per hour on average! Wow I want to do that! hahah sounds awesome. Can't wait to go back and teach him. I think I will get transferred at the end of this transfer. So about 3 weeks left in Manly. In President Simmons last email to me he pretty much told me that. But the new mission president could change that. Ya never know! Still haven't met President Howes yet but we have Zone Conference this Thursday so I look forward to meeting him! Still have no idea where I could be getting transferred though. Got my fingers crossed for Canberra. 

Can't wait to hear how Independence day and everything goes!  Hope you get to meet President and Sister Simmons.  They are awesome. Oh yeah and Sister Sheen has given us cupcakes and Chinese snacks. And Sister Simmons gave us cookies too! Usually enough treats to last us 2 or 3 days. :) 

Love you guys! 

Elder Thompson

One Year

Mom and Dad,

 

It's been one year already haha wow I hit my year mark since going in to the MTC a few days ago. Today is my 5 month mark of being in Sydney. Wow, it doesn't feel like that long at all. 

Right now, it seems like we are doing a lot of waiting. Lot's of people are on vacation and stuff so we just have to wait until they get back to keep teaching. In the mean time though we are spending time looking for new people to teach and also working on strengthening the ward. I am constantly working on Improving my Christlike attributes.  This coming Saturday is President and Sister Simmons last day. I will miss them a lot but I am also looking forward to seeing what happens with a new mission president. I know that you two will love the Simmons!  Thank you for all that you do for me! I was just thinking how great you two would be as a Missionary Senior Couple. You could even be the one's that go around and take care of missonaries houses and stuff. One office couple we have that take care of houses is the Sheens. Sister Sheen is always bringing us cookies and stuff while Elder Sheen fixes things. I could totally see you, Mom and Dad, doing that kind of thing and loving it!!!! 

We are constantly finding people who are interested in meeting up with us again but it's just a matter of that desire of actually following through. It's a bummer when we end up not being able to teach someone but we will just keep working and working. 

Today, we are going golfing with our friend named Gum. He is a member and his partner is a non member and she is awesome! They came to church this week and people were pretty much lining up to meet them. I can always trust the Manly ward to help someone feel at home. I am so excited to go golfing!!!! I love golfing!!!!! I can finally use my new golfing shirt that I acquired here! 

 

I look forward to hearing more next week! I love yous and hope you have a great week! 

Love, Elder Thompson