News for the week

Dear Mom and Dad,

I am SOOOOOOO glad that it is P-day today. It is very much needed. Going two/three weeks without a real preparation day really hinders the work for the rest of the week. Elder Honeycutt and I have had a harder time than usual focusing and stuff. We have still worked hard though. I'm just glad I can relax today. :) 

A few of the appointments that we set up fell through but miracles have not ceased to happen. We see them every day. I am very grateful for this past week. I have been able to truly grow as a servant of the Lord and really follow his example in missionary work. My core experience with God happened on Friday after Zone Training Meeting (or ZTM, which is a monthly meeting that we the Zone leaders conduct and instruct. It's meant to pump up the Zone and to set goals and make plans all together.)  During ZTM, Elder Honeycutt and I felt inspired to introduce a culture into the Zone based on the scripture 2 Timothy 1:8 "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;" Later that day while we were tracting, we came across a large group of Muslim people who began to follow us from house to house and tell us that they owned the houses we were knocking on and that no one lived there. A few houses later one of their friends walked up to us (followed by about 10 of his friends who had come out of their houses as well) and began to blaspheme to us. He tried to argue everything we believed in, all while trying to scientifically and logically prove to us that the Koran is true. We withstood everything he could throw at us. He would not stop talking. His friends chimed in on the conversation every once in a while but mostly just swarmed around us while laughing and mocking us and our beliefs. I felt like a Book of Mormon missionary or something! After almost an hour of this man talking at us, even his friends got bored and they had to leave. In one instant, they all just left. We carried on knocking on doors. The time came to start back up the other side and tract back toward where we would knock on those peoples doors again. We really didn't feel like doing that..... when all of a sudden I remembered 2 Timothy 1:8. I said out loud. "I am not ashamed of the tesitmony of our Lord." and Elder Honeycutt agreed. We starting knocking on doors toward them who would ridicule us. The next person who answered the door was a born again christian who let us in, let us teach him, accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon, and who we have a return appointment with. The Lord is preparing people for his restored gospel. We just have to not be ashamed to follow the promptings of the Spirit. That was my core experience with God this past week.

I'll be preparing for the upcoming mission conference with Elder Pearson and Elder Christensen by reviewing the notes that I got from the previous mission conference and comparing them and matching them up with references from the scriptures and Preach My Gospel. That way I can remember all of the valuable information and revelation that I receive and can look forward to receiving this time.

Anyway, sounds like you've had a great week as well! I should be able to get a letter sent home this week!

Til Next time!

Love, Elder Thompson

P.S. Oh yeah, we are at 49 jacobs street in Bankstown, NSW