The rains came down and the floods came up

Just chilling on a member's back porch (that lake was their backyard last week)

My angelic companion

I ATE A RAW EGG (pretty much just for bragging rights)

Tender mercies this week y'all.

 All the missionaries in the mission are safe! This is such a relief. The storm did a lot of damage in other areas of the mission but Opelousas did not get hit as bad. We were on lockdown here from Friday night until Sunday morning. I have never seen rain like this - it poured hard for a day and a half straight. There was quite a bit of flooding here but it is not nearly as bad as the damage in Denham Springs and Baton Rouge. We are praying for the people all over the state that have been affected by the storm. Y'alls prayers would be appreciated as well!

Funny moments this week:

 - "Well it looks like y'all have been eating REAL well" - 87 year old woman (we love being called fat by old ladies)

 - We held a pretty wild funeral for our old district leader, Elder McArthur. We had piano background music, flowers, a grave, and everything. 

 - The ceiling in the nursery room of the church building fell in! 

We saw so many miracles this week. We have been teaching a man named Glyndell for a while now but he stopped progressing. We have been praying and fasting for him because we know he needs the gospel. When we met with him this week he had totally turned everything around. He is on date again to be baptized! I have never seen the atonement working so fast and so strong with anyone else. He is making some very hard, very good decisions in his life right now. We are so happy for him! He is incredible! 

We have another investigator that we were getting ready to drop last week. She wasn't keeping commitments and we thought she was losing interest. But again, miracles this week. We have been reading the Book of Mormon with her and she is loving it. The Book of Mormon is so powerful - it answers the questions of the soul and fills us with light. I sure love that book! 

With all the flooding we were worried that church would be cancelled. The storm was supposed to turn around and hit us again Saturday night and if that would have happened we would not have had church. But again, miracles! Church was great! Glyndell came and he told us he could not sleep because he was so excited all night to come to church! He had a great experience. He took notes in the back of his Book of Mormon during Sacrament Meeting and he participated a lot in Gospel Principles. He is such a stellar guy. We love him a lot! 

I love having a front row seat to seeing the atonement change lives - including my own. This gospel is truly for everyone. If we understand grace, we know that there is never a point where we are too far from Christ. We can always find healing in and through Him. He has already paid the price for us - the entire price. When we follow Him we are not trying to repay Christ for the gift he gave to us - we are just allowing his grace to change  us. Because that's what it is all about, right? The commandments help us become more heavenly so that we will want to live in God's presence when we die. They don't force us to become something we are not; they help us become who we truly are. 

This gospel is so beautiful, so pure, so perfect. I feel so blessed to be here sharing this beautiful message every day. I am so lucky! "Men are that they might have joy". Well missionaries are that they might share joy. :)

I love y'all a ton. Y'all are always in my prayers. Keep on keeping on! 

Much love,

Sister Thomas

All out funeral for Elder McArthur

The new district doing what we do best (eating Canes)

"Here's my heart, oh take and seal it"

Louisiana has the most beautiful skies

Thug district

Classy district

Hey y'all! This week has been one for the books. There have been tears, laughter, hard days, miracles, and everything in between. Good news: Sister Amezcua and I are staying in Opelousas! This week is transfers which is why I am emailing on a Tuesday instead of a Monday. On transfer week we proselyte on Monday and have preparation day on Tuesday. Half of the district is leaving which is sad, but I am overjoyed that Sister Amezcua and I are staying together. She is an incredible missionary and I love her to death. I feel so blessed to be able to work with her for another six weeks! 

One of my favorite things is when our investigators and recent converts share the gospel with others. Haley, one of my favorite people ever said the sweetest thing this week. She was baptized a couple weeks ago and now she is excited about bringing her boyfriend Ezelle to church. She told us that he is going to be baptized and that she "is going to change his whole life". She said she has been so much happier since her baptism and she has had a greater desire to make good choices. She wants him to be as happy as she is. What a sweet girl! We're really excited about teaching Ezelle. 

We had a zone training meeting (ZTM) this week. It is always wonderful to hear from our leaders about how to be better missionaries. I learned a lot about being courageous. The Zone Leaders called me the night before ZTM and asked me to sing. Of course I said yes, but I was terrified! I threw something together really quick and went to ZTM knowing I had no idea what I was doing. I love to be prepared so this was pretty hard for me. But I did it! I just totally relied on God to help me get up there. I sang "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing".

I especially love the last verse of that song: "Prone to wander, Lord I feel it/ Prone to leave the God I love/ Here's my heart, oh take and seal it / seal it for thy courts above". It helps me remember that none of us are perfect. We are all going to fall; we are all going to wander in one way or another. But if we feel it and we truly love God we will always come back. We will keep trying to do His will because we know that He loves us and knows what will ultimately make us the happiest. If we trust in Him, He will be our "light in the wilderness" (1 Nephi 17:13) and lead us to happiness. The light might not always be bright enough to see the entire path ahead of us - sometimes it is only bright enough for us to take a couple steps at a time. But God promises us that if we look to Him He will help us find our way. This gospel is so good! God loves us more than we can even imagine.

Life can be tough, but all things can be made right through the atonement of Jesus Christ. So keep on trying, keep on loving, and keep on keeping on. God will lead us if we trust Him. I love y'all! Have a fantastic week!

All my love,

Sister Thomas

Sister Amezcua cried when she found a dead lizard on the floor. She
named himLarkin and we had a funeral (love this sweet sister)

"Ye are only in the service of your God"

Sister Amezcua is an angel

Last district meeting! Elder McArthur is "dying", which is a mission term for going home

Happy August 1st, everyone! I hope y'all are doing well and loving life. Time is flying by so fast! Next week will be the end of my first transfer (six weeks in Louisiana) which seems crazy. I love it here in Opelousas and I am convinced I have the best companion. Life is beautiful. 

The six kids that got baptized last week, the Papanias, are doing really well. They are some of my favorite people. They glow and we feel at home when we teach them. Hopefully Maverick will be getting baptized soon as well! He's on date but we are waiting on Robyn's divorce to go through so they can get married before being baptized. He is a solid guy. I haven't met many people here who are as grounded as he is. He understands what is most important and he is always striving to be better. We love seeing him grow!

We received an answer to our prayers this week about Ms. Robyn, the Papanias mother. She had been avoiding us for a while and we didn't know how we could help her. But she called us one night and told us she needed to see us. Yes! We saw her the next day hoping to share a message with her and check up on her and see how she is doing. Our lessons never really go as we plan with Ms. Robyn though. She spent two hours talking to us about all the guys she has been with and the drugs they took, her party life, and who knows what else. We got a word or two in here and there but mostly she just talked at us, not to us. We finally just stood up and Sister Amezcua told her we had to go and we left. This was a step in the right direction and we're grateful for it!

One of the less active members of the ward has also been avoiding us lately. Last Monday she called us sobbing and when we talked to her she confessed she relapsed with drugs. It is heartbreaking. The worst part is she has a 13 year old son who witnessed the whole thing.  We met with her every day until she went to the hospital to detox and she seemed to get grounded, but this is a cycle with her. Very sad. But she told us she wanted to read the entire Book of Mormon while she is at the hospital so hopefully that will help her get back on her feet. We love her and hate to see her so down. Most of all, we hate seeing how it all affects her son. 

Sister Amezcua is still in a ton of pain. We went to the hospital for her to get her MRI but they said the machine broke. Classic Opelousas. Hopefully they can get her in again soon so some real progress can be made! She is fighting many hard battles right now but she is great at staying positive and keeping up the faith. She is an inspiration to me. 

I love studying about Jesus Christ. One of my favorite parts about my mission has been really coming to know my Savior better. I read a talk by Henry B. Eyring from conference (women's session) about service that I really loved. He mentioned that when we serve others, Jesus feels that service. When we comfort others, Jesus feels that comfort as well. I had never thought about it like that. I love Mosiah 2:41 and I have understood that by serving others we serve God but I had never imagined it was so direct. Knowing that makes me want to serve so much better! 

Keep loving and keep serving everyone. Love y'all!

Sister Thomas

Rocking the cornrows Haley put in our hair

Fried frog legs anyone? 

"I believe in Christ, so come what may"

Loving the 20 minute insane rainstorms that make me feel 6 years old again

The cute Papania kids before their baptism

Another beautiful week in Opelousas, Louisiana. 

Saturday was a special day for six of my favorite people in this area. The Papania's baptism was wonderful! The kids were glowing after the baptism. The spirit was strong. My favorite moment was when 16 year old Chloe Papania came out of the water laughing and said, "I can't stop laughing because I have never felt this happy in my entire life". Wow. These kids are so strong; they are excited about the gospel and they set such a good example for our other investigators and ward members.   Their dad, Maverick, was the first to get up during the testimony meeting as the kids were changing. I am excited for him to be baptized. He is so ready! 

Some favorite moments from this week include:

- When we were reading the Book of Mormon with our investigator Brenda and she proceeded to replace all the "ye"s and "you"s with "y'all"

 - When the mother of two adorable girls we've been teaching came up to us after the baptism and asked, "So how do my girls get baptized like that? Do I just need to sign something?" 

 - When Sister Amezcua and I sang in church and our investigators gave us a standing ovation.....we obviously forget to mention we don't clap in church

 - When we had a ward activity for Pioneer Day and more people showed up to the barbecue than usually attend church

This week was a harder one. Sister Amezcua's neck is in bad shape. We finally went to urgent care this week and she got an X-ray that showed how far her vertebrae is out of line. She has a high pain tolerance and is super tough but she is in a ton of pain. She's going to see another doctor today so we are praying that it goes well. 

I don't know why challenges come just when we seem to be making a lot of progress. Life can be hard. But even though I don't know "the meaning of all things", like Nephi I know that God loves us (1 Nephi 11:17). I know our Heavenly Father always has our best interest, our eternal interest in mind. He is mindful of us and He will always be with us. Sometimes faith isn't about doing more; it's about caring less. It's about letting go and leaving it in God's hands. I am trying to be better at taking a step back and trusting in Him. "I believe in Christ, so come what may".

This gospel is so true. God is good. 

Have a blessed day y'all!

Sister Thomas

Sweet Jazmine Papania is just the cutest thing

 

A pinata hung on an extension cord for the ward barbeque

"My strength is made perfect in weakness"

The best street name in Alexandria

The best rain storms are southern rain storms

I hope summer is treating y'all well! It is always great to hear how y'all are doing. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

This week was packed full of some great experiences. Good news: we will have a baptism this next week! The Papania's are a wonderful family we have been teaching. Five of their six kids will be ready to be baptized this Saturday. We have seen God's hand over and over helping this family make the steps toward baptism. The mother and father still have some legal hurdles to jump before they can be baptized, but they are working toward it as well. We are so excited for this family! They are incredible. We know baptism will bless them immensely. 

We spent a few days in Alexandria attending Zone Conference and going on exchanges with the STL's. It was hard to leave Opelousas for a few days because there is so much work to be done, but we are learning to be patient. Zone Conference was beautiful and much needed. This mission is full of some stellar missionaries.

Sister Amezcua is one of the toughest people I have ever met. She is resilient and she doesn't let anything keep her down. I watch her prove that over and over and over. One of her mountains to climb this week has been her back pain. Her back has been in really bad shape for a while but this week it got much worse. We called the mission nurse on Friday and she told Sister Amezcua to lay low and stay on bed rest for 24 hours. That was hard. I hate seeing anyone in pain, but I especially hate watching people I love most hurting. Sister Amezcua continues to be the most loving, positive, and selfless person. She is doing everything in her power to recover (including "cupping", where a ward member basically put flames and cups on her back to remove toxins) and she keeps the work going. Mercy, I love this sister! She is someone I aspire to be more like someday. 

This week I have been studying a lot about weakness. Specifically, the difference between weakness and sin. I had always imagined that sin and weakness were just different levels of being unclean. I was so wrong! While sin leads us away from God, weakness can lead us toward Him. When we accept our weaknesses and turn to Him in humility and faith, our weaknesses teach us how to trust in God.   "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." (Ether 12:27)

I see this scripture in a completely different light now. I used to think that this scripture was telling me that God would fix my weaknesses and that is how I would become perfected. But God doesn't always "make weak things become strong" unto us by eliminating our weakness. Usually He is not offering to immediately change what we are weak at. Instead, He offers to change us. God turns our struggle with human weakness into the virtues and strengths that make us more like Him. He helps us learn charity, compassion, meekness, patience, courage, long-suffering, wisdom, stamina, forgiveness, resilience, gratitude, etc. These are the very attributes we came to earth to learn. Mercy, isn't God's plan just perfect?

"My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:7,9). 

Life is beautiful, people are good, and the gospel is perfect. I love this crazy little piece of heaven called Opelousas. Hope y'all have a great week!

Sister Thomas 

Sweet Sister Amezcua obeying Nurse's orders

Becoming Something Greater

87 year old Sister Cloward's "garage sale"

Stay classy, Louisiana

WHAT A WEEK.

Typical mission life, this week was crazy. It's a good thing I love crazy!

It is so cool to see how God always has a plan. It doesn't matter if we understand it or not. He has got everything under control. There have been a few days this week where we have had all of our appointments cancelled (or in other words, people just forget and are not home - a very common occurrence) just so we can be in the right place at the right time to share the message of the gospel with one of God's children. And God's way is always the best way! Our new investigators this week are BOMB. We love them a lot.

Saturday was a very special day. We were able to attend the temple sealing of one of the members of the Opelousas ward, "Mama Cat". There have been some serious miracles in her life lately. A few months ago, she was really frustrated. She hadn't been married for over 20 years and she was super lonely. So the missionaries in Opelousas decided to fast for her. They called it the "Great Cat Fast". They fasted for 15 days. They alternated who would fast for each meal. Two days after they ended the fast, Cat had a boyfriend. Two weeks later she was engaged and on Saturday, one month after the fast ended, she was engaged. Mercy, sometimes God answers prayers really quickly! The power of fasting is real y'all.

I love a lot of things about mission life. One part I especially love is how much missionaries grow. I can honestly say I am not the same person I was last week. I'm not even the same person I was yesterday. And I love it! Growth is good for the soul. Following Christ may not always be the easiest path but it will always be worth it! He never wants to take anything from us; He just wants to give us something greater. And I sure do love being made into something greater. "A person cannot give a crust to the Lord without receiving a loaf in return." - Melvin J Ballard

I love y'all! Trust in the Lord and keep on loving.

The Elders brought us ice cream to celebrate my
one month mark as a missionary!

The Opelousas ward has "cake day" once a month to celebrate
all the birthdays in that month. How cute!

Teaching Brother Carrell how to selfie

Peace, be still

We got permission to go to a fireworks show in Lafayette with some
members last night. It was hot, humid, and wonderful!

I never know what to think of the food here.

Lunch with the new district (minus one)

The District: Selfie

Hey y'all!

Happy 4th from Opelousas, Louisiana! My goodness, what a place to be. The area is crazy beautiful, the people are incredibly kind, and the missionaries are taking care of business! I know I am going to be so happy here.

Opelousas is in what is known as "exile" in the LBR mission. It is pretty far away from a lot of places and it's a little out in the boonies. This wonderful place always has the best stories! Sister Amezcua (my outstanding companion) always tells me that "every person who is the craziest person ever migrates to Opelousas". So far I would say that is pretty accurate. Mama Cat, a member in the Opelousas ward, explained it to me like this: "Opelousas is the celestial kingdom at a circus". Amen. The people are wonderful, kind, and sometimes a little wacky. I am loving every minute of it!

My new companion is Sister Amezcua. I am convinced that I have the best trainer in the entire mission! She is no doubt one of the most Christ-like people I have ever met. We have the best times together and I love every second I am with her. She is teaching me so much and is always patient with me. I love her to pieces!

Some favorite moments:

 - When one of our investigators told us she won the Nobel Peace Prize

 - When the same investigator told us she is a prophet and her father killed Abraham Lincoln (whaaaat?)

 - When Sister Amezcua and I became professional cockroach killers (practice makes perfect)

 - When we taught a man who was sitting in a truck in the middle of the road while we stood out in the pouring rain

This week I have been thinking a lot about peace. Isn't it incredible how peace is the one feeling that Satan can't mimic? (thought cred: Sister Amezcua). Satan can try to confuse love with lust and temporary happiness with joy, but peace is something that can only come from God. It truly is a divine gift. It is always incredible to me how much God cares about us at every moment. He sees it all from the end to the beginning and because of that perspective many of our worries are small and frankly laughable to Him. But in His infinite goodness and mercy He sends us gifts of comfort and peace to help us find joy in the journey. My favorite song of the week is hymn 105, "Master the Tempest is Raging". Whatever happens, God is with us. We need to trust in Him.

 I am just the happiest here and I know it will only get better. I hope everything is going well for y'all at home! My love and prayers are always with you. God is good!

Much love,

Sister Thomas