Stand In Holy Places

This week was great. We just got done with a successful double zone unity activity, and things seem to be looking a lot better.  We just challenged a bunch of kids randomly to a game of soccer on the beach.  We played six on six, and just barely beat them.  Yeah!  It was super fun, and I almost died of heat stroke.  I actually had to dunk my head in the beach to not pass out.  I ran a bit too much, but so worth it.  And it was nice to get the exercise in.

This week we watched a movie in the church with Moncha´s family, that came to church! They really enjoyed it, and the Spirit was strong. (It was the Testaments). Afterwards, Franklin got up and said the closing prayer. He expressed feelings of joy for being in the church, and asked God to give them all signs so that they could know that the Book of Mormon was true. Then he said something a little interesting along the lines of, "and hopefully so that it is," then closed the prayer. I was filled with a sweet feeling of great, great joy afterwards. I´m really not sure why, but it was one of the happiest moments of my mission. I´m so excited for this family!

Salamaleco is still progressing great!  He hasn´t given us the good to go yet, but says that he very possibly he´ll get baptized this weekend.  But he´s getting along really well with the members, and is reading and praying like a machine.  We love him so much.  Something funny, but not too doctrinal...  We always start every lesson with him by getting his questions out of the way (because he always has super good ones).  One of his questions was, "do you believe there is life on other planets?"  My companion and I answered in unity with a sure, "yes."

"Salamaleco!" he said.  I hate to say you had to be there, but it was really really funny.  My companion and I just died laughing.  This guy is our best friend.  (one of many.  We get along way too well with our investigators).

We had to climb a mountain in the sisters´ area to do an interview of sorts... it was kinda of pointless, but I won´t bore you all with the details.  We climbed way up.  the neighbors sent us looking for the house way back down the mountain.  the land lord sent us back up the mountain!!! ugh... and it was really really hot... But yeah.  It was memorable.

Story time; The neck tie of salvation!

We were entering our house on Friday night at the end of the day.  A boy name Michael stopped us and asked if we had a pure black tie.  We both answered negative, but promised him after a few minutes of his explaining why he needed it, that we would get him one the next morning before 8am.  Without even inviting him, he asked, "what time is church Sunday?"  "uhhh... nine o´clock in the morning."  We answered.  "Okay, I´m going to go."  Awesome!  We were pretty happy.  We got him the tie the next morning, but before sleeping that night, we were already making plans for the movie titled, "The tie of Salvation."  haha.

Michael, his brother and his mother were at church the very next Sunday, and stayed all three hours!  So awesome.  We´re excited to see if they progress in the long run.

The ward mission plan seems to be taking hold, and members are visiting the investigators without us to offer friendship. It´s great and is bearing fruits already. I love the mission!

Keep it up out there with your own personal missionary efforts!  If anyone has missionary moments during the week, please please send them to me!  I´d love to hear about them!  And for those that always write me anyway, that´s your homework this week. haha.

Love,

Elder Thalman

Unity

 

This week we are doing things right for the first time.  Oh, we´re all so ignorant until we know that we are.  We had a mission coordination meeting with all of the leadership and put specific assignments for each auxiliary organization.  All the main investigators will have visits this week.  If someone doesn´t do their job, the stake pres. will know about it.  I´m pumped.  I really think that this is going to make a big difference in the work.  The sleeping giant is awakening!!!!

Missionary work is just so darn awesome.  

True success has less to do with personal acheivements, but rather in how you help others acomplish.  If we can help these members truly feel the joy of missionary work, not only will we have more success, but the success will last.  That´s all I want.  For whatever I do, that it´s permanent.

Salamaleco said something funny this week.  He was telling us about how he´s stuck in the house and doesn´t like not being able to go do stuff.  He said, "I like monkey in cage."  And I didn´t really get it at first.  why do you like the monkey? ... oh!  you are like a monkey in a cage.  That guy is so darn funny.  Really smart.  We gave him some English books to study from the mission, so he´ll learn lots of gospel vocab.  haha.  

We started asking him questions, and he was giving some cool answers.  He has afirmed that everyting that he has read from the Book of Mormon is true (he´s been praying), and that he that wrote it had to have been a prophet.  So cool!  I don´t know if I have ever seen the Spirit just work so directly with any investigator ever.

I love this mission and love you all!!!

Elder Thalman

Happiness

I think that the whole point of the gospel is that even if things aren´t perfect, or even if we´re not perfect yet, we can have peace.  And then there are lots of times where you can just be happy.  I´m just dandy right now.  Stupendous.  Is that right?  Anyway, things are good.  Not perfect, but I really am happy.

Today we went up to Pico Bonito, were there are some super sick waterfalls.  Way cool.  We went with the other zone, where my brother Elder Amendola is zone leader.  The whole thing was a blast.  I´ll send pics.

Story time!

We had a great spiritual experience with an investigator named Salamaleco.  In the lesson, we answered some questions, then he asked about the gift of the Holy Ghost.  We explained how the sun is in one place, but we can feel it´s heat here.  Everyone can.  Some scriptures were shared, and he seemed to get it, but there was just something missing in his depth of understanding.  I knew that he wasn´t comprehending exactly how the Spirit feels like.  I told him that his questions were obviously inspired by the Spirit, and that it was him that illuminated his mind to ask them.  That seemed to really click with him.  Then as my companion was testifying, the room just lit on fire.  I stopped and said, "do you feel that.  I can feel the Spirit right now."  He confirmed that he felt really tranquilo, and we could then tell him that that´s exactly how God will answer his prayers.  It was one of the best lessons I´ve had on the mission.

We were teaching a kid named Coco (his real name is Paul) and he´s way cool.  Way pilas.  Went to church and everything.  His friend is the ward mission leader´s little brother Daniel.  So Daniel loves lifting weights, and everyone was trying to lift the weight.  So... I decided I would show them what I´m made of.  There are two type of people in this world.  Those who are humble, and those that are about to be.  I did some bicep curls with it, and then some tricep stuff.  No big deal.  Now they all know I can lift it.  Cool.  So I squat down to drop the weight... BOOM!  My pants totally make an explosion noise, and they rip from seem right below the groin up the back about five inches... so yeah.  Big rip.  And that was my last good pair of pants... so while those get fixed, I finally broke down and bought two more pair today.  Good times.

This is the Lord´s work.  It´s awesome!

Love, Elder Thalman

Small, but powerful!

My new companion is Elder Ficklin from Salem, UT.  He´s super awesome, and slightly taller than my mom.  Which is... short.  But he´s the best companion ever.  He plays the piano like a mad man, and is a kick butt missionary.  We´re pretty much best pals.  Super tight.

We finally had a baptism!  Ana got baptized after a year of investigation, and she´s doing great.  You just can´t compare anything with visiting a person right after baptism and confirmation.  There is truly a difference in their eyes, and in their home.  I love it.  It makes everything worth it.

The mission is the best.  We´re working and having a blast!

If you´re not a Mormon, you should be.  You´ll be happier.

If you´re not a missionary, you should be.  Same promise.

I love you all!

Elder Thalman