You Keep on Walking

Hey all!!!

This week.... went!! and i improved. my panic attacks are fewer and farther in between and i was able to work a lot more. we even had an investigator in church!!! his name is luis. he is really awesome and trying so hard to learn as much as he can.

so today SUCKED hahahahahaha so viste que [you see] i dont really know my way around all of paraguay and with this obra de teatro [theater performance] they have been asking me to travel to a lot of different churches and people are giving me directions like "uh get off the collectivo [taxi] 3 cuadras [blocks] past the mango tree" just doesn't really cut it sometimes. so today i had to find my way to this capilla [church] and it took us like 2 and a half hours and then i had to make my way to the offices.

AND NOW IS WHERE THE REAL ADVENTURE STARTS

i am leaving the offices and im like "fetch i have been to the offices a million times i know where to get on the colectivo [taxi] its just kind of a long walk" so i confidently start leading my companion to the bus stop just like the smarty pants i am and we walk about 10 blocks and i start thinking "this doesn't look familiar" and then start the tears and the ahhh what do i do. so i sit down and i call my district leader to make sure i was almost there and he goes "you turned left when you left the offices, right?"

uh. no.

SO I STARTED CRYING LOTS CUZ WE HAD WALKED FOR SO LONG AND IT WAS SO HOT AND MY WHOLE P DAY WAS OVER AND THE LIFE OF HERMANA THOMAS IS JUST SO HARD OKAY.

but then as we are walking the seemingly long blocks back to where we needed to be, a voice comes into my head, the voice of Jeffrey r holland, with an image of him walking down a long dirt road to find help for his young family. and i heard his voice say "dont you quit. you keep on walking. dont you quit."

Recently on my division with an hermana leader, i learned that jeffrey r holland also struggled with anxiety and depression. i have never felt more confidence than to hear his voice entering my head telling me that i can keep going. and he wasn't just talking about the long blocks to the bus stop, but he was telling me to keep going. to keep fighting the hard times.

So i testify to all of you now, to NOT QUIT. don't you quit. you keep on walking.

with that, this week was better. it wasn't good, it wasn't perfect, but it was better. And God is there.

Spread some Christmas cheer and play in the snow. i love you all so much!!

hermana thomas