Dance and "Swim"

Hey ya all!!! it was a really good week!!! I am feeling much better here and its been a good week.

its crazy to be with hermana dewitt a third change, but we arent complaining!!! hahaha.

the heat has ARRIVED folks. I am constantly wet. I change outfits like twice a day because I soak through my clothes lol its so fetching gross but everyone says I will get used to it.

things have been a little slow with the work, but we are gonna keep working hard and if all we can do is plant some seeds then thats okay!! we dont have to see all the fruit right now.

I am really happy and grateful. Let me know if I can help any of you all with anything!!

love you all!!

hermana thomas

photos, we got to help the young women get ready for a dance!!! it was really cool and fun!!! we love our ward

its real hot so we decided to "swim". lol. jk, but the photo opt was too much to pass up!!!

There's also a picture of the church and of the street :)

Sunday Will Come

Hey all,

First things first. I know you were all worried about what my changes would be, and you have all been praying really hard... and welp, your prayers worked, cuz this hija [daughter] is staying with her mom one more change!!!! lol!!!! this does not happen often, but WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!!!! hahahha the mom and hija now become sisters WOO WOO!!

i am so glad training is over. everyone and their dog can tell when you are in your training. its the literal worst. i already feel a huge weight off my shoulders. hahaha!!

guys, this talk Sunday Will Come, is so good! my sister sent it to me and it changed my life man. it talks about how sometimes like on metaphorical fridays life can really suck, but eventually it will get better. like some day it has to get better. So this phrase entered my mind, DONT GIVE UP ON A FRIDAY.

i have had many metaphorical fridays in the mission. where i feel like life couldnt possibly improve, or that i wasnt worthy or earned the blessings of Heaven, or i said something stupid in spanish, etc, etc. and in those moments, yeah, i didnt wanna keep going really. its hard to want to keep going when you feel like things cant improve, but thats they key, things WILL GET BETTER! Sunday Will come!!! maybe not when or how you expect, but it will, especially if you are watching for it.

sister craig and sister bingham came to visit!! it was AMAZING!! even a few relief society members from clear out in the indian tribes out far got to come into watch them, they dont speak spanish, but the spirit was there!!

thank you for your prayers. KEEP THEM COMING!!! and keep sharing light and smiles. the world needs more of that.

Hermana Thomas

photo 1, hermana dewitt and i got to help and a church open house. this super cool orchestra played, i felt like i was on a school field trip.
photo 2, me and this adorable child Nahiara. the white handbook says not to have children in your lap, but if a cute 3 year old asked you in guarani to sit in your lap and started to pull herself up, YOU WOULD BE WEAK TOO. lol

Mini Mission Activity

hey all,

good week. it flew by!!! many tears, much laughter, just like always!!! we had our mini mission activity this week, it was super awesome!!! we had all the youth come to the church and we taught them a little bit about what its like to be a missionary and got them hyped to serve missions one day. we also took them out to teach less actives and we were supposed to go in with them but then we ended up ditching them on the doorstep and it was AWESOME.

I hate when i accidentally hit enter. grr!!!!

but it was also zone conference this week. super awesome!!!

i got to sing!!

things have been good here!! we really have been trying to get people to come to church, because they cant get baptized unless they come!! so if anyone has any brilliant ideas of how to trick someone into being at church at 830 on a sunday morning let me know!! just kidding. no tricks necessary in the work of god!!! it will happen. hahahah!!

if yall didnt see the face to face devotional [with Elder Cook] last night YOU NEED TO!!!! answered so many questions for me!!!

well i hope you are all happy!!! let me know if i can do anything for any of you!!! have an awesome week!! also i recorded a song that has helped me a lot here in the mission!! enjoy!!

hermana thomas

No Time Homies

Hey yall,

Im about to slightly lie and say i have no time to write today, but the fact is I really just wanna write my fam some solid stuff because i got a new niece!!! YAY!!!! i hope you are all happy and remember God loves you and Jesus Christ is ready for you.

have a good week!!!

hermana thomas

We're All Just Tryin' Here

Hola all!!

So this was an uneventful week in regards to fun things or anything like that happening. But i still have a few things to say!!

Before my mission I looked at missionaries as pretty perfect people. or at least way more perfect than I was. I thought I would go through some magic transformation when I became a missionary that would make me a better person, but that didnt really happen. And I just realized something. Missionaries are just a bunch of young adults doing the best they can. And then I realized something else, every member of this church and everyone on this planet are just people doing the best they can!!! There is no reason to ever feel down on yourself if you mess up because we ALL do. Thats why this is a plan of repentance and why we have Jesus Christ. Anyway thats all super obvious to some people im sure, but its finally starting to click again in my naive mind. We really all are just trying here!! hahaha

I love paraguay. I really do. I love this gospel, I love the hard things, I love the good things. Thank you for your love and support and KEEP THE PRAYERS COMING. also so many of you still read these emails i am shocked. lol!!!

keep looking for the good in yourselves and in others, and when you run into some bad, remember thats what Jesus Christ is there for. and let him lift you and love you.... and keep trying!!!

THANKS ALL!! sorry for no pictures. I have a few but nothing much.

ALSO FELIZ DIA DEL NINO!! they have so many holidays here. Happy Kids day! is what that means haha. tell all the kids I love them and I owe them some sort of present when I am back one day. Even if its just a high five. lol!!!

have a good week all!!

hermana thomas

Love and Kindness

Hey all,

Hmm... I wonder if people still read these. lol!! I know i always stopped reading consistently after the first month or two. Lol.

My quote of the week is "determine to respond with love and kindness to whatever comes your way." harder than it sounds FOR SURE!! but i am really learning patience and how to control my temper here. you simply have to be nice and patient the majority of the time which is just not my forte sometimes. but Heavenly Father is helping me MUCHISIMO!!!

I have been struggling here and there this past week but hey, God always pulls through, even if it is at the last minute. you have to get knocked down sometimes so God can pull you back up. And He always will, i promise!!

We get to teach the jovenes english now which is suuuuuuper fun!!!! they do not listen. at all. but we call them by english names which is my favorite part. Now santiago always refers to himself as James and it makes me roll with laughter every time. Also Anahi hugs me all the time and says "hermana thomas best friend" and its SO CUTE!!! and they are starting to teach the really little kids how to say "i love you" and there is nothing more adorable i promise.

Thank you all for your support and love. We feel your prayers, keep them coming!!! love you all sooooo much and let me know if there is anything i can do for any of you!!

Hermana Thomas

Pictures: teaching the jovenes English, and me and Ello!! she is way cuter than this idk why she does what she does in photos.

First Baptism: Enzo

My first baptism!!! it was so awesome!!! I am dedicating this email to enzo because he is SO FUNNY and he deserves it.

So all our lessons with him have been a BLAST. including these funny moments.

"Enzo, when we pray we thank God for what we have and ask him for help with what we need. So you can ask for things in your prayers," Enzo says "IM GONNA ASK FOR A BIKE."

We tell Enzo we shouldnt covet what our neighbor has. he goes on to tell us that his friend covets because we brought him cookies for his birthday and his friend was jealous and went and bought the same cookies. lol.

We went to pick him up for his interview and he wasnt there. it was super stressful and his mom called us a couple hours later to tell us he was coming back. we went to their house and we were waitng for him when a GIANT BUS comes rolling into the backyward I kid you not and enzo clambers out like a boss. and then we were like "why werent you here!!" and he goes "you guys said you were coming at 1 and it was 115 and you werent here yet so i left." hes literally the most boss 9 year old i have ever met.

We also taught him the plan of salvation and when it got to three kingdoms of glory he took the whiteboard from us and turned it into a snowman. lol.

But then the best of all moments was when he got to his interview and he was just so excited. he told our district leader he already knew all the answers and he didnt even have to ask the questions. He had a big smile when he came out and there was an indescrbable light about him. he is so precious!! so grateful for this week and for him. LOVE THE KID!

have a good week, all!!

Hermana Thomas