YOMO

          

September 7, 2015

Happy Labor Day!!! What is labor day anyways??? anywho I hope you all had an amazing week!!! I forgot my journal today... so this might be a struggle to remember everything! But seriously p-days come so fast... weeks are flying.

BIG NEWS: SISTER THUESON IS ON HER LAST WEEK OF TRAINING... I REPEAT THIS IS MY LAST WEEK OF THE 12 WEEK TRAINING PROGRAM. Both me and my trainer are pretty stoked about it haha... but I will say that I do have a testimony of the training program... it truly does help the new and old missionary focus on the basics (or fundamentals... that one is for all you greenies out there) of missionary work!! So next time I talk to you... I won't be a greenie any more! But at the same time I don't like how fast time is flying... like i'm already 1/6 done with my mission SAY WHAT? oh yeah I hit the big 3 months on friday!!

FUN FACTS: 

1. so I found a tuck shop in Naperi that sells coca cola light... seriously the only tuck shop in all of Malawi (tuck shop = a shack that sells soda/bread/sugar/other random things... they are everywhere.) .... and i'm the only person who buys them. So i'm going to tell the lady that owns the shop that i'll continue to come back and buy if she keeps supplying them. 

2. So my companion Sis. Browning LOVES deep doctrine... and somehow during companion study we always end up discussing some crazy eternal principle... and I have quickly learned that I don't like deep doctrine... I just like to keep it simple... so I have a new motto and I hung it up in my flat and it's the key to salvation...

"SERVE AND LOVE EVERYONE AND KEEP YOUR COVENANTS"

it's a pretty simple recipe... no need to throw in crazy knowledge about Kolob or anything hahaha.

3. We contacted a drunk guy and we told him to throw his alcohol in a river... and guess what? HE DID IT HAHAHAHA. and then he proceeded by pulling out a cigarette... but it's pangano pangano (little by little) 

4. an invesigator asked if he could hug my finger.... no one knows what he meant. 

5. YOMO = YOU ONLY MISSION ONCE. DON'T TAKE ANY DAY FOR GRANTED.

Okay so the week: 

so this was our last week serving in Sis. Browning's old area Chilimoni!! even though I wasn't as attached to that area.. it was still sad to leave some of the people. But I trust the elders to take good care of it!!

The Nyirenda Family: okay so we had a really really good lesson with them this week. It was the last lesson with the whole family together because Edwin moved up to Lilongwe for school and Bright went off to boarding school about 1500 kwacha away (yes kwacha is money.... how distance is measured here is based off of how much the mini bus cost is) But we were teaching them the plan of salvation... and Abambo's (the father) mother just passed away... and we were able to explain that she was being taught the exact same thing that we were teaching him. and he just kept looking at me and kept saying "Thueson... Thueson... is this true?? Thueson... you're not lying to me are you?" and 1. it just made me so grateful for my knowledge of the plan of salvation and 2. it was a very cool experience to be able to bear testimony that it was true. I was even able to tell him that even my grandmother who just recently passed away could be teaching his mother right now in the spirit world.

ps. learned in my personal study that Christ didn't go to spirit prison like it says in 1 Peter.. he went to spirit paradise to teach the prophets that they needed to teach the spirits in spirit prison. fascinating.... but I'm still going to continue to use the scripture in 1 Peter to teach investigators about the spirit world. D&C 138 = MPONVU (powerful)

Then we had a kneeling prayer with them... and we asked the father to say teh prayer and then we told them all that we were going to sit in silence for a little while and listen for the spirit. and when the father said "Is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the true church?" wow i was just sooooo overwhelmed with the spirit... I felt it so strong. and the whole prayer I was just praying that the family was feeling the same way... after the prayer they all said they felt good but they weren't sure if that was the answer or not... so i'm just praying that they'll soon get their answer!!! because the day they get sealed in the temple... i'm flying down to JOBERG.

Agnus:

So I think i told you about her last week.... but we were able to visit her again this week and teach her. And then she called us later and told us that she didn't have money for transport and it would be too hard to make her 7 and 2 year old walk to church... we were devastated that she wouldn't be able to come.. but there is a member who stays near her named Sister Banda... and she told us that if Agnus was serious that she would pay for the transport. So then we told Agnus that and at church on Sunday Sister Banda told us that Agnus had come over to her house and bore her testimony to her telling her that she knew the church was true. and so Sister Banda told her that starting next week she will help her with her transport....

BUT THEN....

AGNUS AND HER 3 KIDS SHOWED UP TO CHURCH. and they had walked.... the 12 year old carried the 2 year old and they came to church. I seriously almost cried when I saw them. it is probably a 45 minute walk... goodness such a blessing.

Also... it was gertrudes (the 12 year old) birthday on Saturday and all she wanted was a cake.. but they couldn't afford one. So luckily I was able to find a recipe in our flat for chocolate cake and I whipped one up. I"m never taking cake for granted again...

Well those were my tender mercies for the week... oh and Khumbo was able to be confirmed a member of the church. such a happy day!!! Even though I was fasting... I didn't turn Hangry like us thueson girls do haha I stayed happy because we were seriously blessed through the whole day:)

Also.... I seriously kept being overwhelmed with how true the church is. and how real the Atonement is. I dunno.... it's just so amazing to be able to teach people about Jesus Christ's church. I'm so grateful for this opportunity to be a missionary... and as I said earlier... time needs to slow down.

I'M SO HAPPY AND SO GRATEFUL FOR EVERYTHING THAT I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH... BUT ESPECIALLY FOR MY KNOWLEDGE OF THE GOSPEL AND OF JESUS CHRIST.

I LOVE ALL OF YOU. 

Happy Birthday song for Mae!