Week 101 - My Heart is full

Mom,

I have mixed emotions and my heart is full as I sit here and read emails on my last p-day. I actually started to cry as I thought about all that has happened and all that will happen following this week and I'm so thankful for the many blessings I have received. I am so excited to see you and the rest of the fam this weekend, but at the same time I'm so sad to see this experience come to an end. 

We had a really good week. We have worked very hard and there are some good things happening in our area. We're teaching a couple in our area who is progressing really well! Their names are C.and M. They are really open to our message and C. loves the Book of Mormon. He always talks about how interesting it is and how powerful the words are. He told us he wants to take it slow and he doesn't want us to rush baptism, so it's a little hard. They haven't made it to church yet either, but that's because we've been having a hard time getting member involvement. Those are the struggles of being in a tiny branch. 

On Friday we got to go to the temple to do an endowment session!! We went with Pres. Carlson and all the other missionaries that are going home and it was a great experience. I loved it and received some personal guidance and revelation. 

 

Sunday was a great day!! I conducted sacrament meeting and I spoke and we had some non members at church too!! After I spoke, the Rasmussen's spoke. They're a young couple out here on an internship from BYU at Cummins and they both speak Spanish, so they have been a great help in the branch. They are both returning to Utah this week as well. 

I really don't know what else to say, other than thank you. Thank you so much Mom for you support and your love. I couldn't have done it without you letters and packages and prayers. You're my hero and a great example to me, and I owe you big time. I couldn't thank you enough and I am so excited to see you on Friday :) 

I love the Lord. I am so glad that I've had this opportunity to serve Him and I can't wait to see what else He has in store for me. He has been so good to me and I owe him everything. I will keep working and sprint through the finish line. I can't wait to see you and I love you very much.

Love,

Elder Thayne

Saying goodbye to the Rasmussens!

A picture with Ben, Norma, and Chris from the branch

Week 100 - seeing great miracles

Mom,

This week was great! We saw some great miracles! On Monday, we started teaching a lady from Veracruz, Mexico named C.. She is one of the nicest ladies ever!! She's really involved in her Catholic church and absolutely loves going to church, but she loves talking to us as well. She got a Book of Mormon from a few missionaries about a year ago, and 2 weeks ago on her way to Florida, she read the first few chapters and she says she loves it! She keeps telling us about how she just can't put it down sometimes because it interests her so much. She might progress a little slower than most because she loves Catholicism, but I'm sure she'll come around in the future as she continues to read the Book of Mormon.

On Tuesday, I had to go to a Dr. appointment in Indy, so we drove up there and after what seemed to be a waste of time at the appointment, we started heading back to Columbus. On our way back, I had the feeling to go and visit E., one of my old investigators in Indianapolis. I told myself that we were already on our way to our area and we needed to get back to work, but then the impression persisted. I decided to turn around and head back to the west side of the city to visit E. When she opened the door, she was so excited to see me. She thought she'd never see me again and she was really happy. She then told me something that explained why I had received the impression to visit her. She said that she had still been confused as to what to do in regards to the Church. She had been praying and asking God to help her know what she should do and she said that seeing me there was another sign to her that she needs to commit herself to the Church. She told me she was going to set a goal to be baptized when the missionaries came over. I was so glad that I was able to be guided by the Lord to know what to do.

On Thursday, we were tracting in a trailer park (that's all we do) and we found a young hispanic lady named I. She had 2 little girls and spoke perfect English. She told us she was Catholic, but she was very open and gave us some of her time. We shared a message with her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and what Christ expects of us. We talked a lot about faith, repentance, and then baptism. When we started talking about baptism, she asked us what we thought about infant baptisms. We told her that it's great that parents want to do that service for their children, but since repentance is a pre-requisite to baptism, it doesn't make any sense to baptize babies. She said she felt the same way and that she had always had that question. She told us to come back this week and talk more! We just need to find those people who are prepared and asking the right questions!

On Saturday, we went to a sealing! There is a member named Angie who was baptized when I was in my first area, and she's Dominican, so I also taught her parents for a while. She attends the YSA branch in Indy and she invited me to come to her sealing! So we went and it was cool to see a sealing for the first time! It was a lot shorter than I expected... but I liked it! 

Conducting sacrament meeting went well yesterday. Luckily it was fast and testimony meeting, so it was pretty easy, but I'll be doing it again next week so we'll see how it goes. 

It's crazy to think that my mission is ending! It has been the best experience and I'm excited to keep up the pace for these next couple of weeks! I love you Mom and I'll see you soon!

Love,

Elder Thayne

Hermano Rene Rodriguez came down from Elkhart (4 hours away!) to visit us and take us to lunch. This man is one of my favorite guys in the world, and I'm so glad that the Lord led us to him

Week 99 - Biking it up!

Mom,

This week was a tough one, but it was great!! We worked really hard this week and I don't plan on slowing down in the slightest over the next few weeks. We have some solid people we're working with and good things are happening here in Columbus!! 

We're currently teaching a 15 year old girl named C. She is so solid! Her dad and step-mom are really catholic and her birth mother is Jehovah Witness, so she has been really confused about religion in her life. Her parents absolutely love the missionaries and every time we go visit them, we inevitably get stuffed full of food even though we tell her step-mom we're not hungry and that we already ate. Her dad and step-mom are really open to us teaching their kids. We left all the kids with a couple of pamphlets about the Restoration last week and invited them to read em. We went back this week and C told us she read the pamphlet, and then she answered all of the "Additional Study" questions in the back!! We were shocked! Hardly anyone answers those questions! She really wanted to come to church yesterday, but they went out of town, so she'll come this week. 

We had to bike a lot this week!!! We made an unexpected trip to Greenwood, IN for interviews with Pres. Carlson and burned about 100 miles that day, so we were really close to reaching our mile allotment for the month so we had to pull out the ol' bicycles and bike around our huge area! I'm sure it wouldn't have been that bad if I wasn't so spoiled and used to having a full time car for the past 7 1/2 months.

Yesterday we got a call from the missionaries that took the place in my last area and they told me that everyone up there is doing well. They had a baptism on Saturday and they have 2 more scheduled with Luis and Leandro, the two guys found during my last week up there. Then they told me that R. M. showed up to church!!! She was the one that was supposed to be baptized in May and then disappeared. She finally broke up with her boyfriend and now there is nothing that is kee

ping her from being baptized. I was so happy to hear that and I really hope she can do it this time. 

Being in the branch presidency isn't too strange, but I did feel kind of out of place as we counted and deposited tithing yesterday after church.... weird. I will be conducting sacrament mtg for my last two Sundays and I can't believe it's actually coming to an end. I have never felt a greater sense of urgency and we're going to work harder than ever!! I love you Mom! I'll see you soon!

Love,

Elder Thayne

Proof of how flat Indiana actually is

A picture of our trip to do baptisms at the temple! Jenica, a 12 year old in our branch went for her first time, so we got to go with her family. The sun was really bright, so that's why we looks so strange