A Great Week

Dear Family,

I have soooo many pictures to send you this week!  I've had a good week, things were good.  My comp and I get along and we've been doing good work 🙂...I think haha well I had good things happen this week and I'll get to those.

But first...I've been kinda out of it with writing about some stories because I haven't considered writing those kind of things for a while. So a few weeks ago, I was on exchanges with Elder Biehn and we had a member present with Gerardo Fajardo...he's so cool.  We went to this one ladies house and she eventually let us in because we started talking about the bible.  This was the craziest lesson I've been to so far...the lady is Pentecostal.  The lesson was going ok, but this lady loved to talk and she wouldn't listen to us and would just keep talking.  It was going ok UNTIL....like..the second we mentioned Joseph Smith it turned into a hailstorm of words like this huge bible bash!! I remember feeling like I was being scolded by Judge Judy hahaha and she kept saying "He escuchado que José Smith fue un pecador! Tengo mi Biblia y no hay más escritura aparte de la Biblia!!" Over and over and...Elder Biehn started getting mad...same with Gerardo, along with me!  Because she was slandering and attacking our testimonies and ugh...I've never felt that way before.  And this lady would not stop talking and let us explain anything!! I guess that's what hardcore Pentecostals are like.  It was pretty frustrating...the end haha.

En el otro mano, we had an amazing story with this lady se llama Pamela Barfield.  So, Elder Coburn and I were tracting Patrick Henry (a popular street for us Spanish Elders) and we had gone to check on a less active.  She didn't answer and so we were walking back to the car and then I just said..."Elder...we should try knocking this place." And so we did and the second door we knocked we met Pamela!  Within a minute of talking with her we knew she was ready for the gospel. Unfortunately, she's American so we had to pass her off to the sisters because we couldn't go in anyway, but we taught her for like 15 minutes at her door and she said "you know...I feel like I've been guided to this point right now" and just the look on Coburn's face to me while she was writing her number down was just so awesome!!! Like the look the friend gives the other friend when they set their friend up haha 😃 She said she's been wanting to go to our church, she just didn't know where or when!  Ok...a night or two later, Sister Ito our nurse who lives right by us was giving us some treats.  And Sister Ito says "there was this lady at church today who came all by herself and to all the classes and announced to everyone that she wanted to be baptized!"  And we say "...was her name Pamela??" And it was her! And we found out from the sisters that she had been looking up if missionaries would ever come visit her that same day, a few hours before we came!! Ah...so cool.  Elder Coburn prizes me for that one haha 😊 People are being prepared to receive the gospel...we don't know who or when it happens but it is happening all around us!! Super cool.

Oh yeah and duh...I had my first baptism technically haha Marina Fajardo, the Hermana of Gerardo.  He's been a convert for 2 years now but his sister just turned 18 and so she was baptized!  She was already on date when I got here, but she's so cool.  And short.  She looks like she could be Anna's friend, she's tiny haha it was a great service.  I love the Fajardo family...Gerardo reminds me so much of Michael!!! He's just this easy going say whatever dude and he's super cool...and he learned English by listening to European rock so has an accent of some sort when he speaks English haha and he let me play his guitar for the first time since home!! Ah...I seriously felt so good after it.  He's about 24 and he just got his mission call to California!  Add to that, Saturday I got to go with him to his first endowment, so I got to go to the DC temple!!! It's soooo big and cool.
😮 I went with Elder Biehn to that.

That reminds me...I realized that there are people around that remind me so much of certain people back home, it's weird! Elder Biehn reminds me of Kaden-his face-and there's these English Elders that look just like Jordan and Cameron!  A guy in our ward council is so much like Brother Davis, Gerardo like Michael, Elder Hernandez our Spanish zone leader like Ethan!  An older man in our ward council who's just like grandpa Thompson...it's weird, like that one elder no only looks like Cameron, his mannerisms are the same and just almost everything it's creepy.  And Elder Coburn sounds just like Jeremy!  Oh yeah, and tell the Burtons that I met Elder Cottle my first day at the transfer and I said to him I was shown a picture of him by Alyssa haha.

I also had a experience that changed me.  I don't know why it changed me, but my compassion for others has...been elevated.  We went to visit a less active nearby named Fiorela Picardo.  We taught her family but it was the first time Coburn let me take the lead while teaching, so they got distracted a lot haha 🙄 but anyway...she asked us if we could give her daughter a blessing, and she didn't bring her out until just then...and I...got teary-eyed just seeing this child in front of me.  Really, I was almost crying to see this 2 year old little girl who was born with no ability to move any muscles but her eyes.  And just seeing her face and condition made my respect and love for that family instantly grow.  I've never FELT that much compassion for a child, or anyone really.  I want to help that family as much as I can!!  It was...something I thought about the rest of the whole day. We gave her a blessing.  That's it, but...it made me feel something new.

I also want to let you all know...that due to what's going on at home, my whole family has been on my mind a little more.  And now that I have an iPad, I....actually am now hooked on family history!!!! 😱😯😀 It's something I NEVER did before!  I installed FamilyTree on my iPad and I just tried it and it's so cool!  This event in my life introduced me to family history.  Just so you know.  I also started a thing on my iPad of all of the advice that I remember dad saying. Maybe I'll send you that...eh, later.  One of the better ones that's been on my mind the most is "There are three certain things to happen in this life: Death, change and The Atonement."  I have a document with just lines and lines of things like that, things I've learned from dad or just helpful things he's said before.

We were able to confirm Marina yesterday and it was so neat.  It was my first time participating in giving someone the Holy Ghost!  She was baptized at 18 because her mom......eek...like I hear the mom of the Fajardo Family is a barrier, she does NOT like the church or missionaries at all...Gerardo didn't even tell her he's going on a mission 😳😧 ...and I guess she found out like last week and it was bad.  Anyway, but they have such strong testimonies...I think they will stay converted.

We were able to go to the cemetery today!!! We barely missed the changing of the guard though.  That was basically our P-day. Anyway...this is really long.  I haven't been in wifi today yet so I don't know what y'all are saying...except Kyle haha.  Whatever you say, thanks for writing me and I will reply next week!  I love my
family so much.  I will be thinking about them so much more this next week and a half.  Well, enough words here's a ton of pictures.  

Love you all, bye.

❤️Elder Thompson
P.s. You all need to look up "Hello" by Adele missionary parody, it's so funny😂

The Struggle is Real

Family,

...I didn't think I would write today, but I need to.  I didn't take the news well at first at all.  I counseled with my district leader Elder Biehn...and I ended up counseling with President Huntsman about it.  He said to me that, "as a missionary, there are things that you can control and things that you can't control; focus on the things you can control".  He told me to write my feelings about it to you and to just give it time.  Forgive me because I was one of those who thought of the strangeness of the situation, how weird it seemed...but...all the reasons you gave are true.  I've come to grasp the reality of this.  I now feel the truthfulness of this situation.

I had another dream with Dad in it.  Mom and Rod were sitting together talking in the room of Grandma and Grandpa's house.  The house was the way it was before, with the large tv room having the front door in it.  In that room was Dad.  He was at my level, and he was counseling with me! .....but...I didn't hear his voice.  His mouth was moving, and his eyes were more open, the way he looked when counseling with me.  But I couldn't hear him.  ...what was he saying?  I know he had to have been talking about what was happening in "the other room" I don't know...I need to interpret that now.

At first, I felt my feelings towards family members changing and I knew I could NOT have that.  I don't like contention at all, and so I couldn't let this change the way I think of you.  With that said...I'm letting you know now...that I have accepted that this is happening.  I'm okay with what you are doing.  I'm looking forward to seeing how this will be, and how others will react too. haha.  All is well with me . 

I got a letter from Grandma...but she didn't say anything about it.  I think she's waiting for me on that.  I want to go...we're having a bbq at President's house right now, and I want to just enjoy my P-day without staring at my iPad the whole day.  I just met Elder Harding!! We went to junior high together!  Becca's brother in law!! I'll send that picture. Anyway...love you bye.

Something's Up

Mom,

I don't feel like talking right now, I'm not mad or antagonistic in
any way...I just don't have anything to say.  Shock has bound my
tongue.  Still love you just as much.

❤️Lane

The Guitar, Mom. The Guitar.

Dear Family,

Anyone need an ark built? ......I Noah guy.   Haha I had to start with a corny missionary joke.  Thank you for your letter! Wow, Mom, you ran out of gas?? Haha that made me laugh out loud baha.  That's an awesomestory.  I am in the Bella Vista ward and, I forgot to tell you about the Hispanics here!  The 2 biggest groups here are Hispanics from El Salvador and Bolivia!! So they drop off some endings a bit and in my opinion it sounds as if Salvadorians speak Spanish with a swollen tongue haha it's different, I can't wait to be fluent!  The language is coming slow, and I wish I had a Latino comp because it's hard to set the rule with ourselves.  We both speak English to each other all the time.

Ok, before forget...here is how I would like my guitar handed to me:

I think it's a good idea to get a hard case, just make sure it fits. I actually would like Anna to do these few things for me.  Will you do it Anna? Haha anyway, find my guitar I think it's by the piano but...I bet you've moved it all haha. Ok...take it out of the case and

1) loosen all of the strings--this has to be done if it's flown because the quick change of altitude and temp will for sure snap the strings at full tension.  So with the guitar standing up, you twist the knobs on the left to down to the ground, and the ones on the right
to the ceiling I think...use your ear in the last 3 strings I don't know for sure. But loosen the strings please, until you think they're going to come out, really wobbly.

2) Send my Snark, the 4 picks I have, and my capo--ok Anna you'll need to get into my nice guitar case, and I did lock it before I left. So, go in my room and the key is under my alarm clock. Make sure the case logo "Jackson" is on the top facing the ceiling cuz that's the right
way.  And if you moved it, make sure it rests like that too!  Unlock it and it will open you may have to reach far under for the latches.Yeah, get my Snark tuner, the 4 black picks in my plastic strap thingit should be on my strap...don't send my strap though.  The one I have
wont work.  And get my capo please, it's the weird blue banana shaped rubber thing. If it's not in there then look in the back of my amp. Then, lock it again and put the key back please :)

Mom, if you would, do you think you could buy me like a couple music books from boothe brothers like one hymns and a book of like...I don't know just uplifting stuff I could learn? If you do, that could go in the case with the guitar.  Please, thanks.  I'm super excited to
expand my range of play with guitar!  And ah...just to have it again haha but I do have other more important things.  Oh if the accessories don't fit in he case, maybe just...have whoever brings it carry it? Sure.

Anyway...I finally got my iPad yesterday! I'm soo spoiled!  I now have an iPad mini...cuz the normal ones are massive.  It's so useful to have the digital area book :) nehehe but let me tell you about my week, it was horribly timed!  Elder Coburn and I called it the broken
weekend because almost everything we had planned fell through, or went over time or didn't happen and some weird other thing happened!  So it started with us being late to this breakfast meeting at the stake president's house and late to a lot of other meetings, helping a family move when they didn't tell anyone they had to be out that same day they told us....erg...and they told me 3 days before Sunday that I'mplaying the hymns in sacrament meeting and so I was scrambling to find time to practice and then we were getting a ride for a recent convert to church and that was late so they started without me and so I didn't
play, someone else did, crazy stuff.  Nothing went right this week, all of our teaching appointments went through too...and I was waiting for my iPad that whole week because they said they would give it to me...ugh.  Anyway, it's a new week.

I didn't forget your number mom haha I don't think I will.  I had another dream of dad, I need to write that in my journal.  Today, we went with Rudy to Big Buns downtown in Arlington.  It was the  most oily burger ever but it was SO good!! Haha and we've been chilling at the other elders apt with them and they're playing Yu-Gi-Oh...everyone says so many elders play that game on p days.  It's an anime card game like Pokemon mom haha it was big when we were little. Hmm, I don't have an interest really.  We're going back to Target cuz we wanted to look for another store with cheaper milk but we didn't have time. Well, my iPad is at 10 percent now and I've been writing for a while. Oh yeah, my mail is kinda the same as the ccm again because I can read your letters anytime because I have my iPad all the time, I just can't write you back until Monday's :(  Look at that, we just paid for some groceries we forgot this morning and a member sent her kid up to us with a 10 dollar bill haha another blessing.

Thanks for sending my guitar, and for writing to me of course...I'm looking forward to Mother's Day! I will be using my iPad for the video call so bring your laptops people!!!! Sorry for no pictures I can't really send them right now and to be honest I really didn't feel like
taking any haha, ok I'll shut up now.  Love you all and stay safe! :)

Love,
Elder Thompson