Oops -- I missed last week again -- so here's 2 posts!!

OCT 8:

This week was a crazy one, we had the chance to listen to general conference - but only the sautrday sessions because Sunday were municipal elections here in Peru and so it is against the law to go into a church building until 5:00pm. So Sunday we went without the regular meetings and instead watched a bit of conference with our investigators in the night at 7.

The part we did watch of General Conference was really awesome - I especially loved Saturday in the morning. The changes that were announced I know are inspired - what that will permit in the mission and in the home is going to be good. The experiences I had as a child have really helped me to grow my testimony - knowing that I have parents who love me unconditionally was the biggest part, and having you guys encourage me to always act - even when I didn´t want to was something that helped me a lot. I remember almost always having a habit of daily prayer and scripture study. Individually and as a family. That really helped me to prepare for the mission when those habits need to take on another level. Essentially what I´m trying to say is thank you Mom and Dad for teaching me spiritually. That´s what the essence I felt of the new changes announced in conference were.

I also had the chance to do a work visit with Elder Miller from Hawaii, he is a good missionary and has a desire to work hard. We were able to visit one of his investigators and invite her to be baptized the 20th, that was a good experience.

Also earlier in the week we took a recent convert to the temple to do baptisms, then the next day we had mission council meeting in the offices - we learned a lot from President Godfrey including how to organize ourselves in such a way to have success during and after the mission. There´s a lot to learn and a lot to apply. This week are tranfers and it´s probable I´ll be receiving a new companion so we´ll see how that goes.

The young man I mentioned last week - Max - this week accepted a baptismal invitation for the 20th! He has a sincere desire to learn. To be honest with the work visit I´ve had I still don´t know too much about him. He is really quiet but is honest and ready to learn.

Love you guys a lot,

Elder Thompson

OCT 15:

Hola Familia!

What a great week! Hope the kids had a blast in their camps, outdoor school is super awesome as well as choir camp (well I only went to band camp but that was awesome too). But that sucks about Liv´s finger - I feel you I´m kinda sick right now too. Wow one week until the wedding!! Everybody must be super pumped, make sure to take lot of photos.

This week I received a new companion, Elder Fernandez from Peru! He´s my third Peruvian companion and he is 19 years old. He´s been in the mission about 9 months and this is his first time being a zone leader! So it´s fun because we´re learning a lot together. But something Elder Fernandez does really well is he communicates and asks when he doesn´t know somthing. So we´ve talked to district leaders and the assistants to ask for council and have learned a lot of good stuff. I´m feeling confident about this week.

President also called us to week to tell us that my companion (who is a boss on the piano) is going to play piano when the prophet comes this saturday! Also I´m going to sing as part of an octet for a special musical number! That is so crazy but we are going to practice today. My only worry is that yesterday I came down with a cough and a sore throught - so I´m going to be super careful so I can be in full health when the prophet comes.

I really like your thought about ministering and seeing through a lens of love Mama, I was thinking about that while listening to conference on Sunday (because of the elections they couldn´t transmit conference last week, so they retransmitted it this week) and I was thinking about the way I contact people in the streets. And I found that it´s so easy to get mad or frustrated when people choose not to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ but really through a lens of love that frustration converts in patience and that anger in a sincere love and desire to help these people I have the privilege to serve these two years.

I really like the thought the Elder Renlund said when he was talking about choosing God in our lives

"If Lucifer were teaching a child to walk and the child stumbled, he would scream at the child, punish him, and tell him to quit trying.  Lucifer's ways bring discouragement and despair - eventually and always.  This father of lies is the ultimate purveyor of falsehood and cunningly works to deceive and distract us "for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like until himself. If Christ were teaching a child to walk and the child stumbled, He would help the child get up and encourage the next steps.  Christ is the helper and consoler. His ways bring joy and hope -eventually and always."

Christ is the helper - he always brings joy and hope. We brought Max to the church to watch conference this week and he said that he was really intrigued by how much they talked about love and caring for one another. We were only able to watch one part of conference as it was at night but he said he wanted to keep watching more. I think it´s a super important part of the mission being able feel that sincere love for these people.

Anyways, I love you guys and hope everything goes awesome in the wedding!

A giant fork that Elder Miller has