April 30, 2012

My Dear Family and Friends,

Today is the start of a new transfer and..... Sister White is transferring to Kingsway in the city (the furthest north Sisters' area) and Sister Atkinson (transferring from Red Deer) will be my new companion. It's pretty exciting! I'm am now officially Senior Companion. Crazy!!! No pressure eh? It kinda feels like I've graduated or something. I hope we get to go to Transfer Meeting. Since Sister Atkinson is transferring within the same zone they might just send Sister White up with Sister Westover. (Oh yeah, Sister Westover is training! I'm so excited for her. She will be amazing!) So, there is a lot of new stuff happening for Innisfail. I'm so glad I got to stay. I really love the people here. It is the best ward in the mission (pretty sure!)

We got to meet with Lindsay again this week. She is so wonderful. We also had supper with her and her nonmember husband yesterday. It was so great. She has had some pretty neat experiences in the past week. First off, last week her husband was having some problems at work and he called her to tell her his concerns. He was trying to decide what he should do and she told him, "Wait one second. I'm going to say a prayer and call you back." He's not religious so he was like "okay...." Well she prayed and got this overwhelming feeling that he should quit. She felt good about it so she called him back and told him. He too felt good and so he quit. Those who were giving him grief before begged him to stay. He's working there until he finds something else. She explained to us also that that morning she woke up and had an overwhelming feeling that she should fast. She didn't know why or what for, but she just fasted that the day would go well. Turns out she was fasting when her husband called and then she prayed for an answer. Prayer is real! She also told us that her husband agreed to go with her to get her Patriarchal Blessing and that her Mother-in-Law (against organized religion, has been anti-Mormon, but studies tons of religions) asked her a lot of questions about the church. As Lindsay explained about the Restoration, priesthood, things she's learned from us, patriarchal blessings, etc. her Mother-in-law made these comments "You mean that the Mormon church is organized just like Christ's church when He was on the earth?.... That's so neat that you guys actually have a Patriarch.... The Mormon church is the most Christ-like Church I've ever learned about.... Can I come to church with you sometime?" Crazy eh? Lindsay's already being a great missionary. It's pretty neat. Sister White and I met Lindsay exactly a transfer ago today. She has made so much progress in the last 6 weeks and I know she is definitely solid. She also mentioned that while meeting with Bishop she asked him for a blessing and when he put his hands on her head she felt the spirit run through her entire body. SO COOL!!! And, she told us that she quit her job too and has decided to go back to school for Accounting. She worked at a restaurant where she had to serve alcohol and the language wasn't always the best. She told us yesterday at church, "I quit my job. I realized that I can't feel the spirit when I serve alcohol and those around me are swearing." How cool is that?! I'm pretty sure she is a better person than I am. She is AMAZING!!!

This last week our ward had a Baptisms for the Dead Temple trip. It was pretty cool. A lot of adults/ recent converts who had never gone yet got the chance to go. Eniely (who was baptized last July), Sister Wells and her son Kyle (who were less active for years and came back to church last year), and Indya and her mom Lana. :) It was a great trip and those who got to go really enjoyed it.

Something else really neat that happened this week; Brother Pratt was released from the Bishopric and Brother O'Connell was sustained. When this happened both Sister White and I got teary-eyed. It was so cool to see how humble both men were. It was also neat to see Brother O'Connell sustained. He is a convert of 8 years! If only the missionaries who taught him could see him now. It was so neat.

Well, I don't have a ton of time today so this will sadly be a shorter email. I wanted to close with a great quote.

"When the Lord said,

'Lengthen your stride, quicken your pace, heighten your reach, widen your vision, and stretch your capacity,'

he was in reality saying,

"Expect a Miracle,"

for these are the stuff from which miracles are made."

-Elder Hartman Rector Jr.

"Following Christ to Victory"

Miracles have not ceased. Expect them and they will come. I love you all!!!

Love,

Sister Thompson

P.S. What would an email be without pictures?

Sister Thompson with the Blanchards (awesome couple, converts for 3 years).

"Our Trusted Steed" aka Mission Malibu.

Sister Thompson with Lindsay and her family.

"Look to Him and Live" Helaman 8:15 (Every missionary needs a cool sunset picture.)

April 23, 2012

Hello Family and Friends,

So this last week was filled with me being a missionary (go figure). There were a lot of random things that happened so this may be a little different of an email. First though I would like to say Happy Birthday to Derek (yesterday) I hope you had a great day! Something random, we were driving down the street and I noticed something very familiar. A BYU Jacket. It caught my attention and made me super excited. Then I realized it was the Sunday School president Brother Stonehocker. This is the second time I've noticed him on the street walking and got really excited to see the BYU Cougar. :)

The following is my previous week at a glance (obviously not everything that I did/ happened is mentioned or this would be too long of an email):

Monday, April 16, 2012

- Preparation Day. We went with Sandra Woodruff in the ward to tour a Hutterite Colony. It was really interesting to see how they live. It was "The Giver" meets "Little House on the Prairie". They live very basic yet everyone is given the specific assignment (the welder, head cook, German teacher, gardener, etc.) It was interesting to learn about them and see how they live. Everything is very clean, monochromatic, and immaculate. The men eat on one side and the women on the other. The kids all eat in a separate room. They are all fluent in both English and German and have church every night for a half hour in addition to Sundays. I asked them about their religious beliefs and the woman giving us a tour didn't really know much. She said she didn't really know how to explain it. (I thought that was pretty interesting). They gave us homemade cinnamon buns (Yum!!!) and we got to see everything there. It was definitely a neat tour.

Tuesday, April17

- Met with Tina (our investigator). Had a great lesson on the first half of the Plan of Salvation. She mentioned that is worries about her family and what will happen to them after she dies. She also said that the Jehovah's Witnesses stopped by and she told them, "I'm already meeting with the Mormon Missionaries. I can't meet with both." That was pretty funny.

-Did service at the Food Bank

-Met with the Atkins family (1/2 Less Active). This turned out to be a pretty intense lesson. Sister Atkins has stopped coming to church after being offended and feels like she doesn't have a testimony. In our lesson Sister White felt impressed to tell her that she is being a hypocrite (I couldn't think of a better way to put it) and that she needs to forgive those who she feels have wronged her, stop judging those at church as self righteous and move forward. The spirit was there (thank goodness) otherwise this would have been a pretty intense moment. Sister Atkins waited for a moment as the rest of her family sat in silence and stared at her. The first thing she said to Sister White was, "You are a brave girl." In the end she said that she felt humbled and that she'd really have to think about how she felt. She hadn't thought about her being a hypocrite and judging those who had judged her. We're praying that this will be a good step for her and that her heart will be softened. We wont be able to meet with her for a week because she is going out of town so it will be interesting to see what happens.

Wednesday, April 18

-Met with Sister Evans (less active), Lindsay Rector, Eniely (RC) and had supper at the Blanchards. We were also invited to a Volunteer Appreciation night put on by the town for all of the volunteers around town. It was pretty cool to see people that we volunteer with at the library, food bank, and rest homes.

Thursday, April 19

-District Meeting in Innisfail. (Always great to see other missionaries and receive training.)

-Service at Rosefield

-Met with Sister Gudim, the Votary's (played cribbage with them) and had supper at Brother Young's

-Relief Society Activity (made frozen casseroles)

Friday, April 20

-Weekly planning

-Met with the Stonehockers. Took pictures of us as "Nomads/ hunters and gatherers."

-Supper at the Teskey's (Part member) Brother Teskey is Catholic and the most active none member. When we told him that transfers were coming up he said that the furthest we can transfer is Bowden (part of our area.) That made us feel good. Also, he had a work social after work, but he told them he couldn't stay because the missionaries were coming over for supper. He is so great! I think in due time he will gain a testimony. It's hard though because his dad was a Catholic priest.

Saturday, April 21

- Helped out at the Stake Activity Days activity. Sister White and I were in charge of one of the rotations. Silent Interview. The girls had to tell three things about themselves without talking (kind of like charades.) Then we played "Friendship Tag" AKA "Missionary Tag." It was great fun. The girls loved us.

-Met with the Pratts. Brother Pratt had a type of cancer and is starting chemo today. We stopped by and shared a message of strength and comfort for him. We had a great visit and Sister White and I ended up crying. He has such strength and faith. I hope and pray everything will go well with treatment. They will be gone for a couple months.

Sunday, April 22

-This was the nicest day (weather wise) of the year so far. + 23 C! So warm. I loved it!

- Sister Tara Wells spoke for the first time in sacrament meeting. She has been less active most her life until about a year ago. It was amazing!!!! Her whole family came (three less active kids and non-member husband). She talked about the need of a living prophet and it was so good. She did so well.

-Had to teach Gospel Principles last minute (the teacher had an emergency and had to leave). So, on the spot (and by the Spirit) we taught about the Creation. It went really well. Gotta love the Holy Ghost. We also taught the Kinders, Beckers, Darby's, and had supper at the Ellis'.

Overall, it was a great week. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve. I'm grateful for the lives I get to be a part of the lives I get to touch. I'm grateful for the instrument I get to be in the hands of God.

In 1 Peter 3:15 it says;

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear."

Ask yourself, are you able to tell those around you why you have hope? If not, study the gospel and sanctify the Lord God in your hearts.

I love you all!

Love, Sister Thompson

April 16, 2012

My Dearest family and friends,

Sister White and I got a big dose of "Companion Unity" this last weekend. As companions we share almost everything... including the flu. That's right, both of us got the 24 hour flu. :( First, Saturday evening Sister White had a stomach ache. She ended up throwing up in the middle of the night. We both wanted to take the sacrament at church the next day so we went just for the sacrament and then left so we wouldn't get anyone sick. I ran around to all the people we needed to talk to right before sacrament meeting started and got all that taken care of. While Sister White slept for 5 hours I studied, a lot! I caught up in my journal and watched "The Mountain of the Lord." Excellent movie. I'd recommend it to everyone. Then, as the day went on I started feeling sick. Around 8pm I threw up as well and Sister White was feeling better. Gotta love companion unity eh? Sadly in my sick condition (through throwing up) I ended up hurting my eyes. I now have a half rash/ you can see the blood vessels very prominently on my eyelids and around my eyes. Not cool. I'm feeling good today, but had to go without eye makeup so I don't irritate them more. Good thing I can wear glasses to kind of cover it up.

Well, now on a more uplifting note. This week went pretty well. Nothing super exciting or big sticks out so this is probably going to be a short, random email. Remember how I mentioned that spring was coming and probably here to stay? Well, I spoke too soon. We got a ton of snow on Thursday. :( Welcome to Canada hey? It got pretty cold too. -11 C. No fun. Nylons/ tights came back into my life. Thanks for your responses to my picture question :) (What was wrong with the Easter picture?) Elise was the winner! Way to go Elise! Expect your prize in the mail this upcoming week. :) For those of you who have to snail mail me your guess, you still have time. :) Uncle David got it right as well. Thanks for the Email. Expect your prize in the mail too. :) I also got my easter package. Thank you so much! All the pictures were fantastic. Loved it. I haven't had candy since the beginning of February so I was excited to eat some on Easter. Turns out candy isn't as good as I remember it being. I only had a few pieces before it started to make me feel sick. Guess, I'm over my candy addiction :)

We met with Lindsay Rector again this week (less active that is coming back to church). Through the ward we got her, her own set of scriptures and we gave them to her at our last visit. She held back the tears as she opened them. "I've never had my very own pair of scriptures before. Thank you so much." It was such a neat experience. I have loved getting to know her and seeing her testimony grow. She is so great!.

We also met with Donna Glenn again this week. She hasn't been to church in 60 years but does her visiting teaching. (She is in her early 80s) Her husband isn't a member and doesn't want home or visiting teachers coming. We stopped by her house back in January and met with her and her husband. They actually let us in. Now we've met with her once a month and each time we do she continues to open up to us. She has become a good friend of Sister White and I's. She told us that her husband just goes for a drive every time we're over and last time he hadn't left yet just as we were getting there. She told him (jokingly) "You can stay if you want. Maybe they'll convert ya." Ha ha ha he left in a hurry. He's getting older and is starting to get forgetful. She's a little worried about him. He's nice to us each time we see him though.

There's a couple in the ward, the Blanchards, that have been members for about 3 years. They have a pretty cool conversion story. They were kind of meeting with the missionaries off and on, but not really keeping commitments. Sister Blanchard was praying about the church and asked for a sign. They were having an alarm system installed and the girl that came to finish some paperwork noticed the Book of Mormon on their coffee table, she asked, "Are you Mormon?" They quickly replied no and she began to cry. She explained to the Blanchards that she grew up in the church, but made some bad choices and hasn't been to church in a while. She knows the church is true and wants to go back. They talked for a moment and after she left they brushed it off and figured it was just a coincidence. Well, about a half hour later the person scheduled to finish the installation came. He noticed the pamphlets and other church materials on their end table and asked, "Are you Mormon?" Again they explained that they weren't. He then told them that he was a returned missionary and grew up in the church. He was working on someone's house 30 miles away and got the call to come to their house because the regular installer in their area wasn't able to make it. He talked with them, shared his testimony, and told them that they should really listen to the missionaries. They were baptized shortly after. A year to the week after their baptism they went through the temple and were sealed. It was really cool to talk with them. They are a really neat couple. They go to Mexico 6 months out to the year so they just got back. Really neat people. We had a wonderful visit with them.

Random insert: over this last week I heard the United States National Athem coming from a TV upstairs. It made me super patriotic!

Well, I wanted to close with a quote.

"Men and Women who turn their lives over to God will discover thatt He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up their friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life."

-President Ezra Taft Benson

I encourage each of you to turn your lives over to God. Don't deny yourself the blessings he wants to give. Give your Mind and Heart along with your Might and Strength. Too often (missionaries included) we follow the commandments, are obedient, and give of our time and strength out of duty. Ask yourself "Are you giving your heart and mind? Or are you just doing it grudgingly?" Continue to strengthen your testimony. Learn the why of the Gospel.

I love you all so much!!! Make this week the best you can.

Love Forever,

Sister Thompson

April 9, 2012

Dearest people I esteem, (I wanted to use a word other than love this time.)

I have hit a milestone in my mission... For the first time in 6 months it is warm enough to go with out nylons or tights! (with the new dresscode for sisters we aren't required to wear nylons everyday.) Wahoo!!!! Granted it's still a little chilly, but I just can't wait until June. It looks like spring is finally coming to stay. :) Also, you know you've been a missionary for 6 months when your companion tells you that you testified in your sleep. That's right, earlier this week Sister White woke up at 1:15am to me testifying about Our Savior and His Resurrection loudly in my sleep. She said that I was super emotional and crying as I testified, but that I bore a very strong testimony though. It's funny, because when I woke up I remember dreaming about testifying, guess I said it out loud. Pretty funny. We got a pretty good laugh about it.

The beginning of the week we had exchanges with the Kingsway sisters. I got to go with Sister Randall to serve in the North Edmonton Zone YSA. It was definitely different from the little town of Innisfail. I almost forgot how busy Edmonton is. Tons of people and cars and really nice neighborhoods. We had a good time. We taught a few people in their ward and it was fun to learn from Sister Randall. She is a great missionary. Her companion, Sister West, worked with Sister White. Sister West was in the MTC with me. It was funny because when we met up again at the half-way point (Ma-Me-O Beach exit) four other sisters were exchanging back right then too. So we of course took some pictures. It was super windy though. I love each time I get to see other missionaries. It's like saying hello again to friends you haven't seen in a while. We also got our mail on the way through Red Deer from the Zone Leaders and when I was up in Edmonton we stopped at the office. Thanks Dad for your letters!!! I also got a letter from Sister Fifield. She is doing amazing and it's great each time I get to hear from her. As for everyone else... refer to my previous email and/ or Elder David F. Evans talk in conference for instructions on what you should do. ;) ha ha

This week Sister White and I had a couple monumental lessons. First on Friday we taught a new investigator named Tina. She lives in Bowden and we tracted into her. She invited us back because she was curious why we would leave our families for 18 months to teach people. She wanted to hear what we had to say. Turns out her mother is a member too. She was baptized 7 years ago and when she told her mom that we stopped by her mom told her to listen to what we had to say. She is a really nice lady. Doesn't say a whole lot, but listens intently. She hasn't gone to church since she was 12 years old and stopped going after her Grandmother died. She feels like when we die, that's it. That gave me a great oppotunity to testify about life after death. She is interested in learning more. The lesson went really well and I'm excited to teach her again. She's not available until the 17th so we'll be teaching her then. Our other monumental lesson this week was with Sister Bateman in our ward. She is a less active sister, 89 years old. She was baptized about 4 or 5 years ago. She is originally Anglican and everytime a member or missionary visits with her she gets very questioning and contentious. We've taught her 4 lessons now and she had yet to ask any contentious questions of us... until this last time. Our previous lessons were just on Service or Hymns and with Easter we decided to just share a message about the Savior. The lesson itself went well and then she said, "That's what other churches believe too, so why do you think you're the only right church?" Kind of a loaded question hey? Sister White and I both testified. We talked with her for quite sometime and every question she asked we had a scripture to back up our testimony. I could definitely feel the spirit testifying through me and I was able to share a very strong testimony about how having the gospel of Jesus Christ has blessed my life. Although she still has her concerns, she began to soften and say, "I'll have to think about that more." It felt good to testify of what I know to be true.

Easter was wonderful. I love being a missionary during the different holidays. They aren't commercialized as a missionary so you really get to focus on the true meaning of why we celebrate. Sacrament meeting was wonderful with som great talks focussed on the Savior. In Gospel Principles we learned about the Savior and how He is our chosen Leader and Redeemer. At the end of church, Sister White was asked to play the piano for primary so we got to be in there with the kids. It's been years since I've been in primary, so that was an adventure. We visited a lot of the shut ins in our ward before and after our supper appointment. Supper was at the Heninger's house. Brother and Sister Heninger have 4 boys, 2, 4, 8, and 10. (They are pretty roudy boys but a lot of fun.) Brother and Sister Heninger both served missions. They invited a non-member to Easter Supper. Her name is Roslin. She and her son Mason were Jehovah's Witnesses, but left her church and her family has disowned her. We had an enjoyable time talking with her. For our lesson we talked about Christ. Sister White had this cool object lesson that represents the empty tomb. We took a marshmallow, butter, cinnamon/sugar, and crescent rolls to teach about the resurrection. The marshmallow represented the pure, sinless body of Christ. For burial they wrapped our Savior in oils and spices (butter and cinnamon/sugar) and then wrapped Him in linen (crescent roll) and put him in the tomb (oven). We had the boys help us do that and then we watched the last part of Finding Faith in Christ while they baked (3 days past). When we took them out of the tomb the linen was hallow and empty. He is Risen! The boys loved it! It was a great object lesson. (Not to mention that it tasted great!)

Overall, I'm so grateful for what My Savior has done for me. Because He lived again, each of us will live again. What a special gift that is and what comfort that brings to know that when we die we shall live again. I know this to be true and this knowledge brings me hope.

I wanted to close with a quote by our dear prophet, President Thomas S. Monson:

"Happiness comes from living the way the Lord wants you to live. "

Live the Gospel! Love the Gospel! And Remember, I love every single person reading this!!!

Love Forever,

Sister Thompson

P.S. I included some pictures for your enjoyment.

Sister Thompson and Sister Randall. Bet you can't tell that it was SUPER windy. My Scarf looks kinda silly ;)

Sister Atkins in our ward with Sister White and Thompson at her Surprise 50th Birthday Party! :) We've been teaching her and her family. They are great!!!

Sis Votary in the ward. We were playing around with her sunglasses. She is blind and we play crib with her and her husband every week. She is amazing. One of my favorite people.

 Happy Easter! We got this Easter basket for Sister Stanford (who we live with).

April 2, 2012

My Dearest Loved Ones,

I hope you're comfortable and sitting down, because this is going to be a long email. :) Conference was amazing!!!!

I should probably start by mentioning the non-conference things first so I don't run out of time. First off, Happy Birthday Julie!!! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Sister White and I were finally able to meet with a referral, Dennis. We met with him inbetween sessions on Sunday. He is really great. He is a family guy, has 3 daughters and goes to a community church here in town. Turns out he is on the board of his church. (No pressure hey?) We had a really good visit. During the opening prayer (I offered it) he would say out loud things like, "Yes Lord" or "Thank you Jesus" At first it caught me off guard. I've never had anyone do that before. In talking with him he mentioned, "The Bible talks a lot about those in the East. I've always wondered where in the Bible it mentions those in the West." That was our in.:) We explained how the Book of Mormon is another Testament of Jesus Christ and takes place in the West. He thought was prettty cool, but said he belives the Bible to be the only word of God. We testified and talked about the Restoration. When we recited the First Vision he said that he believes that. It was really nice to talk with him. We testified that he can know for himself that what we taught is true through the Holy Ghost. He seemed a little concerned by that idea and said, "I don't know if I want the Holy Ghost to come to me. I've seen the power the Holy Ghost has. He makes you forget and lose all strength and drop as if you are dead. We had a coupld people in our church have the Holy Ghost strike them in front of everyone and they hit the ground and forgot all their worries." Well, I've never had someone say that to me before. We talked about who the Holy Ghost was and referred him to Galations 5:22-23. Hopefully that can set him straight a little. We told him to pay attention to how he feels as he reads the Book of Mormon. We asked him to give the closing prayer and he said he would and then he extended his hands to us. So, we all held hands as he prayed. It was good. By the time we finished teaching him it was 10 minutes after 2pm. We hurried to the church and got there just in time for the first talk, Elder Perry. It was amazing. I guess now I'll go into conference insights. (I don't have time to share everything I learned so I'll just pick out some).

Saturday, 10am

President Thomas S. Monson: I loved that he recited "The Standard of Truth." I also loved the fact that I had it memorized and could recite it with him.

Elder Donald L. Hallstrom: It's so true that we can be active in the church and less active in the gospel. 'Are you sufficiently converted to the Gospel?' What a wonderful question each of us should ask ourselves. I have decided to study Diety this week.

Elder Paul E. Koelliker: He answered the question I had of what should I do after my mission, 'Your missionary experience can be a template to continue to do through out your life.' I'm excited to implement those things I've learned as a missionary into my daily life.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks: Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of Heaven. How true that statement is. I loved that he talked about how once we know what the Savior has done for us we are more willing to sacrifice for him. This is so true in my case. I didn't always think going to go on a mission. In fact for a while I was just hoping to get married. However, after my mother passed away I had a desire to share the knowledge I have with others so that they can be comforted. I loved the story he shared about the convert that was asked how he was going to get through the trials that were to come from joining the church, 'It's true isn't it?... Then what else matters.' That is true consecration. I hope to become more like him.

President Henry B. Eyring: This talk was all too familiar to me. My immediate family can attest to what happens when you pray for a trial. In the Fall of 2010 I felt like my life was on a plateau. I was progressing a lot spiritually, but I didn't have really any trials I was facing at the time either. I too did as President Eyring did and I prayed for an experience that would make me grow. At the end of December 2010 my mother passed away suddenly. Like President Eyring, that was the hardest trial I have ever had. It still is. There was a lot of comfort that came when he said, 'Great blessing come from our adversity.' Because of the loss of my mother I was given the desire to share my testimony with anyone that would listen. It was that experience that made me decide to serve a mission and I have had more spiritual growth in the past 6 months than in the past 21 years. I am so grateful that my Heavenly Father allows me to be polished. What strength it brings to know that through the heat and fire I will come forth as gold. (Job 23:10 )

Saturday, 2pm

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: Others blessings don't diminish what we get. We should compare. (Sometimes this is hard to remember when you don't have progressing investigators or 10 baptisms.)

Elder Richard G. Scott: Those beyond the veil are closer than we think. To recieve revelation we can't yield to our emotions. Record your impressions. Continually live righteously and you will always be prompted to know what to do.

Sunday, 10am

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf: Stop it!!! Stop judging others. Stop ignoring, comparing, getting irritated etc. Stop it! (Loved!!!! So true!!!) I loved the bumper sticker he mentioned, "Don't judge me because I sin differently than you." Forgive others. I think we forget this often.

President Thomas S. Monson: 'The race isn't to the swift or the strong, but to those who endure to the end.' Sister White and I have taught a lot about Enduring to the End recently. Ultimately enduring is to 'remain true to the commandments despite trials, temptation and adversity.' Preach My Gospel

Sunday, 2pm

Elder L. Tom Perry: 'The need for both the Bible and the Book of Mormon does not diminish the value of either of them.' I loved the connection he made with King Benjamin commanding the people to face their doors to the temple and Abraham who did and Lot who didn't

Elder David F. Evans: 'Missionaries need TANGIBLE letters.' I Loved that comment. So true!!! We need tangible letters. To my immediate family that emails me each week thank you! To dad, who does both each week, you are awesome!!!!! Thank you! (It's been about a month since I've gotten mail so I won't rebuke anyone -since you could have sent something, but I just might not have recieved it yet. To those who haven't written yet, or in a long time... you know who you are. :) I also loved that he talked about how missionary work can be natural and normal. To those within the sight of this email- please take the opportunity to share the gospel. It can be normal, but you have to look for the opportunity and don't let it pass by. SHARE THE GOSPEL!!!

Elder Neil L. Andersen: 'What thinks Christ of me?' This is such a great question that we should always ask ourselves. Am I being the disciple of Christ that I have the potential to be? Am I representing him well? What have I done with His name?

Overall, this conference was so fulfilling. I got so much out of each talk. I wish I had more time to write what I learned, but I can say this. I know that we have a Prophet on the earth. I know that as we apply what we learned from conference we can be blessed. I love you all!

Love Always,

Sister Thompson

"Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of Him to declare His word among His people, that they might have everlasting life." 3 Nephi 5:13