31 Lessons!

Hello Family and Friends,

It's been a super awesome, busy week! UW starts today, so Laramie is super crazy right now. Sister Gardner and I worked our tails off and have been so blessed with opportunities to teach the Gospel. The average total lessons per week that I've had for my whole mission so far has been like 20, but this week we taught 31, combined with 15 hours of service. We are being blessed in this great work! It's not because of us that we had so many lessons, it's because of Heavenly Father giving us those opportunities. Sometimes I get down about not having a baptism yet (or anyone on date for a baptism either), but I have to remind myself that success is not measured by the number of baptisms, it's measured by effort. Success = giving our best.

One of many miracles this week: on Tuesday morning at the soup kitchen, there was a guy in there doing the dishes who is about 23 or so. He's there on court order for community service hours. Sister Gardner and I got to talking to him and he was asking us questions about our missions and Mormon beliefs, it was way cool! We gave him a Book of Mormon before we left, and he was like, "Really? You can just give this to me? Wow, thank you so much!" He was so grateful for it!!(: The next day I asked him if he'd gotten a chance to read it, and he said yes! He liked it and was going to keep reading. We saw the Zone Leaders later that day, Elder Farnes and Elder Sell, and we were like you have to come to the soup kitchen tomorrow and talk to him!! (Because they are in the YSA wards right now.) So they did, and he is going to start coming to FHE and hopefully church too. He even has a friend in YSA right now. He's been so prepared for this, it's awesome!

We had exchanges this week! Sister Helsing went with Sister Gardner, and Sister Burden came with me. They both came up to Laramie, so they got the car and we got the bikes! Yay! I've missed biking around here haha it's fun! I absolutely love Sister Burden. She's my ginga sista! We had so much fun(: And she really helped me a lot with things I'm going through, I'm so so grateful for her. She even left me a cute letter on my pillow, because she's the best! 

This transfer I've learned a great deal about charity, which is the pure love of Christ. I was so blessed with my MTC companion Sister Pattillo, who is the most loving, kind person ever! And I'm so grateful that we formed a friendship that will last forever. Same goes for my "mom" Sister Martin. I was only with her for a short time but I'm so grateful for her and her continued love, support, and never ending wisdom!(:  And now, I've been so blessed to have been companions with Sister Gardner! Heavenly Father has given me this opportunity to develop charity when it's hard, and I am so so grateful for that! I truly love Sister Gardner and we've become really good friends, despite challenges along the way. By sincerely praying for charity and understanding daily, the Lord has helped me with this and humbled me. I've been so worried about me me me, when this entire time I should have been worried about my companion. I'm going to love this girl with my whole heart and soul as long as we are companions, and even after that too. Because she deserves it! She's such a good missionary!

Thanks for the continued love, support, and prayers. I love you all and hope you have a great week! Read 2 Cor. 5: 6-7. I also listened to a YSA devotional by Linda K. Burton titled "Tuning Our Hearts to the Voice of the Spirit" which you should all watch or read if you get the chance!(:

Love, Sister Emilee Thomas