December 30, 2013

No letter last week, just our Skype call on Christmas day. (Which was awesome!)

Hey Thorne Fam!

Holy Moly! This week was so awesome and I learned so much! I had a really cool personal realization that is really helping me learn patience. So I am feeling very ready for whatever may come with this week (particularly transfer calls this Saturday) and I am super excited for this week! We also don't have much time to email as we have 4 appointments today so this will be fast.

As for investigators: we have 4 progressing, Jenny & Adam and Tiffany & Kimberly.

Jenny and Adam are so awesome! We had a great lesson with them last night on Judgement, Resurrection and the Kingdoms of Glory. We gave them some studying materials for next time and some more to ponder about. They really enjoyed it and said that they will come to church this next week!

Tiffany and Kimberly we had our first lesson with on Saturday. We taught the restoration and it was so powerful! We invited them to be baptized when they come to know that this is true and they said yes. So no date, but progress! And then they came to church yesterday! And they really enjoyed it! Tiffany's two older sisters happen to be LA members back at home so she already had a bit of a background and understanding. So cool!

Sandy (for everyone who doesn't know) did not get baptized. He ended up relapsing the Wednesday before his baptism and has since relapsed again. It was really heartbreaking for all involved but I know that everything definitley happens for a reason, especially when we don't understand it. We have decided to hand him off to the the Pioneer Sisters since he lives in their area in Lexington more time than he does here in Morehead. I really feel good about this move no matter how hard it is for me personally. This is for Sandy.

Yoyo is still doing good. She should be back in town either late this week or earlier the next.

As for your email:

1) Yes, those were my black tights. Thank you so much! I am very toasty warm! The watch is gorgeous! And fits perfectly. :) I'll send a pic of my gifts and explain them all shortly.

2) Elder Johnson?... I think I have heard the name but haven't met him. I may be getting transferred so if so, I'll see him at transfer meeting! I will keep an eye out for him.

3) Brit: Keep at that chin! Haha you're now just like Britnay the chippette! :D I'm proud of ya. :) LOVES! I miss your gorgeous face sisser!

4) Mandy: Whoa! There goes my talented chica! You sounded so very beautiful on the violin and Erin and Sister LeFevre even commented on it from the next room over! You are so amazing!

5) Caleb: Yes, you are now awesome enough that you have your own bullet point. :) Haha I've pretty much officially accepted you into our family. I just wanted to take a second and really truly thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking care of my little sister. She is an amazing princess and deserves someone that truly treats her as such. I have been so impressed with you and and very grateful that she has had you as her protector while I've had to be gone. Thanks Caleb. So much. :)

6) Josh and Brandon: Looks like you had an awesome Christmas morning! Brandon you are growing up so quick! I almost didn't recognize you in the pictures! Josh, do you know when you might get your braces off? Love you so much dudie! Stay good! :D

7) If I don't get an email or something from Andrew and/or Trent now that Andrew is home, just let them know that they will receive a pretty good glare when I get home. Just so they know.

8) Flower: GO BRO!!!! AAAAHHH!!! I can't believe you are leaving! I am so proud of you for making these life changes! You are so incredible and I admire you a lot. Never forget your big sis who is praying for you every day. Love you!!!

9) That sounds like some really good goals for this year mom! I will have to think on my own for this week and get back to you on them next Monday. :)

As for my thought from this week: as I said above, I have been studying patience. The main example I really looked at comes from Mosiah 24. I would invite everyone to really study this chapter and the chapters before because as you understand the context, this story becomes so much more. This is the story of the people of Alma the Older when they were captives of the Lamanites, particularly of Amulon who used to be one of them. Amulon is putting some really awful torments on this people and is even threatening to kill them if they pray. So they beg in their hearts for deliverance and instead of deliverance, the Lord strengthens their back as the loads are placed upon them. All of these people of Alma are recent converts, their testimonies hadn't really been tested yet so the Lord allowed the enslavement to continue so that they could test their faith and patience. But as they remain strong and their faith, hope and patience are cemented, they are finally delivered from their enemies. As I was reading this I thought, "Sometimes the Lord calms the storm and sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms the child." There truly is a reason for everything. If we will just pray for strength (not necessarily deliverance) and continue in faith an patience, we will be able to be of good cheer and comfort and we will eventually be delivered. That's a promise. I would invite everyone to study the attribute of faith and discover how you personally can gain a greater testimony of it. I know that it has truly changed my own perspective.

I love you all eternally! 

Sister Thorne

 Sister LeFevre and I. We did an awesome scarf exchange and this was our scarves!

 Sister LeFevre and I reading Luke 2 on Christmas Eve. It's tradition. :) If you notice, my shirt says 'I Love Math' in math symbols. I got it out here. It's pretty much fantastic!

 Our beautiful Christmas tree!

I am so blessed to have so many people who care about me. Thank you all for your support. :) 

On exchange with Sister Roberts! I love this girl! So... one of our appointments fell through on our exchange and we had nothing to do. So naturally we decided to go up on to campus and preach the Restoration standing on top of this block at the bell tower. There was some yelling and fist pumping involved... we were trying to be like the great missionary, Dan Jones. It's called "Danjonessin it". Luckily, none of the campus kids were actually there. :P We were up there for a good 40 min!

December 16, 2013

Hey Thorne Fam!

OH MY GOODNESS!!! What an amazing week we've had here in Morehead! We've been able to witness so many miracles!!! And there will be so many more coming up this next week! Climaxing in Sandy's baptism!!!! Woot! I am so excited!!!

As for me: I am doing absolutely fantastic! I've had a couple homesick moments when flashbacks of last Christmas hit me, but they actually haven't been that bad which is a miracle in and of itself. I thought that it would be a really hard time of year, but we've stayed really busy and seen so many miracles and have so many people who care about and love us here, I don't really have time to think about that. It's been so nice to just stay focused 110% on the true meaning of Christmas.

As for investigators, we have 4 progressing: Sandy, Yoyo, Jenny and Adam.

Sandy is all set for his baptism this next Sunday! We've got the program all written out, it just has to be approved. We've fitted him in a jumpsuit, talked over times, reviewed the bap questions and have his bap interview set up for this Saturday! It's so crazy! I feel like the time has just flown with him and I have been blessed to be able to witness such an incredible change in him. We're so excited!!!

Yoyo we just met this week and she has a bap date! It's January 26th, she came to the Ward Christmas Part, to church and she's already telling everyone about her baptism! She's amazing!!! She has been so prepared for the gospel. She's from Hong Kong and when we taught her the restoration and felt the spirit so powerfully, and explained to her that the feeling she was having was the spirit of God talking to her, she got so excited. She was like, "God is talking to me right now?!" haha She is leaving with a roommate for Christmas break but will be back the first or second week of January. So yay!

Lastly is Jenny and Adam. They are an adorable new couple we are working with. We've been working with Jenny for a while but just started working with her boyfriend Adam. They both have so many questions! We've taught them most of the Restoration and a bit of the Plan of Salvation. They have accepted all we have said and are most likely coming to church this Sunday! No bap date yet, but I have a feeling it will be soon. Our meeting with them last night ended with Adam saying, "I know you need to go, but I have one more questions for y'all to think on before next time. It's another one that no other church has been able to explain to me. What about those people who live in remote parts of the world and die before they have a chance to hear about Jesus Christ? What happens to them?" We were just like AH! We have that answer! So we gave them the PoS pamphlet to read before next time. Yay!

As for your email:

1) I did get your Christmas package. Just this morning actually! Oh my hot chocolate! AND MINI MARSHMALLOWS!!!!! I totally squealed! THANKS FOR THE MP3!!! We immediately started listening to Forgotten Carols. I have been craving that CD for the past 3 days! I'm so glad you listened to the spirit and put it on there! Thank you!!! :D :D :D I also received an adorable package from Keilee with a homemade Merida pillow case! How cute is that?! Then I got Grandma Kathy's package today as well and as per instructions, I'm not opening any of it until Christmas today. Though it's torture. :P And Sister LeFevre says thanks for her present too! That is so sweet! And we both have our own wrapping paper. :D Then I got Christmas cards from Grandma Kathy and Ann Anderton. Sister Anderton also sent both Sister LeFevre and I Subway gift cards. Please thank her for me! I am so blessed to have so many people who care about me. Thank you all for your support. :)

2) You found my tights?! Yes! I haven't been able to find any that are that warm or knit out here. I would love to have them!

3) I'm so glad the concert was amazing! I knew it would be though. And one of our investigators actually turned on the TV and the concert with Alfie Boe just happened to be on and she watched and just loved it! It was really cool to get to talk to her about that wonderful memory. :)

4) Congrats Mandy on your violin recital! Congrats Brit on your 4.0 AND YOUR MISSION PAPERS!!!!! AHHHHH!!! Sorry, just a small freak out. :P Congrats Josh and Brandon on being my best brothers ever! Love you all!

5) I believe that is Joey from Mads! So cool! And it's so weird to think that Ryan is home. It's already been 2 whole years. Time has flown by and I have been blessed with the opportunity to grow so much. I am so grateful to the Lord for who I am today and for the trials He has given me to get me here. God bless the broken road eh? :)

As for my thought: I've finally come up with my motto for this transfer! I took me a lot longer than usual. :P But this transfer my motto is "Give Him my all. 100%." I've been thinking about this a lot. The Lord has blessed me with so very much. An eternal family, the restored gospel, parents that aren't divorced, siblings I get a long with, friends I love dearly. He's given me everything! And all He has asked of me is that I dedicate this year and a half to Him. I have 9 months left and I am going to give Him everything I've got. I don't want to hold anything back. I want to be who He wants me to be. I want to lose myself in His work. I know that not everyone can give themselves to this full extent but we can look at our lives and determine what is holding us back from our Lord. What is our pavilion hiding us from Him? What are we holding back? What can we drop at His feet? These are all questions I would like you to think about this coming week and make a goal. Make a goal to dedicate more of yourself to the One who gave you everything. Then act on it. For faith without action is nothing. I know that when we dedicate our lives to him and entrust everything to His care, that we can learn to love more, have more missionary experiences and feel His blessings more in our lives.

I love you all so much! Have a wonderful week and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! :D

Love eternally,

Sister Thorne

 Being a sister missionary is so fun. It basically gives you permission to act extra weird. I love us!

 All bundled up because we were contacting in freezing cold weather. But we saw this cute window and just had to take pictures. Luckily, I did get my circulation back after about 15-20 min over our candle.

 Sister Thorne, Yoyo, Sister LeFevre, Yoyo's friend (Heather)

Sister LeFevre and I asking Santa Claus for a white Christmas. And of course, his helper elf had to join. :)

December 9, 2013

Hey Thorne Fam!

Man, this week was a doozy! I feel like we did so much and worked so hard and had some good plans but nothing seemed to pan out. :/ But we will work harder next week and I know that we will see more success.

As for me: I am doing so well! We had an interesting day yesterday. We were completely iced in. It was my first big freezing rain storm! Our car was completely coated in ice and I actually got to see ice shards falling from the sky. Not snow, or hail, it's called "ice pellets", little frozen shards of rain. It was so crazy!!! So we took the day to do some more studies, and get a lot of little projects done that I just haven't had the time for and had been really piling up. So I feel so much lighter now and like I can focus so much more because I didn't realize how much I was stressing about all those little projects until they were done! Sigh... :) Such a good feeling.

As for investigators: we only have one progressing: Sandy.

Sandy is living in Lexington now during the week and in Morehead on the weekend so he did attend Stake Conference with Sister Gibbs. From what we hear he really enjoyed it. We don't really know if we are still set on his bap date. Sister Gibbs said she is not sure if he's started on tobacco again and we haven't been able to get a hold of him to check on that.... So I guess we will see next week!

Danielle canceled our appointment again. Apparently she was up all night the night before throwing up so she couldn't meet with us. Which means we didn't get the WoW taught which means she can't get baptized December 29th... So we are meeting with her this week and we will assess and move forward. Day by day.

As for everyone else, Tung we haven't met with. Jeannie came to the adult session of stake conference when Brother Curry spoke but she seemed really critical and not open at all... We are going to try to have one more lesson with her and then see.

As for your email:

1) Thanks Daddy for the hump day package!!! It was so sweet and we both really enjoyed it. :D

2) So I need to resolve something, Sister Saunders isn't training Sister Austin. I got confused. But Sister Austin was Sister LeFevre's comp in the MTC. So that's where the relation is. But I don't know where Sister Austin is at now.

3) We didn't get to go to the Broadcast last night because we didn't leave our apartment all day! :P We didn't even go to Stake Conference because the roads were too scary. But I will have to try to find time to watch it some time. :) Sounds incredible. :)

4) Brit: I'll talk to you more in your email. Love you!

5) Mandy: Sounds like you're having a blast with the Ovation girls! Enjoy it! It goes by fast. :)

6) Josh: Congrats on your calling! How fun! I bet you're doing an amazing job. :)

7) Brandon: Hey dude! I love and miss you so much! I hope that you're having an awesome Christmas!

As for my spiritual thought: I've been thinking a lot this week on Enduring to the End. EttE. It's crazy to think that I have been out here for 9 months and how much I have grown and seen in that time. Sometimes it feels like it's been eternity and sometimes it feels like it's all gone by in the blink of an eye. But I think of Elder Dube's talk at conference on Looking Forward. Yes, I have accomplished a lot. Yes, we may have come so far. But there is still so much our Father still wants to do with us. So much growing left to be a part of. One of my fav scriptures on EttE is 2 Nephi 31:20. "Wherefore ye must press forward with a steadfastness... of hope. If ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end... Ye shall have eternal life." I know that though we have each accomplished much in our lifetimes, as long as there is another day, there is more to learn. I know that as we truly devote our entire selves to God, that we will be truly happy enduring to the end. I would invite each of you to continue to press forward in righteousness, feasting up on the word of Christ and enduring to the end so that each of us may be able to partake of eternal life.

I love you all so much! Shorter email this week, not much to report on. But there will be more next week!

Love eternally, Sister Thorne

 Our next big adventure. We got stuck. Like seriously very stuck in the mud. A nice neighbor finally stopped and towed us out. It was like a foot and a half deep! That takes some talent right?....

 Playing in the snow. It was also raining. Rain while there's snow on the ground. Kentucky weather is so weird... But so much fun!!!

 This was us being iced in and deciding that obviously we needed to make a snowman. So this is Iron Snowman because he looks like Iron Man with his pepsi bottle button. Can't say we aren't creative!

 So after we made Iron Snowman, we obviously had to have a snowball fight... Obviously. So we both got soaking wet and FREEZING cold. But well worth it. :)

December 2, 2013

Hey Thorne Fam!

Wow this has been a crazy week! It seemed to last forever and went incredibly fast all at the same time! I guess it's true that days are weeks and weeks are days on your mission. But of course, we ended with a bang and KAT GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!! Woot! More on that later. :D

As for me: I am doing wonderfully. I love Sister LeFevre so much! She's 23, from San Antonio, Texas, but spend the last few months in St. George, she graduated from UVU with an undergrad in Communications, she wants to go into law, she's half Philippino, a convert of 5 years, very in tune with the spirit and already my sister. She is so intelligent I learn something new from her every day! This has been a huge decision for her to come on a mission and I am so proud that she did because I love her!

As for investigators: we really only have 2 truly progressing at this point. Sandy and Danielle.

First, KAT GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!! It was such a beautiful service and she was shining so brightly. Her parents came and they seemed really nice. She was baptized on Saturday and then confirmed on Sunday both by Aric. They are so cute together. Oh! And they got engaged this past weekend too! Quite the big weekend for Kat. :)

Sandy quit tobacco last night! So far so strong. That is his last thing keeping him from being baptized! We continue to review the lessons with him and help him gain his own powerful personal testimony and this next week or two are going to be the most trying. But he can do it.

Danielle had to cancel our meeting... :( but she is still reading and very interested. We'll be seeing her again in the next couple days.

Tung is not progressing and we may be dropping him. We are going to pray about it. Sister LeFevre invited him to be baptized but he just won't commit. We'll see.

Jeannie we haven't met with but she is coming to the adult session of stake conference this Saturday so we are hopeful for that.

As for your email:

1) Whoa whoa whoa... I did not even recognize Ben, Amber and Nat in those pictures. Ben and Amber are growing up so quickly! Amber sue is so beautiful! And Ben is so handsome! Crazy!

2) You know Sister Austin?!?! She's my granddaughter! Sister Saunders is training her!!! I actually got a picture with her at transfer meeting and talked with her because she's part of my posterity! SO COOL!!!! Next time I see her, I will definitely tell her about the connection.

3) As for the books, The Book Thief is gone? Sad day... :( But I do know you didn't buy Specials because you didn't like how dark it got.

4) Sounds like Thanksgiving was a blast and what a fun sleepover! I'm glad you all had so much fun. :) Thanksgiving on this end was so much fun too! You need to YouTube "Kentucky Country" The Ratcliff family (whom we ate with) had a Vegas act and actually traveled all over the world with it! They are all fiddlers. Buddy, the Dad of them all, was the first one who learned how to make violins and he taught everyone else. All the kids, grandkids and some of the great grandkids know how to play. Ratcliff violins are also known worldwide as incredible and beautiful violins. I totally thought of Mandy all day. It was so much fun to get to know them all! You'll have to tell me about the video.

5) It sounds like all you kids had a fun, adventure filled weekend! I hope that all of these stories (Mandy with her blessing, Josh with his hand, Mandy making Call Back and Britney with Caleb) all got written down in your journals! haha Love you all SO much!

6) Mom, I promise that I will cherish this season. It already means so much to me. I realize that I will never ever get to have a Christmas like this one ever again and I want to make sure that I don't miss anything. Thanks Mum. Love you! :)

7) Daddy, don't want you to feel left out so LOVE YOU TOO!!!!

My spiritual thought is short this week: 1 Nephi 11:25 talks about the significance of the Iron Rod and the Tree of Life. My invitation for you all this week is to set a goal for this coming year to read your scriptures more each day. The Stake President here challenged everyone to read 5 minutes or 2 pages or 4 columns each day. When you think about it, that's not much. But I know that it will truly bless your life and as you hold tight to the "Word of God" you will come to a true knowledge of the "Love of God". Love you all so much!

Love eternally,

Sister Thorne

 My new comp! Sister (Clara) LeFevre

 All of my living posterity! That's Sister Black, Sister Saunders, Me, Sister Sperry and Sister LeFevre. Such a happy family!

Kat's baptism!!!!!

November 25, 2013

Hey Thorne Fam!

So today's email is going to be super fast seeing as we have so much to do today! Sister Sperry still needs to pack, we need to clean, I need to get organized and we need to do some shopping. Phew. So here goes. 

I am doing fantastic out here in Morehead! Transfer calls came and I am training again and still staying here in Morehead. That means I will get to spend Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years here and more likely than not, I will also be here for my birthday!!!! I am also SO excited to train again! This will be my 6th trainee. Phew. I think I'm getting too old for this. :P And then Sister Sperry is being transferred to Edmonton, KY aka Metcalfe County, aka the most Southern area of the mission. Population: 1500. She's gonna meet some hicks and she's hoping she'll get a shotgun pulled on her. :P Oh man how I love her. :) She is also going to be companions with Sister Black!!! My oldest living child! Do you remember her? She was just after Sister Junk. I am so excited that they will get to be together! It's going to be a good transfer. :) 

As for investigators: Kat, Tung, Sandy and Danielle are progressing.

Kat is getting baptized this Saturday and I get to go!!!! Yay!!!!

Tung came to church yesterday for the first time in several months. He fell asleep.... but we're working on that. We talked over a bap date for him and taught him the LoC and WoW and he said that he has to pray about those because after he decides to live them, he won't ever go back. So he's praying about that this week.

Sandy also came to church! He is still reading and going good but he says that he wants to move out of his parents place and back to Lexington and then come and visit Morehead once a week. We are kind of worried about his continued sobriety with that decision so we will see.

Danielle wasn't able to come to church but she should be there next week. We weren't able to meet with her but we were able to drop by. We are meeting with her tonight. Turns out she's related to some members here in Morehead so perfect fellowship!

As for others, Nancy canceled. She may be dropped this coming week. Jeannie still didn't come to church. We're meeting with her tonight. Ranger we haven't heard from. He may have moved. Bill we finally dropped. We had an... interesting lesson with him Monday and dropped him Saturday. Someday though. 

As for your email:

1) the basement looks gorgeous!!!! Oh my goodness! It is totally your dream basement isn't it Mom? And the bookshelf took my breath away. Sigh... love it! And Grandpa is going to do a mural of Marsh? On what wall? That will be SO pretty! I'm so glad you're getting it done. :)

2) Josh: I am so proud of you! What an example of keeping your baptismal covenants and righteously holding the priesthood. That's my stud muffin! :D

3) Sounds like Thanksgiving is going to be a blast! Take lots of pics for me! We should be having a ton of fun here too. We will be spending the morning at Bishop Green's, then we will eat at the Ratcliff's, then we will stop by for pie at the McCurdy's and then end the night with some more awesome food with the Smedley's and Wallace's. It should be a blast! And a lot of food.... guess I better start running more!

4) AUSTIN I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!! Please give him a giant hug from me. I miss my lil bro SO much! I'm so proud of you. :) 

As for my spiritual thought:

This morning I was reading Alma 26 (when you have time, please go read the whole chapter, it's SO good). In this chapter Ammon is explaining why he is so filled with joy right now. Now you've gotta think about it, just a few years ago, Ammon was going about trying to destroy the church. Now, they are coming home from their mission among the Lamanites. Some of my fav verses are 12, 23-24, 27, 29-31, and 36-47. But I wanted to focus on verse 37, the final verse. Ammon says, "This [bringing souls to repentance] is my joy and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever." Seeing the light of Christ come into someone's life is truly the greatest joy that can be felt in this life. I thank God for the opportunity every day. I know that as we continue in Thanksgiving to God every day and pray for the experience to bring but one soul unto Christ, that God will grant us our plea. Thank Him every day for your missionary experiences and then pray for more. In this is found true joy. I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.  

I think that's all. Gotta run! Love you all lots!!! Be good! 

Love eternally,
Sister Thorne

 This Carter County border is actually the Mission border as well so we took some fun cute pics next to it. Don't go over the line!!!

 Sister Sperry and I being absolute dorks. :)

 LOOK HOW LONG MY HAIR IS GETTING!!!!!!

Sister Sperry taught me how to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the violin. Lots of fun!

November 18, 2013

Hey Thorne Fam!

So... pday got moved back to Monday and Zone Conference is now Wednesday.... so confusing. But it's all good! It's good to hear from y'all! Things are getting chillier down here in Morehead but don't worry, leggings and boots are where it's at. :) We are also both safe from the big storm that came in last night. I think we both slept through it. But all is well! This week has been both a good and bad week. So... pretty average for a missionary. Yay missionary life!

As for our investigators: we have 7 progressing. Kat, Nancy, Tung, Jeannie, Ranger, Sandy, Bill.

Kat has her baptism all planned out and it has been approved by the bishop. Her interview is scheduled for Tuesday and she has received 4 of the 5 new member lessons from the members. So she's doing really well!

Nancy we still haven't managed to meet with. We've called her about 5 out of the 7 days this past week and talked with her, but she has been pretty sick so we haven't been able to get over there. From what she says, she is still reading and praying though.

Tung we had to cancel as well. There is a member in the ward who is moving and only had about 2 1/2 weeks notice and they asked if we could come help pack. So we moved Tung to later this week and helped out the very frantic member. We have called and talked to Tung and he is continuing to pray about baptism.

Jeannie we dropped by. She was totally planning on church but... then canceled on us the day before. We dropped by and she said she couldn't say why she couldn't come, just that it was some work reasons. We're not really sure... but we are meeting with her later this week and she said she may be able to come to church this Sunday.

Ranger came to church! We met him outside the library and he has been coming to institute every week for about 3-4 weeks. He loves what he's learning and he came to church this past Sunday for the first time. He said he will pray about baptism but he won't commit to a date.

Sandy is still heading strong. Still sober. He is decreasing his smoking and he has a plan all laid out to be completely keeping the WoW in 2 weeks so that he will be prepared for his bap date in December. We talked about agency and how to use it wisely. We also are having Brother Hamm (a newly activated member) be his new fellowshipper and that is working out really well!

Bill... still didn't come to church... we called and he said he had prayed about baptism and he had heard a voice say "Bill, you've already been baptized." So he doesn't want to get baptized anymore... we are talking with him tonight and we will see how things go. We have a really good plan talking about the restoration of the priesthood and we role played it out and the spirit was strong.

As for your email:

1) Yep... this may be our last week together... but I'm hoping things will work out that I get transferred to Owingsville (right next door, there were Elders there but they were taken out last transfer) so I would still be in the ward and I could reopen the area. I see a lot of potential there and Owingsville really needs sisters. There are a lot of widows that the Elders can't get to. So Bishop Green is email President Woodbury to recommend me and then I am going to try and talk to President about it on Wednesday. We'll see how it goes. :)

2) Tung is moving back to Vietnam permanently. He was just here for a year at Morehead State University and then he'll go home and start his own business. He has really big dreams. :) Abdullah won't answer any of our calls or texts. We've stopped by several times but he won't answer the door. It's been about 4 weeks since we last saw him.

3) CONGRATS on the basement!!! That is so exciting! I hope that I'll get some pictures of all the family there in it all finished next Saturday? I'm so excited that it'll be done for the winter. That will be really nice.

4) I actually did have something specific for Christmas. A really cool thing that a lot of missionaries are doing now is bringing an iPod or MP3 our on their mission. Just like one of those little nano shuffle ones that can't connect to the internet. Then they just put all their music on it and bring out some cheap $10-$15 speakers. Then they can listen to it and their CD's don't get scratched (I already have one I can no longer listen to it skips so bad... :( ) So I was thinking maybe you could find a real cheap MP3 and then put a bunch of Christmas music on it. Like the Motab Christmas's Brian Stokes Mitchell, David Archuletta and Alfie Boe. Those one's are my favorite. Sister Sperry says Cecil too. But then I would have all my Christmas music to listen to and I could add all my CD's onto it too and then have that for the rest of my mission. If it's not plausible, I understand. Just an idea. As for anything else, I can't really think of anything.... oh! Stamps. Either that or money for stamps. I would like to send out those cute missionary Christmas cards, but that requires stamps. That would be way awesome. Other than that, I'm really quite happy. Really all I want is to talk to you all. I can't wait for Christmas. :)

5) LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

As for my spiritual thought:

This week I have a challenge for everyone. It's something that our stake is really stressing right now. It comes from last conference. Elder Ballard said, "We are simply asking all members to pray, knowing that if every member, young and old, will reach out to just 'one' between now and Christmas, millions will feel the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. And what a wonderful gift to the Savior." Christ taught and touched hearts "one by one" (3 Nephi 17:21) Reaching out to just one person is not difficult. It only takes one invitation to an activity (and with Thanksgiving and Christmas there are a lot of ward activities coming up), one line testimony (I know that families can be together forever), one new friend, or an upliftment of one old one. If we go about the Work of Salvation touching souls one by one, millions WILL come to the knowledge of the gospel and as Elder Ballard said, "What a wonderful gift to [our] Savior." I invite each person who reads this to reach out to one person before Christmas and then see what the Lord can do with you as you are His hands. Miracles will happen.

Love you all infinity! Talk to you next week!

Sister Thorne

This morning we woke up to snow!!! Crazy right??? 

November 12, 2013

Hey Thorne Fam!

Hello from good ol' Morehead, Kentucky! Out here in the Far East we are doing absolutely fantastically! We have seen so many amazing incredibly miracles this week that I don't even really know where to start. But for now, I will say for certain, The church is true!!!

As for our investigators: we currently have 6 progressing. Kat, Nancy, Tung, Jeannie, Sandy, and Bill.

Kat is amazing and has her batism all planned out. She has received 3 of the new member lessons from Brother Curry and Brother Monnett.

Nancy is still reading in her Book of Mormon and she has started praying daily but she had to cancel our meeting this past week. So we have been calling her ever other day or so to stay in Daily Contact with her, but we haven't actually gotten to meet and teach her again. More on her next week.

Tung we met with this past week and talked about L3. We ended with baptism. He told us he is going back to Vietnam January 3rd and wants to be baptized before he goes home. He has been praying about baptism like once a week but hasn't gotten his answer yet. He said that he is now to "80% knowing that God is real" up from the 70% 2 weeks ago. So his is coming. Now we just need to reteach the Restoration with an emphasis on the Priesthood to ensure that he doesn't just go get baptized in anothe church. :P

Jeannie we met with last night and talked about prayer. We also talked about why we pray and how we recieve answer to prayers by coming to church. She committed to come to church this Sunday! Her first time!

Sandy we met with yesterday as well. We talked about the basics of the restoration really focusing on prayer and personal testimony. He said that he doesn't know for himself that it is true yet, but he hopes that it is and he is leaning on Sister Gibbs testimony right now. We talked to him about Elder Holland's "Lord, I Believe" conference talk and expressed a desire for him to gain his own testimony. He has real intent. So he is including that in his prayers this week. He's still sober!

Bill is the last the best of all the game this week. So he still didn't come to church this past Sunday. We talked with him and he basically said we could meet with him one last time but that he wasn't interest in being baptized so we basically would just stop coming around at that point. We prayed and fasted before his lesson and decided that we need to talk about prayer and then have Bill pray about Baptism right there with us. We got into the lesson and he expressed his thought that the church has "fallen" from it's origianal glory. I told him that if President Monson is God's prophet then this church is still run by God. So that was really what he was asking, if Thomas S. Monson was God's prophet. So we got down on our knees with him and he asked God right there if he was. We were all silent for a while adn then Bill said, "I got my answer. The same as when I prayed to know if tithing was a commandment from God. God told me 'Listen to these people. They are my servants.' " I started to cry as I was able to testify to Bill that God has just spoken directly to him. So we then proceeded to set a baptismal date with him for January 12th. He said that he will pray about being baptized this week. So we went from a drop lesson to setting a baptismal date. The church is true. God is in charge. I know it. 

As for your email:

1) Mandy: you failed the driving test??? haha! Oh man, how I love my adorkable Manda-lou. You go girl. :) Study it out and pass that baby next time okay! I'll be your cheerleader. :)

2) Josh and Brandon: Congrats on grades! That's my boys! I am so very proud of you. Keep at it dudies. :)

3) Sounds like y'all had a really fun weekend. That thankful tree is such a cute idea! Where did they get the paper for it? How is Grandpa Ralph doing? Good job on everythin Brit! You are such a hard worker and my spiritual rock. I look up to you lil sis. :) You keep those standards high. Just as God has told you, you are going to do amazing things in this church. That's my sister!!!

4) Daddy: an iPad huh? For "work"? ;) haha sounds like a fun family toy. I don't think I could even work it. :P I tried playing with Emily's new iPhone and I couldnt' figure it out.... Man. I am such a missionary. :P You'll have to teach me when I get back okay? :) Love you Daddy!

5) Mom: fun timeline! 16 races huh? Wow. You are incredible. It's hard to believe I was actually able to run half marathons at one point. I feel like I'm dying after one mile. I am so very not in shape.... I'll work on that when I get home. ;P

6) Brother Curry showed me that video. So cool!!! It gave me the chills. Plus, the song that is on there is actually Sister Sperry and I's jam! We listen to it all the time!

7) Also, as a side note, P-day next week will also be on Tuesday because Zone Conference is on Monday. Just so you know.

As for my spiritual thought: this week my thought comes from Moroni chapter 7. I will be taking pieces from verses 27, 29 and 37. In this chapter Mormon is speaking to us. He asks us a question. He says, "Have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven?" This week I have gained a testimony that miracles have not ceased. I know without a shadow of a doubt that miracles still happen every single day of our life. Mormon continues, "Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men. For it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men." Sister Sperry and I have fasted every Sunday for the past month and a half for Bill to be able to get his answer. As we went into this lesson, we were planning on dropping him, that this would be our last time. And then, as we prayed with him, I literally put everything into God's hands, trusting that somehow Bill would get his answer. Praying and hoping for a miracle. And we got one. But it was according to our faith. I testify that miracles happen every single day. I know that as we exercise faith in Jesus Christ, he will bless us with more miracles than we have ever seen before. I know that angels truly are round about us, ministering and preparing people for us. I would invite everyone this week to start exercising your faith, putting your trust in God and looking for those daily miracles. Especially and Thanksgiving is coming up, thank God each day for those miracles he provides you. I know that as you do so, you will be blessed with even more and will be able to develop an attitude of grattitude.

I love you infinity!

Sister Thorne

We had some fun raking leaves for a member.

November 4, 2013

Hey Thorne Fam!

Another week has flown by and what a week it has been! It is so weird how different weeks can go. This week I have truly gained a testimony of Ether 12:6. We receive no witness until after the trial of our faith. Last Sunday was certainly a trial, but this Sunday we were able to witness many miracles. :)

As for investigators: 7 are progressing: Kat, Bill, Jeannie, Tung, Sandy, Nancy and Deandra.

Kat is still doing amazing. Planning her baptism.

Bill is back! He came to church this past Sunday and he said he still misses the preaching but he felt the spirit a lot more and liked Elders Quorum a lot better than High Priests. And he has almost finished reading through the D&C. We watched the full Restoration movie with him this past week and he really felt the spirit and I think his testimony of Joseph Smith is growing.

Jeannie has come to a head. We talked to her this past week about baptism and she said that she has thought about it a lot. She said she loves everything about the church except for how the women don't get the priesthood or leadership positions. She said it feels like "separate but equal" and she's fought against that her whole life and couldn't join a church that sponsors that. And we don't really know how to respond to that concern. But she still is reading in the Book of Mormon!

Tung is coming back as well! At our meeting last Monday, we talked about what a testimony is, how we gain one and why it is important. He commited to read and pray about the truth of the Book of Mormon every day. And if he didn't get an answer, keeping trying because God will answer him eventually. It was a cool lesson. :)

Sandy is back from rehab! He got back Saturday night and was at church Sunday. He also came to Gospel Principles and Sacrament Meeting. 2 hours versus only going to Sacrament as usual! Progress! He seems like he has really started that mighty change of heart process and is much more serious about God and religion. We just have to make sure he stays sober now and keeps the fire burning.

Nancy we weren't able to meet with, but we will be meeting with her this coming week. We have called her and she is still reading in the Book of Mormon, but not much to report other than that.

Deandra is amazing! We've met with her and her husband Gustavo. She had her baby last Wednesday and 4 families in the ward have volunteered to take her dinners with us. So Sister Watson met her this past week and Sister Bowman, Sister Kappes and Sister Curry will meet her this coming week. Deandra has been reading in the Book of Mormon everyday and both her and Gustavo have a real desire to know if it is true. We will be teaching the Restoration to them both this coming Sunday with Brother Alvarez since Gustavo doesn't speak much english and we don't speak much spanish!

As for your email:

1) Wow! Sounds like everyone had a pretty fun and crazy week! So many adventures! I hope they are all being written in journals. ;)

2) EMMA IS PLANNING ON A MISSION?!?!?!? AAAAAHHHHH!!!!! Oh my goodness! I am so stinkin proud of my amazing girls! You go Brit and Em! Take the world by force! WOOT!!!

3) Mom, your shirt nearly made me cry. Thank you so much! I am so honored to have this opportunity to be a missionary. Thank you. :')

4) I still have Steve and Nat's address, I will do my best to get a letter written out to them today. Also, please thank them for me. I hope they are receiving all the blessings in the world because they have no idea how much that means to me. :) I love them so very dearly. :)

5) Everyone looked adorable in their costumes! Mandy and Maddie: stinkin cute idea! And Mandy, may I mention yet again how utterly gorgeous you're getting. You've got to stop! :P Josh and Brandon: loving the ninjas! You two look very dangerously spiffy. Mom: Not having the time to make costumes anymore? ;) haha You all look super cute! It was also so good to get to see Grandpa and Grandma Thorne. :)

6) BELLE IS ADORABLE!!!! That is all. :)

7) So for our Halloween. That picture was taken the night before Halloween. That Wednesday, the ward had a trunk or treat. So the p-day before, I made some cat ears out of construction paper and then modified SIster Sperry's very large witch hat so it wasn't big and obnoxious. We have been planning our costumes for about 3 weeks now. It was really fun to get all dressed up. :) Then for the actual Halloween night, we proselyted up until 6pm then there was no more proselyting allowed so we went to Krista Smedley's and hung out all night. :D They basically are my family out here. Krista is even talking about coming to Utah for my homecoming! And her son Ayden is basically my nephew. I love them with all of my heart. So at Krista's, we made carament apples Rocky Mountain Chocolate Store style. We put caramel, white chocolate and crushed up Butterfinger. They were seriously good. Then we ate those while we watched the Emma Smith movie. Such a fun night! Plus! I got to wear sweats. Ah.... :) So that was our Halloween. :)

8) I got your package on Saturday and everything is indeed safe and sound. We've been listening to Jessie pretty much non stop since it came. Oh how I've missed her songs! I cried the first time we listend to I'll be Worthy to Stand. I thought of you Mom. :) And thanks for the candy! Super fun and yummy! Bill, Sister Gibbs and Rachel said to Thank You for the MoTab CD's. They really love them. :)

My spiritual thought for the week comes from Ether 12:6 as mentioned above. My favorite part of this verse is "ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith". I have really gained a testimony of this phrase this past week. A testimony or a witness is a very precious thing to gain. It is truly one of the greatest gifts of God. And just like all gifts, we must be worthy of and work for a testimony or a witness. That is why trials come, why doubts enter our heart, why God allows hurt into this world. Because it is through those hurts and trials of faith that we gain our witness or knowledge. So my inviation this week is to change your perspective and to keep on keepin on. Things will get hard, they are hard. But I know with all the intensity of my heart that light is always waiting at the end of the tunnel. There is always reason to hope and to press forward for we have a Savior who understands our every pain. "You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living God knows all about your sorrows and afflictions," said Elder Holland. So keep going. Don't give up. And thank God for your trials. Because every trial will make us stronger.

Love you all eternally! Talk to you next week!

Sister Thorne

The mountains turned all colors. It was so beautiful! Now they are starting to fall.

Our goofy Owinsville ward missionaries. You've got The Wicked Witch (Sister Sperry), the Sassy Cat (Sister Thorne), Arrrrrthur (Elder Lowe), and Gunter (Elder Green). 

 Me and Sister Sperry. This is my absolute favorite picture of us.

Us and Ranger. I miss the leaves! They're basically all gone now and it's getting cold!!!

 We had dinner with some members and they have 3 beautiful horses. So we painted them with "war paint" and we took pictures. So much fun!

October 28, 2013

Hey Thorne Fam!

Missionary work is such a once in a lifetime experience. I always think that weeks can't get more crazier and then... they do. :P This Sunday, basically everything that could go wrong did. More on that later. But we also have some really fun and amazing plans for this upcoming week so of course, things go on!

As for our investigators: progressing are Kat, Cory, Nancy and Deandra.

Kat is amazing as always. She came to church yesterday and loved it. :)

Cory is a new investigator. He is 10 years old and his 3 older siblings are baptized but he is not. His Dad is less active but still loves the church. We met Cory this past week and talked to him about what the Book of Mormon is and read with him and his siblings. He then came to church with his two older brothers! He is so young but he has a natural curiosity and he already has so many questions. We talked about being baptized and he expressed a desire to be baptized. So we will be talking about that with him and his father this week!

Nancy is someone we met quite a while ago and then lost contact with. But we dropped by the other day and she expressed a desire to still have us come over! So this past week we talked to her about the Restoration. She said that a part of her is skeptical because it seems so far fetched but a part of her says why not? So we talked to her about praying to know the truth and she is doing that this week. She also gave the closing prayer in our lesson! She has a real desire to know if this is true and I'm really excited to meet with her again. :)

DeAndra is married to Gustavo. They have one daughter Elena and she has a son to be born on October 30th. We've met with them twice and by the second time she had already started reading in the Book of Mormon. She says it is slow going because it's hard to understand but we are going to read with her to help her start to "get the language". She also has a great desire to find the truth for her family. 

As for Bill, he is no longer progressing. He didn't come to church yesterday and we called him and he said that "The Mormon isn't for him". I felt like I was in the District 2 with Jynx! He expressed a lot of concerns with WoW and Tithing. We will be meeting with him and Bishop tomorrow night. I'm not really sure what is going to happen.

Stephen and Jeannie's appointments both fell through but we are meeting with Stephen this Friday evening and Jeannie tonight. 

So it's been a crazy weekend! But I guess I kind of deserved it. I decided on Friday that I was going to work on Patience and Diligence this week. :P Which brings me to my thought for this week. It comes from Alma 26:27. When I think of the Sons of Mosiah, I think of the pretty much the very best missionaries this world has ever seen (other than Christ of course). They converted thousands and were so amazing! But in verse 27 we read, "Now when our heart were depressed and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: go amongst thy brethren and bear with patience thine afflictions and I will give unto you success." There was even a time when the Sons of Mosiah wanted to turn back. They got depressed and discouraged and even worse as we read. But, nevertheless, they were comforted and they DID see success. So this week I speak of Enduring to the End with Patience and Diligence. It's not easy. It's not meant to be easy. But it definitely is worth it. 

I love you all so much! Have a wonderful week!

Sister Thorne

October 21, 2013

Hey Thorne Fam!

We didn't have as great a week as we did last week... things really slowed down and we weren't really sure why. But we fasted yesterday and got a lot of inspiration as to what we should be fixing and working on. So we are excited to really get started this week!

As for me: I am doing so wonderfully! I always seem to have the hardest time on Saturday each week. I don't know why but Saturday's are always the hardest days. That's usually when I have my little mini breakdowns. :P But then I get to Sunday and I go to church and I feel the spirit and I just love it so much!!! And then I am ready to head into another awesome week. :)

As for investigators: we have 3 progressing, Kat Bill and Stephen.

Kat has a legit bap date for November 30th. Her parents are not very happy with her and may not come to it, but she knows what she has to do and she is set in her decision. She will not waver. I am so very proud of her. She is an amazing girl. Also, she is is most likely getting married either in December or next June. Her and Aric want to be sealed together before they get married legally. But Kat's parents said that if they do, they won't pay for a bit of the wedding. So Kat and Aric said oh well and they are most likely going to be sealed and married this December. Awesome huh!

Bill wasn't able to come to church because he got super sick, but he is planning on coming next Sunday and that is the primary program so he should really like it. We addressed his concern about not feeling "spiritually nourished" at church and talked about how as we study in the scriptures daily, we prepare ourselves to be spiritually fed at church. We gave him a study journal and he will be writing in it as he reads and comes to church. That should help.

Stephen is on the fence right now. He read from the Book of Mormon! Which is a huge step for him, but we haven't been able to meet with June yet. She canceled on us and she is the biggest reason they aren't coming to church. But we should be meeting with them both tonight so we'll see how that goes.

Jeannie we will be meeting with this Thursday so I'll report on her next week. Muhammad and Abdullah we lost contact with for a while... but we've restored that and will be meeting with them this week!

As for your email:

1) Yes, I did mean one more transfer. :P But no, since I will most likely be leaving Morehead at the end of this transfer, I will be missing Thanksgiving by 2 days and Kat's baptism by 4. :( Transfer meeting is November 26th. It is so crazy to think that both Thanksgiving and Christmas is next transfer. I will get to talk to y'all again next transfer! Weird!

2) As for Stephen, we actually just prayed in his neighborhood and picked his door to knock on. Pretty cool huh? I love how the spirit works if we will just be worthy of it. Miracles are abounding! :D

3) By the way, the rules changed! I can listen to any church music that is sung by an LDS artist. Can I PLEASE get some Jessie CD's?!?!?! Also, Bill asked if there was anyway I could get him a MoTab CD. There is also a member who is really struggling (her ex is having a mental breakdown she is helping through and her current husband is in AA rehab 2 hours away) but she goes out with us probably at least 5 times a week. She has literally been our life saver and a huge help for Bill. We have both been pondering about what we can do to return all she has done for us. So we will be making her a nice dinner this week and I was also wondering if you could get her a MoTab CD as well. Is that possible Daddy? Lastly, could I get all my stocking and winter stuff sent back to me? It's is starting to get seriously cold down here. And in a skirt. haha :)

4) Thank you for your advice for Muhammad and Bill! It was actually really REALLY helpful. We will be using it in our next lessons. Inspired mom! :D

5) Sounds like Caleb is becoming an integral part of the family. ;) heehee!!! How did the fam all like him?

6) Mandy swing dances?

7) You never said anything about my dyed hair? :( Do you like it? :)

8) Sounds like you had a super fun week! So many adventures! I hope that they are all written down in y'all's journals I got ya. Brit, Mandy, Josh, Brandon, yes. That means you! haha :) I am so glad that you are really starting to get used to the area and it sounds like everyone has some really good new friends. :) Oh! I also got another email from Sister Anderton, my dear sweet visiting teacher. Tell her thanks! She is so amazing!

As for my spiritual thought: this week I have been studying Mosiah 4 which is the Book of Mormon chapter that answers the question of the soul "How can I find more peace and joy?" This is a question that everyone answers at some point in their life. Sometimes we are just rushing from project to project so quickly that we never have the chance to search for peace. Sometimes we are making wrong choices and can't seem to find any source of joy. That's because peace and joy are not offered by the world. Fake counterparts are, but never ever true peace and joy. That comes only through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. In Mosiah 4:3, 6-7 and 9-10 it gives us the path to receive salvation or the path to find peace and joy. It's something we learn from the 4th article of faith. First, we "believe in God" (vs. 9). This belief leads us to humility and "ask[ing] in sincerity of heart that [God] will forgive you" (vs.10). As we descend to these depths our Savior gives us the tools to rise to redepmtion, even a "remision of [our] sins" (vs. 3). This remision is a cleansing. It gives us that clean slate that provides us with true inner peace. The next tool we receive is the "Spirit of the Lord" which "fills [us] with joy" (vs. 3). The spirit is truly the only source of true happiness in this world. I know that with every fiber of my heart. Then finally, as we do all of these things, we "receive slavation" (vs. 7). This path has been the only path for true joy since the foundation of the world. Faith, Repentence, Baptism (or keeping those covenants aka the Sacrament), the Gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End. This is not an easy path, but by golly it is worth it. True peace and joy are always worth it. So my invitation for this week would be to discover for yourself where on this path you are. What in your life is causing you to stray from it? Whether it is daily scripture study and prayer, family home evenings or bigger mistakes. I testify that as we come unto Christ through the path He has set out for us, we can find true peace and joy. And I say that in the name of our Savior, Amen.

Love you all so much! Have a wonderful week!

Sister Thorne

We had a pretty decent size rain storm this past week so naturally Sister Sperry and I decided to go tracting in it. At first, I had an umbrella and she was jumping in puddles. She looked like she was having so much fun I just had to join her. So in the end, we both got absolutely soaked! :) 

 This is Krista. I love this family to death! Krista was in the military and she now has a little boy, Ayden. I love that kid so much! Krista is now my older sister and Ayden has officially been adopted as my nephew. Isn't he adorable??? This is Krista's Halloween costume. Ayden has a little mini one.

On Sunday, I curled Sister Sperry's hair. Doesn't it look beautiful?! She is so gorgeous! I think if she was any princess, she would be Sleeping Beauty or Rapunzel. :)

October 14, 2013

Hey Thorne Fam! 

Goodness gracious time flies! This week has been so amazing! The miracles just continue to come and we are so blessed to be able to be here and be a part of them. What a huge blessing.

As for me: I am doing fantastic! I am so excited to be able to be in Morehead for another transfer! Thank you so much for this opportunity! I got a bit sick this past weekend but I'm nearly over it. I think it was just a bad sore throat. So I stayed in and slept for a bit Saturday morning because I hadn't slept at all the previous night and now I am doing much much better! The Lord certainly does watch out for His missionaries. :)

As for our investigators: progressing are Stephen, Kat, Bill, Jeannie and Muhammad.

Stephen we got to meet with again and he has started reading in the Book of Mormon. Not very much, but little by little. His main concern now is his current wife, June. She doesn't seem completely supposed nor completely supportive of this choice of looking in to the church. So we are meeting with both him and June this week.

Kat talked to her parents this past weekend and they okayed her getting baptized!!!!!! Her official date is November 30th. This is so big and I am so excited! Brother Curry told us she is doing amazingly and I am so proud of her. :)

Bill came to church on Sunday. He didn't particularly like it. He said he didn't "feel spiritually nourished." But we had an amazing lesson with him, Bishop and Sis Gibbs and we retaught the Restoration focusing more closely on what Revelation is and how we can receive it. He then ended the lesson by Bill giving his very first out loud prayer! Yay!

Jeannie watched conference and we stopped by her house. She is doing well but we won't be able to sit down and have a lesson with her again until October 24th.... so we are doing random drop by's and we will hold in there until then.

Muhammad is now progressing and Abdullah is not! Weird huh? Muhammad is reading from the Book of Mormon but Abdullah doesn't like to. Their biggest concern right now is that neither believe that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet. They say they won't believe it until they see him doing some big miracle like parting the red sea or something. We told them stories about him healing people but they both say that's not big enough. We explained about faith 3 or 4 times but they don't understand... we're really not sure how to help them understand that... any suggestions?

As for your email:

1) I believe it would be from L.R. and Karla Hughes. We watched Sunday Morning with them. They are such a sweet couple. :) We call L.R. Hughes "the Colonel" because he is one and that's just what everyone in the ward calls him. :)

2) Transfer news!!! Sister Sperry and I are staying together in Morehead for another week!!! Woot!!!! I am so happy to be able to stay in this wonderful area with my wonderful companion and my non-creepy Ward Mission Leader (just for you Brother Curry!) and my fantastic ward family. :) I am so blessed!

3) Adams Canyon looks like a blast! So much fun! And Mandy and Melissa, you are so stunning! Love you!

4) You should be getting a link from Brother Curry soon. He took a video of Sister Sperry and I just talking and it putting it up on YouTube for all y'all to see! How fun! :D

5) Sounds like you had a super fun week and a blast of a weekend! You got some quality time with both Mandy and Brit! Lucky! Thanks for the pics. You are all so adorable! :)

6) YAY!!!! CONGRATS BREI AND CHRIS!!!! AH!!!! She is so very beautiful and I can't wait to meet her. :) How do you say her name? Is it like Bell or Bell-uh? So very beautiful. :)

As for my spiritual thought: I found my motto for this transfer! It's FHCVKPHD aka Faith, Hope, Charity, Virtue, Knowledge, Patience, Humility, and Diligence. This transfer I am really going to focus on the Christ like Attributes. Those are the 8 listed in Preach My Gospel that are also mentioned in D&C 4 but there are many many more out there. There is work we can do each and every single day to become more like our Savior. As he beckons us to "Come" unto Him, we do that by becoming more like him. That process is not always easy, but it is absolutely worth it. So this week I will be focusing on Faith and Hope since they go hand in hand. Alma 32:21 says "Faith is to hope for things which are not seen which are true." As we build our faith in Christ through daily scripture study and prayer, we will have a brighter hope for the future. I know that Christ is our ultimate example for eternal happiness. I know that as we come unto Him, we can find true joy. I invite each of you to study the scriptures and plead with your Father in Heaven each day this week and then see the difference that the simple things make. By small and simple means are great things brought to pass. Love you all! Have a wonderful week!

Love eternally,
Sister Thorne

This is on our hike up to Lakegee. So stunning. :) 

 Sister Thorne, Sister Bowman, Sister Sperry and Sister Bowling. This is our awesome group that did the hike.

 Sister Sperry took this one. She says AMT stands for "Amazing Missionary Trainer". She is so sweet. :)

Our bestest friend Emily got us some sweaters since we didn't have any good winter clothes. Here is us modeling 2 of them. :)