May 28, 2013

Hey Thorne Fam!  

Oh wow. Another week has flown by. This week has been amazing. I sit here in absolute wonder of God and how He truly plays a role in our lives. This week has been a roller coaster of emotions and it just keeps going. We have found many new investigators who have been prepared for us. But so many trials have come our way; the main two being housing and the passing of our little Deacon. So many lows and highs on this incredible adventure of Missionary Work but the highs are worth every low we must work through. God's miracle's to us. 

Sis Black is such an incredible missionary and it amazes me how well we work together. We are already teaching in unity and thinking the same. She is so prepared and she trains me just as much or more than I train her. I learn something new from her every day. This week for the 12 week program, we focused on watching the District Movies because she never watched them before she came out seeing as she only had 5 weeks from the time she got her call to when she left for the MTC. So we are watching and discussing those. She is doing so much better at talking to everyone. That was one of her weekly goals. I am so proud of the missionary she is and she is going to do amazing things. 

As for investigators this week: Lor Ryn, Tammy, Nikita, Magenta, Emma, Joanna, 

We had an awesome lesson on the Law of Chastity with Lor Ryn on Saturday. We taught both her and her boyfriend and got Josh speechless at one point about getting married. The spirit was very strongly felt and I have no doubt that if we give them a couple months, Josh's heart will be softened and he will be ready to get married. Unfortunately we had to move Lor Ryn's bap date because of this problem but we will be meeting with the couple again this Saturday and we will work to set it again then.

Tammy we are a little frustrated with right now. We taught her the 15 step program. She kept it for 3 days and then relapsed. We taught her the importance of quitting again, she went for a day and then relapsed and then we did the same thing again 2 days ago. She knows this gospel is true but quitting is just "too hard" and she doesn't have the faith in herself to do it. So we are really at a loss as to what to do with her at this point. I think she needs to get into reading the Book of Mormon more. So we will meet with her again as soon as we can and work from there. 

Nikita and Magenta we are keeping. I feel very strongly about them and I know that we are to continue to read the Book of Mormon with them. I don't know how Heavenly Father is going to work to help them get baptized eventually but I have full faith in Him and His ability to somehow soften Ginger's heart.  

The last one's I want to talk about today are Emma and Joanna. They are such sweet girls. Emma is 14 and Joanna is 11. They are from El Salvador and speak both Spanish and English, which is nice because we meet so many people who speak only Spanish. We have taught them about the Restoration and a couple very cool experiences in that lesson. They are excited and eager to learn. We talked about being baptized by someone holding the proper authority and they want to do it so this week we will be focusing on seeing how their parents feel about it.  

As I mentioned before, our ward mission leader (Brother Bland)'s little 2 year old son passed away yesterday afternoon. His name is Deacon. He was the cutest little boy I think I've ever met and it's been especially hard on me because I played with him a lot. We had what Sis Junk called a "special connection". It was completely unexpected. Sis Bland laid him down for a nap and he never woke up. Sis Black and I sat outside in the rain last night and just cried together for maybe 40 minutes. The funeral will be held on Friday. Please pray for their family. Sis Bland is only 26 and she only had two boys: Evan (4) and Deacon (2). Her story reminds me a lot of Jamie Yeager. She is such a sweet young woman just like Jamie as well. She will need all the support she will be able to get. 

As for your email: Yes, we are still at the Braedon's. We are hoping to stay here permanently. But we will see how things play out this week. Yes, the roach problem went away for 2 days and then it came back again in force. They haven't left yet and so the Braedon's were kind enough to let us come stay in their basement apartment. The Braedon's live at 709 2nd Ave, Jasper, IN. We still haven't gotten a new apartment. President is working on it. Hopefully I will have more answers and such next week. You can still send things to the 675 Gieseler Rd #211 address. We run over to check mail every afternoon. No, I never did get Brandon's letter. The only mail I got the past two weeks have been one from Grandma Albiston and one from Grandma Nancy. 

It's also hard for me not to get a hug from you. I ache for one every single day but I have so many mom's here who take such good care of us. I love them with all my heart and would be absolutely lost without their guidance. 

Angela accepted a bap date but she found out this past week that her cancer may be coming back so we haven’t' been able to meet with her between her running from work to the hospital for tests. We'll see how things go next week.

The kids were technically the Elders "baptism" but realistically they were both of ours. The Elders taught them all the way through but each of those kids have taken a very special place in my heart. Especially the girls. I love them to death and each of them are very attached to us. I was honored to get to speak at their baptism. Their dad, Ben hasn't gotten baptized yet but he loves the missionaries and we have full faith that he will come around eventually. 

I don't have much time today (we are at the library) so I can't say things to each individual. But know that I love y'all infinitely and I pray for you each day. I am so proud of you and the progress you each make. You lift me up every time things get hard. Keep up the prayers! We need them. I look forward to hearing from you soon. 

Love eternally,

Sister Thorne 

Oh! Advice for the week: Families can be Together Forever. Never forget that. As long as we get to the temple and live worthy of the covenants we make within we can be with our families throughout all eternities. I know that. I know that if anything were to happen to me or to anyone back at home that I wouldn't have to worry because we are sealed. I used to think that was a burden. haha :) But now it is the greatest blessing I have in my life. It keeps me going day after day. Love you all!!! 

P.S. Did you get my tape and the new pictures I sent you? I think it was sent Wednesday. Either way look forward to it soon! You'll get an entire two sides of hearing my voice! haha :) Maybe we can send it back and forth. Also, I need the other thumb drive so that I have one to send to you. Also (again) maybe you could write a letter to Sister Black? She hasn't gotten a single piece of mail since she has gotten out into the field. Sad huh?

 

 The baseball field at Huntingburg Park aka where League of their Own was filmed.

 This made me think of Grandpa Thorne.

 Go Rockford Peaches!!!!! I saw this and thought of you Mom! I love you!

 I got Aviators last week because I discovered that driving towards a setting sun can be hazardous without sunglasses. Then I found these cheap at walmart. I LOVE THEM! Aren't we so cool?

This was a super cute idea I saw at a members house. It keeps track of everyone's birthday. Each chain is for a different month and the disks say the person's name and what day in that month is their birthday. Then the color's stand for each family. So the light blue is one family and the purple is another, etc. Adorable!

May 20, 2013

Hello Thorne Fam!

It was so good to hear from you! I really needed a boost today. This week has been very difficult. First, Mom, did you send any letters after yours/Josh's? I didn't get any and I don't think I got one from Brit and I was really looking forward to that. Just wondering.

Well, this week has been hard. I can't believe that it's only been one week. I feel like I've lived a life time. I think back to last Monday when I emailed y'all. Sis Junk was still here, the bugs were really terrible. Things were hard but they were going. Now I am with a new companion, I lived in a different home all weekend and Sis Junk is back with her family. So much has happened. I can barely wrap my head around it. 

This week has been really hard on me emotionally. I know that you and so many others have told me that I didn't fail, that I did my best, but I still can't bring myself to believing it. I feel like I failed Sis Junk, you all, Jasper and the Lord. I just keep thinking back to those first 2 and a half weeks and I keep thinking, "What could I have done better?" I know I shouldn't. I know I should trust in the Lord with all my heart, but my heart keeps betraying me. If that makes any sense. My head knows that her going home was logical and I did all I could or knew how to do at that time. My brain understands. But my heart feels torn in half. As you can imagine, it's been hard. But I am doing better. Sister Black, my new comp, is amazing. She is 19, from Ammon, Utah, plays the violin (amazingly Mandy!), has super tight naturally curly hair, has a quiet strong personality and I love her to death already. She has helped me through this week. The Lord has prepared her for amazing things and together we will go forth and work.

Like I mentioned before, I have been in a different home all weekend. The Braedon's (older couple, remind me a ton of Grandpa Thorne and Grandma Nancy. Bro Braedon is a bigger tease than dad and Sis Braedon is one of the sweetest little woman I have ever met) have taken us in under their wing. They have a basement apartment and they have let us live there for the weekend to de-stress and have a safe home for a while. Being in their home, I feel like I have a family again. They are so loving and supportive. They take complete care of us. Being in a home with the spirit so strong and the priesthood there 24/7 has completely recharged me. I love this couple to death and Bro Braedon is one of the best cooks I have ever met. I will be sad to go back to our apartment today.

As for investigators this week:

Jason. We had a really awesome lesson with him on Tuesday. He was still stuck in his ways of the bible and his heart was very hard until Sis Junk said the closing prayer. She asked that the confusion be lifted from his mind that he may be able to discern the truth. After that prayer, he looked up and said, "Do you think my learning may be keeping me from the truth?" We could have shouted for joy! We quickly opened to 2 Nephi 9:28-29 and talked about how the devil can use learning to blind people. He was very quiet and thoughtful. We then extended the challenge to study only from the Book of Mormon for one week, not the bible. He agreed to do so and we are meeting with him tomorrow to see how that week long challenge went. 

Next is Angela. AWESOME woman! We talked about the Plan of Salvation with her last Tuesday and it really touched her. She started the lesson by saying, "I believe in reincarnation." And then ended the lesson with, "I believe in everything you taught me. When can you come again?" Talk about amazing! We also set a bap date with her for June 22nd. We will meet with her again tonight. I am very excited to see how she is progressing. 

Tammy. Tammy has been meeting with missionaries for about 2-3 years now. She has had several bap dates set but could never quit smoking so she never made any of them. On Friday, we taught her the 15 step program at a member's house (The Trusty's). They take Tammy to church and have been friends with her for years. She came to church on Sunday and so far is doing really well with the stop smoking program. She hasn't touched a cigarette since I think Wednesday or Thursday. Her bap date is set for July 6. But we are meeting with her tomorrow and we hope to move it up depending on how she is doing with the program. 

Magenta and Nikita are our next 2 progressing. Their situation is hard. Nikita is 12 and Magenta is 11. We read from the Book of Mormon with them. We met them last Monday. They are amazing children. They are incredibly smart and they love reading from the Book of Mormon and they actually understand the scripture language. They feel the spirit and they want to get baptized. Really badly. But we talked to their parents and they said absolutely not..... :( Apparently they were baptized Methodist last year and their mom had a bad experience with Mormons in the past and will allow them to study with us but nothing more. Because of this and how young they are, we don't know if we should drop them or keep going. I don't know. I don't want to let down those kids, but the parents... Any advice? 

Lastly is Tasha. She wasn't progressing until our awesome lesson last night. We were supposed to meet with her last week but she kept dodging us. Every time we would go to meet her she was "just heading somewhere" or she was "really busy". We went over at least 3 times this past week and still nothing. We were getting ready to drop her when we went last night with Sister Hughlett (a member). At first, she dodged us and said come back in an hour. So we did. This time around we came up and she said, "Now is really just not a good time with my mom and everything. Maybe you all should just leave." I was about to turn around and go when suddenly I kept talking! I don't know what I said but suddenly Tasha was crying. Next thing I knew, I was wrapping her in a hug as she was crying in my arms and I was saying, "We're here for you. What's going on? You can talk to us." She then went on to explain about her mother living with them. Apparently she verbally abuses Tasha's 5 kids all the time. Tasha is woken up by her yelling and she gets the kids dressed and refuses to go back into the house until it is time to go to bed that night. That's why she hadn't wanted to meet with us at her house. We listened to her for a long time and then agreed to meet at the park with her tomorrow. She was so relieved and is really excited to come talk to us more tomorrow. That was such a testimony builder to me that God knows each and every one of His children. He knows who we are, where we are and exactly what we need, when we need it. Tasha is one of His daughters and He cares for her infinitely. I can't wait to meet with her again and talk with her more. 

As for your letter:

First, thanks for your words of inspiration Mum. They are exactly what I needed to hear. Something I've learned this past week is that the spirit is a confirmer of truth. That's why people in other churches can have spiritual experiences. When they hear of the truth, the spirit will whisper to them, "almost there" and they get excited thinking they've found something. Whenever we hear something that is true or right, the spirit will tell us so. As I was reading your paragraph to help lift me up, I felt that confirmation. I started crying actually. :P So thank you. I will try with all my soul to believe it. And yes, Sis Black was one of Sis Earl's companions. 

Oh! We had a baptism this past weekend! The 5 _____ kids finally got baptized! Desirrae, the mom, was baptized like 2-3 months ago and on Saturday 5 of her 7 kids finally got baptized. I believe that Mandy is emailing Sydney, the oldest girl, who is 12 and also a directioner. Syd is seriously my pal out here. Other than Sis Black, she's like my best friend. I love that girl to death. She is going to grow up and do amazing things. 

Thanks so much for the fb pics! Keep doing that! I love seeing my gorgeous friends and hearing a small bit about their lives. I miss them so darn stinkin much! Tell Kadi congrats. Again. Kaizi is stunning already. Tell Kei that I love the hair and it's super cute. Please? :) 

And is it only 4 weeks left for Kendall already? Wow.... did you know that your b-day, the 18th was officially my 2 month mark? I have now been in the GKLM or out in the field for 2 months and 2 days. That's also the day the Ferrara kids got baptized! Quite the awesome day! So I am 1/9 done with my mission. Time is flying by SO quickly! People always said that but you don't really understand until you are out here. 

Brit: LOVE THE PICTURES!!!! How on earth are you so beautifully stunning? I think that if the king saw you, Queen Esther would have some competition for the throne! (Hahaha! I'm so hilarious.... oh missionary puns.... :D ) And such a spiritual giant as well. I am so glad that everything is going well. Do you graduate this week? I hope I get pics! 

Mandy: I'm glad to hear that you had a party with all your friends! I hope that everything went well! You are so gorgeous and don't you ever forget how much I love you. Syd reads your emails to me and she told me how excited you were to get a random pic. She talks about you all the time. Have fun with all these new friends! How is Mariah doing by the way? 

Josh: Baptisms for the first time huh???? Wow, I am so very jealous.... Seriously, I miss the temple so bad. Enjoy every single minute you have in there. It is a precious sacred place. Don't ever take it for granted. Especially when the closest temple around here is Louisville and it’s 2 hours away. Then there is St. Louis that is 3. You have so many temples so close. Cherish them. I know that I took them for granted. Especially Salt Lake. A lot of people out here only get to go once, when they are married. Some don't even get that. That temple is very special and we are lucky enough to live so close. 

Brandon: Congrats on the race dude! And I LOVE your haircut! You look adorable as always. You are growing up so fast! When did my little boy start looking so old? Stop it silly! haha I love you! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MMMMMMOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!! (I hope that the rest of the family sang it as you read it, if not, you should do it again. :) ) Happy birthday mom. I talked about you all day Saturday. I told everyone at the baptism how amazing of a Mom I have and last Mother's day I gave my testimony in sacrament that turned into an on the spot talk (one of the speakers got sick so I took her place). I told everyone how amazing of a mom I've got and that I wouldn't be here without her. Don't you ever forget how precious you are to me. Your example of dedication and hard work keeps me going every day. I love you. 

Wow, this week was a long email! But that's because I didn't have a time limit. We're at the Braedon's instead of the library. I love you all so much! I can't wait to hear from you next week! 

Word of the week: Hardee's. It's actually a restaurant. In Utah, they are known as Carl's Jr. but here they are Hardee's.

Advice of the week: Event by Event. This is some advice that Elder Tuttle gave me. It's really helped me to get through this week because sometimes even taking it Day by Day can be exhausting and overwhelming so just take it Event by Event and soon enough, you're already 2 months done with your mission. :)

Talk to you next week!

Loves forever, Sister Thorne

Mom:

Don’t give up on Magenta and Nakita. And don’t give up on their parents. That mom needs to have a good experience with the church and that is going to be you and your companion. If you give up on them they will say that you only wanted another baptism. I think you should just be there for the whole family. Does that make sense? 

Shannah:

That really makes sense actually. I think that may have been the advice we were looking for. Thank you so much mom! Things are starting to look up. We may be able to stay at the Braedon's until Zone Conference Friday and then get a new apartment instead of going back to that other one. Pray for us to get a new apartment please! I think they are trying to get out of the lease right now but are having a difficult time. We would really appreciate it. We have to go, but I love you! Never forget it!

 Yes, yes we did tract that gigantuan house. That would be Sis Junk's idea. She wanted it to be the last house she ever tracted. No, they weren't interested. 



 BreAnna and I showing off our new necklaces. Mine has an S and hers has a B and Sis Junk's has a J. They were a gift.

 Sis Black and I

 Back row: Angel (14), Sis Black, Me, Sydney (12) Front row: Scott (8), Geanna (9) and Alex (10). This was the day of their baptism. After everything was over we went to Sis Hughlett's for ribs to celebrate. :) That was a fun night.

May 13, 2013

Hey Thorne Fam! 

What a crazy week right??? It's been a pretty stressful and difficult week. But amazingly enough, I'm really not doing that bad. One night, I think it was Tuesday this past week, I was sitting on the couch and I just started crying. I was so overwhelmed, stressed and heavy. I just couldn't do it anymore. I got down on my knees and just bore my entire heart out to my Savior. At that moment, a specific memory came to my mind. It was of the YW lifewalk. I remember walking up the huge mountain picking up some rocks from this pile and adding them to my backpack. Then I got to the top of the mountain carrying my super heavy backpack full of rocks. Then, just as I crested the hill, I remember seeing the life size picture of the Savior with His arms open. I remember Leslie Jones coming up to me saying, "Drop your burdens at His feet." That sentence came to my mind at that moment of complete sorrow. "Drop your burdens at His feet. Drop your burdens at His feet." So I started my prayer over again and begged the Savior to take these burdens off of my back. Take this away. Let me go back to being happy. Let me focus on missionary work. I went to bed, slept peacefully and woke up with more energy and happiness than I have had all this transfer. All of my burdens were gone. As each day goes along, I accumulate more burdens and every night I drop them off at His feet again. Since then, I have been so happy. Each day is a new adventure and I have found a new perspective on missionary work. So really, I am doing good. :) 

As for Sister Junk, just so you all know, she is going home. She has had extreme anxiety and depression and can't do this anymore. She should be going home either this week or the next. She is very sad to go, but has prayed about it and feels that Heavenly Father understands her decision and is still proud of the work she has been able to accomplish. As am I. I will keep you updated on the changes. 

For investigators this week, we found 10 new investigators. They are: Kimberely, Tasha, Tosha, Michelle, Angie, Angela, Jason, Tammy, Magenta and Nikita. The ones that I see serious potential in are Kimberely, Angie, Angela, Tammy and Nikita. We are meeting with each of these people at least once this week. We have return appointments with everyone on Tuesday (tomorrow). From there, we are going to try to meet with them again on Friday/Saturday. By the end of this week, my goal is to have 8 of the 10 attend church, all of them progressing and have each one of them set a baptismal date. We set one with Tammy already for July 6. She is a former and has been to church numerous times, she just needs to quit smoking and she can be baptized. So we are teaching her the 15 step program on Tuesday. Our other baptismal date is Lor Ryn, who was being taught by the Elders but got handed off to us. We met her officially this past week and will be seeing her again tonight. We are hoping to confirm her bap date at that point. 

As for your email:

It was so awesome to see you as well Sunday! :D I can't even tell you how overjoyed I feel. I basically felt like I was walking on clouds all afternoon and evening. I still feel like that! I loved seeing all of your beautiful faces and that awesome surprise of seeing Hillary! That was totally legit! To be able to see you, to talk to each of you individually, to get updated on your life, to see each of your smiles, to know that you are all happy and safe. :) That will definitely hold me over for the next 7 months. :) 

Thanks for all the pics! I love each and every single one of them. Especially the one of gorgeous Ali and beautiful Kadi and Kaizi. What incredible amazing friends I have been blessed with and how wonderful to see how life is progressing for them. Sometimes I forget that everyone back at home are still going on with their lives. It just seems like everything back home will be put on pause until I come home, but alas, that isn't the case. :P  

Thank you so much for Nick's post. That made me so happy inside. I still haven't heard anything from him. So it was good to know that I haven't been completely forgotten by my big bro. haha :) not really, I know he'll always love me no matter what happens. But it really means a lot to know that I am still being a good example to those back home. I will never let down the names I represent on my tag: Thorne, Jesus Christ and The Church.

Brit: I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!!!! Just seeing your beautiful, gorgeous stunning face and the bright light of Christ in your eyes. It gives me the courage and strength to keep going. I think of you every day and when I get down I think, "I am the first of many. I'm going to be a strong good example for my little sister." Then I pick myself up and I move on. Thank you for always being there and making the hard choices. Have fun. Go on a mission. Live life. Enjoy college. Make memories. Have adventures. And of course, make good choices. Number 1 rule!

Manda-Lou: Thank you so much for your letter. It was so wonderful to hear from you and even better to see your face. I told Sister Junk that the first thing I thought when I got off skype was "Wow, Mandy is growing into a beautiful Young Woman." You are maturing and following the right path. Just make sure to never stray from it. Remember who you are and who you value. Always put family first. Always. Never ever let anyone come between you and family. That happens way too much in the world and that is exactly what Satan wants. Don't let him get you. Love you beautiful! *secret handshake* 

Josh: I got your letter this morning! Thanks so much dudie! I am so glad you are doing well in life and progressing. That's my boy. Honor that priesthood and have fun! 

Brandon: How's my lil boy? It was so fun to see your face! I'm so sorry about your Thor hammer. I wish I could do something to help. Just remember that I love you and I'll never forget you.  

I pray for you all every day. Be good! 

Till next week,

Sister Thorne

 

 Missionaries over for P-day lunch at Sister Hughlett's house.

 

 Jasper Indiana North Elders and South Sisters.

 

 The outside of our quaint apartment.

 

 Roaches at the bottom of a drawer.

 

 Our elders teaching a goose. :)

 

 I'll GO where you want me to go.

 

The beautiful rolling hills of Jasper, IN.

May 6, 2013 (no pics again)

Hey Thorne Fam!

So yes, I am in Jasper, Indiana. My mission is the south of Jasper all the way down to Dale. My new companion is Sister Junk from Ogden, Utah. Sis Earl and I got a ride down to Transfers with Sister Robinson from Evansville. Then, Sis Earl drove back up with her two new companions and Sis Robinson. Sis Junk and I got a brand new car and we drove up to Jasper. Sister and Elder Halvorsen (two of our senior missionaries who work in the mission office) came and set up our apartment before we got to Jasper. The Jasper North Elder got us a couch so when we came we had beds, some utensils and cooking tools, oatmeal, hot chocolate and two desks. By "opening a new area" I mean that we are going into an area that has previously been basically untouched. The Jasper North Elders (previously just the Jasper Elders) covered all the way from Odon, Indiana to Dale, Indiana. Since it was such a large area, they mostly just stayed up to the north. Now, their area has been split in half so they are the Jasper North Elders and we are the Jasper South Sisters. We get a new area book and basically start from scratch. So this week we deep cleaned our house (we kind of have a roach problem) for 2 days and then we spent the rest of the week mapping out our area. So seeing what cities we cover, getting maps of the counties we are in (Dubois County, Pike County, Spencer County and Warrick County) and then getting any records that the Elders had that are now in our area and figuring our where they live and trying to visit them. Does that make sense? 

Also, crazy coincidence (not a coincidence though), Sister Olivia Horlacher from my YSA ward came in this transfer with my new companion Sister Junk. So I got to see her at transfer meeting. Not only that, Sis Junk and Sis Horlacher were MTC companions! Crazy right? It's so crazy how the Lord prepares everyone. 

As for Sis Junk, she is awesome. She is 20 like me and just a month younger than me. She has such a strong testimony. She went to Bonneville High and was a cheerleader her senior year. She is majoring in Family and Consumer Sciences at Utah State and got a year and a half of school done before coming out. She is the 4th of 6 kids and... *drumroll* craziest coincidence, her brother is companions with Elder Ryan Woodard in the Tampa, Florida Mission! CRAZY RIGHT?!?! We could barely believe it. I was just floored. So yep, that's Sister Junk.  

As for this week, we were able to get 2 new investigators: Pauly and Jessica, mother and daughter. They are both amazing. Jessica has lived through a brain tumor and Pauly is going through cancer now. But each have seen great miracles and have a very strong faith in God. Our only problem is that they don't believe in organized religion. We have met with Jessica twice but Pauly only once, she got sick and wasn't able to meet with us the second time. Jessica said that she wants to explore this religion on her own but we got her to agree to let us call her on Friday and we will probably stop by sometime this week to check up on her. 

I'm not gonna lie, please keep praying for me. This week has been the hardest and most discouraging of my mission thus far. By far. It's been so hard to keep going every day. But somehow I do. The Savior provides the strength. The hardest part is that Jasper is very very VERY catholic. Like hardcore. So we have had a lot of rude people and it's only been week 1. Please pray for the people here. Thanks. 

So yep. That's been this week. It's been awesome to get an update from you all. Especially to see the picture of little Kaizi. That seriously made my day. I have been so worried about her. I'm very grateful that Kadi is safe and all went well. Please give her my congratulations.  

For people who wrote me this week, this was actually the first week I didn't get any letter from anyone. But oh well. :) If you all would, please write Sister Junk a letter tonight and send them ASAP. She has been really struggling and the first week is always the hardest. I'm sure that would brighten her day. Thank you! 

For the AFCU statement: My tennis shoes broke and I had some problems with my feet two weeks ago. We talked to Sis Woodbury and she suggest buying shoes with more support in them. That fixed it and my feet don't hurt so badly anymore. Could you please transfer some money from savings to checking. I'm looking at a bike at walmart right now that looks really nice and is still pretty cheap. I think I may get it next week. I'll just have enough.

Phrase of the week: "which way is up"- to put someone to rights. i.e. He was into some bad stuff but then I told him which way was up and he fixed himself right up. 

Advice of the week: Rely on the atonement. I could have never gotten through this week if I didn't know that my Savior understood exactly what I was going through. He understood and because of Him, I knew that I wasn't alone. Find ways in your life where you can apply the atonement more directly.

Till next week, Sister Thorne

P.S. Also, with Mother's Day next Sunday. I will be on Skype. We have a family set up to got to. President is really strict about only spending 30-40 minutes on your call so my idea is to spend the first 5 min saying hi to everyone then spend 5 min individually with each family member so that I have a little alone time with each one of you. Then spend 5 min saying goodbye. I should be able to get on anytime from noon to 7 eastern time so I'm open from 10-5 your time. But the good news is that Sis Junk should be calling you all the night before to confirm our appointment and get my skype information. So it will all work out. Talk to you Sunday! 

Shannah

New address: 675 Giesler Rd Apt #211, Jasper, IN, 47546