Hey!

 

Things this week were really good here. For sure the best part of the week was the baptism of J.  She is so awesome.  I have really never met someone who is so truly converted.  But, I will try to go through the week first.

On Tuesday, we had District Meeting, and then we also had J's baptismal interview.  Which went really good.  The Zone Leaders (Elder B who I worked with and Elder N) came to do that and so it was cool.  We drove our car up there, which we are sorely missing, which was fun.  I know that I have said this before, but our cars here are so terrible.  And J lives at the top of a really big hill, so that was interesting.  We are still trying to figure out how we will be getting around this transfer, we think there is a ticket for all of the buses and trains in the area, so that would be nice.  

On Wednesday we met with F, our cool Romanian investigator, and then also with the Es.  I don't know if I have told about them or now, but it is a mother and her twelve year old son.  He's really shy, and we are helping him to do more with the young men activities in the ward.  So, we played soccer with them which was interesting... You know how much I love soccer... But it was actually pretty fun. 

On Thursday, was transfer day.  And so to be totally honest, not a whole lot happened.  We ended up missing a train because our other one was delayed, and then it ended up being that we were on trains all day from 10 in the morning to 8:15 at night.  Not a whole lot happened.  It was also a little sad because Elder C left.  It will be weird without him.  And so we are going to miss him, but it will be good for us too, and for him as well.  That's kind of how it goes on a mission, you are always saying good bye to people and so that's tough, but not a whole lot that you can do about it.  

We also helped our Ward Mission Leader move out.  He's a Canadian.  And he is a Tagg.  His dad was there helping him move too.  Turns out he knows dad.  His name is Jim Tagg.  Small world eh?  So after that, we didn't really do too much because we didn't have a whole lot of time.

On Saturday was the baptism and it was awesome.  The members were really great, and it was in a beautiful place.  I will try to send a picture of it later.  I took some, but the computer here is being strange...  

Things here are doing good.  I am always amazed with how fast time goes on a mission and how much I am loving it.  Things with Elder N are also going good. This week we are going to Zurich for a meeting, so that will also be a lot of fun to see a lot of missionaries, and to go into Switzerland a bit more.

I should probably run.  Sorry this letter is so short.  I love you guys a lot.  Cool to hear about all the changes going on at home.I love you guys a lot!  

--
Sincerely,

Elder Connor J. Thompson

Hey Family!

First of all, transfer calls were this week and the result is that I am staying here with Elder N.  To be honest, it was a little unexpected but I am really excited for it to be honest.  Which means, that you can keep the mail coming to this address.  Haha!  Elder C will be going to Ellwangen to work with a German there, so that will be good for him.  Although it's strange to see him go, and to think that we are both staying is really weird, this transfer should be really good.  Probably the first reason I am excited for this transfer is J.
So J's baptism is scheduled for the 21st of July, which is awesome.   We met with her and the Branch President and got ready for her interview which will be on Tuesday.  She is so excited to become a member of the church.  She knows its true, and feels at home there.  The baptism is going to come and go so fast, and I am very happy that I am here so that I can help with her getting used to being a member and what not here.  She really is so great.
Another awesome part of this week was T.  We met T on Sunday evening last week and talked to her and gave her a Book of Mormon and she was really excited about it.   We met with her and she was way excited about everything.  It was so neat to see someone who was really excited about the church and about things.  She is way cool.
On Wednesday, we tausched back and then had an appointment with F, who is from Romania.  She recognized us because she  had been taught a couple times by the missionaries there, and went to one of the YSA centers there quite a bit.  She is working here because she can't get a job in Romania, and is pretty cool.  We also met with T and had a really awesome lesson again. 
To be totally honest, I really can't remember even what happened for most of this now.  Haha! 
But things are going good.  We are finding some really good people, and on Sunday we had 5 investigators in church, which is the most I have had in one day my whole mission.  Haha!
I love you guys a lot and hope your doing good.  I am really excited to hear what happens with our new house, and with the twins.  Murphy's Law seems to say that based off of how much mom wants a girl it will be boys.  So, that is my guess.  Who knows though?  Hope you are all doing good.  Sounds like the reunion was a lot of fun.  I am praying for you all.  Love you!!

A New House?!

Hey family! 

Anyways, the biggest news from you this week, would be the new house I suppose.  That's crazy!  It's strange to think that life still goes on while I am gone.  I had just always thought I would for sure come back to that house.  But a little down the street is okay.  It could be a little more difficult for sure.  Haha!  And on the bright side, I don't have to worry about cleaning anything, or helping to fix anything.  Win/Win!  Haha! 

Things this week have been really good.  I will just tell you the highlights of things, we did a lot of contacting this week to find new people to teach, which is sometimes a little difficult to keep motivated, but it was really good.  And I find that I am always liking talking to people more each day.  I think a combination of getting better with German, and just understanding the gospel more has helped me a lot to really want to talk to people, not just feel like I have to because otherwise I am a bad missionary. 

This week Elder N had a training meeting of sorts in Munich and so he was gone Thursday, Friday, and half of Saturday, so for those days it was just Elder C and I.  It felt really strange to be with only 2 missionaries.  But it was really good. 

Friday was a really great day.  But so tiring.  The Stake President of Zurich (I am in that Stake, which is still so strange to me...) has decided that he wants the members to be more involved in missionary work.  He figured the best way was to lead by example.  So, he is going to spend one day with the missionaries of each branch / ward in the Stake.  (I think there are 10 in ours).  So he came to us on Friday.  Which I think is so cool.  So Elder C and I went on splits with him and Brother T.  And it was so funny.  I have mentioned how Brother T is a super missionary, but at the lunch break President Bolt asked him how he was doing, and how he was liking it, and the only response he could give was ''We need to give these guys more referrals.''  He was so tired.  Haha!  President Bolt was a great guy to work with though.  He is a convert to the church, and is so happy and so grateful, and people could really recognize the love of the gospel that he had.  I think he was hurting too, but didn't show it at all, and when we'd seem a little upset he would say a funny joke, and just did a lot of little things that really showed that he cared.  I would really like to be someone like that when I am older.  He was so awesome.   

Also on Friday we had an appointment with J.  I don't know what I have told you about her, other than she was hitchhiking and then Brother Titz picked her up and then told her about the church.  In Brother Titz' word she devours the scriptures.  She has read all of the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and is now started with Daugthers in My Kingdom, and will probably start then with Teachings of the Presidents of the Church, and then she'll probably find the Institute Manuals, and then the Sunday School, and then even the Primary ones too.  Haha!  We had a great meeting with her and talked about Baptism.  She was like, 'When can we do it?' So she has a date for the 21st of July. So it will be really cool to see what happens with that.  She is for sure prepared and ready and about as close to being a member as you can be.  She comes to church, has a lot of friends, participates a lot in classes.  It's awesome.  She is really a great person.

Things are going good.  Transfer calls are already this week so that is insane.  I have no idea what will happen.  It's strange.  But whatever will happen, I know it is supposed to happen.  The Lord really does have a plan for all of us, and knows where we need to be.  Who knows, there is probably a reason for you moving houses too?  We'll just have to see.

Haha!
I love you guys a lot!!!

--
Sincerely,

Elder Connor J. Thompson

Happy Canada Day!

Hey!

How is everyone doing?  This past week was really good!  

On Monday, we went as a District to Rheinfalls, which are really beautiful.  It was a lot of fun.  We went as a District, and it's always fun to see how we as missionaries all come from such different backgrounds, but still are able to get along so well, and have a lot of fun.  When we came back we did a little dooring and then decided that it wasn't too effective, so we came back toe the Internet shop to see a lady here.  We had actually talked to her two weeks beforehand.  We had been talking about how German people are too stuck in their ways, and cannot do something else other than what they had planned to.  If they had planned to find a new religion then they would, but nobody comes and says ''I would like to change my religion.'' Well, Inna came to us the next day and was like 'I would like to change my religion.  How do I do that?'  We were pretty surprised and gave her a Book of Mormon and then a Pamphlet or two, and then we talked to her again as we did e-mails and she told us she had read quite a bit.  Then on Monday we went and talked to her, and she had finished the Book of Mormon!  She didn't quite understand everything, but was still really excited about it, and had a lot of questions.  It was tough because she doesn't have a solid Christian background, her father was Muslim, her mother was Christian, and she is just confused.  We had to try and do things as simply as possible, which is sometimes a little difficult, but it will be neat to see what happens with her.  She is really funny and a really good person who doesn't want to drink or smoke, but just wants to be a good person and have a good life.  We are going to meet with her more and see where it takes us.  But she is really looking for the truth and hopefully that means she will be willing to keep commitments.  

On Tuesday, we had an appointment with a member from Mexico whose records got lost and so technically isn't a member.  She is a nice lady and has a cool son who is twelve, and we are hoping to help both of them to set a baptismal date this week.  We also had a service project where we painted for a younger couple.  They would get along really well with Jason and Kate and Matt and Kari.  He served a mission in London, and she served a mission in Hawaii, and they are really fun.  They just had a baby girl on Saturday too.

On Wednesday  we had a good day, we are working with the ward, and really trying harder to be a better part of the ward.  We had an eating appointment, and then had a lesson with J.  She is awesome.  She had a baptismal date for the 30th, but because she is so busy we had to postpone it.  But she is so prepared.  She has read the Book of Mormon and knows it's true, and is almost finished the Doctrine and Covenants.  When we go to teach her things it's basically a review which is really neat to see how sincere she is.  She also was asking a lot about baptism and it was really neat.  She was like 'Where are we going to do my baptism? Am I allowed to invite people to watch?  I think that would be really neat for them to see it.' Needless to say, we told her that was okay.  Haha!  We taught her with Brother T, who is the coolest member I have ever met.  He's such a funny guy.  And just lives the life of a missionary.  I think you guys would love him.  Just everything about him is so cool. 

On Thursday, we had an exchange where I went to Schwenningen.  I worked with Elder D who is awesome.  But he was feeling pretty sick, and so he was sleeping and trying to get better, and then when he felt a little better he couldn't really go out too well, so we cleaned.  On Friday we had interviews and it was really good.  I love President and Sister Miles so much.  They are so much fun, and just good people.  Between the concert and interviews we had some time to kill so we went contacting in the downtown area.  It was pretty crazy.  There were 10 of us (Us three, Singen (2), Schwenningen (2), Zone Leaders (2), and President Miles) it was insane.  I think in an hour we gave out like 13 Book of Mormons which is really good.

Not too much happened the weekend because of the Soccer games.  We actually ended up missing the games, which was okay because Germany lost to Italy (lame) and Italy got thumped by Spain.  Things are going good.  I love the ward here.  They are so good and excited about the work.  We are trying to really help them do missionary work, because we are so close, and if the branch does a little more, we will be a ward pretty soon.  Which is exciting.

 Say hi to everyone for me!  I love you guys a lot!!

--
Sincerely,

Elder Connor J. Thompson