09-12-2016

Hola a mis personas :)

I hope this week was good for you guys! Big thanks to Mallory for
sending lots of pictures it made me feel like I was part of the fun
even though I'm a few hundred miles away! I miss you guys so much and
I'm so grateful to have such good people back at home. Whenever
something is important to us or makes us happy me and sister Morrison
say "mi corazon mi corazon" which means my heart my heart in Spanish.
When I think about you guys that phrase is on a constant repeat. You
guys are the best. Mi corazon mi corazon

Unfortunately we are 99% positive that this next week will be Sister
Morrison and I's last week together, and even worse we are like 80%
positive this will be my last week here in the Cordelia/Fairfield
Area. I have absolutely loved this area and love these people more
than I can express. As a result me and sister Morrison have been going
HAM. This past week was SO awesome! And this next week is going to be
even better because it's most likely our last week together so we are
going to work sooo hard.

Sister Morrison and I are sooo blessed. Heavenly Father is so good to
us. It is amazing how he blesses us as we work hard.

In honor of my Mom who is my favorite person everr i have decided to
use her logic of good things coming in 5's and do this week's Top 5

Introducing this Week's Top 5 of sister mckaylee thurgood:

1. WE SET A BAPTISMAL DATE WITH RIVA and she is all for it. Riva is a
referral from Brentwood and she recently moved into our Ward
boundaries and she is so awesome. She wants to know if it's true and
we gave her a chapter to read last week and when we came to her house
she had read not just 1 but 7 chapters!! Ahhh we were so happy! She is
elect. Her dad recently found out last week that he has cancer and so
she has been down in Berkeley on the weekends with him but she said
that she bought a dress and that she is so excited to come to church
this next week. I don't think I have ever been so happy (haha okay so
I say that a lot but you should have seen me and sister Morrison we
were so happy. We have a video to prove it ahah) Riva is awesome!
October 8th. I hope she can do it.

2. We went tracting which is never the most fun thing but we didn't
have any potentials or anything in this area so we thought well let's
get our knocking on and the coolest thing happened. We knocked on this
door and a young mom opened the door and let us in. She was interested
in learning more and so nice! She agreed to let us teach her more. She
had so many questions about the gospel and then we found out that her
husband was baptized as a Mormon when he was dating this girl in his
early twenties. The two of them ended up not getting married and as a
result he slowly stopped going to church. It was such a cool miracle
to not only find someone new to teach but to find a lost sheep that we
didn't even realize was lost. God leads us to His children but we
first have to start walking, talking, and knocking. I am realizing
just how amazing the spirit is, how it leads and guides us. This is
HIS work.

3. Last night we went to go see this potential who we had tried to see
on Saturday but was busy and said to try back sometime on Sunday.
Because she didn't give us a for sure time we weren't really sure if
she was interested in listening to us but we stopped by on Sunday
night. She was so excited and thought that we had forgotten about her.
She told us that she was waiting since this afternoon for us and even
took a really really quick shower just in case we came during that
time haha. She invited us in and on the ottoman she had a Book of
Mormon out and a plan of salvation pamphlet!! She said that she was
given a Book of Mormon by a colleague awhile back and every since she
began to read it she knew that it had truth in it and that every time
she gets close to accepting it fully she gets scared. She told us that
she has been reading it a lot lately by herself and watching study
things on BYU TV and even downloaded the Book of Mormon app and has
been listening to the Book of Mormon while she does dishes. SAY
WHATTTT??!! We had an awesome lesson with her and we were able to
create an "ah ha moment" for her and the spirit testified of the
divinity of the book. We explained how in the Bible Jesus talks about
visiting other sheep and how in the Book of Mormon when Jesus comes to
the Americas he tells them that they are the other sheep of whom he
told his disciples in Jerusalem he should visit. The spirit was so
strong. You could physically see it click in her mind. She told us
that she had always thought she was comfortable with her religion and
then when we she read the Book of Mormon she felt that it was the
thing she didn't even know was missing. It made me realize that there
are people out there that are literally waiting to be found. They
don't even know they are looking for the truth until they find it.
they are waiting for us to find them. Not just missionaries with
badges but all of us. They are waiting for us. It was such a cool
experience. I love this gospel. Every time we get in the car after one
of these moments I tell sister Morrison "wow being a missionary is the
best thing ever. But seriously this is the best thing" and she just
laughs and goes "amen amen"

4. We have been working with these less actives to come to church.
They are from the Philippines and their English is a little poor but
we love them and they are so cute. I'm obsessed with them. When they
came out here to America, the busy life of work work work caught up
and they lost touch. We saw them on Thursday and we told them come
come to church. AND THEY CAME. I was so so happy to see them. They
stayed for 2 hours too and they are the best. Side note but it's so
funny! On Thursday when we were at their house, we were getting to
leave and she asked us if we wanted some apple juice, (at their house
you have to say yes to everything because you just have to) and so we
said yes. The language barrier can be sort of confusing to understand
everything and sister Morrison was so confused about the apple juice
that she thought she was giving us the gallon of apple juice and the
lady is like you don't you want a cup with ice ahah sister Morrison
was like well I can put it in our fridge and the lady was like I sorry
but this gallon is mine hahaha sister Morrison was so confused hahaha
she hates language barriers. She was so embarrassed that she tried to
take this cute little Philippines apple juice haha

5. Towards the end of the week, I did a lot of thinking of my family
and of Coulson as he leaves for his mission in a week. I was missing
you guys a lot and it's just because you guys are so great and I am
constantly reminded how blessed I am. I was thinking of Coulson and
his farewell yesterday and I didn't think I would be so sad because I
am already on my mission but oh boy I am. I am going to miss that
dude. I just want to give him a big hug and tell him how much I love
him and how he is going to be the best missionary ever. And if anyone
knows Coulson then you know that he is going to actually be the best
missionary. It's sad to think he won't be at the airport when I get
home. I'm just so proud of him. It's definitely a mix of emotions.
Bitter but sweet. This event makes the top 5 because these past months
have brought me so much grow and joy and now Coulson is a week a way
from experiencing how great a mission is. He's going to do amazing
things in Mexico.

We had a training meeting this week with a bunch of the missionaries
and during the meeting President asked me to explain why I was so
happy on the mission. I responded that it's because I get to be an
instrument of the Lord and that if you work really hard then you'll be
really happy. During the rest of the meeting, I thought of that
question. I decided that although I am very happy because I get to be
an instrument in the Lords hands. I am so happy on my mission because
everyday I see how gracious and merciful the lord has been to me.
Everyday I am reminded of Him and his atonement for me and my heart
fills with gratitude and joy that the Savior loves me so much that he
has allowed me to change and that although I have made many mistakes I
can be healed. The best part of the atonement is that our past doesn't
define us and that we determine our destinies. I am so happy on my
mission because I know what the atonement offers to all those who feel
that they have fallen to far, to those who feel lost, to those who
feel they are too broken, and to those that feel there is no hope. In
Jesus Christ and His gospel, there is always hope.

I love you guys so much.

Xoxox always

Sister Thurgood