Family, family, family, :) because let's be honest, you are family to me!
I am so sorry for my late email and it's going to be short, but I love you all and you guys are the best.
We had a good week over here. I can't believe it's the last week before transfers. They went too fast. It's one of the elders final weeks of his mission and we had to have a good ole pday for him. Dang it's crazy because you think the hardest part of a mission is saying bye to home and trust me that's hard, but it's saying goodbye to the friendships you make out on the mission that are harder. I'm really grateful for the opportunity I have had to make life long friends out on the mission.
One of the coolest things that happened this week was yesterday at church. We walked into church and saw an unfamiliar face that we didn't know. I went over to introduce myself to her and asked her if we could sit by her. We sat down and asked her how she was and she immediately started crying. It was so sad. She said that she is going through a lot and that after 22 years of marriage, her husband left her for another woman. She just lost her home and all her kids have left home and are off in their various places and don't need their mom. She told us that she hasn't been to church in one year but that she decided to come. We told her how grateful we were that she was here and that God was with her. Half way during the meeting, she got up and left. A few minutes later I decided that we should go out and see if she had really left. We walked around the church and found her in a corner crying. We sat and talked with her as she cried. She told us that she felt so abandoned. I testified to her that she is never alone. One of my favorite things is testifying to people that they are loved. One of my favorite scriptures is 1 Nephi 11:17 and says (don't quote me) "And I said unto him I don't know the meaning of all things, nevertheless I know that He loveth His children." I don't know why bad things happen to good people; it's just a part of life, but I know that God loves us. He will never abandon us and he never abandoned that lady although she felt as if He did. At the perfect moment, the Bishop of the other ward walked in and gave her a blessing. It was SO powerful. I started to cry. It's amazing the power that comes from God. After the blessing, she told us that she is going to start coming to church again. She hugged us and through her tears she said, "thank you, sisters, thank you."
These are the moments i live for. I am glad God has allowed me to be an instrument in His hands.
This week, summed up in an "I learned" statement can be I learned a lot about time. I learned that 9 months goes a lot faster than we think. I learned that there are good, better, and best ways to spend the Lord's time. I learned that some people need more time to accept the gospel. I learned that the best time for the Lord to work miracles through you in the Middletown Ward is 10 minutes before sacrament meeting as you introduce yourself to unfamiliar faces.
The mission is good. It's the best thing I've ever done, and although not all days are easy, it's worth it.
Love you guys so much.
Godspeed always,
Sister Thurgood
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