Elder Michael Thornton

Elder Michael Thornton
24 August 2011 to August 2013

Monday, January 16, 2012

Twenty-First Letter Home 16 January 2012

Hey, How is everybody? 

I got my transfer call on Saturday night. Transfers are tomorrow at 2:00pm in Tacoma. They changed it to Tuesday, because that's when the missionaries enter the mission field now, as opposed to Monday. 

I'm getting transferred; I knew I would be. President Weaver told me I would be in the interview I had with him on Thursday. Ha-ha! He thought this was my second area. He forgot I've been here for four and a half months now. I'm a little nervous for my new assignment, I'm going to Fort Lewis, which is in Lakewood. The reason I'm nervous though is because I'm going in as the new District Leader. Anyways, my new companion will be Elder Bailey, and I believe he is one or two transfers younger than me. I'm excited for the new area. 

I can't wait to find the people that Heavenly Father has been preparing for us to teach. Missionary work is like a treasure hunt: you know there are people that are ready to hear the Gospel; you've just gotta find them. I've really enjoyed working in this area. I love the people, I love the members, and I especially love our recent converts. The Wards liked me here. A lot of people said I could come back and visit, and the bishop gave me a hug and thanked me for what I did for his Ward. Ha-ha, I didn't do anything; the Lord did. I've just been along for the ride. I'm gonna miss this place, but I know I'm gonna love Fort Lewis. 

I'll be able to work with a lot of soldiers. They need the Gospel — especially with all the ones that will be coming home from Iraq who have PTSD. The Love that Jesus Christ has for us is the only thing that can heal the emotional and physical trauma those men and women have been through. I pray that I can be an instrument in the Lords hands in bringing many people unto Him while I'm in Fort Lewis. 

I heard a really cool story today about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, the second person in the history of the church was baptized there last Sunday. The Gospel is being spread by LDS service men there. In Iraq, when we first invaded, my Ward Mission Leader's son was in the initial invasion force. His group was halted in there advance by a huge sand storm in which the visibility was less than two feet in front of them. His group had to hunker down and wait out the storm. In the morning, after the storm blew over, the soldiers looked out and they saw that 100 feet in front of them was a huge mine field. The storm had blown all the sand away, and exposed the mines. If the sand storm hadn't hit, his entire unit would have been annihilated.  Cool huh? The Lord protected those soldiers. 

Anyways, this week has been kind of slow. We got cussed out while tracting the other day by a super rude dude. He had a fence around his yard, like everyone here, and he didn't have any posted signs. We went through the gate and knocked on his door, and he came to the window. He motioned for us to wait a minute. So we did, thinking he wanted to talk to us. He came out onto the porch very calmly, and then exploded. "Get the (%@!) off my porch you (%@!)-ing Mormons, (%@!)-you.... and on and on." Dude we would have left if you would have just shook your head "no" from the window. That's what everyone else does. Ha-ha, it was ridiculous! He was super angry. Elder Fosburgh wanted to dust his feet off, lol. He's been reading the D&C, and it says to do that if people don't receive you. I explained to him that you don't do that. Ammonihah stuff happens when you dust your feet off. So, he didn't dust his feet off, and that guy's house isn't a smoldering heap, lol. He'll get another chance to hear the Gospel in a few months. 

Anyways, the next time I right I'll have my new address and stuff. Have an awesome week, good job on reading the Book of Mormon.

Love,
Elder Thornton

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