Letter Home 9-7-14

Hello family and Friends!! it is good to write to you all once again. This week we have transfers coming up on Thursday....cross your fingers that no one gets transferred this week and that my companion and I stay together for another month or so..hopefully no longer than six months because that would be just too long to be with one companion. We are also having conference coming up in the next month but that is a while before that comes up.

This week my companion and I decided, well I didn't have any vote in this, but we decided to go on three trade offs in a row. On Wednesday the zone leaders wanted to go on a two hour trade off. I went with Elder Tibbits and we road on bikes. Elder TIbbits is from Utah and his family is from Morgan. In the two hours that we went tracking we were able to find two new investigators to teach. There was this girl name Kasey who just recently came out of jail. While talking to Kasey we were able to find out that while she did her time in jail she read a little book. The book that she was reading was a bible, while in jail she would take a read in the bible when she felt down. Elder Tibbits and I were able to share with her the importance of the love that Heavenly Father had for her. Having a scripture in the Bible pop in my head we then decided to read it out to her and it is found in 1 Samuel 16:7 which talks about how the Lord doesn't look at us for our "stature" or of how people look at us because the "Lord doesn't see as man seeth, but looketh on the heart". Kasey then felt really comforted and we could see in her expressions that she felt love and comfort. She later told us that she has a family of nine kids....NINE KIDS that is a handful of kids to be looking after. We were able to set an appointment with her to come back to talk more about the gospel with her and the family. 

Elder Long I had a baptism this weekend!!! It was the eight year old girl Qunisha!!! She was so excited and looked beautiful wearing all white. There were about forty people that showed up to her baptism. Qunishas mom, sister Cooper was very happy to see her little daughter be confirmed and baptized as a member of the church. While waiting for the time of her baptism just thinking, I had the feeling of comfort rather than being nervous. Meeting her in the font was an amazing experience that I will always remember!!! We both later agreed that being the font was warmer than being out of the font. She is the type of eight year old that I wish I could have been. What an example she is too all of us and the hearts that she has touched of all the members and her friends. The following Sunday we were able to welcome her as a member by all raising our right hands. 

Thank you for all the help and uplifting e-mails, the two years are going by fast and there is still a lot of work still to be done. One thing I would  like to say is...DON'T FORGET TO SMILE!! 

Hope you all enjoy your Month of September!! 

Elder Thorpe, A.K.A  "The Island boy on an Island!"