Week 22 I'm at an Ivy League School

Hey friends and family!

What a week this has been...
Highlights of this week:
Eduard
Jessica
Transfers
Ithica
Milton
Harold and Melissa
3 hour church

So the first half of the week is set in Saratoga and the second half in Ithica

In Saratoga, we had a few lessons with Eduard and he is progressing pretty well. We decided to read the Book of Mormon with him a chapter at a time. He is learning so much and asking great questions.

We also had a lesson with Jessica. She is on date for March 7th!!! She is amazing and so ready for baptism! I am sad that I won't be able to see it, but that doesn't matter. I am so happy for her!
On Tuesday was when we had transfer calls. And we had a lesson with her that night. She was so sad to hear that I was leaving. When I told her I was going to Ithica, she said, "Ithica?!! What about Jessica?!!" Haha she is awesome, I love her.

So yeah, Tuesday we got transfer calls and I was headed to Ithica North. My Comp is Sister Barrett. She is from Sandy, UT. We are having fun! I love Ithica, it is beautiful here. It was very sad to leave Saratoga, but I know that Ithica is where God needs me to be.

A little bit about Ithica, there is an Ivy League school here, Cornell University. We have the Student Branch and the Ithica Ward and we share them with Elders that cover Downtown Ithica. We only have a small part of the University campus, but it's a lot of fun!
One of the finger lakes is in our area, so there are lots of beautiful views and waterfalls! I am excited to watch spring bloom here.
This weekend has been so beautiful here and yesterday I did not have to wear my coat

So in my new area, we are teaching some wonderful people. Milton is hilarious and has the best stories. He does talk a lot and so it's hard to have a focused lesson, but it's alright. We play pool with him at the Mall because it helps keep him focused and gives us moments to teach and testify. He is awesome though.

Then we have Harold and Melissa, a brother and sister. They are so cute! The moment I met them, I loved them! We taught them the Plan of Salvation and they thought it was amazing! They are so hungry for truth and knowledge.

So because we have the university campus in our area, we walk it quite frequently and its amazing how fast you can get transported back to college. I had to remind myself a few times that I was a missionary, lol.

Also because we have both a branch and a ward, and they meet in the same building... we have 3 hour church! It's very interesting because we go to both Sacrament meetings and then the other meetings in the ward. It's actually really fun.

So my spiritual thought this week is all about giving your will to God.
I am currently studying "the 4th missionary" by Lawrence Corbridge
In this talk, He goes through 4 different types of missionaries.
The 3rd one is where I am studying now, and where I feel like have been as a missionary. The 3rd missionaries main problem is that while they are doing Gods will, following all the commandments, and seeing people come into Christ. They are not allowing Christ to change them.
The part that I read this morning had to do with being willing to do His will.
You have to desire to do His will, not just do it. A few scripture references he mentions are Alma 41:3-6, which talks about having righteous desires and then we will be rewarded with rightouseness or in other words, we will be changed by righteousness.
You cannot be changed against your will. If you go into your mission or a calling or anything, thinking this will make you better, but you don't do everything you can, including being willing to change, you won't be changed.
A quote from the talk, "You can't be happy if you don't want to do the things that lead to happiness, even if you do those very things."
Helaman 3:35- sanctification came because of yielding their hearts to God.
That reminded me of D&C 123:17
We must CHEERFULLY do ALL things that lie in our power, then may we stand still and see the salvation of God.
When we are cheerful and willing to do Gods will, we will see our Salvation, we will become like Christ.

Sorry this is a long email, but it's been a busy week, Haha.
Love you all!!
Sister Thacker

My Companion Sister Barrett

Cute puppy!!

Yummy food place

Stewart park, at the finger lake

Beautiful day

Week 21 God is in the details

This week has been crazy!!

Highlights:
-Bro Youngs baptism!!!!
-Jessica at church
-stress!!!!
-more mice
-God is in the details

Well first of all BROTHER YOUNG GOT BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!!!
It was so amazing!!!! He was so happy and the spirit was so strong! We were also able to be the witnesses!!!

In preparation for the baptism, we had to go to the church 3 hours before the baptism to fill the Font and that was fun. We had to find productive things to do while sitting at the church. We decided to go through our area book and clean it up a bit. And I got some time to write more in my journal during dinner.

 Eduard came to the baptism and seemed to enjoy it!
Brother Young said he felt clean, and that a burden was lifted. Its so amazing the cleansing power of baptism with the property authority. 

I truly know that through this ordinance we are able to fully access the Atonement of Jesus Christ and come into him and be clean of everything. I also know that partaking of the Sacrament has the same power because it is also a renewal of the covenant we make at baptism. I know that no matter what you have done, you can be forgiven, completely, fully because of our Savior Jesus Christ as you turn to him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

Next, Jessica went to church yesterday! We were at the Branch church services because Bro Young got confirmed there, so we were not at our normal ward. But she still went to church! She said she was welcomed and that she met so many great people. It was really good for her to be there without us to be able to rely on the members and gain friends. She is so excited to keep coming and to be baptized. We put her on date for March 7th!!!

This week was stressful!!! Bro Young needed to be interviewed still and he was not responding to us and by Wednesday we were panicking. He finally called us on Thursday morning and he said he would look at his schedule to figure it out. We them called our district leader so they could drive out and give him the interview. We spend about and hour and half just calling back and forth between the two, trying to figure out a time. We finally were able to schedule one for Friday at 1 PM but then we were told if it wasn't done on Thursday, he would have to wait a week... we did not want to do that! We were able to set it up for Thursday night and he got it done. 

He scared us because after he came out of the interview, he said do you want the good news or bad news first. We said bad news and he told us he will have to wait a week to be baptized. Then he smirked and said he was messing with us and he passed. Lol, I was scared there for a minute!! That was super stressful trying to get that figured out so he could be baptized, but we got it and as you know, he was baptized! Lots of prayers were said on behalf of that situation, and I know God knew what was going on. He allowed us struggle a little bit so that we could turn to Him and rely on Him for help.

Oh yeah, we caught 2 more mice in 1 day.... gross.... but we haven't had any more since those two so hopefully they are gone.

We met a lady this week named Penny. She is so sweet. Meeting her strengthened my testimony of how God is in the details. If we had tracted the neighboring road first, or if we had knocked on her door a few minutes before we did, we would not have met her. I was able to see how God had worked that morning in putting us right where he needed us to be in order to find Penny and help her feel His love. She was so grateful we knocked on her door and knew that we were messengers from God.

I know that God is aware of each of His children and He is doing everything He can to place people and experiences in our paths that allow us the opportunity to look to Him and to grow and learn. I also know that He cannot force any of us to allow these experiences to change us for the better or have them turn us to Him. Each of us have the choice. I hope that we will all be able to see the eternal Joy that comes from choosing to follow Christ.

That is all for this week. We have transfers this next week. I don't know if I will be staying in Saratoga or not, but just in case, send any mail to the mission address.
PO box 517 Liverpool, NY 13088

Thank you so much for the support and love!!!

Love you all!!!
Sister Thacker

1- oh yeah, happy Valentines day!

 my comp and I

Bro Young, us, and Pres Fichtner

us and the font

Bro Young

Week 20 Why Prepare?

Hey family and friends,

Last p-day we had a district activity. We went bowling!!! It was so much fun! I got second to last, but I beat Elder Scott, our district leader, Haha! But I still did very bad! The Biesingers were there too, I love them!

We met a cool guy names Jesse this week. He met with missionaries in Hawaii and he just moved here. We met him outside of service and had a lesson with him on Saturday. He is so ready for the Gospel, he has been searching for peace and truth in his life.

BROTHER YOUNG IS GETTING BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so excited for him! He is so ready and his ultimate goal is for his family to be sealed in the temple. We love him so much!

Jessica got sick this week and missed Chruch yesterday, so we have to push her baptism again. She is going to be so sad, but we know it will be good because then she can be even more ready for baptism.

Eduard is coming along, and will soon be preparing for a baptismal date!

It snowed a ton this week! We had freezing rain on top of snow and then more snow. Then a day of sun and today we have more snow! Hooray for layers!

Not much else has happened this week, or that I could remember because I am 2 weeks behind in my journal, oops.

Spiritual thought for this week comes from the Relief Society lesson yesterday, taught by Sister Iverson. I love her lessons so much. We read over President Nelson's closing remarks from the Oct Genercal conference. We talked about preparing for conference and the temple, but the main point of the lesson was, what are we really preparing for? Why do we prepare? What's the point?
Sister Iverson said, "We are preparing for something beyond conference, beyond the temple doors, beyond this life. We are preparing for eternity."
It's so true. Everything we do and everything that happens in this life can and will be preparing us for life with our Father in Heaven.
This past week I have been trying to focus on letting my trials change me for the better. I know that there is a reason for everything we go through. We can choose to let them hold us back or propel us forward to eternity. I have been more aware of how much trials are there for us to learn and grow into our full potential.
Sister Iverson also said, "Let our Heavenly Parents and Christ in your life and let them help you become who they need you to become."
When we grow and become more like our Savior, we will be more capable and willing instruments in Gods hands, to help Him further the work of Salvation.
Jeffery R Holland said, "I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because Salvation is not a cheap experience." That not only applies to missionary work, but to life in general. Life is not easy because our Salavtion is not cheap. The price was paid by Jesus Christ, we need to accept Him in our lives and become who He needs us to become.
I love my Savior so much and I am so grateful for His great Atoning sacrifice that allows me to grow, change and become better.

I love you all so much!

Sister Thacker

District P-day

Bowling shoes

Terrible district pictures, never face the sun.

The result of snow and freezing rain

Yup, snow storms are fun..

Week 19

Happy February everyone!

I can't believe it is February already, at the same time I can't believe it's only February, Haha. Mission time is so weird.

Highlights of this week:
Last p-day we went and got souvenirs from Saratoga Springs, that was fun!

Exchanges!! I am so grateful for exchanges. I went to Delmar/Albany with Sister Dorian. Sadly I don't have the pictures yet. I had a great time talking to the awesome people in Albany. I met some pretty interesting people, Haha. It was nice being able to get to know Sister Dorian a bit better and we had a good time. They also have mice in their apartment. I won't include the pictures this time though...


While on exchanges, I noticed a sticky note on the wall that had a scripture, Moroni 8:16, 
"...Behold, I speak with boldness, having authority from God; and I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear"
This scripture made missionary work click for me. Missionary work is so hard and people are so rude sometimes. I have to keep reminding myself that they are children of God and I know this is the truth I am sharing. But still sometimes satan gets through and I get discouraged. I've wondered how I can get through all of the sad, crazy, rude experiences. This scripture just spelled it out for me.
So for all my fellow missionaries, remember that you have authority from God to speak with boldness and declare this Gospel. Therefore, don't fear those awful people, don't fear what other are going to think. Remember that God and Jesus Christ love you, perfectly. It doesn't matter the response you get because you have done your part by giving them the choice.

Another highlight of this week is that I held a Guinea pig, it was super cute!!

The most exciting thing this week, Jessica came to church!!!!! She loved it and even commented in Sunday school. Her daughter also loved primary. We also had Katina and her son there and she seemed to like it. Her son said he was bored, but he said he liked primary Haha.

We also helped Jessica this week with a birthday party for her daughter, that was super cute!

We went out and knocked on doors last night. That was hilarious. We met a very drunk lady who had some funny comments about her beliefs. She also told us to go get warm and drink some hot coco or Alcohol... she definitely was not all there which is sad, but we gave her a card so hopefully she will see it when she is sober and check it out.

Sad news, Bro Youngs baptism got moved to the 15th from the 9th because of the Branch... which is super sad. Bro Young is so ready to be baptized!!

That's about it for this week. Keep studying the Book of Mormon and praying, I know they bring power into our lives.

Have a great week!

Love Sister Thacker

From Jessica's daughters birthday

Bro Youngs dog, Brutis. He is so cute!

Me holding Patches, a Guinea pig

Sister Sessions and I w/ Guinea pigs

Week 18 Of Mice and Men...

Hello family and friends!
I hope you are having a great week. I cannot believe it is February on Saturday! It is so crazy how fast time flies.

This week we have had some good experiences.

We had interviews with President Vest which is always awesome. He is an amazing and inspired leader, and I am so grateful to be a missionary under his direction.

We put Bro. Young on date!!! He is getting baptized Feb 8th and he is so excited!
His testimony is so strong, his goal is not only to he baptized, but to be sealed with his family for eternity.

Jessica is doing good. Unfortunately she was unable to come to church yesterday, so we have to move her date back. But that way we can make sure she will be completely prepared for the covenants she is making.

We hadn't caught our mouse friend by last Monday, so we had to buy more effective traps... as we came to find out, our mouse was too big for the first traps we bought!!
We caught it (pic included), but the next day, we found more teeth marks in the butter! Yuck! We had another mouse! We caught him too (pic included)... now we have a trap out just in case there is a other one... didn't think I would have to deal with mice, yet here we are.

I also have been sick this week. We both got colds and have been dealing with runny noses and sore throats while out talking to people... let's just say, we went through many many packs of tissues, cough drops, and cold medicine. We ran out of the pill cold medicine that we had to start taking the liquid Nyquil... gross.

We have met some awesome people this week as we have been out tracting. It is a great reminder to me that not everyone is mean. There are people out there who are genuinely looking for the truth and we can find them as we follow the spirit on where we need to be.

My testimony of prayer has been strengthened this week. Being completely honest, this has been a hard week for me. I have struggled for various reasons, but the thing that has affected me the most is not having my time alone. As a missionary, you have a companion for 24/7, the only time you get alone is while in the bathroom. President Vest gave the council at Zone conference to go into a separate room and take time to pray vocally to Heavenly Father.
I had not taken that council until yesterday afternoon. There is power in praying vocally. The Prophet Joseph Smith prayed out loud for the first time in his life and in response to that prayer, he saw God the Father and Jesus Christ.
I am not saying that when you pray out loud you will get the same kind of vision, and I certainly didn't, but I was able to receive answers to my questions and comfort in my struggles. In praying vocally, you show Heavenly Father you are sincere.
I invite you to pray vocally and sincerely this week, asking Heavenly Father a question or just telling him about what you are going through, and I promise, you will feel his love and know that he is aware of you and your struggles.

I love you all!!!
Sister Thacker

PSA: there are dead mice shown below... do not view if you are queasy easy.

A reminder of home I found when tracting

Stop Scrolling if you don't want to see the mice! 

The first mouse

The second mouse

Week 17

Hello family and friends!

I hope everyone has had a great week!

This week was awesome! We put Jessica on date and she is so excited! We had two good lessons with Pete and Lou Ann. Eduard came to church again! We had two great lessons with Katina and her son and mom. We had a lesson with Bro Young, and he is determined to be baptized within the next month! There were a few others as well that hopefully I will have more to say about next week.

We also had Zone Conference this week and we implemented the New Missionary handbook!!!!! It's so exciting!! So many great things that are going to help the work of salvation move along.

This week we went from really nice warmish weather to a snow storm on Saturday that brought a foot of snow! But today its clear skies again!
We had quite the Saturday and Sunday nights as we trudged in the snow around Ballston Spa, but we talked to some nice people and testified of the truthfulness of our message.

I am so grateful to be a missionary and to help others come unto Christ.

A spiritual thought for the week: the Book of Mormon is so powerful and amazing! A Testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ hangs on our knowledge that Book of Mormon is true. When we read and sincerely pray about it, God will answer us, letting us know the truthfulness of His word. Once we know that the Book of Mormon is true, we then know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet, called of God, and that the Church Jesus Christ established on the earth has been restored and President Russell M Nelson is the prophet on the earth today.

I know for myself that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know this because I have prayed and asked Him myself. I feel of its truthfulness everytime I read it.

I love you all!!
Have a wonderful week!

Love Sister Thacker

Pictures

1. The beautiful snow storm, sorry it's super blurry...

2. A gorgeous view in the Greenwich area as we headed to a lesson.

3. We still have a mouse.... bought a few more traps today. Apparently it likes butter.

4. Cool horse, cause Saratoga Springs

5. Me and my companion at Zone conference!

Week 16

Hello family and friends!

First things first, It was transfers this week, and I stayed in Saratoga Springs! Sadly, Sister Geddes got transferred But I like my new companion Sister Sessions! She is great!

We have had quite the week! On transfer day, I drove to Syracuse, a 3 hour drive there and 3 hours back.... in a blizzard... but it was fun! I got to talk to a Sister who was going home so I got some great advice from her.

In other news, the work is booming here in Saratoga! We have had a lesson every day and we have a few friends getting ready for Baptism!!!
Jessica is the first one, she called us on Thursday and wanted to meet with us. She had been reading out of the Book of Mormon and she felt that she needed to meet with the missionaries! She already has a testimony of the Book of Mormon and after reading 3 Nephi 11, she told us that she wants to be baptized... during the second lesson! What?! It's amazing!!! She is so eager to learn and also to share the Gospel. She even invited a friend to church yesterday! She is absolutely amazing and I cannot wait to teach her more and help her come unto Christ.

The next people are Pete and Lou Ann. They have been reading the Book of Mormon and have been wanting have a direction with reading it. So, we introduced the Come, Follow Me manual to them and they were so excited! Now we just need to get them to church again!

We also have Eduard who speaks another language (he knows English, but it's not his first language), however, the Bishop and two other members speak the same language! So that's awesome! He wants to learn all he can! He came to church yesterday and the ward was so welcoming, he loved it!

We are so excited for all of our friends and the progress they are making towards Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

For one of my New years resolutions, I am reading all of President Nelson's talks and I have found some amazing things!
One that I want to share is from his talk, "Joy cometh in the Morning". 
"in order to experience true joy in the morning, or at any time, at least three factors are needed. You need to feel good about the people with whom you live and work—your companions in life. 
You must feel good about yourself—not in any sense of conceit, but simply a proper esteem for yourself, well deserved. 
And possibly most important, you must feel good about your relation to God and sincerely love him.”

I wrote these down and I have read them daily to remind me to have Joy in the morning.
When you have Joy in the morning, it sets the tone for your whole day. When we are Joyful first thing, we can continue to be joyful throughout the day, no matter what happens.
This has been something I have needed to focus on this week. As we have been out tracting and spreading the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, opposition has come. As the Prophet Lehi taught his son Jacob in 2 Nephi 2:11 "11 For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things..."  People use their agency to reject the message of Christ.
One man we talked to while he was in his driveway, told us to "never come back or he would call the cops" after we told him we were sharing a message about God and Jesus Christ.
It is very sad to see our brothers and sisters reject the Savior, and His important message. But we know that God is aware of each of them, He loves them and one day they will know the truth.

I love you all! Thank you so much for the support.

Sister Thacker

P.S. My address is still the same

My new companion, Sister Sessions at Stark Terrace (Marvel reference) 

and a horse statue in town

We have a mouse, it ate our Graham crackers

 and bag of Chocolate chips... we bought a trap today!

Funny Church Signs