He's home!!!!!

We're unbelievably happy to have Ryan home!!!! There are SO MANY pictures and we are only gong to post them in one place. So...

Go to our FAMILY BLOG to see them all.

We love you Ryan!

22 Months Old

I LOVED LOVED LOVED CONFERENCE.... well not really.  Mainly because I havent seen it yet.  Let me tell you a story about Bolivia.

 

Bolivia is crazy.

 

That pretty much sums everything up but I'll throw in some more details.  In Bolivia, whenever there are ellections, everything shuts down and it is prohibited to drive any four wheeled automobile or have large groups of people.  Por lo tanto that means that there is no church meeting.  Its mainly for safety because (as stated before) Bolivia is crazy.  So we spent the majority of the day at home or in the pension.  But it was still fun.  We looked for chocolate easter eggs with the grandkids ....... how do I say this in english ... los nietos de la dueño de nuestra casa.   If you really want to know what it says, but it into a translator or ask someone who knows spanish.  I'm starting to forget to much of my english.  HELP...

 

I am really excited for these next couple of weeks.  We have been working like donkeys, teaching and finding new investigators and there are so many who want to change their lives and follow the Savior...saver.. Salvador.  So we are going to keep on working with them.  I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

 

And if you didnt realize I reciently turned TWENTY TWO MONTHS!  I feel so old.  There is still so much to do.  But I'll be fine... even though my dislexic letter isnt too convincing.  I need help.  Now I am actually trying to speak more in english because I think my spanish is now better and my quechua is just under the two.  Imaynaya cashanki.  Gualejia puni.  Imasutigui.  Elder Thompson.  There you go, we just had a conversation in Quechua.

 

 

Elder Thompson

Pics for my Birthday ... good present!

Good birthday present ... I miss my boy [sniff]

I love being a Zone Leader.  Its stressful but I feel like I can accomplish so much more and help other missionaries to reach their pottencial.  I have learned so much in this last week.  My companion has been a great motivation and has changed the way we do contacts.  In just about every contact, we invite the people to be baptized... and it works.  It surprising how many people accept.  But then I have to attend church.  Thats the hard part.  This last week we found 20 new investigators.
BUt when I arrived her at Linde (Name looks like Lindon... interesting) I found a lot of problems.  THe chapel is being made larger, there is no Bishop, and a lot of the leaders in the church have become inactive.  But Elder Chico and I have got to work and we are already fixing things.
ALSO we had one of those rare, once in a mission time, stories.  As we were looking for the Elders Quorum Preident, we knocked what was to be his house.   It wasnt.  There was a small kid that, as usual, said his parents werent home when they actually were.  His father then comes to the door, sees us in the rain without coats or umbrellas, and says "come in".   As we sit down he asks us "So what are you going to teach me?"  Not a normal contact response.  As we talked with him, he tells us that he was reading the bible, trying to find ways to help his family be more united and happy, and then someone knocked his door.  Thats where he found us.  During the lesson he kept on saying "I am just so surprised that you are hear.  I cant believe it.  You are an answer to my prayer".  He then invited his wife to the lesson and she affirmed the story.  At the end of the lesson, we invited them to be baptized and accepted.

Elder Thompson

ANd I have been thinking about asking for an extension.  That means I might be coming home in July.  WE'll see what my president says.

Sunburned

Just can't seem to escape chickens!

I sent Ryan these windup Robots as party favors for his birthday. Looks like my 21 year old made good use of them. I knew he would!

Brennan, what does that say?

I'm assuming this is the robot triumphant! 

I am so sunburned.  I am sure that I could make a good talk out of what happened today.  We went to visit some waterfalls named Los Choros de Jurina.  As we were driving there we could see a waterfall in the distance.  I thought that it MUST be the waterfall we were looking for.  We walked, walked, walked finally (with luck) arrived there.  This was 1 hour and 45 minutes later.  When we got back, we found out that the real Choros de Jurina was off to the left with just a 30 minute hike.... I'll think about talk ideas.

I finally recieved my transfer.  I am going to Cochabamba as Zone Lider.  My companion's name is Elder Chico (Elder Boy(but if you say chitito it's like Elder Ity Bity)).  I'm very exited and ready to get back to work.  Also, I am going to include some photos of random things my member companion and I did this week.  Enjoy :)..... in the next email.


Elder Thompson

I feel tired.  We've been working extremely hard this past weeks.  We had two baptisms last week and there are many more that want to enter into the only true church on the face of the planet La Iglesia de Jesucristo de Los Santos de Los Ultimos Dias.

I think that I will be in Tarija for three more weeks and then I will recieve my transfer.  But I dont want to leave until I have finished my work here.  THere is so much to do.  I hope that the new Elder that comes here wants to work because there will be plenty of people left in his hands.

Also the member that has been with me recieved his mission call yesterday.  His going to La Paz Bolivia.  You should see the recording.  He read La Paz, kept on reading, and started to cry.  But he finished the letter.  I thought that at first it was just because he was so happy to have recieved his calling, but it was because he didnt want to go to La Paz.  YOu might be able to compare it to recieve a calling to Boise Idaho.  I'd be fine with it, there are a lot of cholitas but it would be a good mission.  But so much chuño.  How I dread the chuño.  Its like a rotten potatoe and the people love it.  Chuño.....

I love the mission but there are only 5 months left to work.  At least when the end comes I will be able to say that I diligently served the Lord until the end.  The Lord lives, I know it.

Ryan's Christmas Day 2009

Ryan's e-mail home

Feliz navidad, prospero años en felicidad.

Guau (wow in spanish) its hard to believe that I have now passed two Christmases in the mission.  This year it was special.  Firstly it’s because our president didn’t make us work, next, we were able to play Santa Claus.  I want to say before anything, that we, as Americans, are very blessed.  We have so many blessings that we underestimate how much the Lord has helped us in our lives.  After being in two third world countries, I’ve been able to see a lot of things but at the same time pure gratitude for the few things they do have. 

For Christmas, we first went to the Chungara family to give them a Christmas.  Their Christmas plans were to have a small sized chicken for lunch, and go to work. Then we went to the Sanabria Family.  I love that family.  Even though my family (all of you) are in the USA, they are my family here in Bolivia.  We are still working with the rest of them so that they can also enter into the true church of Christ.

But for me the best part of Christmas was being able to speak with my real family.  I miss you all.   

Elder Thompson

Fireworks for Christmas

The Chungara Family

The Sanabria Family

Wha?!!! Word ...

Baptisms ... Ryan and his companion had five scheduled for the day after Christmas! You go with your bad (hmmm ... good) self! I love this boy and miss him. Keep Serving Ryan. That is the greatest Christmas gift you can give!