October 29

Hey there!This week has been really crazy! Opening is a really hard thing. This area was opened to Sisters a year ago and they closed it at the end of their transfer because they couldn't find too much. The ward just split so we are now the Bellevue Ward! Hooray!We went to the temple today. It was the first time since I have been out in the field. I didn't realize just how much I missed the place until I got there. I love the temple. The Nashville Temple is tiny. There is only one Endowment room in it. I love the peace that comes from the temple. Yall better be going for me! I dont get to go so you should go extra to make up for it. The other night, we were trying to find the house of a Recent Convert and at the moment were unsuccessful. It was dark and we were walking down the road when a woman came out of her house. It seemed like she was looking for something. We asked her for directions and told her who we were. We began talking with her and came to find out her dad was a missionary for the Catholic Church down in Brazil for many years. She invited us in to talk with her dad. He is very old. Late 80s and very sweet. We talked for quite some time about Christ and the power of the Bible. They were very nice. As we were leaving, she asked us if we would come back and visit her father. He was having a hard time with the spirit world. We knew that this was a tender mercy from our Heavenly Father. It all worked out so perfectly. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. He really knows us all very well. My companion is Sister Day. She came out with Sister Smith. She is a convert to the church of 2 years. It is interesting and fun. She is sweet. Well, all the missionaries here dont really write their families for very long. They are all done and breathing down my neck. Keep praying for me. Satan is working really hard, but I will not give up! We are going to find the people in Bellevue that we were sent here for. Keep talking to your friends and neighbors about the gospel. The only way to retain is through the members. We NEED you in order to make missionary work a success. I promise I will write more next week. I love you all and hope to hear from you. Just write to the mission office. That will be the easiest. BTW: Happy Birthday Patrice! Your card is in the mail!Love, Sister Thacker

October 20th

Whoa! So much is happening!I am being transfered! President asked Sister Day and I to open an area called Bellview. It is just north of Franklin where I was for 8 days last transfer. It is a really rich area. I am a little nervous so if yall want to do a little more praying for me that would be fabulous. For those who get sick easily, I do NOT reccommend you read the following story:I had one of the most embarrassing experiences last monday night. I really wasn't feeling too good all morning. I slept for two hours because my stomach was really queezy. That evening, after Preparation Day was over, we had a lesson with Gina, one of the women who is getting baptized. Her house smells quite heavily of smoke. I have gotten to the point where the smell doesn't bother me so much... but with the combination of the queezy stomach I was done for. Five minutes into the lesson, I asked if I could use her bathroom. Much to my dismay, when I went into her bathroom, I found the toilet clogged. I sat there for a minute and decided that I didn't really need to throw up... it was all in my head.I went back into the room and sat down. Seconds later I was bolting down the hall towards the bathroom again. I reached the threshhold of the bathroom and felt if coming. I almost made it...I quickly closed the bathroom door and threw up more in the sink. I found out later that Sister Williams had followed me and heard everything... gross!So... to make things worse... I turned the faucet nob to start cleaning up and realized that Gina's water must have been turned off. A small trickle of water came out... To make things even worse, there was no toilet paper or soap in the bathroom! I stood there thinking, "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!" I said a quick prayer, I am sure Heavenly Father must have chuckled a little bit. I opened a cuboard and found some toilet paper in the very back. It took forever to clean up. My companions came to the door and asked if everything was alright. They wanted to help but I refused. I used my tag to cover up the spot that got on me and left that house as soon as I could!Needless to say... we went home for the evening. I felt much better the next morning. You will be happy to know that Gina is still getting baptized. I have a strange feeling that this story will be one that I tell to my children and grandchildren. What memories. : )Anyway, the work is going well! We have found some really awesome new investigators. Rob and Beverly are getting baptized on the 8th and Antonio and Gina on the 2nd. Hooray! I am really sad to be leaving Clarksville. Sister Williams and I have really become good friends. I hope we will get to serve together again. Sister Cordon is also awesome! Rough. Here are some pictures of a Blackhawk and a Shnook. We went on 'Post' (word for Military Base) today. Zach, it was pretty cool! There are a lot of dedicated people out here. I have gained so much respect people in the Armed Forces.Love, Sister Thacker

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

I decided to blowdry my hair for the first time yesterday morning since I got my perm. It was pretty 'Wild and Ferocious' as President Hutchings would like to say... Sister Turner, you must show this to Sister Smith!

(Front row) L-R Elder Knaras, Elder Boswell, Elder Richardson, Elder Davis, and Sister Williams. (Back Row) Elder Beech (my DL), Elder Shwendiman, Elder Davison, Elder Bytheway, Sister Cordon, and Sister Thacker.

Dear Family and Friends,

Wow, this last week and a half has been absolutely crazy. I can honestly say from this last week that Satan is absolutely real! He has been throwing everything that he has at me. Luckily, we have Jesus Christ on our side... but my goodness. The advisary is real.

We set 4 baptismal dates this last week, hence the need for Satan to work his hardest! We are so excited. Sister Williams and her old companion, Sister Ford, started teaching this part-member family a few months back. The husband is currently not a member and is in the Military. Their family is so great. The dad and his daughter have decided to be baptized on November 8th! We are so excited to see this little family progressing towards exaltation! Pray for them, Satan's feathers have again been ruffled.

We also set a date with a little 8-year-old boy that is also in a part member family. We are trying to reactivate them first. So if yall could pray for Rob, Beverly, Gina, and Antonio specifically in your prayers this week, it would be really helpful.

Hmmm, what other news do I have... transfers are coming up on the 21st of this month. I am a little nervous that they will be taking Sister Williams from us. She has been in the area for 4.5 months. One of us is definitely leaving because there is only one sister coming out. Time is going by way to fast. I feel like the fast forward button has been running ever since I left the MTC.

Despite all the hard personal struggles that I have faced in the last week or so, I will have you know that I am very happy. I think that is what the Gospel can do to a person. Even though things seem to being going wrongly around us, we can still have that steadfast anchor in Jesus Christ... Happiness is a state of mind, not an environmental shadow. (I don’t know if that statement makes any sense, it was on the spot.) :)

I must apologize to everyone about not writing in the last little while. Quite frankly, I have no valid excuse... I was simply lackadaisical. No worries, I have repented and am sending out a plethora of letters today. Another contributing factor is that I have decided to follow the white handbook more closely... it states that we are only to write our family on Preparation Day. In the past, I wrote letters during my lunch time. That isn't happening anymore so I apologize if my correspondence with yall as individuals lessens. I promise I will be more on top of it from now on.

I love you all! Thanks for all the surprise packages, they are fun! Have a great week!

Love, Sister Thacker

The Trio

Biking, Preaching, and Conference!

General Conference was absolutely amazing!

I loved all the talks so much. They helped me understand what I need to change right now. Modern-Day Prophets are such a blessing! I hope that yall enjoyed conference as much as I did.

We have been raising the bar for missionary work in this last week. President Monson told our Area Seventy that we could double our baptisms and President Hutchings is taking that prophesy quite literally. He broke it down into what we need to do every day to ensure that we are finding those people who the Lord has prepared. It is working. As a companionship we have rededicated ourselves to the work and I have seen some differences in the way I am going about it.

The Gospel is so exciting! Just when I was starting to get comfortable, something new came to make me better. We had a lesson with one of our progressing investigator families. They are a sweet couple with two boys. Their names are Thomas and Jesse. They are Pentecostal. Thomas knows the Bible VERY well. We asked President and Sister Hutchings to come along with us last Friday night. Thomas and Jesse brought their Preacher. I have never experienced anything like it. The spirit was SO strong as I watched President Hutchings testify of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. The beautiful simplicity of the gospel echoed within the walls of the room in which the adversary was so persistently trying to conquer.

After going over the lesson, President thinks it would be best to ‘break up’ with them. They are honestly seeking for truth, but deep down we know they are not willing to act upon the answer the Spirit will give them just yet. We have been doing a lot of praying for them… We will continue to do so.

Clarksville is hopping! There are a lot of people hear itching for the Gospel. I have never seen a teaching pool so large. Clarksville brings people from everywhere because of the Military Base: Fort Campbell. There are a lot of good people here who have been softened because of their circumstances. I am really starting to love this area.

Yes, I am still in the trio. I really like it. I have to watch myself more however: to make sure that I am in no way becoming lackadaisical because of there are three of us. Sister Williams and I have the same sense of humor. Jane and Holly would love Sister Williams. We quote Disney Movies on Preparation Day so we don’t distract the Spirit. It is awesome. Sister Cordon is also awesome! She is growing so much.

We have been riding bikes! I know you probably didn’t expect that a Sister, such as myself could ride a bike in a skirt. I am here to testify that it can be done. I will admit, the first attempt didn’t run so smoothly. I quickly realized that leggings are required so virtue is maintained. It is definitely getting me into shape…

Confession- Sister Thacker didn’t really understand the point of the gear. Needless to say 1 hour, 15 miles, lots of Tennessee hills, 2 sore legs, and 1 behind later: Sister Thacker realized that the 6th gear was not the easiest. I can however, say this: I got the best work out. : ) Everyone in my district still gives me a hard time about that.

Well, I’m still trucking along. Things are going great… Better than ever.

Sister Turner: I love you! Tell the fam and Sister Smith, Sister Neilson, and Ginny hey!

I love and miss yall! Keep praying and doing all those wonderful things, I have definitely felt their power.

Love,
Sister Thacker
(AKA by other missionaries: 'Thack-Attack')