New little Friend and Relief Society Meetings!

> TOBY is going to Guatemala!!!! My little brother is growing up so fast! I remember when he was 14-years-old... weird. I am so excited for him to serve a mission. Toby, you will be great. Guatemala doesn't know what is coming! Go on exchanges with the missionaries... that is the best way to prepare.

My new companion, Sister Nielsen is so cute! She is from Layton, UT. I already asked her if she knows Brian Shuppy, she went to Weber. She didn't know him. But anyway, she is 5'9" tall and super bubbly.

We have been a little under the weather this week. I have had a fever for 3 days. I think it is beginning to break though. I figured if I got a little more rest I would recover more quickly. I slept in this morning until 8:26... it was a very weird feeling. I didn't like it, but I do feel a little better.

The Relief Society General Broadcast was so great! I loved it. I don't know if you remember how I got so homesick at the one last year. Well, this time around, I was sitting in the chapel, with all the women from the Burgess Falls Ward and from the McMinnville Ward (They are in the same Stake)... my thoughts when I saw the conference center were the same, it reminded me of home. I missed it, but then I looked around me, at all the people I have grown to love as my family, and I felt at home. I know that sounds really mushy and corny. But I have gotten to that point I guess. I have really grown to love these people. They are my family too.

I really appreciated the advise you gave me Larry, I was getting down on myself yesterday again because none of our investigators came to church. : ( Jessica was sick. All that I really can controll is what I do... in the end it is up to people using their agency. Can't take that away.

So I attached a couple of random pictures. The black foot is actually mine. This is what happens when your shoes get really old and then get really wet. We walked all day a couple weeks ago and it was raining all day. I took this picture AFTER I had washed them. I ended up taking an old tooth brush and bleach to these sorry critters... they are nice and white now. The other picture is actually really funny... this was one of those "You know you are a missionary when" pictures. I have a little egg visual that we use to explain baptism to children. The egg needs to be hard boilded, so the other night when we were making our dinner, I threw the egg in with our noodles. So the title of this picture is, "You know you are a missionary when you make your dinner and visual aid in the same pot." Maybe this is only funny to me... but it was worth a shot.

But really, I am so excited for my new little friend. Sister Nielsen will be a fireball. Pray for us this week that we will be able to find the elect. Miracles are just around the corner!

Love,

Sister Thacker

Sorry...

Hi everyone, I'm sorry I forgot to post this, don't worry you'll get another on Tuesday.

Transfer calls came in! I am going to be staying here in
Burgess Falls with Sister Yau. Sister Winder is leaving and
will be the Senior Companion up in Clarksville. She and
another sister that came out with her are greenie-busting
each other. That should be interesting! My little girl is
growing up so fast... (Sniff Sniff). So uh, that leaves a
vacancy in the companionship... President Hutchings called
me on Saturday and told me that I would be training again!
That is right, I am Prego again. She is the only English
Sister coming out this transfer so it will be fun to train
her. I am excited. I will let you know more about her when I
meet her.

There was a sweet little family that was baptized
yesterday. The Spirit was so very strong this time!
Noticeably different. The Sisters have been teaching them.
The mother of the family is very scared of water. They
dunked her once and her bangs stayed above the water. She
was crying because she was so scared. The member who was
baptizing her was so sweet in telling her that she would
need to be baptized one more time. It was very intense
because she was SOOO scared of the water. It was silent
right before he was going to say the prayer... he raised his
arm to the square and then she stopped him and said, "let me
just wet it all down" in her cute little southern accent.
She scooped up some water and wet down her bangs. Everyone
started laughing. I suppose it was so different this time
because I am sure that every person in that room was praying
for her that she would be able to perform that necessary
ordinance. She went into the water the second time and came
up clean and pure. She said, "Thank you Lord" as she climbed
the stairs to her husband and son. It made me cry. God loves
us all so much. We all have different weaknesses, but He
will not leave us comfortless.

I love you and will talk to you next week.

Love,
Sister Thacker

Hi everyone,

Cassie didn't send anything to post but we recieved a couple of wonderful letters. One from the Bishop she is serving under and another from her mission president containing her tentative release date!

DECEMBER 16 2:10PM is when she will arrive!

Click on the following letter to read it:

You never know what curve ball you will get next...

Alright. There is more exciting news.

Sister Lugo went back to Temple Square : (. Sister Winder and I were feeling it the day after. We felt a huge whole in the companionship. I LOVE that girl. But anyway. At about 4:30 on Wednesday (a day after she left), I
got a call from President Hutchings. There was a new sister missionary coming in from Temple Square and guess where he decided to send her! That is right... HERE! We were so excited. Then he reminded me that she knows nothing about proselyting. She just talks to people, gets referrals, and gives tours. So basically, I have TWO greenies! I got really nervous. And the first two days she got here she really didn't talk all that much... so that made me even more nervous.

I got a Priesthood Blessing. Things are going so well now. Her name is Sister Yao. It is pronounced like the guy on 'Mulan'... (go grab Jane and Holly) At the pond scene where they are bathing and the guy says "I'm Yao: King of the Rock, and theres nothing you girls can do about it".

So anyway. We are teaching a man named Gary who is amazing. He has a lot of health problems; that will be his biggest challenge. We set a baptismal date with him on the first visit. He is now telling all of his friends about the Book of Mormon and asked us to bring a couple more copies for him to give to them! It is so amazing. Pray for him, that his health will permit him to come to church the next couple of Sundays because he is scheduled to be baptized the 26th.=20

We are also working with a woman named Nadine. She has been taught by mulitple other missionaries and knows the Bishop and other ward members very well. Her biggest hurdle is smoking. We found her in our former investigator's pool. The really neat thing is, I got another witness from the Spirit when we went to visit her that I am EXACTLY where I am supposed to be right now. Her husband passed away 11 years ago. Bishop gave her a ride home from Knoxville this last weekend and he said that all she could talk about the whole way home was us. : ) That made me happy. She didn't really
like sisters before.

Pray for me. I have to get these Sisters talking more. Other than that, they are Easy-Bake!

Emerald: You'd never believe it... but they can't get me to shut up! I am sure that many from Mt. Juliet wouldn't believe it either. I talk and teach all the time. Balance...one of the biggest hurdles of my mission.

I love yall. And appreciate all the fun letters.

Dad, your hair is rockin'.

Happy Birthday Amy! Love ya!

Love,
Sister Thacker