Sept 12- Oct 24th 2016

First - Just let me tell you all that I (mom- Raquel) moved to Califorina and during the move my home computer died and I have not been able to update his blog.  But now I am back.......  Get ready for a Bowen download

Sep 12 2016

The past couple of weeks I have been helping this lady that has very bad arthritis so she can't wash her dogs.  We go over and wash them for her. and then since she doesn't exactly have any body to talk with we sit outside with her and talk with her and share a message with her.  It is probably one of the most enjoyable time of the week to go and help her.  Here is a few images

Sept 22, 2016

Today we went to the temple and it was such a great day.  Here is a picture of my face like my mom always asks for.  We also did a lot of service this week and helped a family on painting there house.

 

 

 

 

Oct 3rd  2016

 

This week was another busy week like always.  We are always running having to do something. But  this week we biking  over 16 miles in a day, and for half of that my front brakes were not working. Don't worry nothing happened but it was a thrilling time on my bike.  We went and saw some of our investigators that have a bunch tools and I asked them if I could borrow some of their tools so I could fix my brake.  That was fun because we didn't know what was exactly wrong but we knew it was not working correctly.  I ended up taking apart my brake but now I know how to fix a brake.  Sort of and how it works because I took everything apart.  Now it works just like new. 

 

General conference was this week and it was great!  I learned a lot for later in my life. I love you all and things are good here.  The work is moving on and hopefully this next week we will be putting somebody on date.

 

My new companion and I are doing good and working hard together. Thank you for all of your prayers I have been led to people and I have been protected.  I love you all and have an amazing week.

 

Oct 24th 2016

This last week was a great week.  We still have an investigator on date and we had a ward activity that had like over 300 people there and about 100 of them were not members.  It was a lot of fun !  a

 

I keep on having issues with my toes and it happened about last week.  I had t have a little operation on my toe because of another ingrown toenail.  It is doing better now.

 

I love you all and hope you have a great week.

 

 

08/15/2016

This week was transfers and I'm still in Chino and yes I'm still a district leader. But the crazy thing is that my new companion is not new.  In the mission we have other missionaries in our ward so we call them ward mates. This week I get the call that told me to tell Elder Selph my companion to pack his things and as well to tell Elder Froelich my past companion who I was in Upland with to tell him to pack his things and then last night I get the call to tell them where they are going and this was the weird part because this doesn't happen at all.  Never have I heard of this happening before. What was told to me was that Elder Selph is going to be with Elder Spriggs who is one of our ward mates and then told us that Elder Froelich is going to be with me. So in the ward we just switched companions and that is all. Funny but the crazy thing as well I was with Elder Froelich for 2 transfers in Upland so usually you don't go back together.

 We are working hard and I love you all and have a good week!

Aug 8th 2016

This week was really FAST!  W have been working hard testifying about the restored gospel and finding people to teach and trying to visit with some of our investigators.  Some of them are going to be out for a few weeks and it is a possibility that I will not see them again., because this next Monday is transfers and its possibly that I will not be here.  Either Elder Selph or me are leaving. But we don't know yet.  We will see. 

 

There are a lot of cool people that live here, working hard and having fun at the same time.  I am loving what we do because I know that this is God's church and I'm a messenger of God. I love you all!  I would like to commit everybody that reads this post to read the Book of Mormon and sincerely pray about it to know if it is true and I know you will receive an answer.  As well I will commit to you as well to read the Book of Mormon daily. I love you all and have a great week.

Last three weeks

Aug 1st, 2016

This past week we went to talk to this family that had a gate around it.  Inside the fence around his property he had three full grown German shepherds.  One of them just had a puppy so when we went by the house the mom dog was going crazy. She probably would have tried to kill us. so we didn't go in.  lol  I didn't even try because well I chose life over death in this situation.

 

I love what I am doing and I love CA.  I love you all and have a good week.

July 25th, 2016

We did a lot of walking and knocking on doors this week.  It was all very good .  We had some really cool experiences we will talk about it face to face at another time.   I will tell you this for sure though, that God guides his missionaries and that this is the Church of God on the earth in these days.

Also to mark my one year I ate a MRE.  It was good but very funny also. 

Video of the week:

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2015-01-013-guided-safely-home?category=youth-media&lang=eng

July 17th 2016

This week not a lot happen but was a good week.  It marks my one year.  I cant believe that its been a year already.  We have set a date with one of our investigators for the 1st of October an

d we are excited about it.  On Tuesday it is my companion's birthday so we will eat some cake. We are working hard as always to help the people here. I  love you all and have a good week.

 

 

July 5th 2016

This last week we where working very hard to set some things up where a lot of our work is now paying off.

 

This last Monday was July 4th and we had to be in at 6 so we did our chores and the other things we had to do.  I almost was pushed into a pool but I survived lucky. But on Saturday at a park the city had some fireworks and we went to the park and talked with some people.  Then we where able to see the fireworks 🎆🎉🎊🕶💥💣 But as a missionary I'm not able to blow things up or anything.  I just sat inside my house because we had to be in at 6pm. At least the people across the street were having a party and lighting off fireworks so I watched that a but beside that not much more happened.  No dog stories or anything.

 

Love you all

 

https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/happy-families/make-it-a-good-day-happy-families

Because families are the most important thing in life.

July 1st 2016

This week was a good week we found 3 new people to teach and we all so have now started service on building a fence.  Next time I will send you pictures of what we are doing and what we are working hard on.  No more dog attacks this week but I did get to use a jack hammer to destroy some concrete and then we poured cement so we can put in some new posts for the fence. 

Love you all

June 13th 2016

Funny story from this week.  We where going to go see a less active member and we had to park around the corner down a dirt road, so we parked and started back towards the main road.  Down this path  where a few houses and drive ways with fences but this truck was blocking the view of the gate to the drive way of this house.  We were walking and heard this loud dog bark and I thought I had seen the gate closed but my companion thought in his head that was not inside a fence so he sort of takes a step backwards and I took a step forward.  Out around this corner comes this big dog and when I say big I mean big.This dog was about two to three times the size of the dog that I shared a picture of a few weeks ago.  In my mind I thought about running away from this dog because it was huge and not looking like a nice dog, but then something (THE SPIRIT) told me do NOT run.  I stood there and me and this dog were having this face off .  He is  probaly not even 5 feet away from me.  My companion like steps backward a few more times then tells me that he is going to grab the car because he has the car keys so the car is probaly like 50 yards back and he doesn't want to run because then the dog could run after him.  So there's me sticking out my chest making my self look as big as possible but the funny thing is the dog is doing the exact same thing and I'm sort of sitting their like I might have to wrestle this dog.  

It was really scarey there for a few moments and then here comes my companion in the car going sort of straight at the dog because the gab between me and the dog is not that much, but the dog moved over to the side.  Now I have the car inbetween me and the dog so I got into the car and then the dog like tries to bite the car but we drive off.  

 I know the only reason why that dog didn't attack me was because the lord needs me out here for something else and to tell me in a way don't fear I'm protecting you and I know if God is protecting me then if I'm doing what I'm suppost to do.  He will protect me and I will not recieve any harm that is to bad.  Now I have a story about almost getting eaten by a dog!  ha ha ha 

This week we set up a service project to help one of our members we are going to help build a fence with him or more like repair a fence by putting up basicaly a new fnce so yeah we will be doing that on saturday. As well we had a investigator come to church now for more then four times and he said to his girlfriend that he wants to set a baptismal date for august!  He is really cool he studys the scriptures.  

 Have a good week hope you are all doing good and that you be blessed with this great gospel. I know it is true and I know that I'm doing God's work.   I love you all have a great and fantastic week.

June 6th 2016

This was another crazy week still trying to get to know the area and also trying to find more people to teach.  We have found some really cool people, one of the people that we found had a bench press and while we where talking with him he asked us to bench.  We where like why not?  I figured out that I can bench 135 right now and my companion can bench 185.  When we were in his garage I saw a container with a game called War Hammer.  So I asked him about the game and he showed us some of the things he has painted for the game.  We are going to go back and talk with him again. 

 

We have another new investigator that asks the best questions.   We told him that for him to figure out the question he has to read the Book Of Mormon to find some answers. So that he can know for himself if it true.   

 

I love you all and I'm doing good.  I can tell you all that this church is true, that this is Christ church on the earth today, and that it is led by a prophet of God.  Have a blessed week and stay strong and allways turn to God he is there for you.  He knows you perfectly and by that he also knows what is best for you.  Always trust him because he knows what is going to help you grow.

 

Love you all and see you in 2.

 

https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/the-armour-of-god?lang=eng

Bunny's

This week the Lord works by simple and funny means. My companion and I were going to go and talk to some recent converts that live in our area. But we couldn't find parking in front of the house so we went and parked around the corner.  When we got out of the car we noticed this guy's yard and the bunnies in it.  It had these fluffy pet bunnys and the gate is wide open.  The bunnies just staying in the yard and we are like what with these bunny's.  They are really obedient so we go to look at this bunny closer and then I see another one in his yard so we go knock on the door talk to the guy a little bit but he was sick so he said for us to come back some other time and then I asked him are these your bunnies in your yard?  He was said "no, they are just all over the place"   

 

Then I notice there is another bunny in his yard so we saw three right there alone and was like that is a lot of random bunnies.  I look across the street under this truck I see 4 more of them just chiling out.  I was like what in the world and then I notice some others in another yard then one chasing another one and in a diffrent yard.  We start following these bunnies a little bit but we see this house and we where like lets knock on that house and a lady answers and says oh I'm not the house owner and then the houser owner comes out and he has this book.  He asked me, "what does the bible really teach" said "what do you guys think about this book?" We don't know really know anything about it and then we realize as he flips through a few pages it is a Jehovah Witness book but he said to us that he has been praying to know the truth and he feels like nobody is telling him the truth and then he sais you guys teach the truth right and we where like yeah. We talked to him for awhile and then gave him a restoration pamphlet and set an apoinment to come back.   These bunnies lead us to him.  He was great to talk with.

 

I can testify that this is the lords church and that he restored it through his prophet Joseph Smith and gave us the Book of Mormon to restore the truths that were lost and that he leads and guides this church today.  I share these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

 

I love you all.

Snoop Dpg

Well let me tell you what happened so me and Elder Selph..  We where told to pack our things cause we are going to moved so we thought well ok I guess this is goodbye.  Then Sunday comes around and they call us to tell us where we are going and then they tell us that we are both going to Chino together!  So no new companion but new area and this is the first time ever in the history of the Rancho Cucamonga mission that a spanish pair of missionaries whitewashing an area together as a companionship. This is awesome and I'm going to try to baptize Snoop Dog!

May 16th 2016

This week we had some pretty awesome things happen, like we were talking to one guy and he says that his neighbor is a member and next thing we know is that his neighbors garage opens up and he wants to introduce us to him.  We go over and start talking with him and we then say a prayer and then we end up giving this gentlemen a blessing.  He invited him over for a dinner and we ended giving the guy a Book of Mormon.  He told us he was going to read it. 

 

We then left and where going to go home but we got lost and we found this new area but we see a moving truck and something tells me go help them.  We ask if they need help and they said yes so we started to help them.  One of the people from that group was from the Philippines, Manila.   I told him my uncle lived over there for a little while and then we talk about the gospel a little bit.  He said that he would like for the missionaries to come over!  That was really cool.  Hopefully it all works out since he speaks English we have to pass him off to the English missionary's.  But he is a really cool guy.  

 

 Love you all and hope you all are doing good and have a nice day/week.

 

Love Elder Thompson

This weeks Video:

http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/you-never-know?cid=HP_TH_19-5-2016_dPFD_fMRMN_xLIDyL1-B_

Mothers Day

This week we did a lot of service for people with their yards! Since its Mothers day I got to speak to my family yesterday!  It was very nice to talk with them and to see that there are all doing good.  

 

We have been doing a lot of knocking on doors to teach new people and to help out more people, but beside that nothing really cool has happened lately but if something does happen I will make sure to tell you.

A video for mothers with mother day just passing by.

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-00-1440-it-was-mom-a-mothers-day-tribute-to-moms?category=topics/mothers&lang=eng&cid=HP_FR_6-5-2016_dMIS_fMLIB_xLIDyL1-A_

Hawk

This week was good but I want to share this story.    We were out knocking doors and we saw this very large hawk or falcon.  It then all of a sudden landed right in front of us.  It was really cool and it is a pretty big bird.

 

video for the blog about serving others.  http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/lift-the-power-of-service

Dog Life

This past week was good, I did get sick on Saturday which was my birthday so that was fun.  But I'm doing better!  My companion and I are working really hard to get this area going.  I saw this really big dog and took a picture.  It is the second biggest breed of dog in the world, it is an Alaskan Malumuit giant.  It is 6 feet tall when it is on it's hined legs and they use these types of dogs to kill polar bears,  yes I did say polar bears.

Love you all hope you all have a good week and I'm running out of time to email so hope fully I will have a lot of cool things to email you guys next week love you all.

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2016-04-1000-lifes-drama?category=mormon-messages-2016&lang=eng&cid=HP_TU_19-4-2016_dPFD_fMRMN_xLIDyL2-3_

Hard Work

This week we have been trying to find more people to teach but we have been having a little bit of a hard time because we talk to people and since we are spanish missionaries if they don't speak spanish we have to give them to english missionaries.  So yeah it is just hard to find people sometimes that speak spanish and then as well they need to be interested.  Sometimes they are not but we are working hard and thank you all for your prayers!  Love you all and hope fully next week I will be able tell you about some people who are new.  Have a good week and love you all.

and video for this week.

http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/the-hope-of-gods-light

Service

This week was another great week we didn't teach a lot of people but we helped the city of Hesperia with a city clean up and we found a hot tub that we ended up dragging at least a football field.  We filled these two huge dumpster like things that where about 9-10 feet tall and then at least 25 feet long by 8 feet wide so this thing was huge!  We filled two of them and there was still more things we probably could of filled.  Probable five of them at least.

 

That is what I am doing when you see the picture of me in a yellow shirt.  The other picture is the house that we are helping to build and we are about to put down wire and rebar and then pour some cement and then we are going to knock down that one wall that has a huge 4 by 8.   I think was what it is and we lifted all this wire up there me and my companion and two old guys. Next is the cement pour.  Then going to build up two walls and then do the roof.

Today was transfers and I'm now with my Mtc companion!  Still in Hesperia and the message I want to share with all of you is the shower of gods blessing for all of you.

http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/shower-of-heavenly-blessings

General Conference

This week was a good week we talked with a family and now they are investigators.   We really want to help this family but besides that nothing else really happened.  My companion got sick on Thursday until today so we didn't really leave our apartment.  We did leave to give a blessing and to go watch general conference.  My favorite talk from general conference was from the prophet it was simple and short but has so many spiritual messages in it,  A lot of the talks had a bunch of hidden messages and meanings.  To find them all we must read and listen to them over and over and I will promise you all as you read and listen to them you will be able to find new meaning in them,  We just need to pay attention. I hope you will all join me in trying to get the most we can out of these talks love you all and have a blessed week

This weeks video
https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2010-05-12-good-things-to-come?category=topics/hope&lang=eng&cid=HP_TH_31-3-2016_dPFD_fMLIB_xLIDyI-1_

Christ Lives

This week was not really different from all the other weeks but we are doing service for three people now.  One recent convert and his family, and one investigator, and one other member with his yard. I was not able to take pictures yet but I will get some for all of you. As well for all of us we need to all ways try to help and serve our fellow people as how Christ did and hopefully you all remembered what the true meaning of Easter.  Christ lives and because he lives we all will live again and if we are righteous we will be able to live with our families forever with them. I love you all and have a good week and I will send you some pictures next week.

This weeks video

http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/the-will-of-god-2

Service

This was another crazy but good.  We did some service and helped two families move and helped someone with their yard.  That is basically what happened last week since Wednesday, not a whole lot more then that but us running around trying to help people. 

 

I like this area there is more service and I'm able to do.  It is a pretty big area as well and there are more people to teach

http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/collection/easter-videos/his-sacred-name-an-easter-declaration-1

 

The video for this week with easter coming up this is the video that I feel that I should show you guys.

Elder Bednar

Today is my P-Day because today we went to the temple .  This past week Elder Bednar came to our mission and taught only us missionary's.  It was pretty amazing.  It was a working meeting were he asked us questions and went back and forth it was great.  I got to shake his hand personal.   We went to the temple today and it was pretty great. 

I am also learning to cook here is one of the items I cooked this week.  Turned out pretty good a little greasy. 

I'm going to try to put a Mormon message on my blog every week so here is this weeks.

http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages-for-youth/dare-to-stand-alone-5

 

 

Service

This week we did some service.  We helped out a member and cleaned up his yard.  Besides that we haven't done much but we have been doing good here and having some great times.We are doing a lot of fun things to help out one of our investigators.  We are helping him build a building on his property for his son to live in. .

Hesperia

I am now in Hesperia in the high dessert and its getting nice and warm already.  We have a car but we are also using our bikes more.   I may have had a few flats already.  It is so much fun up here in the desert.   I was wondering if you found my biking bag that had all my tools for my bike because for some reason right now my front brake is not working but I don't have the tools to fix it but I know how to fix it I just need my tool and my hand pump would be nice.

Everything is going great and I like my new area. 

Guns

This past week we where doing service for a family moving furniture.  They are a super cool family and they had us move there gun safe and the guns.  They had a really nice jaguar so we decided to take a picture by the car with the shotguns and no we didn't shoot them.  ha ha ha mom don't get mad at me. 

I'm now in a new area.   I'm in the high desert in the Hesperia zone.  I think its super cool area and I'm with Elder Sprigg's.  I'm serving around my trainer Elder Spaulding because he is our zone leader so super cool and super excited to get out and work in this area.

Love everyone

Moving

Hi everyone

 

 We are moving apartments to a new apartment that the missionary's have never stepped foot in before.  I cant wait!  The apartment that we have been living in has cockroaches.  When we clean and spray they go to the downstairs apartment and then they find there way back to our place.  Excited to move on Thursday.  We are hard at work cleaning up the place.  

 

We also met two new investigators and they are a really cool family.  I really don't  have pictures because I don't know what to take pictures of because well there is nothing going on.   I don't have a cute animal to take a picture of like Fenway.  :) 

 

Love you all keeping staying strong and read if you can mosiah 2-5 those are chapters and as well if you read about 3 pages a day you will finish the Book of Mormon in about 6 months so I invite you all to do that and try to catch up to mosiah 6, if you do that you will be reading write along with the whole entire Rancho Cucamonga mission.

 

Love you all and have a nice week.

Transfer

This week was good we picked up a former investigator but nothing else really happened this week.  We are now entering into week 5 of my 5th transfer so that is cool.  I might have forgotten to tell you that a few months ago they announce that transfer are going to be 7 week.  That would extending my mission an extra week. 

Mom don't freak out because I was going to come home actually 2 weeks before I hit my 2 year mark because of how transfers end up that way but now it will be 1 week before, so that means I get that much closer to serving the whole two years.  Who knows I might extend my mission so I server over two years and that would be awesome.

Love you guys have a nice week and I would invite you all to be praying for missionary  opportunities and prepare your self to receive these opportunities.   Because as members we need to find people to help with missionary's work as well you are the support system for your friend that will investigate the church. 

Love you all

Elder Thompson

Hug

Nothing crazy really happened this past week but I do want to share with you a story about this neat family we met.  Everything like everything I had for a day had fell through and we where just talking to everybody.  I was with one of the zone leaders and we see this big guy get out of his car so we go over there and start talking to him.  We find out he is a member and his family has this big decision in front of them.  At first we had only met one of his sons that was with him and he told us about a decision that they need to make, should  they move so their son would probably have a better chance on getting a scholarship.  He said he didn't know what to do and then we ran into him and the thing that came to mind was to tell him to pray about it.  He then said before he told us that he had thought about praying about it.  

 

Then he started to cry and this kid is huge he is Tongan and just seeing him cry was weird but you know me, so I said "free hugs" and then he's he said "bring it in".  It was one of the coolest experiences because my arms for one couldn't make it around him,  he is a line men in football so he is a big guy.  Then we prayed right then, outside right next to his car with him.  The spirit was just so strong it was one of the best things ever to feel the spirit that strong!  It verified to me that this was the reason why all those things fell through so that we could be here in this moment. 

 

He invited us over to his apartment where we met the rest of the family and we then shared a message with them and prayed with them again.  Tongans customs love to cook food so they basically sat us down and we ate with them.  It was one of the coolest experiences that I have ever had!!!

 

It can be strange how God works because he knows what has to happen to put us in that place so that we were able to talk with them.  How all those other people didn't answered their doors other wise we wouldn't of been able to be there.  As well as we need to pray for missionary opportunity's to help others.  You may have a list of things that need to be done doesn't mean though that you are going to be able to do all those things.

 

 Please watch this video it will help you understand a little better.

 

 http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/you-never-know

Have a nice week.

Love Elder Thompson

Fire / Rain

Yesterday was P Day and we had to help out a few missionary's to get the mission office so we did laundry and running around yesterday so I am sorry that I didn't get to write you.  When we were doing our laundry their was a fire in the building so we couldn't get our clothes from the dryers for about 2 hours. That was fun. 

We have been getting a lot of rain.  We where driving around and we were coming down one street that goes up to the mountain and you couldn't go into the right hand lane because it was flooded with water cars were getting stuck all over.  Cars would drive by and send it up onto your wind shield where you could not see anything it was freaken crazy.

Love everyone

Earthquake

We haven't been able to teach a lot of people lately.  We have taken up a new hobby called trackting which means we go to knock on doors and getting the door slammed on our face or we have people think that we are 7th day Adventist.  So yeah that is great.

 

I felt my first earthquake the other day it was really weird because at first I thought it was some kids running around in the church and that was shaking the ground but then I was wait this is solid ground.  Then all of a sudden there was this crazy shove and then it was gone but  the windows were shaking and the doors where shaking it was crazy cool.

Christmas

On Christmas we didn't do much we just talked to our families.  It was great to Skype Mom, Mike, Riley, Hannah and Broc.  We tried to talk to my uncle Ray but it stopped working.  It was great to hear and see them. 

We then had dinner at a members house.

 

The rest of the week we didn't have a lot of lessons but we have been trying but not a lot of them answered the door.  We had several people that said we could come back after all the holidays, so in the new year we will.  

 

I do have one story and it was a referral that we receive.  We went to a lady home and she said that two missionary's came by two weeks ago and gave her a book of Mormon and said they would be back.   She said they spoke Spanish but the thing is me and my companion are the only missionary's in the area that speak Spanish.  But we have never seen her before but she has a book of Mormon and wants to somewhat learn more so that is really cool!