July 28th, 2014

Hey so this week was a really good week full of lots of spiritual experiences! The work has been diferent here from the other places that I have been. It's a smaller town and not a lot of members so we don't get as many visits in the week. We really have to rely on the Spirit to guide us and help us to know what to do! I have been able to notice more how important the spirit is in the work of the Lord. I have learned a lot about the spirit and its function through listening to Elder David A. Bednar. I love how he explains the spirit in the conversion.

So this week I went over to the area called Lebaron, which is part of the branch. I should give you a little background on what Lebaron is if you haven't heard about it. When Brigham Young sent the members down to Mexico there were many colonies, one of which was Lebaron. Poligamy was still quite big when they were sent down. Well when Wilford Woodruff was called to be the President he began to stop Polygamy. The members of Lebaron were not in agreement with it and kept doing it. Later all the members living Polygamy were excommunicated and that is when they started to make there own church. 

They called a prophet who called apostles and they kept with what the church taught but kept living in Polygamy. My special asignment is to get to know the area and members so I can open the area. I am also supposed to be aware of the district and how it's working so I know how to help when they make me DL again. It is a really pretty area and I am super excited to work in it. It's a bit strange though because it has a lot of Americans living there so you speak English sometimes.

So I´m really excited with how work is going. Everyone thinks they are going to make me the next branch president because he goes home in a month. I don't think so. But I will do what the Lord commands me!

Love ya´ll,

Elder Thorpe

July 21st, 2014

Hola

So this week was super awesome I have never had so many spiritual experiences occur so often in the week. I was so happy this week working and teaching and it was so crazy because before I knew it the week was over. I love teaching the Gospel! It is such an amazing blessing and I am so happy that I have the opportunity to do it.

So we are teaching this family and they have recieved almost all of the lessons now and they are so excited to hear about the gospel. The guy (Andres) has read in the past four weeks he's read about 225 chapters in the Book of Mormon. They are going to be getting married in about a week and a half and we are super excited for them. They will be the first baptism of a family with a man in the family in about 2 years.

We are starting to try and find new investigators through refferals and through contacting. My companion really doesn't know how to contact so I will be teaching him how. Which is good because I am really good at it now.

So we are about to finish our challenge of reading the Book of Mormon in 100 days and I have been so grateful for it. I feel that I understand the story better of the Book of Mormon and I am able to explain it better. I love the Book of Mormon!

So this last week I was listening to a talk by Bruce R. McConkie called Joseph Smith: A Revealer of Christ it is so good and I understood better what a Prophet is and why they are so important. He said something really interesting, he said If we don't accept Joseph Smith as a Prophet of God then we don't accept Jesus Christ and the Savior of the World. I found that interesting and how he spoke about the chosen and elect.

Well I love you all and pray for you!

Love,

Elder Thorpe (Braiden)

*Fourth of July

*Elder Larsen and I

*I caught a snake like I always end up doing

July 14th, 2014

Hey so this week I was suprised by what happened on Saturday. President showed up at our house and told me I was being changed. It was really weird because I had only been in Satelite for about 3 weeks and I was starting to have some really good success there. But yeah I´m back in Casas Grandes in a little town called Buenaventura. It's where all the poligamist mormons live now. But it is soooooo pretty here! There are so many trees and it rains every once and a while. It's super clean! It's almost like Colonia Juarez there just isn't a temple.

So my new area is a branch and it's actually under the direction of the Mission. I'm currently temporarily the companion of the Branch president. But I'm on a special assignment because they are going to change me after three weeks to another part of the branch called le baron. That's where its super pretty. President is going to put me again as District Leader and he is going to have me train again. So that's pretty exciting.

I'm kind of sad to leave my last district because they were pretty awesome. I was district leader of all sister missionaries. They are such hard workers and have so much faith. I felt so blessed to get to know them and work with them a bit.

So this past week and still this continues to happen, I have been feeling some really strong and powerful spiritual impressions. It has been so awesome to see the spirit working through me! I remembered the talk dad told me to read by Jay E. Jensen The Unspeakable Gift of the Holy Ghost. It made me feel so happy and I felt the spirt really strong.

Well I love you all!

Elder Thorpe (Braiden because Austin will be Elder Thorpe as well)

July 7th, 2014

Thomas S. Monson, President of the Church, said, “None of us is perfect. I know of no one who would profess to be so. And yet for some reason, despite our own imperfections, we have a tendency to point out those of others. We make judgments concerning their actions or inactions. There is really no way we can know the heart, the intentions, or the circumstances of someone who might say or do something we find reason to criticize.” 

Simple as that. Don’t judge others. Clean our glasses. Try to see them as Heavenly Father and the Savior would see them. I wish I could say I have never judged others, but that’d be a big lie. I’m grateful, however, for the Gospel of Jesus Christ which helps me learn to be less judgmental and be more charitable toward others. As I strive to “clean my own glasses,” I know that Christ helps me see others differently.

Hey!!!

So I can't believe that my little brother is about to enter in the largest army of soldiers! The time has flown by so fast. I can remember when we were just little kids going about doing things together like the pool, lagoon, school. I am so proud of my little brother!!!

So this week was a really good week. We had our trials with our water bill and renting another house and trying to keep the area in order, but we came out on top! We worked super hard and had a total of 45 lessons taught and we had 9 investigators in the Church! We we super amazed to see the miracles that God does. 

This week should be a busy one I have a few leader meetings that I have to go to and I'm sure President is going to get after us and tell us we can do better. But its the truth we really can work harder and do better.

Well love you all!

Elder Thorpe

Here they come

June 30th, 2014

Hey so I officially have been back in Juarez for one week and I really miss the calmness of Casas Grandes. I have noticed that everyone in life, well almost everyone in life is always at such a high pace and its kind of sad. If we only slowed down for a few minutes and take a moment to look around and appreciate what our Heavenly Father has blessed us with. I remember back before I was a missionary about when I was in my Senior year of high school, how I would go drive up above the valley in Traverse Mountain where there weren't any houses. I would go up when I was going through a hard time or when I wanted to have a private time to talk with my Father in Heaven. I would stand in complete silence and look around and think how all of what was created for us was out of love by our Heavenly Father. In those moments is when I had life changing conversations with him. I know that he loves me and that he has many great expectations for me. I remember how one time I went up with my patriarchal blessing and how I read it without any distractions. As I read I felt the spirit so strong as I felt that what I was blessed with were true. Sometimes in life we need to do as God asks and "STAND STILL."

This last week was good I got to know my companion a little better and we started working in the area. The area that I am in is huge and has a lot of private residences. It's sometimes hard to work in those areas because you aren't able to do whatever. But we keep working and trying to find new investigators.

I'm still DL so that's good. I'll send you a piture of who my district is next week it's actually really interesting.

Well I love you all and hope the best for all of you!

Love Elder Thorpe