July 22,2016

Elder Goertzen says that it may take a while for his mom to accept his friend request because she doesn't get on very often. Anyhow, I can relate with being really tired because now I have the best MTC story ever. My companion left the residence at about 10:45 to go use the bathroom and promptly realized that he forgot his key. Rather than knock on the door and avoid all of this hullaballoo, he went out to go sit in the lobby and wait for one of us to come out for something so he could get back in. Another Elder from the residence next door said they had an extra bed that he was welcome to (this is against mission rules, by the way). So, Elder Goertzen went and slept in their room for  the night. By this point I was asleep, but was woken up by Elder Fackerell with a campus security guard standing just outside the residence at about midnight. As it turns out, Elder Fackerell had been unable to sleep, got out of bed, and noticed that my companion still hadn't come back yet. After searching the entire building, he called the security guard over to try and help find him. For the rest of the night, I accompanied some 12 other Elders in addition to the BYU campus police force and the entire security guard staff here at the MTC to look for my companion. I was also questioned for a good 30 minutes by the police after returning to the residence. We found out later that the Eagle Mountain police had been contacted, and they were looking all over for him, including showing up at his parents' house and 3 in morning. His Stake president and his Bishop were called in the wee hours as well. Anyhow, he walked over to the bedroom at 6:30 and knocked on the door where those of us who were out searching all night had only been asleep for a short while had planned to, understandably, sleep in a bit. That is when he figured it out. Anyhow, it is all good now, and he didn't really have any consequences since it basically only happened because Elder Goertzen was too considerate to wake us up by knocking on the door. 

Anyhow, I do have my flight information back at the residence, and I will get that to you by the end of the day. I am pretty sure, though, that I will have to call you really early in the morning or not at all. I assume that, though, that you would rather get a phone call at 6 am than not at all. 

I love you Mom!

Week 3

Greeting from Missionaryville, all ye that read my emails. Things with one exception have gone normally and according to plan. The short version is that my companion got locked out, so he slept in the room next to ours. The police got involved, and I along with a horde of other missionaries and the police spent the entire night looking everywhere except the room next door. Just as an update with Erika, we taught her about faith and the Atonement of Christ in our last lesson. We were also able to help resolve her concerns about temple marriage (her boyfriend is a member). Paula is doing well after our last lesson, and now I know that she is a role playing TRC because a couple Elders in my district were assigned to teach her this week, and she apparently forgot everything we had taught her, so I guess there is no first baptism yet. This week I have been teaching Ny (pronounced like knee) and she is from Madagascar. She is also really quiet and doesn't really trust Elder Goertzen and I yet. Granted, we have only had one lesson so far, so maybe that will be different tomorrow. Megan, on the other hand, is a BYU student who grew up in an LDS family but was never baptized. She is very talkative, and has a lot of questions. The thing that we have been focusing on with her is, first of all, being able to recognize the impressions of the Spirit, and second, baptism. She is so scared of the baptismal covenant that she doesn't want to commit to baptism. I hope we can help ease her mind on the matter tomorrow, though. Beyond that, I only have a few days left in the MTC because I fly out into the field on Tuesday. I love you all! 

Week 2

I apologize that last week's email didn't go through. A few people have told me they didn't get it, so I assume the same is true to all of you. So, this time, I have sent this to every email address that I have for anyone. Anyhow, things have been a bit crazy lately, and I have never been so exhausted in my life. We have classes starting at about 7:30 and ending at 9:30 at night. It has been so spiritually uplifting that I can't deny that God has given the energy to keep going. Probably the most noteworthy thing are the TRC investigators. I don't know what TRC stands for, but basically people come to the MTC either as real investigators or role players, probably pretending to be a friend, that we teach several lessons to over the course of the week. Our first investigator, even though the leaders don't tell us at all, is a real investigator by the name of Erika. She comes from Iowa, and has been investigating the church for close to a year and a half now. She is incredibly knowlegdable about the Gospel, and has a lot of questions that she will spend several minutes asking and explaining about. To all those people who told me that I would never talk about the finer details of the War in Heaven and the Davidic Descent of Christ, you lied. That was our first discussion with Erika and Elder Goertzen and I basically threw our lesson plan out the window that first day. They second day was similar. The last time we went, we talked about the Word of Wisdom and she shared some very personal struggles about it that really showed how faithful she actually is. We have one more lesson with her, and my companion and I are fasting right now to know how best to help her. Our other investigator is Paula. She hails from Colombia and moved here with her father. She is probably a real investigator, but we are nowhere near as sure as with Erika (she showed us a video of her sister's wedding from her Facebook page). She is basically investigating the church out of curiosity because of a neighbor. She started out quiet, but really started to open up when we taught the Plan of Salvation. In the last lesson we taught her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and she committed to baptism on August 18. Unfortunately, we will be unable to be there, but still, FIRST BAPTISM! Beyond that, there are just funny stories like Elder Goertzen started singing the Spirit of God when he was asleep and it was hilarious when he repeated "like a fire is burning" roughly eight times. Love y'all! The Church is true!

Provo MTC

Here is the traditional MTC picture in front of the world map!

Elder Goertzen is Brent's companion and is also going to the South Carolina Columbia mission.

Erika is one of his investigators.

His zone.

They spent hours in classes everyday.

The closest I got to a companion picture!

Here is Elder Thomas' official certificate to preach as a full-time missionary.

Elder Goertson is from Eagle Mountain, Utah, and comes from a family of 11 kids. He was adopted as a child, and otherwise is a faithful and much more focused missionary than I am. We get along pretty well, and have taken to every night, starting last night, saying three positive things about each other to help us become closer as a companionship. He also sings a high tenor that is very resonant and firm. Because of this, we are in agreement that we need to join the MTC choir. I love you guys! I'll send full details in the group email!

Could you send me a bathrobe? It would make the shower situation here a lot simpler.

You were also right about the camera. In fact, there are guys in my district who are having other guys take pictures at about three feet and sticking their arms out so that they can face a selfie. 

There are Elders in my district, not guys. Sorry.

Diana Thomas <dianasdarlings@gmail.com>	Jul 8
to Brent

We're driving across Nevada at the moment. We'll try to get a robe in the mail today.

It's every parent's dream to have their child say "you're right Mom".

Day 1

Dear Elder Thomas,

Today was the hardest day of my life. Telling you it was time to go was so hard. But once you walked away, I started to feel very peaceful. Don't worry the tears well up once in while still. Now that the good byes are said and you are exactly where you need to be, the dread and wondering is gone.

 One of the first things I saw on Facebook after leaving was a picture of a joyful Eli and Matt Maughan together at the Orlando airport. I am so excited to hear about their experiences and look forward to hear about your's! Take lots of pictures, your camera should arrive on Monday. I hear waiting for that first email is torture, since you don't know when it will come. So we will anxiously watch and patiently wait.

We're so proud of you. We can't wait to hear about the hearts you will touch and the lives that will be forever changed. We will watch and record all the miracles and blessings that come from your service. Trust in the Lord and you will find success. The angels will surround you and that brings me great peace. 

I love you to the moon and back!

Love,

Mom

I have been surprised by getting to use my email today, so that is cool. Things are going well overall, although, it does feel like trying to drink out of a firehouse with how much I have to figure out all at once. My companion is a really cool guy by the name of Elder Goertzen. Beyond that, today we congregated as an army of 70-some-odd missionaries to teach real investigators. I love you guys! The Gospel is True! By the way, P-day is on Friday. 

Hi all,
Just a quick note about contacting Brent over the next two years. It is recommended that you mail packages by priority mail, so it can be quickly forwarded to his apartment. He will leave the MTC on July 26th for South Carolina. Here are the addresses for you  if you decide you want to send something.

MTC until July 26th:
Elder Brent Thomas
JUL26 SC-COLU
2005 N 900 E Unit 236
Provo, UT 84602

After July 26th:
Elder Brent Thomas
110 Oak Park Dr, Ste. B,
 Irmo, SC 29063

Email: brent.thomas@myldsmail.net

Love you all! I really appreciated all the support you've given us.

Saying goodbye!

In order to make the 2:30 drop off time, we had to leave about 10:30 am. The last thing we did before leaving was Brent gave me a blessing and then our final family prayer. We even made him carry his own luggage.

His last meal was In-n-out, double double animal style and a neapolitan shake. 

Our family selfie!

On a whim, we decided to drive by our old apartment. Then we decided we needed to recreate the picture below, the day we brought Brent home.

19 years is a long time!

We drove near the Provo Temple to say our goodbyes and have our last few minutes together.

We did lots of hugging.

Is there such a thing as too many?

I think we proved that there isn't!

Lucy was not going to be left out!

Last time for the boys, now dad is all alone.

This was a no mascara day!

So proud of our boy!

All the excited missionaries greeting the new ones.

Lots of mixed feelings.

One last family picture!

The last few minutes were so hard.

The hardest part was telling Brent it was time to go and then let him walk away. It felt like part of my heart left with him.

Off to his next adventure!

Trying to catch a last glimpse!

See you in two years!

Dear Elder Brent James Thomas,

Congratulations on your call to serve!  We are excited about your arrival at the Provo Missionary Training Center next week and are grateful for your decision to serve the Lord.  We would like to share some important information about your stay at the MTC.

You should arrive for your training at the main MTC campus (2005 N 900 E).

This will be your MTC mailing address:

Elder Brent James Thomas
JUL26  SC-COLU
2005 N 900 E Unit 236
Provo UT 84602

Please share this address with those who may want to write or send packages to you while you are in the MTC.

Also, please pay close attention to the following instructions:

  1. Your service begins the day you check into the MTC.  Remind your family that complete separation from loved ones is part of the sacrifice that families and missionaries contribute to the work.  For this reason, you should ask your family and friends not to attempt to see or visit with you while you are at the MTC, not even during your temple walks or at other places near the MTC.
  2. All missionary mail must come through the US Mail or commercial delivery services.  These services should not be used to send pizzas, fast foods, ice-cream, or any items that will spoil if they are not refrigerated within 24 hours.  Missionaries are not called out of class to receive packages, nor do they have access to a refrigerator.  For security reasons, we cannot accept any items delivered by hand.
  3. Communication with family can be done through your missionary email account on your weekly Preparation Day. We cannot accept telephone calls for missionaries.
  4. Families and friends should not visit missionaries as they depart to their field of labor, whether at the MTC or at the airport.

Please do not reply to this email.  If you need to communicate with the MTC, please call 801-422-2602.

Sincerely,

Provo MTC Presidency