Rain Rain go away‏

So it has been kind of rainy this week, but I kind of like it when rains on us because it makes me feel like a missionary. Not much has gone on this week. Just a lot of finding. On Wednesday we had Zone interview training where they talked a lot about the Holy Ghost.

The Assistance did some training on the Holy Ghost and how we need to help the investigators use it in our lessons to them. They taught us how we need to tell them what the holy Ghost's mission is and then tell them what he feels like. John 14:25-26 is really good to share with the investigators while explaining what the Holy Ghost is for. Then we test the promises of God. We tell them that they will feel the fruits of the spirit while we teach because we know that we have been called of God to teach this true message. That way there is no backing out of it and there is no denying if the Holy Ghost is there. The assistance taught that when you are sanctified and you tell them they will feel the spirit then the Lord will never let you down when you are teaching his truth.

When they gave this training I was super pumped and I wanted to use it on everyone that I taught. Sadly all we were able to do during the week was find. All of our appointments fell through. I guess everyone has weeks like that. But tonight we are teaching this family and I can't wait to use this principle in the beginning of the lesson.

Well I don't have much to say this week. But I hope that you all have a good day and I would like to challenge you all to look for a missionary opportunity this week. I would really appreciate it if when you have your missionary opportunity you email me about it. :]

Shout out to my Friend Taylor who just had his farewell talk. He is going to be a brilliant missionary.

Elder Thayne

Sorry didn't take very many pictures but we were able to go into this big cathedral.
It was pretty neat but you could tell that there was something missing.

Week of Miracles‏

This last week was great because I don't think I have ever been more in tune with the spirit. It was awesome because I understood what it was telling me and when I listened to it and worked hard I saw miracles happen.
I wen on exchanges on Wednesday with Elder Benton. He is English, but he can't help that. haha just kidding, English people are great. Our day was going to be a big day of finding. We first we setting off to GQ in a park when I had the impression to turn the car into the neighborhood to my left. I had to break pretty hard and I turned onto the street. We started knocking and the first door that opened was a less active member, He said he didn't want us to come back but i want to anyway. After that we met 2 other families who said they would like to have us back because they do have a lot of questions. It was great! Elder Benton and I were on cloud 9. Later that night we got let into someone's home and we taught the husband and wife and their 4 year old daughter.They both really wanted to read the book of Mormon and THEY ASKED US when we could come back. The next morning we were tracting this neighborhood and I had the Impression to go see Airisa. We went and saw her and she said she was sorry she hung up on us. She said That she wants to read the Book of Mormon and ask for herself. All of your prayers definitely helped Airisa, Thank you.Throughout the week We were having miracles like that. We were let in one more time this week. We also got to teach a lot of Pedro's friends and they all took copies Book of Mormon and accepted a return appointment.
One of Pedro's friends lives in London but she was over here for holiday. We taught her the Restoration and when we asked her to explain what Moroni 4-5 meant she gave the most perfect answer I have ever heard. She said "Jesus has suffered for my sins, and he love me so much. He wouldn't leave me alone without answers. He will answer my prayer if I ask...just like he answered Joseph Smith." Right then the spirit testified to her that what we were teaching her was true. She started to cry and she reached over and pulled her son onto her lap and just hugged him while she cried. It was so powerful. I know that the spirit was there and it confirmed to her and reconfirmed to me that what we were teaching is true. We will be sending her information to the missionaries in London, so whoever gets to teach her is pretty lucky because she is totally Golden.
Life is great here in Northern Ireland. There is so much work to do and I can feel the lord strengthening me. I know that he loves his children and he would never want to leave us in darkness. He has provided a way that everyone can live with him again. Jesus Christ is the center of that plan. I know that Jesus Christ lives and he loves us. God lives and he loves us. We have the most powerful people in the entire cosmos rooting for us and cheering us on. I hope that you all realize that.
I love you all hope you have a fantastic day. Just in case you want to write me my Email is:Elder Talmage Platt Thayne12 North StreetPortadownBT63-4BRUnited Kingdom
Elder Thayne

Sorry These are the only pictures That I took. But they are pretty cool wooden carvings.

Bonfire

So This last week has bee crazy...again, I feel like I say that every week but it is true. Elder Walters was able to say goodbye to most of the people in the ward, because he has been called to serve as the district leader in Sligo, Which is in the Republic of Ireland. He left on Wednesday and I just went on exchanges with Elder Blosil for the day in Belfast. That night we picked up our new companions at the bus station. I now have Elder Fassold as my new companion

He is from Heber city Utah and he is proud of it. He is a super funny redneck who was a huge wrestler, he was going all across the US wrestling for Utah and he ended up beating the number 1 wrestler, his weight, in the nation. So he is kind of a beast. He actually know some Thaynes in Altamont, Stacey Thayne. So I thought that was kind of cool. He has also gone on a date with Maddie Hyde so I was just laughing because it was such a small world.
We have been doing quite a bit of finding these last couple days because with the Baptisms we need to find new people to teach. We were suppose to teach Airisa yesterday but she called and said she didn't want to take the lessons anymore. she said that she had talked to some of her friends and they told her that we don't believe in Jesus. We were so crushed because she is such a good woman. I knew when we first taught her that she was special and that the Devil would try really hard to stop her from being Baptized. So I am not going to give up on her we are going to be going by her house and talking to her. I am sure that she will accept the Gospel but she just needs help. Just keep Airisa in your prayers because she really needs this right now. 
We had to stay in the flat all day on Monday. We couldn't leave because it was this huge holiday of independence here and everyone is drunk and crazy stuff like that. They had these giant bonfires that they lit on Friday. It was actually pretty cool to see how big they got. We had to go in early on Friday because we weren't allowed to be out while the bonfires were lit. 
It was a crazy week. ha, but we do have one constant, the gospel. I love the gospel because it provides security in an every changing world. It is truly an anchor for the soul (Ether 12). The Lords laws are clear and they are easy to understand. When we are 100% committed to living his law we will be confident and safe. It is easier to be 100% obedient than it is to be 99% obedient. I have noticed that this principle is true as I have been more and more obedient. I am still working on it, but I have seen an increase of blessings.
Anyway, I love you all and I hope that you all have a great day. Please pray for Airisa tonight. Talk to you all next week.
Elder Thayne

So this is me and Brother Donnelly outside of his farm. He has been taking a picture with everysingle missionary that has served there for the last 25 years in front of that sign.

That is me just sitting on a bear statue

giant bonfires

 My new companion Elder Fassold

New President

Well this last week has been crazy busy haha i don't even know where to start....I got to meet my new Mission President. His name is President Donaldson and he seems awesome. He is super passionate and I can tell he loves us so much. He talked a lot about how this mission is going to be governed by the spirit and how the spirit will be running the mission not the other way around. He told us that in order to have the spirit help us in our choices we need to be sanctified. He said that we need to give up any petty disobedience and set ourselves apart from the world.

Irina was able to go to girls camp and she made a lot of really good friends. She is already so fellow shipped into the ward I have no worries that she will feel like she doesn't have any friends. She is such a good girl and she has been keeping all of her commitments. she believes everything that we have taught her. We went over the interview questions with her and she said that she didn't feel like she knew if Joseph Smith was a prophet, So I asked her to say a prayer right there. She knelt down and said a prayer and she just sat quiet after the prayer for a minute and she got up and said she felt really good. I know that the spirit testified to her that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that what we have said is true. She had her interview and she passed with flying colors.

That night at 7 we were all at the church for Irina's Baptism. We had some great talks on Baptism and  the gift of the Holy Ghost. Then her big moment came. We got into the water and I had the privilege of preforming the Baptism. She lifted up her leg twice, and one of the times I started to go into the temple mode. I said, "I baptize you for and in behalf...wait" haha yeah I had to start over again but that is ok. Those small mistakes didn't take anything away from the experience. Just looking at her after I could tell she was completely clean, she was the most perfect person on earth at the moment. I know that her baptism was the best decision that she has ever made in her life.

After the Baptism I started to wonder what we were going to do now that we wont be teaching her anymore. I started to think of all of our investigators and I realized that they all have the same potential. Just because we wont be teaching Irina doesn't mean we wont have much to do. we have so much work! and I am looking forward to it so much.

Later on Saturday night Elder Walters and I went out to GQ (Golden question) some people. I then had the feeling that we should try by on of our potentials. Her name in Airisa and she is from Latvia. We got to her house and we talk to her for a bit and we invited her to church. The next morning we saw he show up in the back. We were so excited we went up and started to talk to her after the meeting. She went back home after sacrament but she came back 5 minutes later with her 4 year old daughter. They both went to nursery and I'm pretty sure they liked it. We taught he the Restoration on Sunday night and the spirit was so apparent. she was just sitting quietly and I could tell she was feeling it. She told us a lot about her life and what she was looking for. When we were teaching her she said that she feels really happy. We then extended the soft invitation to be baptized. She said she will be baptized if she came to know that it is true! Man it was one of the best experiences I have had on my mission. I know that the Lord put us in Airisa's path because he loves her and he know how she can be happy.

Later sunday night while we were doing our planning session we got a call from the mission president telling us what the moves will be like. Elder Walters will be the district Leader in Sligo and I will be staying here in Portadown with my new companion, Elder Fassled. From what I here, he is a super hard worker and he is good with people so I cant wait to meet him.

I love this Mission. I know that this church is true. I know that the book of Mormon is the word of God. I have read it more than I ever have in my life while I have been out here and I know that it has brought me closer to God than anything else. I love it and I read from it every day. I love you all, Hope you have a great week, keep it real.

Elder Thayne

Belfast Castle, it is amazing. We were able to go to belfast for one of our P-days so we went to the castle. 

That Is Elder Lorecella.

We saw this cool Bridge while on our way to Dublin to meet our new Mission President.

The other pictures are of the Stevensons, Chris and Christy. Christy is from Arizona and Chris is From Scotland. They helped us feel like we were back in America with a nice 4th of July Dinner and they showed us how to do a spinning wheel.

This is Irina at her Baptism, It was amazing. 

This is Elder Walters last dinner with the Keery's.

holy garbanzo beans‏

So kind of like last week I have no time. I think I will start writing my Mass email first and then get the the individual ones if i have time.

So this last week has been amazing. We have been teaching Irina a ton and she is progressing really well. She is keeping all of her commitments and she believes that everything we have taught her is true. She is so cool  she is totally jumping into the whole church life. She has been going to young womens, reading scriptures, praying, going to church and she is going to the stake young womens camp this week. I think she will really enjoy it. Her Baptism is going to be amazing  I can already tell she will be such a solid member.
We had a lesson with Astu this last Sunday. Astu is one of our recent convert's wife. She doesn't speak English and Toze, her husband isn't the best translator so we brought Pedro along with us. We taught her the plan of salvation and the spirit was definitely there. I kept looking at her facial reaction to see if she is feeling it.  Pedro was key. We really needed him there so we could explain some things that she didn't understand before. Pedro bore a powerful testimony about the authority of God and how it back on the earth. I knew she was feeling it by then and he expression told it all. She said if she finds out it is true then she will be baptized. We asked her to say the closing prayer and as she was saying it she just started crying. and she didn't stop crying for like a minute after the prayer. She is amazing and I am sure she will be baptized. 
Life has been so good. The Lord has been giving us so many blessings and he has helped us so much. All of the people that we are teaching right now are so prepared I am sure if a bowling ball taught them correct doctrine they would be baptized. Literally Portadown is Gods Kingdom  in the UK.
I love teaching these Portugues people because you cannot leave there house without them feeding you. They are so nice and they are really sincere when they say that they want to learn they will listen and they will put in the effort to find out if what we are saying is true.
If you can just keep this ward and this area in your prayers that would be appreciated, we are teaching two northern Irish men right now and they seem to be in a rut. so if you could keep James and Christ in your prayers, heavenly father would appreciate that. Because we need some more worthy priesthood holders in the ward. 
I love you all and I know this church is true. I hope you all have a great 4th of july. our day of independance.
Shout out to Emily Eckman and Reggie Northrup. They are now missionaries for the Lord. Love these two.
Elder Thayne

this is just a random picture, my front door, the library, and me in front of the spit fire :]

Baptism!

I am writing on Tuesday because Monday was zone development. how do I start this letter. well this last week was awesome. We have been able to teach Jessica 3 times last week and she was Baptized on Friday. 3 days in a row we were teaching her with Brother McGee who is probably the best joint teach for her. He has a Grandpa presence about him and you could just hug this guy all day. Jessica doesn't have a father in the home so I think it was really important for Brother McGee to be there and show such an interest in her. All of the lessons went great and the spirit was so apparent. Pedro, the second councilor in the bishopric, came in when we were talking to her about the Baptismal interview and he said, "Do you feel that? I know the spirit is here and he is telling me you are a daughter of God." it was so powerful. He is just a small 5 foot four Portuguese man, but his spirit is a giant. Friday was her Baptism and it went great. I spoke on the Holy Ghost and Her friend spoke on Baptism. When she came out of the water she had the biggest smile on her face. It was an amazing experience.

I think the experience softened her sisters heart because she told us she would like to be baptized. Before this she didn't want to meet with us but now she is reading the Book of Mormon and she is coming to church. It is amazing what the spirit will do for people. It is also amazing how great of an example Jessica has been to her older Sisters. 
I can see so many opportunities to teach out here. there are so many prepared people in Northern Ireland I am just worried i will miss someone. The Lord has been preparing and will keep preparing people. When I meet someone that isn't interested I know that they aren't interested now but they are being prepared by the Lord. Their time will come.
This Monday we had Zone Development. It is pretty much when the entire zone gets together and plays games all day. It was a blast! I got to meet and get close to a lot of the other Elders. We also wrecked our bodies because we were playing football, Frisbee, american football and zombie tag from 12 till 7. It was great fun. 
We also had the all Ireland conference saying goodbye to president Brown and his wife. They are such great people and they love the missionaries so much. I just wish that I got to know them better before they left. oh well our next mission president seems amazing. I met him at the MTC and he just seems passionate about missionary work. He is going to be great. We will be meeting him, in Ireland, for the first time in 2 weeks.
Anyway, I love you all. Sorry I can't write to everyone. I really wish I could type at the speed of light so I could get to all of you, but it would appear my hyper drive needs maintenance. I hope you all have a great week.

Elder Thayne 

So this is the group I came out with at the all Ireland Conference. President Brown, Me and his wife (She is my mission mom so I am allowed to have my arm around her.) Then the best part about last week was Jessica's Baptism. Pedro is right there, You can see how short he is haha, but I love him.

Keep the Pace

So this last week was amazing and this next week has a lot of potential because of how we worked this week. We were able to have a successful week and we were spiritually fed. Elder Jeffery R. Holland came to are mission and spoke to everyone in a conference. sadly I wasn't able to meet him because he was in Scotland, but that is OK I still got to learn from him.

This Sunday we all went to the stake center to hear the conference that was being broadcast to the British isles and all the Scandinavian countries. The speakers were incredible. Elder Holland himself said this was the best broadcast he has ever heard. The spirit was so strong. my favorite speaker besides Elder Holland was the stake president from Edinburgh. He spoke about the rescue at Dunkirk.  He paralleled it to how we are part of the greatest rescue mission that has ever accured in history. at Dunkirk everything had to be used. Winston Churchill asked for volunteers to help rescue some of the ally troops who were stranded on the beach. So along with great battle ships coming to the rescue of the exhausted soldiers; you could see fishing boat's, pleasure yacht's  and all sorts of vessels that didn't seem qualified for this military campaign. 300,000 men where saved because of this mission and of those 300,000, one hundred thousand were saved by the small volunteer boats. He said that we need absolutely everyone we can get to help in this rescue effort; missionaries, home teachers, visiting teachers and friends. That talk was so powerful. Elder Holland started to cry during the stake presidents talk. Then Elder Holland stood up and he talked about the book of Mormon. His testimony is so powerful. I don't even want to attempt to write what he said because i think i would slaughter it. But it just made me realize how great of a message we have for people. this really encouraged me to talk to absolutely everyone about it.
In the mission if there is one thing that we don't need, it would be helpful parents. we have had so many chances to talk to younger people who really  wanted to learn, but then a parent would say no. This almost happened to one of our investigators this last week. James is a 25 year old musician. He is really sincere and he wants to learn more about Mormons and our culture. I called him to set up an appointment and he said that he didn't want to meet with us anymore. I was so sad, I just thought that we couldn't lose him. He said his mom told him to stop meeting with us. so I just told him that I know that this message can help him. That the book of Mormon is the word of God and he needed to read it. I told him if he didn't read it he could expect to feel lost for ever. So i was pretty Bold with him over the phone. Luckily I guess this tactic worked because we were able to meet with him again. He cam to the meeting with really good questions and really excited to read it. He told us he would read the whole book of Mormon and he said he wanted to come to Church. I was so happy. I know that the spirit of the Book of Mormon has touched his heart. 
Over all our whole week was really good. We were able to meet with most of our investigators and our lessons went really well. We have told them all what they need to do in order to progress towards Baptism. So I would really appreciate it is you all prayed for them and their needs.
Chris : He needs to have the courage to take the leap of faith and be Baptized. Simone: She needs to get marriedLynda: She needs to stop smokingJames: He needs a testimony of the Book of MormonEdna: She needs to find a new job so she can attend churchSemmy and Tatianna: They need to come to church
If you can keep them in your prayers that would be great. I know that this church is true. I know how powerful the Book of Mormon is in conversion. It has been strengthening me in my conversion everyday. I know that this is the way to happiness. And I testify that everyone is needed for this rescue. I would like to challenge all of you to find a missionary opportunity this week. The Lord will help you.
Love you all
Elder Thayne

Broken Umbrella, some doodles (mind the spelling) and me and Elder Walters in the Library.