April 29. 2013

Hello Hello! Thank you everyone for the wonderful Birthday Surprises! I got spoiled rotten this year! I hadn't gotten Dawn's or Mom's package in the mail on Tuesday and I thought they were late, but when we came home for dinner at 5 there was a note on the front door saying I had "several" packages in the office. So we went and I had THREE! The other one was from Andrea! Also the girls from xray sent me $40 to JCPenney's and Jessica Ault sent me some earrings! Oh and Corrine sent me a bracelet! I hope I'm not forgetting anyone but I was showered with gifts! Did I mention last week that Sister Lao was in town, and that Monday she took us out for lunch for my birthday! 

So thank you Kate for the pretty jewlery! I love it, and thank the boys for the card! Oh ps I got from some random address that face lotion. The package was torn... was it supposed to have the face wash too? But I love having the sunscreen! 

Thank you Dawn and Jordan for the letters and for all the pictures and we love the popcorn! I am not so sure how I like that edited picture of me. It is kinda creepy! hahaha Too funny! And Mom, Dad, and Cami thanks for the cd (i love it) and the dvd (which was really great when I was up at 2:30 in the morning for like 5 hours sick with the flu!) and for the shirts! I'll send that one back today! 

Oh and Mitch congrats on the graduation!! Yay! Victory! You owe yourself a cruise! (that's what I did!)

Yes I got to see Mandy! She sent me a letter with her phone number in it, and said she was coming on Saturday, but then Ivan got off work early so they decided to come on Friday! It was honestly so good to see her, it was like a bit of all of you! And Emma has Tanner's exact eyes! I loved it! I forgot that Ivan served here, and how crazy it is that they are back! I was so good to see them!

Talking about all of you: Mother's day is coming up! We can't do skype, just a call and I have Church at nine. I can split up the call, so whatever works for all of you. Just a heads up! 

Right now our teaching pool is low, with only two investigators. BUT we have like 20 potential investigators we are going to really focus on this week. The other joy around here is that we are working closely with about 4 less actives, and seeing some real progress! It is honestly so great! We also have another less active that we talked to his AWESOME home teacher last night for like 45 minutes about. And we talked all about how we can help and we are going to reteach the lessons and we are all really excited! 

 Transfer calls are Saturday so next letter will let you know all that's going on! I'd be surprised if I leave, but I hope Sister R doesn't leave! 

I love you all!! Thank you for all your love and support! 

the first one is my excited face! and the second one is all of the packages of love I got!!! 

April 22, 2013

Hello Family!

I can honestly say this week went by quickly! I am already here emailing you again! And holy moly! Our birthday is tomorrow! How time flies! Happy Birthday Papa! This is the first birthday in the past 23 years that you will be spending on your own. No sharing! Imagine that! And Happy Birthday to the 8 year old boy this week! Tan the Man I am so excited for you! I wish I could be at your baptism, but I'll be there in spirit! Love you both!

Kate- I did get your can! Thank you! I'm excited! 

This week was a good one, we did a lot of knocking but have come across two different gentlemen who are like the scriptures say, "seeking for truth but know not where to find it." One of them was Church of Christ but felt like it wasn't right, and converted to be a Catholic looking for the authority.... sounds like something we can help him with! :) And the other man says he is just a Christian because he doesn't believe there is one true church out there. He said his hobby is to study up on the historical proof of the bible. We explained the Book of Mormon to him and how it is written by the ancestors of the Native Americans. He was very intrigued by that. I keep praying for them, that Satan will not confuse them, and that they will feel the Spirit as they look more into the things we taught them. We only saw them each once, and are planning on following up with them this week. We shall see. 

Also we had exchanges this past Tuesday to Wednesday. I went with Sister T in the Regal Park ward. In their area they literally knock for like 6 hours a day! We went out and amazingly only were able to to get like 5 doors knocked because each one the people were interested in talking to us! It was a really good experience, and I learned so much from Sister T! She is a really amazing person and missionary! It was also really nice to see how other missionaries work, and to be able to see my own rough edges and how I can also improve. It was a great learning experience and I'm so glad we had that opportunity. 

I thought weather in Utah was crazy but it's official: even on the weather channel (as everyone here informed us!) Lubbock is voted worst weather in America! On Wednesday I was wearing sunscreen and dying of heat and then Thursday I was wearing boots and tights and a coat because it was so cold! Lubbock is really growing on me though! I am happy here!

Oh fun! Sister L is out here because one of her investigators went through the temple for the first time on Saturday! She was at church yesterday and she wants to go out with us for a birthday lunch today! It is so good to see her! I miss her and love her! How crazy it is that she is not a missionary anymore! 

Anyhow! By next Monday I'll be one year older and wiser? too! Man how the years fly! I was talking to Sister R the other day about ages and some of these people we teach and she was like, "man that is so old!" and I turned to her and told her that is only six years older than her and she got this shocked look on her face and she said, "I thought I was still 19!!!" She honestly did, and we still laugh about it! Poor thing! Too funny!  

I love you all and thank you for your support and prayers! This is the Lord's work and His glory and we are just workers in His vineyard! How good He is to us! 

Love you!

xoxox Sister P.

April 15, 2013

Hello! What a crazy week here! We had snow this past Wednesday, and I was pretty sure I was back in Utah!

J was baptized on Saturday! It was very nice and he is so happy! He is already being a stellar missionary asking us how to give out Books of Mormon!

And after the baptism I saw the Cleverly's and Emily and some other people from Portales who went to the session. We all said hi in the parking lot (it is shared by the temple) and Emily was so thoughtful and gave me tulips! They say they miss me so much out there, but like the new sisters and the work is really moving forward! It was good to hear updates about everyone I love out there!

Sister R and I are working well here. We are working with a lot of less actives, which we are having good progress with and is very exciting! We have this current joke going on in our apartment. Sister R
loves jerky and had this random dried piece that she decided to place on my bed one night. So now we hid it for the other one to find and occasionally throw it at eachother. So this past week I walked into the bedroom and it was hanging on the wall with my pictures. OH man! We are crazy but I love it!

So glad to hear that you were all able to see Sister N--- I mean Nikki! hahaha! She is such a sweetheart!

Anyhow I love you all and miss you more!

Here is my quote for this week:

Patient endurance permits us to cling to our faith in the Lord and our faith in iIs timing when we are being tossed about by the surf of circumstance. Even when a seeming undertow grasps us, somehow, in the tumbling, we are being carried forward. -Neal A. Maxwell

xoxox Sister P.

At our baptism.

With my tulips.

April 8, 2013

Hello!

I have OH so much to inform you on! I feel like the weeks go in roller coaster waves, and things week is overflowing! First off why I am so late at emailing today:

We had quite the eventful day yesterday! Not only was it lovely General Conference, but then Sister R had her accident. She had been fasting that day, but at five after Conference we took our dinner break and she ended her fast. Well after that we went out and went contacting, and then at about seven or seven thirty we went to go try a less active family we are working with. While we were there, they were just about done with making their dinner so we were about to leave. We had been talking to them outside in their little courtyard by their front door. They have a little brick wall/gate thing and while we had been talking Sister R went over and was leaning on it. (come to find out she wasn't feeling well, but knew we were about to leave anyway) So we are saying our goodbyes and next thing we know Sister R is on the ground!! We ran over to her and she woke up saying she felt like she was about to faint and I told her she just had! She scared me half to death!!!! She was as white as a ghost! I was worried she had a seizure or something!! The people we were visiting had her come sit inside their house and made her drink two glasses of ice water. Sister R said she thought that maybe that was the reason but afterwords remembered she had had lots of water that day! I then brought her straight home and her knee and ankle have been hurting her ever since! She fell right on top of her legs and I think twisted them pretty bad! It is the weirdest thing, and still scares me! I like to know the reason why behind everything and we aren't really sure so it is sketchy! We have talked to Sister A and they think it had to do with her fasting.. but I'm not convinced. It was so so weird! She is currently on crutches, but can't straighten her knee and her ankle hurts too. It has been quite eventful past 24 hours! 

I swear I have never realized how hard Satan works to make people believe that our church is a cult! This past week we knocked into a lady who said that she "knows all about our church" and she told us that when the temple was built like 10 years ago there was an article in the paper that said that after a couple is married they go to a special room where a witness watches them consummate their marriage! No wonder people think we are crazy! I would too!! But she didn't want to hear what we had to say. She was pretty sure we didn't know what was going on, and that we were brainwashed, and awesome Sister R bore powerful testimony of the gospel, but the lady still just asked us to reconsider. Goodness! But we know that God is preparing the ears to hear His word!  

Like J!! He is getting baptized Saturday! He is so excited and has been waiting years for his mom's approval! We held a fast this past Wednesday and before noon his mom had told him that she changed her mind and he can be baptized! What a miracle! It was seriously soo cool! 

General Conference was great! We watched it at the church, but went out and did work between and after. I loved that talk all about how serving the Lord helps our families grow closer to God and I know that we are all being blessed during this time! Happy Half Way mark everyone! 

I love you all lots! Love you all! xoxoxo 

love your missionary! 

April 1, 2013

Hello hello! Happy April Fools Day and Happy Easter! I cannot believe it is already April!

I didn't know they were putting a sidewalk in front of the house! Is it cutting into our lawn?

Also Kate and Jordan I got all your blog pictures! Very fun (but might make this email short since I soaked up the time looking at them!)

So we've had a really good week here, other than the fact that I got sick this weekend with a head cold. Sister R had it last weekend, and so nicely shared it with me. Isn't it great to have such giving companions?! :)

But we have a baptism set for the week of the 13th, but he would like to have it this weekend, but it is General Conference (who else is so excited!?!)! He is 16 and just got approval from his mom, so it is very exciting! Member referrals really do make up so much of a difference! We are also teaching a lot of "older" investigators. They make me really miss my grandparents, and their stories are so great, it makes me want to sit down and talk more with my family!!

Well I honestly don't know what else to say! Yep, major party pooper this week! I'll try and remember my funny stories for this upcoming week! I love you all! This Church is True, and how grateful I am for the knowledge that Christ lives again! That He completed His mission, and so can we! (some of us more literally as I am on a "mission")  But I love you! xoxoxo Sister P!

Here are my easter fun pictures: a member has a trained indoor bunny. Like a cat!! and my easter egg (yes we colored them!) TLM: Texas Lubbock Mission! (don't mind me I'm in my pj's)! xoxox