Sorry for the short entry this week! I'll send pictures next week:)
Love,
Monday, October 13, 2014
Mas adventuras con m companero
Can I just say that fall weather is the best? It's been a treat to have slightly cool, sweater-weather days and see the leaves changing all around us. As soon as Sister Johnson and I get ahold of some rakes Rosepark will be leaf free before you can say "Oh no sister, we can get the elders to do it!" Girls like to serve too! I repeat, anyone who has sister missionaries serving where you live, give them service opportunities! Okay tangent over. We've had another great week full of scripture study joy, lots of speaking in church, and teaching a lot. we also met a lot more africans, some that we will start working with soon. Yay for Africa!! And African baby showers! That's a story for another day. There is a lot of work to do here and the Ward mission leaders, Bishops and members are amazing. I invite everyone to read Elder Bednar's recent address in conference (see link below) and figure out how you can apply that in your life. Godelive and her 2 daughters Emerance and Confiance came to church yesterday- sadly the other daughter was sick and the two boys weren't there, but I think despite not understanding 99% of what was said they seemed to enjoy it! Godelive is so patient. I think my heart just expands more and more with everyone new person we start teaching. We taught the restoartion to a 12 year old while he was waiting for his mom to come home the other day and I was reminded of why Christ tells us to be like little children. They are so pure and honest, unmarred by the doubt and darkness of the world. The wonderful thing is that as we live the gospel of Jesus Christ, the world doesn't have power to leave its mark on us. Just like it says in Helaman 5:12 (probably the most quoted scripture in conference ever) The devil will have no power over us if we make christ our rock and foundation. He lives, and because He lives, we can follow his ways, be like Him and "lift the hands that hopelessly hang down."
Filling up my spiritual bucket
September 6, 2014
I think our spiritual levels in life can be compared to water in a bucket. When we do things that take away from our spirit, it's like we get a hole. The bigger the hole, the more water we lose. It doesn't matter how much water is put in to the bucket because as long as it has a hole it will keep losing water. As soon as we fix the hole (or choose to live God's way and keep the commandments), we can add to the water in the bucket and become full. But then there are times like this past weekend when my spiritual bucket just wasn't big enough to receive all God was trying to give me. Every october and april our church broadcasts a worldwide conference where the prophet, his counselors, the 12 apostles and other church leaders address us ti give us spiritual guidance. It was an incredible weekend and I heard so many needed things that will direct me for my whole life. Saturday afternoon session I hit my peak and it was like walking on air. By the time Sunday afternoon rolled around, I think my bucket was spilling over and I couldn't take in any more. The good things is, I won't be thirsty for a really long time because I have plenty to ponder, pray about and then put into action! It is such a blessing to have a sure knowledge that there is still a prophet on the Earth today that receives direction from Jesus Christ on how to direct Christ's church. I know he receives revelation and I know that through him we can receive revelation for our lives. Since I just happen to be serving 15 minutes from the conference center in Salt Lake, Sister Johnson and I were blessed to be able to take the african family we're teaching to their first conference ever. They are so amazing and I love their innate sense of right and wrong. God is just so real to them, they would never doubt his existence like so many do. I think the biggest thing that stuck out to me from conference was the theme of knowing light from darkness and seeking more light. God's ways are not our ways and he's provided us a way to know more about him if we just simply ask. Darkness is all around us, we have to push through that until we find the light shining through. And that comes from those "simple" things that somehow slip our minds or don't seem as important as other priorities such as daily scripture study, prayer, family home evening, going to the temple, and attending church every sunday. We need continual enlightenment to make it through the pitfalls of life. Heavenly Father designed life to be a place of learning and growth and if we never test him we can't really get to know him or ourselves. The miracle of this week was finding a vietnamese family of 5 tot each through talking to a girl on her way home from school. She was walking with one of our ward mission leaders daughters and said we could stop by. I don't have time to write much more but we'll teach them this week and I'll send more updates next week! Never lose hope, keep seeking truth, and you will be blessed with peace and happiness in this life and the next:)
A little birthday celebration with Rhyan, a girl we teach who has autism. She is HILARIOUS. More stories to come.
I think our spiritual levels in life can be compared to water in a bucket. When we do things that take away from our spirit, it's like we get a hole. The bigger the hole, the more water we lose. It doesn't matter how much water is put in to the bucket because as long as it has a hole it will keep losing water. As soon as we fix the hole (or choose to live God's way and keep the commandments), we can add to the water in the bucket and become full. But then there are times like this past weekend when my spiritual bucket just wasn't big enough to receive all God was trying to give me. Every october and april our church broadcasts a worldwide conference where the prophet, his counselors, the 12 apostles and other church leaders address us ti give us spiritual guidance. It was an incredible weekend and I heard so many needed things that will direct me for my whole life. Saturday afternoon session I hit my peak and it was like walking on air. By the time Sunday afternoon rolled around, I think my bucket was spilling over and I couldn't take in any more. The good things is, I won't be thirsty for a really long time because I have plenty to ponder, pray about and then put into action! It is such a blessing to have a sure knowledge that there is still a prophet on the Earth today that receives direction from Jesus Christ on how to direct Christ's church. I know he receives revelation and I know that through him we can receive revelation for our lives. Since I just happen to be serving 15 minutes from the conference center in Salt Lake, Sister Johnson and I were blessed to be able to take the african family we're teaching to their first conference ever. They are so amazing and I love their innate sense of right and wrong. God is just so real to them, they would never doubt his existence like so many do. I think the biggest thing that stuck out to me from conference was the theme of knowing light from darkness and seeking more light. God's ways are not our ways and he's provided us a way to know more about him if we just simply ask. Darkness is all around us, we have to push through that until we find the light shining through. And that comes from those "simple" things that somehow slip our minds or don't seem as important as other priorities such as daily scripture study, prayer, family home evening, going to the temple, and attending church every sunday. We need continual enlightenment to make it through the pitfalls of life. Heavenly Father designed life to be a place of learning and growth and if we never test him we can't really get to know him or ourselves. The miracle of this week was finding a vietnamese family of 5 tot each through talking to a girl on her way home from school. She was walking with one of our ward mission leaders daughters and said we could stop by. I don't have time to write much more but we'll teach them this week and I'll send more updates next week! Never lose hope, keep seeking truth, and you will be blessed with peace and happiness in this life and the next:)
Love,
Sister Pearson
A little birthday celebration with Rhyan, a girl we teach who has autism. She is HILARIOUS. More stories to come.
Week of African miracles - (and a white boy too!)
September 29, 2014
So it's day one for Sister Johnson and me in our new area, Rosepark Northpoint stake. We ask the bishop who we should go see and immediately he directs us to a catholic family from the congo who he and one of his counselors stumbled upon while looking for someone else. Not knowing many members in the area, we take Ines Bugingo a member from the Rosepark YSA that lives in my new area whose family is in one of my new wards and came from Ethiopia 3 months ago. When we knocked on Godelive's (the mom) door, she let us in immediately. We quickly figured out she spoke little english but Ines, whose mom goes to English classes with Godelive, jsut so happened to speak the same obscure language as the family. We taught the restoration and after reading Joseph Smith's account of the first vision, Ines asked if she should translate that part. I told her just to ask Godelive how she felt. She said "When someone ushers the word of God, you just get that feeling". A couple of nights later we went back and taught her 5 children who speak enlish better. Now they are praying about baptism for this month!
So it's day one for Sister Johnson and me in our new area, Rosepark Northpoint stake. We ask the bishop who we should go see and immediately he directs us to a catholic family from the congo who he and one of his counselors stumbled upon while looking for someone else. Not knowing many members in the area, we take Ines Bugingo a member from the Rosepark YSA that lives in my new area whose family is in one of my new wards and came from Ethiopia 3 months ago. When we knocked on Godelive's (the mom) door, she let us in immediately. We quickly figured out she spoke little english but Ines, whose mom goes to English classes with Godelive, jsut so happened to speak the same obscure language as the family. We taught the restoration and after reading Joseph Smith's account of the first vision, Ines asked if she should translate that part. I told her just to ask Godelive how she felt. She said "When someone ushers the word of God, you just get that feeling". A couple of nights later we went back and taught her 5 children who speak enlish better. Now they are praying about baptism for this month!
The next miracle was wednesday night when we went to the young men's activity and did a Q and A about missions. Many of the boys who had doubts brought up their concerns and we did our best to answer them. On sunday, one boy got up and said "before this week I had never thought of going on a mission, I would even discourage those who talked about serving. I also was questioning whether or not I wanted to be a part of this church. Afer the activity and feeling the spirit that the sister missionaries brought, I know that I need to be a member of this church and serve a mission". The spirit was so powerful as he shared that. It was one of those miracles that had nothing to do with us, and we had no idea this boy's situation. But God did, and we were blessed to be the instruments through which he gave a struggling young man a much needed answer. I know that as we go about being the best we can be and sharing what we know, God will use us to perform these little miracles that in the long run will be big. I love serving around youth and can't wait to get more involved with them!
Last miracle really wuick: we taught a muslim family of 11 last night! They let us in immediately; we had met the girls on the street a couple of days before when they were on their way home from school. They don't speak english but the daughter translated and they said though they are striong in their beliefs, they liked our message and want to try coming to church. It will be hard because they're so strong in their religion, but I know that God sent us to them for a reason!
Keep looking for the little miracles this week:)
Love,
Sister Pearson
Eating fruit and horse- and crying A LOT!
September 22, 2014
Malolele! This week has been full of miracles and learning experiences and now a little sadness as I just found out I'm getting transferred from the YSA stake to RosePark North Stake. The funny thing is, I don't even have to change apartments, just rooms and companions, and I'll be covering the same area just with the family wards instead of young peoples (as Sister Tranchina calls them). I have been so so so blessed to stay in this area for almost 6 months. The relationships I've developed and experiences I've had will shape my life forever. I think overall I've really learned my purpose as a missionary, which is to literally represent the Lord Jesus Christ in every situation. Working in salt lake there have been a lot of occasions where my companion and I have just stopped on the side of the street to sit down with someone in need, given them comfort and left them with a prayer. It is the best feeling in the world when you talk to someone and feel like you did what Jesus Christ wanted you to. My joy is to be a ministering angel to people here on Earth whenever I get the opportunity (which will be a lot if you keep your eyes open). The less I focus on myself, the more I can see the needs of others around me and try to best take care of them. I have a testimony of the atonement of Jesus Christ, of his ministry here on Earth,, and the fact that we can continue the work he did. And as we struggle through each day with our own personal challenges, he will give us the strength we need to look outside ourselves. Helaman 5:12 I don't have time for much more than that this week but if you are struggling right now, remember that the most important thing we can ever identify ourselves as is one of God's precious children. One of the boys we teach usually answers "i don't know to most of our questions" but yesterday we asked him what he would ask God if her were here and he said he would ask Him why he is special. MY heart nearly broke in half because it was clear that he doesn't see any reason to think he's special, which is a lie because everyone is special. Everyone is loved, and when we reach out to the one who loves us most, He reaches back. Remember that this week!
I love fruit tress! This is a tongan fruit- half apple/half pear.
Tasted just like Black Beauty.
My district. Love these missionaries!
Craig!
Biked to the temple at 5:30 on our last day together!! I LOVE this hermana more than anything. she is the happiest, most loving and sincere person I've ever met. I will be sad not to serve with her anymore!
Malolele! This week has been full of miracles and learning experiences and now a little sadness as I just found out I'm getting transferred from the YSA stake to RosePark North Stake. The funny thing is, I don't even have to change apartments, just rooms and companions, and I'll be covering the same area just with the family wards instead of young peoples (as Sister Tranchina calls them). I have been so so so blessed to stay in this area for almost 6 months. The relationships I've developed and experiences I've had will shape my life forever. I think overall I've really learned my purpose as a missionary, which is to literally represent the Lord Jesus Christ in every situation. Working in salt lake there have been a lot of occasions where my companion and I have just stopped on the side of the street to sit down with someone in need, given them comfort and left them with a prayer. It is the best feeling in the world when you talk to someone and feel like you did what Jesus Christ wanted you to. My joy is to be a ministering angel to people here on Earth whenever I get the opportunity (which will be a lot if you keep your eyes open). The less I focus on myself, the more I can see the needs of others around me and try to best take care of them. I have a testimony of the atonement of Jesus Christ, of his ministry here on Earth,, and the fact that we can continue the work he did. And as we struggle through each day with our own personal challenges, he will give us the strength we need to look outside ourselves. Helaman 5:12 I don't have time for much more than that this week but if you are struggling right now, remember that the most important thing we can ever identify ourselves as is one of God's precious children. One of the boys we teach usually answers "i don't know to most of our questions" but yesterday we asked him what he would ask God if her were here and he said he would ask Him why he is special. MY heart nearly broke in half because it was clear that he doesn't see any reason to think he's special, which is a lie because everyone is special. Everyone is loved, and when we reach out to the one who loves us most, He reaches back. Remember that this week!
Love,
Sister Pearson
P.S. I'm crying a lot because I can't bear to leave these people, but I'm excited for what this new area will bring!!
Tongan exchanges! If I could say one thing to these 3 it would be OFATU!
I love fruit tress! This is a tongan fruit- half apple/half pear.
Tasted just like Black Beauty.
My district. Love these missionaries!
Craig!
Biked to the temple at 5:30 on our last day together!! I LOVE this hermana more than anything. she is the happiest, most loving and sincere person I've ever met. I will be sad not to serve with her anymore!
The miracle of Repentance - The Saviors gift to us
This week I would like to talk about repentance and what a true miracle it is. In 1 Nephi 10:18 it talks about how "the way" has been prepared before the foundation of the world, that way being repentance through Jesus Christ's atonement. It is an honor to be a literal representative of Jesus Christ, to look people in the eye and tell them I KNOW there is a way for them to get back, to be clean, to change. We taught a boy that the Spanish elders found for us last night- he has been very humbled by a recent incident where he made a mistake that he regrets. He doesn't know a lot about God but he knows he wants relief from his sins. Before we even finished inviting him to follow Christ's example by being baptized he was nodding yes. We all feel guilt and shame and we all want to be relieved of it.Too often, people don't know that there is a way out of it so they suppress the guilty feelings or just live with them and accept there is no other way. but there IS another way. Repentance through the Holy one of Israel, the only perfect person to ever walk this Earth- it's always there for us! One member told me of an experience where she read the entire book of Mormon in a week and after had one split second where she felt hope that she could actually escape her sins through repentance, and though it was fleeting, that one split second led her to make good decision for years. It is not a shameful thing, it is a beautiful opportunity to become clean! We all sin everyday, it's inevitable, but as long as we stay close to the only true source of light in this world, Jesus Christ, we can have the hope for a better life now and in the world to come:)
Marty and Darius!!
Did I already send this picture? Oh well, I love My african friends!
I also want to express my immense gratitude for the amazing members I get to serve with and around. Sunday is one of my favorite days because we get to go to 4 different wards and hear the powerful testimonies of people from all walks of life. Yet, despite all of our differences, it feels like home, and these people feel like family. That's the beautiful thing about this church, no matter where you go in the world, you have a home away from home and you have a family. Hermana Tranchina has been sick this week but she never complains. She is such a wonderful example to me of someone who loves deeply and wants to do good 24/7. All of my companions are like sisters to me, but especially Sister Tranchina! Cross your fingers we don't get separated next week. Nevertheless, let the Lord's will be done!
Miracle of this week: we got to attend 2 baptisms: the first one for Marty and Darius, roommates that Sister Taylor and I taught once and passed off to the Elders, and then Jo, a hippie kid from Alaska who we met at a hostel right before we transferred from Riverside! It is such a blessing to see how we all have a hand in this work:)
P.S. We took Chad to the temple this week!!! He's doing amazing.
Have a splendid week, don't forget to smile:)
Love,
Sister Pearson
Love these people!
Meet Jo.
Marty and Darius!!
Did I already send this picture? Oh well, I love My african friends!
Wild Week
September 8, 2014
Wow, this week has just been a whirlwind! It has been wonderful and most definitely full of wonders. Because my thoughts are so scattered and my mind is so full of information (sometimes It's so overloaded that I forget people's names from pre-mission life) I'm going to share as much as I can with a few pictures. They're worth a 1,000 words, aren't they?
Labor day brunch with our new and oh-so-amazing Capitol hill ward! Meet Kasy. She is pretty much part of our companionship at this point. Sometimes you just know immediately when God has placed people in your lives:)
Peaches and apples and grapes are my summer obsession in Utah. Why don't we grow fruit in OHIO?!!! This is at the Wilson's house, they're an amazing senior couple in the area and they live at the base of ensign peak.
Making cookies to deliver to our hardworking bishops!! I am so impressed and inspired by the leadership we get to work with. Every Bishop I've been able to work with has such a heart to serve God and sets the example for their ward of someone who serves because they love Jesus Christ.
To top the week off we were able to take Irvin and Matthew, a new guy we're teaching from California, to the regional Stake conference at the conference center. The whole meeting was focused on families and the spirit was so powerful!
Wow, this week has just been a whirlwind! It has been wonderful and most definitely full of wonders. Because my thoughts are so scattered and my mind is so full of information (sometimes It's so overloaded that I forget people's names from pre-mission life) I'm going to share as much as I can with a few pictures. They're worth a 1,000 words, aren't they?
Labor day brunch with our new and oh-so-amazing Capitol hill ward! Meet Kasy. She is pretty much part of our companionship at this point. Sometimes you just know immediately when God has placed people in your lives:)
Peaches and apples and grapes are my summer obsession in Utah. Why don't we grow fruit in OHIO?!!! This is at the Wilson's house, they're an amazing senior couple in the area and they live at the base of ensign peak.
Making cookies to deliver to our hardworking bishops!! I am so impressed and inspired by the leadership we get to work with. Every Bishop I've been able to work with has such a heart to serve God and sets the example for their ward of someone who serves because they love Jesus Christ.
To top the week off we were able to take Irvin and Matthew, a new guy we're teaching from California, to the regional Stake conference at the conference center. The whole meeting was focused on families and the spirit was so powerful!
I think to sum up this week I just want to bear my testimony on love. It is love that fuels the work of God here on Earth. It's love from our Heavenly Father that put us here in the Earth place. Love from our Savior Jesus Christ makes it so we can overcome ALL things and become true sons and daughters of God. And it is love that wakes me up each and every morning and keeps me from sleeping some nights because I am so overwhelmed by the miracles God has allowed me to take part in. My heart is full and God is so gracious. He knows us inside and out. I am a witness of this!
Love,
Sister Pearson
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Oh how praying rests the weary!
After this week I don't know if sister Tranchina will ever be able to say she's had a companion that likes to pray as much as I do. Let me explain. Yesterday morning, I woke up suddenly, excited to get ready for the conference we had that day with Elder Arnold. I said good morning to sister tranchina and said "we need to pray, but let me go to the bathroom first!" I went to the bathroom, came out still in a sleepy daze, and got on my knees to pray when Sister tranchina looked at her watch and said "sister Pearson, it's 2 in the morning! go to bed!" Oh the life of a missionary. don't worry, we still prayed when we woke up at the usual time.
This week has been busy and wonderful. We taught Spencer again and had the opportunity to take him to a Russian baptism on Saturday morning. I wish Brad and Michelle could have been there because when I say Russian, I mean Russian! We didn't know that the whole thing would be in Russian! Luckily there was a translator who whispered the translation in a lovely british accent and Spencer thought it was nice. He also commented on how convenient it is that we can just fill up a font rather than having to go search for a clearwater pond as he imagined would happen. He's funny. I can already see the change that is starting to happen with him as he reads the book of mormon and gets to know more members of the church.
I don't have much time this week but I just want to share my testimony about our divine destinies. I've been thinking a lot about the Plan of Salvation and what my role is in that. Ijust know that God really does have a plan for us, that we knew about it before this life when we lived with him, and that we can know it in this life in order to get back to him. It wouldn't make sense to return to a Father in Heaven we never knew before, return means to go back implying that we were in heaven before! There are so many wonders of God we don't know, but I'm grateful that we do know this one. God has given us all the tools we need to find purpose in this life and join with him again after this life. And the best part about it all is that we won't go back alone, but with our families!
I really don't know what else to share this week, so let me know what types of things you would like to hear about in these emails! Times up, love you all!
Love,
Sister Pearson
Hermana!
August 18, 2014
Hola mi familia y amigos muchos! I would like to introduce you to someone very special, my new companion, Sister Tranchina! To tell you a little bit about her: She is from Morcia (pronounced Morthia), Spain and is one of the happiest, most loving missionaries I have ever met. We have had an incredibly busy week full of miracles. She has been serving for 9 months in the spanish program so it was a huge shock to get called to YSA (Young Single Adults), english speaking, and now as a sister training leader. She is a natural at all 3, and so humble. She always asks me to correct her english when she makes mistakes and is teaching me some spanish too. This week has been full of lessons and moving sisters from their apartment, bike riding (I GOT A BIKE!), and lots of role plays. We found 3 new people to teach, two of which will go to the Elders when they take over Riverside ward but they will be good for them. All 3 came to church and it was a happy happy day. It feels so good to share the gospel through bringing people to church and we can just let the experience speak for itself that the things we teach are from a true church of God. I would like to take some time to share the miracle of finding spencer, the one person we met that we will continue teaching because he lives in Rose Park. This story is proof that God is looking out for all of us and he leads people to us and us to them.
It was nearing 7 on Saturday, September 9th when we had an appointment fall through that left us with some extra time. We pulled over to the side of the road and prayed about where t go. I was on exchanges with Sister Jamison so I decided to go and stop by German, a mexican guy who has been hard to get ahold of lately but wants to learn about the gospel. On the way there, I saw 3 guys walking and had the thought to stop and talk to them. Since we were in a car I felt a little creepy and Sister Jamison confirmed that it was, but I decided to follow my impression despite the creepiness. We drove to where the boys had just turned and got out of the car. At that point they were so far ahead that we didn't want to run after them so we decided to visit a recent convert on that street. To our surprise, just as we neared they house, the boys walked into it! They happened to be high school friends of Miz, the convert and had never had missionary lessons before. We shared a quick message and none of them were interested. We walked out a little sad because it had seemed so inspired, but went on with our night. The next time we met with Miz, he said that night one of his friends texted him that he was struggling and asked if he could meet with us the following saturday. So 2 days ago we had the blessed opportunity to teach Spencer, who then came to church and is wanting to be baptized. He has had many trials in his life completely out of his control, and is very humble. Though he considered himself atheist, it is easy to see he believed in God all along, or at least wanted to. He said his favorite part about church was the hymns (no one EVER says that their first time) and he looked so happy by the end. And that's what this is all about, right? We find people who either have no happiness, some happiness, or a lot of happiness, and then we share the message that can make them happier than anything in the world, simply because it's true! When we told spencer that we had kind of followed him last week, he was touched that God had been looking out for him. Moral of the story, don't be afraid of being creeping when you know that you have a life-saving message to share. The more we invite God into our lives, the more he is able to lead us.
There is so much more I want to share but my time is up. It was hard to say goodbye to Anthony last night and I didn't get to see chad and Daniel, but I am putting them in the trusted hands of the ward and the elders and most of all, God. He will do so much more to look out for these 3 wonderful men I was blessed to work with than I ever could. I am filled with gratitude and love for the blessings this gospel has brought to my life and the lives of everyone I've been able to share it with! Mosiah 2:41
Love,
Sister Pearson
African Dinner night take 2!
And... yes I put a chicken foot in my mouth. This is James our Ugandan friend!
Letting Go and moving forward
August 11, 2014
Well, my heart has officially split in two. The Assistants to the mission president finally rearranged the boundaries of our stake and it resulted in us losing the Riverside ward. That means no more lessons with Anthony, Chad, or Daniel! I cried when I found out but I didn't complain because I know it is for the good of the work and I will leave eventually anyway. But first they are taking my companion, Sister Taylor up to Layton, which made everyone in our wards sad, and then we found out about losing Riverside right after church! I have been on the verge of tears for a good 18 hours every time I think about it. Starting next monday, the elders will take over the Riverside ward and we will take Capitol hill. It is a needed change but it hurts to say goodbye. People always told me before my mission how hard it is to say goodbye to people, but I didn't anticipate it feeling like this. As I've been reflecting on the situation and my strong emotional reaction, I remembered that yesterday's sunday school lesson was all about sacrifice, and I specifically made a comment about how God doesn't just require to sacrifice some of who we are, but ALL of it. for Abraham, that meant he had to sacrifice his identity as a father and be willing to give God his son. For me, on a much smaller scale, it means giving up my identity as a missionary in the Riverside ward to further the Lord's work in the way he wants it performed.God definitely has a sense of humor. He knew that lesson would help me keep an eternal perspective throughout this change. As sad as I am, I have felt a great sense of peace and comfort that all of the people we loved and worked with in the Riverside ward are in the Lord's hands now.
President and Sister Bennet, Anthony's parents and us!
Meet Jeremy and Jeff. Every time we teach them we end up talking about heaven because they want to see their mom and grandparents again and I just want to cry! They were wearing matching shirts that day:)
Our tongan sisters... We love them!!
pre-transfers breakfast on the floor!
Well, my heart has officially split in two. The Assistants to the mission president finally rearranged the boundaries of our stake and it resulted in us losing the Riverside ward. That means no more lessons with Anthony, Chad, or Daniel! I cried when I found out but I didn't complain because I know it is for the good of the work and I will leave eventually anyway. But first they are taking my companion, Sister Taylor up to Layton, which made everyone in our wards sad, and then we found out about losing Riverside right after church! I have been on the verge of tears for a good 18 hours every time I think about it. Starting next monday, the elders will take over the Riverside ward and we will take Capitol hill. It is a needed change but it hurts to say goodbye. People always told me before my mission how hard it is to say goodbye to people, but I didn't anticipate it feeling like this. As I've been reflecting on the situation and my strong emotional reaction, I remembered that yesterday's sunday school lesson was all about sacrifice, and I specifically made a comment about how God doesn't just require to sacrifice some of who we are, but ALL of it. for Abraham, that meant he had to sacrifice his identity as a father and be willing to give God his son. For me, on a much smaller scale, it means giving up my identity as a missionary in the Riverside ward to further the Lord's work in the way he wants it performed.God definitely has a sense of humor. He knew that lesson would help me keep an eternal perspective throughout this change. As sad as I am, I have felt a great sense of peace and comfort that all of the people we loved and worked with in the Riverside ward are in the Lord's hands now.
On a more positive note, I am getting an amazing new companion- sister Tranchina from Spain! She is going to be a Sister Training Leader with me and is moving from the spanish program to English and YSA. She is a little nervous about the adjustment, but she was already serving in Rosepark so we know each other well. She is an amazing missionary and is one of those people that you just know is good through and through when you meet them. We found out our relief society president Shannon has a bike I can use and Sister Tranchina already has a bike so that we don't have to use our car all the time! I am super excited. I've been dying to get on a bike since I got to the mission. It is a great blessing to have a car, but it makes me feel really lazy and being on a bike will be a good challenge (though we will still have a car when we need it.) Also, Anthony got baptized on wednesday! His parents flew in from North Carolina and everyone who came could feel the strong spirit there. Anthony already has an amazing testimony of the Book of Mormon and he is going to be such a strong member. We shared a message in the middle about the Plan of Salvation and I got emotional as I bore my testimony about eternal families and how God knows us individually. Something I had everyone do in the audience was to ask themselves this question: "Am I a child of God?" The amazing thing about the holy spirit is that it can't lie. So if you're reading this I want you to ask yourself that question as well. I promise that God will answer you in your mind and your heart. He is listening, he knows all things, and he is ever aware of us as his beloved children, no matter what mistakes we've made or how little we believe in him. Truth is truth, and it can't be denied.I know God has a plan for us, an eternal plan, and if you don't know about this plan yet, ask the missionaries, they can help you! :)
Love,
Sister Pearson
Romans 8:16-17
Funny moment of the week: Daniel was asking us what it was like meeting and teaching Anthony.I told him "well he was a lot like you in some ways!" Daniel said "Sister Pearson, I'm from China." I'm going to miss that guy and his unexpected sense of humor! Good thing we'll be friend forever!
I expect mom is itching to see some pictures right about now so here you go....
Finding by accident!
August 4, 2014
This week has really been a week of miracles. It was monday night around 5:50 and pouring rain while we were traveling to our 6 o clock appointment when out of nowhere this car hit us. It attempted to merge and failed to look to see if there were two innocent missionaries already occupying that exact space of the road. Little did he know what he was in for. Both in shock, Sister Taylor and I made sure we were both okay and pulled over. Neither of us really knew what to do and so we got out of the car and introduced ourself to the 24 year old chinese asian man that had just hit us. His name was Sandor and as Sister Taylor called the person in charge of car stuff I found out that Sandor had been on his way to sell his car in order to go back to China next week after a 3 year study abroad in America. I explained a little bit about who we were but since his english isn't great, he read my tag and realized we are christians. He said he wants to be Christian but his parents wouldn't approve. We got his information and headed on our way in time to teach our lesson before our Family Home Evening Activity that night with the ward. The next day, we met with Sandor and were able to teach him how to pray. Though he has no christian background, as he prayed he was able to feel the spirit of God. He described it as feeling emotions that made him keep talking to God. We haven't been able to get ahold of him since that lesson, but perhaps we have accomplished our purpose in finding him and letting him feel God's spirit. He is in God's hands now. I know without a doubt that everything happens for a reason- even car accidents. Yes sometimes the reason is that someone made a bad decision, but sometimes it is just God guiding us to find those searching for truth. Don't worry Dad, I wasn't even sore the next day- I'm convinced angels protected us:) And that, my friends, is how we literally found someone by an accident this week!
This week has really been a week of miracles. It was monday night around 5:50 and pouring rain while we were traveling to our 6 o clock appointment when out of nowhere this car hit us. It attempted to merge and failed to look to see if there were two innocent missionaries already occupying that exact space of the road. Little did he know what he was in for. Both in shock, Sister Taylor and I made sure we were both okay and pulled over. Neither of us really knew what to do and so we got out of the car and introduced ourself to the 24 year old chinese asian man that had just hit us. His name was Sandor and as Sister Taylor called the person in charge of car stuff I found out that Sandor had been on his way to sell his car in order to go back to China next week after a 3 year study abroad in America. I explained a little bit about who we were but since his english isn't great, he read my tag and realized we are christians. He said he wants to be Christian but his parents wouldn't approve. We got his information and headed on our way in time to teach our lesson before our Family Home Evening Activity that night with the ward. The next day, we met with Sandor and were able to teach him how to pray. Though he has no christian background, as he prayed he was able to feel the spirit of God. He described it as feeling emotions that made him keep talking to God. We haven't been able to get ahold of him since that lesson, but perhaps we have accomplished our purpose in finding him and letting him feel God's spirit. He is in God's hands now. I know without a doubt that everything happens for a reason- even car accidents. Yes sometimes the reason is that someone made a bad decision, but sometimes it is just God guiding us to find those searching for truth. Don't worry Dad, I wasn't even sore the next day- I'm convinced angels protected us:) And that, my friends, is how we literally found someone by an accident this week!
Sometimes missionaries do crazy things to try to teach people. Albert, the guy we met in april who went to jail and recently got released, works from 6 to 9 at night, leaving us no time to teach him. We got special permission to have a lesson with him and some members from our ward at 5:20 in the morning- to which Albert didn't show up. I'm sure God laughed at us that morning, and now we know to only set up lessons like that with extremely dependable people. Luckily the people with us both served missions and thought it was a good little adventure:)
Seeing Anthony continue to change in preparation for his baptism wednesday has been the biggest miracle of all. He told us last night that if we had talked to him 2 or 3 years ago, he would not believe that he would be making this decision right now. God truly does know us and reaches out to us throughout our lives. But, we must choose to accept his hand of help and that is what Anthony has decided to do. None of the commandments have been a question in his mind, he takes everything as it comes and trusts in God to help him keep all of these committments. He has great desires to serve those around him and sees this as an opportunity to do that even more. Sometimes I take for granted the spirit that I am able to feel throughout each day as a member of Christ's church, and so it was a sweet experience to hear anthony describe how new it was for him to feel yesterday. The holy spirit is a real force in the world today and I am a witness of that. It is the greatest teacher of truth because it bears witness to our souls rather than just to our physical senses as signs and vision do. I invite you all to think back througyh the times in your life when you have felt for the power of the holy ghost in your life, and if you have not yet had such an experience, pray to God and ask him if he knows you. Ask him if you are really His child. I promise you he will answer! This is the greatest decision I ever could have made in my life and I am so blessed to be here.
Love,
Sister Pearson
Oy!
July 28, 2014
I don't have much time this week but I just want to say thanks for all of the emails from my family- they always uplift and inspire me for the rest of the week!
this week I have been grateful for the community of believers the church provides. I'm really starting to see how God wants us to be his hands rather than expecting him to directly answer all of our prayers or take care of our needs. Anthony, the new guy we've been working with, is scheduled to be baptized August 5th and though he is really excited, he has experienced a lot of opposition this week. He knows that the Book of Mormon is true but apart from that the biggest evidence to him of the truthfulness of the church has been the people. He just barely met all of these new wonderful friends in this ward and already seems to have a crowd of people around him at church and activities at all times. God looks out for us through each other though I'm sure he longs to be the one to wrap his arms around us. One day that will be the case but until then I'm grateful for the support we can all lend to one another:) It makes me think of Mosiah 18:8-10 where alma talks about the promises we make when we are baptized. As we seek to mourn with those that mourn and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, I know that our hearts get bigger and our capacity to love grows. That's the amazing paradox about love; the more we give, the more we have to give. There are so many in this world that don't know that they are loved or feel that they should be loved. Once we understand our identity as God's children, it makes sense that we can love and be loved! This gospel has the eternal truths that can make us happy for eternity.
As you go about your days this week, I challenge you to ponder on what you know as true, the things you want to know more about, and the way you can obtain more truth. It is always available and God is so willing to give it to us if we take the time to get it:)
Love,
Sister Pearson
Say hello to my wonderful roommates, Sister Pilling and Sister Bischoff. I was so grateful to have them when I got sick this past saturday! It is incredible that you can just go out on a mission not knowing anyone and be completely taken care of by other servants of the Lord.
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