I would love to learn more.....right after I put some pants on!

I love how much of a melting pot Salt Lake is. Have I mentioned that before? I think you all should really know how much I love the vast amount of cultures that make this city so diverse and wonderful! On tuesday James from Uganda made us a traditional Ugandan meal before we watched Joseph Smith the Prophet of the Restoration. He had a question about how God would appear if he really did appear to someone in the modern days so we gave him a scripture study to do about visions that prophets in times of old had and how he appeared to Joseph Smith. He doesn't have a baptismal date yet, but the next time we taught him he pretty much taught himself based on the questions we asked him about the scripture study. he concluded that the way god has appeared and will appear is determined by the importance of the message. So in order for Joseph Smith to really have a witness that he was to restore Christ's true Church, God definitely would have had to make it very clear. I know that prophets are not only messengers from God but special witnesses of Jesus Christ so that even though we may never see him in this life, we can trust that they have.

    Since transfers were this week, we have a new District leader and one new Zone leader and they're both awesome. today I get to tie dye for my birthday thanks to our awesome district! the new district leader really cares about all of us and tries to help us succeed in any way he can. It amazes me how 18-21 year old boys take on such great responsibilities and work so hard. Missions truly are training for life, and only God would have the wisdom to know that he could trust such young inexperienced men and women to be his ambassadors and ministers. I love wearing my nametag everyday because it reminds me that I am not here as Becca Pearson, but as Sister Pearson, a representative of Jesus Christ!

  So many little and big miracles happened this week. Sister Taylor was getting over being sick so we weren't able to do as much during the beginning of the week, but somehow God helped us to accomplish our weekly goals by the end of the week. One experience we had taught me that sometimes things go "wrong" for a reason. We were getting gas in Rosepark, one of our areas, when the gas pump station wouldn't give us a receipt, so we had to go inside. we were in a hurry so Sister taylor grabbed it quickly and started to walk out the door. I was about to follow her but i reminded myself that everything happens for a reason and awkwardly blurted to the cashier "Have you ever been to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints before?" He ended up giving us his information- he is 21 and single (so we can teach him!) and moved here recently. He is really open to all religions and said he would learn more! It was funny because he didn't know his schedule but his trainer must have been mormon because he overheard and handed him his schedule right away and said "now you do!"  

  Next miracle: Monday while we were trying to do some visits from a list one of the wards gave us, we contacted Yihao, a chinese student at the University of Utah.  He was walking home from the grocery store and had grocery bags in each hand. We set up a lesson with him on Saturday because he has a very busy schedule and he said he would feed us lunch. When we got there he must have forgotten about the lunch part so we just taught him a short lesson and left. Lo and behold we walked out the door and there comes another chinese boy walking towards us with a grocery bag in each hand. We stopped him and he let us come in because he didn't know when else he would have time. The apartment was dark and there was nowhere to sit, so we taught him standing. By the end we demonstrated how to pray and invited him to do so. He said he kind of believed in God, but obviously had major humility because he then went on to offer a very simple, very sweet prayer. The chinese people are so willing to learn. He already had his own chinese book of mormon and said he will start reading it! It was a miracle find.

  Last miracle of the week: we were doing some more  visits in a different area and knocked on another chinese student's door. He looked embarrassed and after we told him what we were there for, he said "uh sorry I'm in my shorts" We realized he was in boxer shorts and asked if he would want to learn more about our message soon. He said "Uh sure but let me put some pants on first" I love asians. their culture sadly teaches them to work hard and question nothing. I am so excited to start teaching them all about the true and living God!

Love,

Sister Pearson

There can be miracles when you believe!

May 19, 2014

Update on this week- I just found out that I am staying in the area with Sister Taylor for this transfer which I'm SUPER happy about. I was convinced I might be leaving and cried as I was going to sleep, not because I don't trust the Lord to put me where is best, but I've just gotten to love this area so much so quickly. Being in YSA (Young Single Adult)  makes it easy to get close to the people, and we have so many solid members helping us. We had a baptism (after many miracles which I will go into in a minute)  Saturday night and are down to 3 investigators. We are doing everything we can to find new people but for some reason, the work is slow right now.

Oh boy oh boy have I gained a new appreciation for that beloved song from Prince of Egypt this week! Explanation: It was about 5 o clock Saturday evening, two hours before the baptism of Chad, the 21 year old we are teaching. Not only has Chad tried to join the church 2 times before now, but his baptism was supposed to be last week and got pushed back. I've never felt more joy than after his interview when he started crying, finally feeling that he was worthy to become part of the Lord's kingdom here on Earth. Back to 5 o clock- we got a text from our ward mission leader that he was at the building to fill the font but it was locked. Not only was the font supposed to begin filling at four since it takes at least 2.5 hours to fill, but we didn't have keys to open the building. After a lot of craziness we finally got the assistants to the mission president to come unlock the font and get it going. That was at about 6:20. The baptism was supposed to be at 7. Luckily, we as the missionaries were the only ones that really know how long it took to fill the font, so we found a place to kneel down and say a prayer. We asked Heavenly Father to please fill the font in the time that was left even though we knew it should take longer. The spirit was so strong as we prayed, and neither Sister Taylor or I felt any fear. When it came time for the actual baptism part, it had only been an hour since the font started to fill. But when we opened the doors, not only was there enough water for Chad to be baptized, but it was just as full as it ever has been. I know that God won't let anything get in the way of his work and that when we exercise our faith in righteous causes, we can call down the powers of heaven!

Pray for miracles this week,

sister Pearson

The love of a family is life's greatest blessing!

May 12, 2014

I am a firm believer in the title of this blog post. I was able to talk to my family via skype for mother's day yesterday, and the entire time I just felt enveloped in warmth and love. I forgot how truly incredible my family members are. Though I would have loved to be home celebrating with my infinitely charitable mother who brought me into this world, being away from her made me appreciate everything she has done and still does for me even more. Thinking back over my entire life thus far, my mother has been a constant spiritual support for me. When I think of someone who is "christlike" I think of mom. What does it really mean to be Christlike? I've come to figure out that by looking to the example of my mother, I can figure that out. Seeing her serve every day of her life makes me want to love others more. Even though I'm out here by myself on a mission, I try to draw closer to God through being like her every day. Every stranger I smile at or talk to makes me think of mom, because I know she would do the same thing. She is the best friend anyone could ever have because she really wants to uplift others rather than herself. I hope to oneday be as great of a mother as she is to me. There is no greater role than motherhood.

This week has been all over the place and we have stayed very busy. We are looking for more people to teach and we do this a lot by visiting members in the area. One day, Sister Taylor had to sit in the hospital with another sister who was having surgery, and so I got to take a member out with me all day. She has only been a memebr for 14 months, but knows probably as much as anyone who has grown up in the gospel their whole life. She has a fire for learning and knowing truth, and coming from a strong christian background, she has read the bible through and through and has already been through the Book of Mormon several times. She has though about serving a mission, but by then end of our day, she reallly wanted to serve! I really feel like my purpose that day was to get her excited about missionary work and show her how it is the most joyful thing to be a part of on the planet!

On Monday we had a cinco de Mayo activity where we set up a missionary booth complete with a sombrero toss. It was really fun and there were a bazillion people there. To be honest the best part was that sister Taylor and I got to wear fake mustaches the whole time:) 

Saturday night was one of miracles- when one of our appointments was cancelled we took a super awesome returned missionary girl out with us and ended up finding a new person to teach and a less active boy who seems to have some mental problems but really needs friends and support to get back to church. His name is Jeremy and he came to dinner with us last night. I'm thankful for members who pray eveyr morning to find people that need the gospel! When we make that simple request to God, he does hear and answer it. I love trying to find people every day!

Happy Mothers day to all the wonderful women who have helped me in my life!

Love,

Sister Pearson

That the World may know!

May 5, 2014

This week, my eyes have been opened to the fact that scriptural prophecies are coming forth in this very day. 

     "And now I say unto you that the time shall come that the salvation of the Lord shall be declared to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people." Mosiah 15:28

Evidence of that this week: 

Lorin, a nice woman from northern Ireland on business here for a few days. She walked with us down North temple so we could point her towards the gateway movie theater and said she had talked to missionaries in the UK but doesn't believe in God; she is more science minded. I told her about the 12 apostles and how prestigous many of them are in the science world, but how they are some of the most faithful followers of God. She was intrigued by this so we gave her a Book of Mormon and asked her to read it. She said she would!

Grace (Pronounce Guh-haus) From the congo. We had to grab a quick dinner at Wendy's and as we turned to leave I made eye contact with him and could tell he wanted to talk. After Sister Taylor successfully pointed out the Congo on his hand-drawn map he made to test our knowledge, he asked if we had a few minutes because he had a lot of questions. Of course we had all the time in the world for him! It's kind of our job to talk about religion:) He grew up with a strong belief in God but is now studying at the U and is confused about why there are so many churches when we all claim to know the same God. We taught him the Restoration right then and there and then got his information. I felt the spirit so strongly while we were talking to him and I know it wasn't a coincidence. He is in the other Elder's area, but still in our stake so we were excited to pass him on to them!

James: the Ugandan we teach who is basically mormon, just hasn't been baptized. He even pays tithing! He was in california for a while but finally came back and last night we committed him to be baptized this Saturday! He has had baptismal dates before, but we have faith that this is his time. He is such a good person and is going to do wonders in this life. I love when I can see the potential in people by trying to look at them through Heavenly Father's eyes. The possibilities are endless!

In Fast and Testimony meeting on Sunday (this occurs one sunday each month in our church and gives members of the congregation an opportunity to share their faith and the things they know are true at the the pulpit) so many people from different countries got up and spoke and the spirit was very strong. I am so tahnkful for a church that emphasizes individuals acting on their faith and asking God questions so they can receive answers. If you haven't tried this, I invite you to do so! God is just and he says that we must ask and then we will receive.

Lastly, Clayton Christensen came and spoke at a fireside on thursday. He is such a humble man and has changed so many people's lives. The power that one person can have in the world is truly incredible! I lvoe my mission more and more everyday, and I am so grateful for my wonderful parents who have raised me and gotten me to this point in my life by introducing me to the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Love,

Sister Pearson

Would you believe me if I told you I was a bull rider?

April 28, 2014

Favorite one liner from this week: see above title. Source? Arthur is in a ward that we don't cover but now wish we did because he would keep me laughing all day long. He came up to Sister Taylor and me and before he could delve into the story he wanted to tell us about the girl he wants to get serious with mostly because she is a bull rider, he obviously had to give us the back story on why he would be so attracted to someone who rides bulls. He said when he was 15 he was in a bull riding competition and since the rider gets to pick their bull, he requested "Scareye" Where did this bull get such an endearing name, you might ask? Most likely from the previous rider 27 years earlier who, as he was falling to his death, stuck a knife into the bulls eye as a last attempt at victory and gouged the eye out. Hence: Scareye. Naturally, this is the exact bull Arthur would ask to ride despite the objections of the trainers who told him he was sick and psychotic for even asking to ride scareye. Yet, he persisted and not only is he still alive today, but he rode Scareye for more than 3 minutes rather than the usual 8 seconds. All this at the age of 15. These are the things that make me ask, "What have I done that's worthy of any merit in my life?" 

This Week: Well this has just been a rollercoaster! I think the sporadic weather changes aligned exactly with my mission over these past 7 days. From warm bright sun every day to chilly rainy days... but the sun is out again today and the future is bright! On Monday we had a miracle- on our way to visit a less active member who needs help reading her scriptures, we met a 24 year old guy in her driveway who was shocked when we walked up and weren't intending to come "save him". It turns out that that really was the purpose behind our being there at that time, because he (Albert) had been taught a few months ago by missionaries in bountiful and chickened out right before baptism. He felt the spirit strongly as we talked to him and challenged him to be baptized again. There are moments, and they are rare but do happen, when you just know the Lord is using you as his instrument, and I felt that after we met Albert. The Lord truly is directing this work sow e can find his lost sheep. We met with Albert every single night from then on and he started to stop smoking and prayed everyday and said multiple times that he felt better than he ever has every time he met with us. But then Friday we came by and he wasn't at his grandma's house where we always teach him. We knocked and no one answered, visited the next day and called and texted but to no avail. finally, yesterday we went by and his aunt who is a member was outside and said that Albert always disappears on weekends... so hopefully he will show up again tonight. Please pray for him, he needs it. He knows that he needs to get baptized and that is why missionaries keep finding him, but he has a really rough background and is tempted to stay in darkness. He even mentioned once that maybe he could be the light to the people like him who haven't changed yet! I know that eh can be this light and that he can change, but as for now all we can do is pray and try to find him. It is so sad when people get afraid of what they know is right.

This week we talked to 42 people about our message as we walked to and from appointments and around down town salt lake. Though I'm sure some people think we're crazy, it is a sweet experience to spread such a hopeful message of peace; we have a loving Heavenly Father who has restored Jesus Christ's church back to the Earth, and through Christ's teachings we can experience true redemption and infinite change. I love the scripture in John that says blessed are they that have not seen yet have believed. belief is so vital for change. If we don't believe in anything or anyone, especially ourselves, this life is kind of pointless. When we believe we can change, we can see the potential that others have and help them to reach this. I love being a missionary and I love my father in Heaven. He has blessed us with so very much and there is ALWAYS something to be happy about because of his never ending love!

Love,

Sister Pearson

Mosiah 7:33 We must be diligent and push through every trial of this life. This scripture took on new meaning for me this week.

An authentic Guatemalan dinner prepared for us by Luis who is originally from Guatemala!  This is in honor of my brother Ben who served his mission in Guatemala!