Secrets are FUN!

April 27, 2015

Just because I like to be the first one to tell people things, I'm going to send you a picture hint at the end of this email of something that happened last week... only because the news leaks fast from utah, or so I've heard:) Now that you're in suspense, I'll write about my week and you'll have to wait til the end to see what I'm talking about!

 

Transfers happened last tuesday and I felt like I was losing a part of me when I said goodbye to Sister West! She became one of my best friends but I'm excited to hear about the new people she'll be serving in Tooele:) It's kind of out in the country compared to every other place in the mission so she'll love that. 2 big things I've learned from Sister West:

1. Don't be afraid to ask for things that you need (people are often more willing to serve us than to be served and it helps build relationships)

2. RUN to serve! She is so quick to observe a need and fill it and she's very selfless. We shared just about everything.

  Sister Schafer, my new companion, is from Victoria B.C. Canada, close to the Island Sister Johnson is from. She loves the outdoors, is the first companion I've had that's smaller than me (but not so small that we can't share clothes:) and lived on a sailboat in the south pacific for a year before her mission with her family of 9. She is the oldest of the 7 kids and has a fire for the work! I'm already learning so much from her. I've been so incredibly blessed with mission companions who are diligent and fun to work with. We did a training this week about consecration and referencing Alma 23:7-8 cut out little swords for all of the ,missionaries so they could write down what things they need to further consecrate to the Lord and "bury their weapons of rebellion". I enjoy giving trainings to the missionaries and it has taught me a lot.

We are going to see miracles together and I'm convinced of that because this first week I've really felt the power of the adversary. He always works hardest to prevent good things from coming or to weaken our faith! We now cover both the liberty zone and bountiful zone as sister training leaders (sadly not the cutler's stake because they have elders) but it's fun getting to go out to bountiful for meetings and visiting sisters and what not. I've been in such a Rose park bubble my whole mission:) I'm basically a hoodrat by now.

The biggest miracle of this week was Liz, the vietnamese girl sister Tranchina and I started teaching before I got transferred from YSA the first time got baptized! She moved into the zone leaders area of the stake shortly after I got transferred so I've heard updates hear and there since september but she finally made the decision and you can tell she is never looking back! She gave a 15-minute testimony/talk at the end of her baptism and her confidence has grown sooo much. She said the reason she asked us to come teach lessons in the first place is because she was afraid she was going to fail her Book of Mormon Class. On the first day of class they asked 3 questions: 1. Where did you come from? 2. What is your mission in life? 3. Where are you going after this life? For Liz who grew up in a non-religious home (although her older sister is a convert of 5 years) she had never thought about those things and didn't know any of the answers. She recounted a time back when she was younger and struggling with something where she kneeled down and cried out to the creator of the world, but said she now knows who that creator is and is grateful for the knowledge of Heavenly Father and his true nature as well as his son Jesus Christ. I was blown away by her testimony. She said something that attracted her to church members was just how happy everyone she met was and the spirit she felt at the business college simply because it was a church school. I am soe xcited to see Liz grow because she is going to be an incredible church member. On sunday when we ran into her she excitedly exclaimed "I'm a mormon now!" Sooo cute! 

  This week has been full of RAIN! rain rain rain. It's finally getting sunny again and I hope it will warm up. On tuesday we got to pull weeds at the wilsons and I tried rhubarb for the first time- delicious! I can't wait to have a big garden of my own someday, but for now I enjoy helping others in theirs:)

   We found a new man to teach this week- his name is Steve (pronounced Stave) and he's from the Congo. He is interested to learn but very adamant that he sees the fruits of the church and the people before he can really believe anything we teach. Understandable and the rosepark ward will be a good one to show him the true fruits of those who live the gospel of jesus christ. We also started teaching a new girl this morning named Jovana, ( I never get to teach girls in ysa-tender mercy!) and she is 19, catholic, and has lots of friends on missions. She says she already knows the church is true, it's jsut a matter of fearing her family's reaction. She should be at church with us on sunday so I'm super excited for that! Something I love about ysa is how all the people we teach are at such big turning points in their life. Change, and change for the better, is a natural thing for them, and now that they're out of high school they are seeking for answers. I know that as we seek for answers the Lord will bless us with them. So keep moving forward in faith and looking for truth, I can PROMISE that you will find it:)

Love, 

Sister Pearson

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