Hola!
I have to give a shout out to Brooke! Happy 14th Birthday! :)
This week was awesome. My time on my knees praying has become the most important time I have. I have felt so much gratitude for the gospel and especially for Jesus Christ and His atonement. There are moments that are not easy, and sometimes there are dissapointments but every time I feel down at all I just pray and somehow, I really don't understand how it is even possible, my burden is made light and I am filled with a joy that I can physcially feel. I'm so grateful and know that each of us can feel this joy in our lives!
Tuesday we had our last Zone Conference with the Clements. It was really good. President Clements role played with me. I pretended to be M and He taught me about the Atonement and how baptism is what allows us to acces that and be healed. I don't think I mentioned this, but we found out that M feels guilt and pain because his brother was killed in an accident a long time ago and even though it wasn't his fault, he feels like if they hadn't been doing what they were doing, it wouldn't have happened. The Spirit was so strong when we were role playing and I learned a lot. The Clements are so amazing and I already miss them so much. President and Sister Forbes came on Thursday and we will meet them this Wednesday. We had a call with them last night and they seem great! I'm excited to learn from them.
We had M and A teach us this week about the Restoration and the Book of Mormon. It was so good. A tells everyone she is so so happy and she shares the gospel with everyone too. :) She has become a new person. This is why I am here. :)
M is also doing well. We applied what we learned with President Clements and taught them about the atonement although I am sure not nearly as well, haha. Either way, he expressed a desire to be baptized, but like Dad said, he still needs to repent. It became clear when we were teaching him that the problem really is that he doesn't fully understand what repentance is. We will be teaching them this Thursday so hopefully it will go well!
I believe I told you about the people that we met on a Friday and came to church Sunday, H, S, and A. This week were able to meet with A, who is 12, and she was so excited to read the Book of Mormon. She really wants to be baptized too. They didn't come to church though this past week so we will be trying to find out what happened on Wednesday.
We met some people that I am positive the Lord has prepared this week. I just have to be patient as I work as hard as I can! I want everyone to come to church and get baptized right now! :) It will help when the World Cup is over. I lost count of how many times people said they weren't coming to church because Mexico was playing.
This is going to be a crazy week! We have New Missionary Training on Wednesday and then another P-day on Friday for the 4th. We don't have P-day next Monday but will have a little time to write then so I will talk to you next week! :) Love you and hope you have a happy week and fun 4th of July!
Love,
Hermana Pierce
Monday, June 30, 2014
Monday, June 23, 2014
Dios nos ama!!!
Hi Family!!
Another great week gone by here in the MMM. All of our investigators are doing well and we continue to find more and more each week! I am confident the Lord is preparing His children.
M and Alma came to church with their family. We gave them an assignment this week to teach us about the Restoration and the Book of Mormon next time. They had something come up so we haven't done it yet, but we will on Wednesday. I'm excited because it should give M especially an opportunity to bear his testimony. My testimony has grown so much as I have shared it with others. I know he has one, he just hasn't realized it! It's actually very similar to how Manuel and Diana were. They just kept not feeling like they had gotten an answer. When it did happen though it was the perfect time so I'm sure the Lord knows what M needs.
We tried to visit one of our investigators this week named H. She wasn't home though so we were going to leave. I felt like we needed to go back and knock the door of her neighbor. The apartment that she lives in doesn't have many Spanish speaking people, so we don't usually spend much time there, but we went and knocked on the door. We found a girl named M. She speaks English and her boyfriend speaks English/Spanish. She grew up without religion, but she said she thinks she believes in God. We taught very simply and she actually opened up. There is something missing in her life. That experience caused me to reflect on what it would be like to not know about God. Church and religion aren't just another thing in life like school or work... It is everything. Everything we have is because of Heavenly Father and people need to know! I thought about the specific blessings that I have in my life because I know that I have a loving Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ and because I am a member of His true church. I can't really think of any blessing that I have that isn't because of Them. Everyone needs to know!!
Hermana White is doing great too. She is a very lively, talkative person and we have a lot of fun. It should be a great few months together!
I'm not exactly sure why, but I am more happy than I have ever been on my mission or in my life. :) People always talked about how great missions are and how happy they are but now I now for myself!
The next few weeks will be crazy. President and Sister Forbes come in three days. I am excited for them, but so sad for the Clements. I love them so much!!
Love you tons!!!
♥Hermana Pierce
Another great week gone by here in the MMM. All of our investigators are doing well and we continue to find more and more each week! I am confident the Lord is preparing His children.
M and Alma came to church with their family. We gave them an assignment this week to teach us about the Restoration and the Book of Mormon next time. They had something come up so we haven't done it yet, but we will on Wednesday. I'm excited because it should give M especially an opportunity to bear his testimony. My testimony has grown so much as I have shared it with others. I know he has one, he just hasn't realized it! It's actually very similar to how Manuel and Diana were. They just kept not feeling like they had gotten an answer. When it did happen though it was the perfect time so I'm sure the Lord knows what M needs.
We tried to visit one of our investigators this week named H. She wasn't home though so we were going to leave. I felt like we needed to go back and knock the door of her neighbor. The apartment that she lives in doesn't have many Spanish speaking people, so we don't usually spend much time there, but we went and knocked on the door. We found a girl named M. She speaks English and her boyfriend speaks English/Spanish. She grew up without religion, but she said she thinks she believes in God. We taught very simply and she actually opened up. There is something missing in her life. That experience caused me to reflect on what it would be like to not know about God. Church and religion aren't just another thing in life like school or work... It is everything. Everything we have is because of Heavenly Father and people need to know! I thought about the specific blessings that I have in my life because I know that I have a loving Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ and because I am a member of His true church. I can't really think of any blessing that I have that isn't because of Them. Everyone needs to know!!
Hermana White is doing great too. She is a very lively, talkative person and we have a lot of fun. It should be a great few months together!
I'm not exactly sure why, but I am more happy than I have ever been on my mission or in my life. :) People always talked about how great missions are and how happy they are but now I now for myself!
The next few weeks will be crazy. President and Sister Forbes come in three days. I am excited for them, but so sad for the Clements. I love them so much!!
Love you tons!!!
♥Hermana Pierce
Monday, June 16, 2014
I love being a missionary!! And new pictures!
uenos Dias!
This week has been a crazy one full of so many wonderful things. I realize that sentence applies to all weeks of the mission haha.
It was sad saying goodbye to Hermana Rawlins. I love her a lot and miss her, but she is going to do awesome in her new area with her new companion. She's so great! Wednesday I got my new companion, Hermana White. She is from Colorado and went to BYU-I for a semester. She's great! It's amazing, all of my companions have been so different, but I really love all of them. Hermana White is no exception. She's a great missionary and likes to work hard which works out great because that's what we do!
(Picture is Hermana Crosby, me, Hermana Rawlins (3 generations!), Hermana Pentalute (Hermana Rawlin's new comp), Hermana Jones (came out same time as me and is now with Hna Crosby)
Also Hermana Crosby is on her last transfer!!)
(Picture is Hermana's White and Pierce)
Happy Father's Day, dad! Yesterday all of the missionaries in the branch were asked to speak in Sacrament. (The new elders, hermana white and me) Haha, Hermana White is so brave! She didn't know Spanish before her mission, literally just got here from Mexico, and gave a talk in the branch! I think for the most part people could understand so it was good! It was a good experience. Our topic was Father's day. Shout out to Dad for being so great! I used you as an example :)
We met and taught a ton of new people this week. I'm really confident that some of these people are going to progress towards baptism. The Lord prepares His children. We had one of the coolest miracles this week too! On Friday night our appointments cancelled so we said a prayer deciding if we should go to Burnsville or Farmington to work for the evening. We both strongly felt Farmington. We tried to stop by some potentials, referrals, etc but didn't have much success. We knew God wanted us there for a reason though. At about 9:00 we stopped by a house I have knocked before. I had never found anyone at home though. We met H and her granddaughter A. Normally we just kind of jump right in to teaching people, but this time I felt prompted to invite them to church right at the beginning. We did and they immediately said they would come. We told them they could follow us and we would be there Sunday... And they actually came! As well as H's niece! They told us they really want A, who is 12, to meet good kids and get involved with things because she is home all day every day during the summer. A loved YW and wants to go to Girl's camp! We are so excited to start teaching them!
There were tons of other miracles too, like always. :) Alma is doing great, loving life. She has noticed the Spirit more in her life and is so happy. She just radiates. M is still coming along too. We aren't sure exactly what he needs; he just doesn't feel like he has gotten a witness. In Spanish they say "no me nace" It kind of means that it hasn't been born in him yet. He hasn't felt that conviction. We just keep praying for Him though and know that he will be ready soon!
(Picture is at Alma's baptism with husband and kids.)
I'm really happy about the work that is happening right here in Lakeville. The branch is awesome, the new elders are great and will help a lot, the Spirit is always strong... Then there are just the funny ridiculous moments that top it all off. I can't imagine not being here.
Les quiero mucho! Cuidense!
♥Hermana Pierce
(Picture is with Hermana Rawlins in front of the giraffes, Brittani's favorites!)
(Picture is with Sis. Hyland... We have the authority :) ... Sister Hyland and I are super great friends. We have both been in Lakeville the same amount of time)
This week has been a crazy one full of so many wonderful things. I realize that sentence applies to all weeks of the mission haha.
It was sad saying goodbye to Hermana Rawlins. I love her a lot and miss her, but she is going to do awesome in her new area with her new companion. She's so great! Wednesday I got my new companion, Hermana White. She is from Colorado and went to BYU-I for a semester. She's great! It's amazing, all of my companions have been so different, but I really love all of them. Hermana White is no exception. She's a great missionary and likes to work hard which works out great because that's what we do!
(Picture is Hermana Crosby, me, Hermana Rawlins (3 generations!), Hermana Pentalute (Hermana Rawlin's new comp), Hermana Jones (came out same time as me and is now with Hna Crosby)Also Hermana Crosby is on her last transfer!!)
(Picture is Hermana's White and Pierce)Happy Father's Day, dad! Yesterday all of the missionaries in the branch were asked to speak in Sacrament. (The new elders, hermana white and me) Haha, Hermana White is so brave! She didn't know Spanish before her mission, literally just got here from Mexico, and gave a talk in the branch! I think for the most part people could understand so it was good! It was a good experience. Our topic was Father's day. Shout out to Dad for being so great! I used you as an example :)
We met and taught a ton of new people this week. I'm really confident that some of these people are going to progress towards baptism. The Lord prepares His children. We had one of the coolest miracles this week too! On Friday night our appointments cancelled so we said a prayer deciding if we should go to Burnsville or Farmington to work for the evening. We both strongly felt Farmington. We tried to stop by some potentials, referrals, etc but didn't have much success. We knew God wanted us there for a reason though. At about 9:00 we stopped by a house I have knocked before. I had never found anyone at home though. We met H and her granddaughter A. Normally we just kind of jump right in to teaching people, but this time I felt prompted to invite them to church right at the beginning. We did and they immediately said they would come. We told them they could follow us and we would be there Sunday... And they actually came! As well as H's niece! They told us they really want A, who is 12, to meet good kids and get involved with things because she is home all day every day during the summer. A loved YW and wants to go to Girl's camp! We are so excited to start teaching them!
There were tons of other miracles too, like always. :) Alma is doing great, loving life. She has noticed the Spirit more in her life and is so happy. She just radiates. M is still coming along too. We aren't sure exactly what he needs; he just doesn't feel like he has gotten a witness. In Spanish they say "no me nace" It kind of means that it hasn't been born in him yet. He hasn't felt that conviction. We just keep praying for Him though and know that he will be ready soon!
(Picture is at Alma's baptism with husband and kids.)
I'm really happy about the work that is happening right here in Lakeville. The branch is awesome, the new elders are great and will help a lot, the Spirit is always strong... Then there are just the funny ridiculous moments that top it all off. I can't imagine not being here.
Les quiero mucho! Cuidense!
♥Hermana Pierce
(Picture is with Hermana Rawlins in front of the giraffes, Brittani's favorites!)
(Picture is with Sis. Hyland... We have the authority :) ... Sister Hyland and I are super great friends. We have both been in Lakeville the same amount of time)
Tengo Gozo en mi Alma Hoy!!
Hola hola hola!!! I never have been a huge fan of the hymn: There is Sunshine in my Soul... As you all know. Haha. But it kind of has a whole new meaning for me and I actually really love it in Spanish. Especially because I will always think of Alma when I hear it. Alma in spanish means soul and Tengo gozo en mi alma hoy means I have joy in my soul today. I have joy in my Alma today. :)
This week was wonderful, but kind of crazy. We had a great, but short, lesson with M and Alma at the mission home. The Spirit was very strong. The baptism was all set for Saturday morning, but then M couldn't get off work and we really really wanted him to be there. We made a bunch of calls and last minute were able to change it for Sunday morning at 8am. An awful hour for Mormons and especially Mormon Hispanics :) But, everything went super well and M was able to be there. She felt the Spirit so strongly and was speechless afterwards. She absolutely radiated. She was then confirmed in Sacrament Meeting and I honestly felt like I was getting the one getting the Spirit. Hermana Rawlins and I were both so happy despite being a little sleep-deprived since we got up at 4:30 to go fill the font! Definitely worth it though. We are confident that M will soon be ready too. It's just not something we can force and he hasn't gotten an answer yet. He will soon though!!
We found a lot of great new people this week. We are so excited to see what happens. We were able to come back already to see a lady named G. She told us she has had other people from other churches come before but she feels a lot different when we are there. She already believes everything that we have shared and is excited to keep learning. She hopefully will be coming to church this Sunday!!
Honestly there are so many things I could tell you about this week, but just know that everything is good here and I'm very happy!! Our mission has been very succesful as of late and it is so cool to be a part of it! And now for the big news of transfers...**drum roll**... Hermana Rawlins and I will not be staying together this transfer. She is going to St. Peter, a smaller town south of here, and I am staying... and training again. President called me this morning and let me know that I will be training a new hermana so hopefully I will be here two more transfers. :) I kind of have a lot of mixed emotions. I am sad to say goodbye to Hermana Rawlins. I love her so much. I'm really anxious and excited though to train a new missionary and to stay here in Lakeville and help this great little branch grow!!
Hope you all have a great week!!
Love, Hermana Pierce
This week was wonderful, but kind of crazy. We had a great, but short, lesson with M and Alma at the mission home. The Spirit was very strong. The baptism was all set for Saturday morning, but then M couldn't get off work and we really really wanted him to be there. We made a bunch of calls and last minute were able to change it for Sunday morning at 8am. An awful hour for Mormons and especially Mormon Hispanics :) But, everything went super well and M was able to be there. She felt the Spirit so strongly and was speechless afterwards. She absolutely radiated. She was then confirmed in Sacrament Meeting and I honestly felt like I was getting the one getting the Spirit. Hermana Rawlins and I were both so happy despite being a little sleep-deprived since we got up at 4:30 to go fill the font! Definitely worth it though. We are confident that M will soon be ready too. It's just not something we can force and he hasn't gotten an answer yet. He will soon though!!
We found a lot of great new people this week. We are so excited to see what happens. We were able to come back already to see a lady named G. She told us she has had other people from other churches come before but she feels a lot different when we are there. She already believes everything that we have shared and is excited to keep learning. She hopefully will be coming to church this Sunday!!
Honestly there are so many things I could tell you about this week, but just know that everything is good here and I'm very happy!! Our mission has been very succesful as of late and it is so cool to be a part of it! And now for the big news of transfers...**drum roll**... Hermana Rawlins and I will not be staying together this transfer. She is going to St. Peter, a smaller town south of here, and I am staying... and training again. President called me this morning and let me know that I will be training a new hermana so hopefully I will be here two more transfers. :) I kind of have a lot of mixed emotions. I am sad to say goodbye to Hermana Rawlins. I love her so much. I'm really anxious and excited though to train a new missionary and to stay here in Lakeville and help this great little branch grow!!
Hope you all have a great week!!
Love, Hermana Pierce
Monday, June 2, 2014
Feliz Soy :)
Happy Lunes! This past week seriously went by so fast. I swear it was Monday yesterday. A lot of great things happened! A had her interview and since our District Leader (who does the interview) doesn't speak Spanish, I was able to be there to translate. She is so ready!! We are so excited for this Saturday at 10am!! M, however, is still unsure about it all and is not quite ready to be baptized this week. A decided she just needed to continue forward with it, even though her husband won't be able to do it the same day. We aren't exactly sure what his concerns are because he seems to like everything and is obeying the commandments. We are actually teaching them this Wednesday at President and Sister Clement's home so that should be good! Kind of intimidating, but good!
The other day we had dinner at a member's home and the 14 year old daughter had her friend J over. We didn't know they had invited him, but we were able to share a little about what we do as missionaries and ended up sharing the message of the Restoration. It was so good! Although it was in English and we aren't going to keep teaching him, it was so great. He is so open to it all and is excited to read in the Book of Mormon!
Another great miracle happened yesterday. I love Sundays and I love our branch :) Hermana Perez and her 22 year old daughter Arlett came to church for the first time in over a year. They both bore their testimonies and felt the Spirit so strong. They said they are going to keep coming back now and know this is where they need to be. We have been working with Hermana Perez for a long time and she hasn't come, so it was really exciting to finally see her there! Our little rama is growing and so many miracles are happening! I love it all so much!!
Transfers are in a week and I have no idea what is going to happen! Either way it will be great and I'll be where I'm supposed to be. I'm just telling you though so if you send anything my way, do it through the mission office unless it can get to me by next Tuesday. :)
I love you all and hope that you have a great week!
Love, Hermana Pierce
The other day we had dinner at a member's home and the 14 year old daughter had her friend J over. We didn't know they had invited him, but we were able to share a little about what we do as missionaries and ended up sharing the message of the Restoration. It was so good! Although it was in English and we aren't going to keep teaching him, it was so great. He is so open to it all and is excited to read in the Book of Mormon!
Another great miracle happened yesterday. I love Sundays and I love our branch :) Hermana Perez and her 22 year old daughter Arlett came to church for the first time in over a year. They both bore their testimonies and felt the Spirit so strong. They said they are going to keep coming back now and know this is where they need to be. We have been working with Hermana Perez for a long time and she hasn't come, so it was really exciting to finally see her there! Our little rama is growing and so many miracles are happening! I love it all so much!!
Transfers are in a week and I have no idea what is going to happen! Either way it will be great and I'll be where I'm supposed to be. I'm just telling you though so if you send anything my way, do it through the mission office unless it can get to me by next Tuesday. :)
I love you all and hope that you have a great week!
Love, Hermana Pierce
?Como se amanacieron?
Querida familia, ?Como se amanacieron? That's a new little phrase I learned not too long ago.. It sort of means how did the morning greet you? Haha kind of hard to translate in English..
This week was full of some really incredible miracles. Like always :) We had Zone training this week and learned about the doctrine of the family. It was really good and made me even more grateful for my great family!! Love you!! The Clements only have a month left. It will be really sad to say goodbye to them. They are incredible.
That same evening we had 2 really amazing things happen. An appointment fell through and so we ended up going to a different area to find people. We taught 2 girls outside about the Restoration and afterwards were heading back to the car to go to another appointment. As we were walking we saw a man outside his house. He had these pretty flowers in his yard and we told him we liked them. He looked at us and kind of just stared for a minute. Then he walked over to his flowerbed and pulled out a few for both of us. We talked to him for a few minutes and soon found out that he had recently lost his teenage son and that many other challenges were happening in his life. He kept telling us it was a miracle we came and just seemed to be in shock. He finally alluded to some of the thoughts he was having about taking his own life. We talked to him for a few moments and testified about the Plan of Salvation and the peace he could find in the gospel. He spoke English and we told the elders about him, so we won't teach him, but I'm so grateful that the Lord let us be instruments in His hands to help this man!
Afterwards, we went to our appointment with M. She is 10 years old and is the granddaughter of an active member in our branch. She is so sweet. We taught her about the Plan of Salvation and towards the end of the lesson we tried to describe the Spirit and explained that it was through the Spirit that she would come to know these things are true. She didn't really understand and told us she had never had feelings like the ones we were trying to describe. Heavenly Father put into my mind exactly what we needed to do. Although she hardly ever had gone to primary, she had a CD with the songs on it. I found that out about 6 months ago, but had forgot about it. I asked her if she remembered any of those songs and she remembered I Am a Child of God. We sung it and afterwards paused for several moments. The Spirit came in so powerfully and she recognized it and described it so well! It was a cool moment because I have never thought about doing that to help people feel the Spirit, but it was exactly what she needed! Heavenly Father knows and loves His children!
I had another very profound experience this week. I was praying and asking Heavenly Father to help us find another family who is ready for the gospel. At the exact moment that I thought those words, an image of an apartment building came sharply into my mind. It is somewhere that mostly English-speaking people live, but we were teaching one other person in that same area before. Anyways, long story short, we went there and the first door we knocked we found a family from El Salvador. Both parents are currently not working and have a lot of challenges. They are Catholic but have problems with the Catholic church. It wasn't like they told us right away they would be baptized or anything, but I know that God wanted us to find that family for a reason! I'm excited to see what happens :)
All of our other investigators are doing well! M and A both have their interviews this coming week. We are excited for them! Other great doors have been opened recently and we know there is going to be a lot of growth here!
Love you all so much! Have a great week :)
Love, Hermana Pierce
This week was full of some really incredible miracles. Like always :) We had Zone training this week and learned about the doctrine of the family. It was really good and made me even more grateful for my great family!! Love you!! The Clements only have a month left. It will be really sad to say goodbye to them. They are incredible.
That same evening we had 2 really amazing things happen. An appointment fell through and so we ended up going to a different area to find people. We taught 2 girls outside about the Restoration and afterwards were heading back to the car to go to another appointment. As we were walking we saw a man outside his house. He had these pretty flowers in his yard and we told him we liked them. He looked at us and kind of just stared for a minute. Then he walked over to his flowerbed and pulled out a few for both of us. We talked to him for a few minutes and soon found out that he had recently lost his teenage son and that many other challenges were happening in his life. He kept telling us it was a miracle we came and just seemed to be in shock. He finally alluded to some of the thoughts he was having about taking his own life. We talked to him for a few moments and testified about the Plan of Salvation and the peace he could find in the gospel. He spoke English and we told the elders about him, so we won't teach him, but I'm so grateful that the Lord let us be instruments in His hands to help this man!
Afterwards, we went to our appointment with M. She is 10 years old and is the granddaughter of an active member in our branch. She is so sweet. We taught her about the Plan of Salvation and towards the end of the lesson we tried to describe the Spirit and explained that it was through the Spirit that she would come to know these things are true. She didn't really understand and told us she had never had feelings like the ones we were trying to describe. Heavenly Father put into my mind exactly what we needed to do. Although she hardly ever had gone to primary, she had a CD with the songs on it. I found that out about 6 months ago, but had forgot about it. I asked her if she remembered any of those songs and she remembered I Am a Child of God. We sung it and afterwards paused for several moments. The Spirit came in so powerfully and she recognized it and described it so well! It was a cool moment because I have never thought about doing that to help people feel the Spirit, but it was exactly what she needed! Heavenly Father knows and loves His children!
I had another very profound experience this week. I was praying and asking Heavenly Father to help us find another family who is ready for the gospel. At the exact moment that I thought those words, an image of an apartment building came sharply into my mind. It is somewhere that mostly English-speaking people live, but we were teaching one other person in that same area before. Anyways, long story short, we went there and the first door we knocked we found a family from El Salvador. Both parents are currently not working and have a lot of challenges. They are Catholic but have problems with the Catholic church. It wasn't like they told us right away they would be baptized or anything, but I know that God wanted us to find that family for a reason! I'm excited to see what happens :)
All of our other investigators are doing well! M and A both have their interviews this coming week. We are excited for them! Other great doors have been opened recently and we know there is going to be a lot of growth here!
Love you all so much! Have a great week :)
Love, Hermana Pierce
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