Monday, March 31, 2014

March 17, 2014

Wow this has been a crazy busy week!
So many things have happened in one week it is nuts! But I am just going to begin with telling you all about this week of  highs and lows literally roller-coast week! Missionary work is so fun but can be very stressful this week we were faced with few high stress situations... it is funny to see how our bodies react to stress, like for me literally since Thurs my right eye has been twitching all day spiratically haha.  Nothing to get stressed out about but I am assuming that this is result of anxiety haha for the work, for other missionaries, and well my own personal weaknesses I am working at overcoming. But yes my eye has a twitch every few minutes it is weird.. but I don't think it is very noticeable, it is just something I feel.
 
So Monday we had a great lesson with Andre at President and Sister Leavitts house.  We taught Andre the law of tithing which was the last big law, I honestly have never met someone as elect as Andre, we were like in the lesson "So the Law of tithing... have you ever heard of tithes?" Andre was like " Oh yes giving 10% of your income, i know that. I will do it. I use to collect the tithes for the Baptist church I use to go to" haha we were just like perfect! He just smooth sailing! He started his new job and things were going great he was excited to be able to attend church as well and be baptised in the next couple weeks!  After the lesson President & Sister Leavitt, Sister Keeler & I all rejoiced with one another at how excited we are about Andre! Then we did some knocking where we knocked into some great potentials!
 
Tues: We got up early and drove for an hour to Trurro, where a missionary who has been out for a transfer longer then Sis K and I serve and a brand new missionary serve!  The trainer with some issues and SiS Christianson the new missionary is a powerhouse missionary, she came pre trained. She really is the leader in the companionship and the driving force behind alot of the work done there... We were really helped them with planning ... we went over proper planning (aka:back up plans and specific plans).  Sis C soaks everything up like a sponge as trainer was difficult.  She steams in the corner in pridefulness so we just allow her to steam on her own and gave Sis C alot of direction on how to work effectively and prioitize her efforts effectively.  Sis C will take it and go and understands quite quickly and we've learned to leave trainer sister and let her come to us.  So Sis C and I started our day together where she opened up alot and we were able to go street contacting with one another.  It was great because she was able to see how to make it fun and have real conversation with others.  As we were contacting she was so stoked, she was like "wow! I’ve never seen it this way ... I am use to coming up to someone and blasting them for 20 seconds then them saying, “no” then us walking away!" haha  Trainer sister and I served with one another and we were able to have a very open and real conversation as we were knocking door to door.  She is humbling herself more and more and taking baby steps and I am learning to be less scary, patient and have more charity and understanding, all and all it was great exchange! We will probably have them come see how we work in our area and offer them more support and help with the training of Sis C!

Weds: So weds morning we woke up early and headed out to Sydney for the 4 hr drive to get there! So we arrived in Sydney where Sis Weaver a missionary who as been out a transfer less than sis K and I, and Sis Hughes a brand new missionary.  We sat down to go over plans for the day and the same type of planning was made. I was kind of in shock, like really how?!?  But we patiently with charity went over the plans and talked about how to effectively plan, we then went out & worked.  It was a great visit but these sisters are in an area that is so far out from everyone.  There is just 4 elders around them where they are secluded from the elders. They brought up some issues they have observed due to disobedience from the elders so it was a blessing that the ZL's were heading up the following day on their visit with those elders. (inspired!) There was quite a bit of things we could train and help the sisters with up there, so it was a good visit for us to observe and figure out where they are at and how we can help them.  We will be skyping them 1 a week where we have companion studies with one another and we will be having role plays and doing training that way as well as the distance is so far away!
 
So thurs morning we packed up and headed home in the morning! We arrived at 1 in Cole Harbour just in time to go to our service at the salon, that was good then we had our transfer interview with President Leavitt, then we had a great dinner apt with the Colley Family where they have two daughters in YW's and it was very spirit filled our convo, it sounds like alot of the YW are at cross roads right now where they are making decisions that are instrumental in their activity in the church.  We were able to leave a great message with them, and I was able to open up about my experience of coming back which brought peace to their hearts. Sis K and I left feeling very inspired that we must help the YW and work with them more... which worked out perfectly with what we had planned to teach YW's this Sunday! We also had a lesson with Andre at a members home, since he has been taught everything we had a powerful lesson on the restoration and everyone went around and bore their testimony of the restoration.
 
Friday we taught Betty, we have been taking a 20 year old with us to alot of our lessons who recently came back to church in October it is really amazing because since she has been teaching with us as of a week ago she has decided to break up with her bf of 3 years, and she is thinking about serving a mission!!! It is amazing! Our lesson with Betty was very Spirit filled.  Betty is truly understanding the gospel line upon line, grace by grace and we were blessed to be able to commit her to pray and prepare for April 29th to be baptised! She is loving attending church and feels a sense of home at church!
Friday night we were knocking a street we had felt inspired to knock for few weeks and we knocked into a  33 yr old who met missionaries in 06 at a time in her life when she was suffering from depression.  She didn't remember much about what they shared but she remembered that it helped her at that time, she let us in right away where we were able to teach her the restoration and commit her to be baptized for April 12th! She loved it and was planning to come to church but was unfortunately sick on Sunday, but we will be seeing her again this Wednesday!
 
Saturday was a great day, Sis Belford (reactivated LA from new York who has been coming to church weekly now!) has been doing some missionary work in her apt.  She met a man who got in a car accident broke his ankle and recently went through a divorce past years. After teaching her we all walked across the hall and met him, he is in rough shape and turns out he is a member of the church! He has been LA for years, is Anglican now, stopped going to church when his mother got left the church.  He use to have a missionary savings fund, so we were pretty excited to meet him and he is willing to meet with us! He is in his 40s and we will be seeing him this week.
Saturday night at around 10 pm we got quite an upsetting voice mail from Andre, he expressed how he can't attend church no more, can't meet with us or be baptised because his wife will divorce him and he will be kicked out... it was very upsetting, he asked us to not call him.  Of course we called him back though haha he did not answer but we are keeping him in our prayers he is a "spiritual convert".  He is so converted and knows this is true, it just breaks my heart how he has this obstacle.  The poor man re arranged his career to be baptised!! But we are giving it a day and then President Leavitt or Brother Edis (a member who has been teaching with us) may give him a call. I have faith things will work out and that one day he will be a member.
 
Sunday: Betty was able to come to church for the 3rd week in a row! IT was a great Sunday! We taught YW and the YW LOVE us haha it was funny they all were all giddy and excited! they want us to come to activities but we said only if you bring your friends! We expressed our idea of seeing if Quincy could come do an activity with us and the YW were Quincy and I could teach styling hair or something. The YW were like "We love you two! you two are the best dressed Sister missionaries we have ever seen! You both look so pretty, we normally hate sister missionaries" haha it was funny and fun, a very fashionable group of YW, we love them, they are just hilarious!!  But Sis K and I talked about conversion I shared mine, and then we gave them 10 mins to ask us questions.  Since we have been in this ward a 18yr old YW in gr 12 said she has decided she wants to serve, and she was tearing up in the end she asked us how we decided to finally serve.  I was able to explain how it was very hot then cold for me and how satan will water down our feelings and thoughts of serving because it is something so good to do and how we just have to go forward in faith and do it before we convince ourselves otherwise, she nodded with tears and is very excited to serve!!
 
We are seeing so many amazing things. On my mission I have really come to see how prominent Satan is, we are literally wrestling in a war with him. The YW told us how they get made fun of for not swearing at school, there is so much in our lives that make us feel it may be easier to throw down the towel and give up this great and marvellous race for our own salvation and the salvation of our brother and sisters. Trust me as a missionary I have seen victory and the feelings of triumph but as soon as that happens satans sends his winds to discourage us and help us to feel useless or to lower our faith. I know we are on the right track when opposition sets in because satan would like to discourse our path of righteousness. We must stand up and never lower our expectations.  This week I did not have an opportunity to personally read the BOM for two days as we had over 15hrs of travelling.  I noticed how without that I was reaching despair and parnoid feelings, and it is because I chose to make myself more subject to satan.  That decision to not take 5 mins to at least read the BOM. These are the last days we can not afford to be casual we need to actively exercise our minds in righteous thoughts or satan will set in and try to pull us away from our divine potential.
I wish I had more time to express my feelings of my heart about this.  I do not have the time, but I really know that Satan would like to discourage me and he has in my life, but I know it is because he knows of our greatness and our ability to do good.  I hope you all take the time this week to recognize where he tries to or does sway you and how you can fight that away and protect yourself in these last days!
 
I love you all and pray for you all and hope you understand my message I am trying to convey have a great week!!
xoxo
Love Sister Pizzey :)
 

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