Monday, May 19, 2014

May 19, 2014

Wow wow wow I am just extactic for Sister Lambert haha... being called to the Canada Halifax Mission!!! This is so exciting!
Like I can't really focus on anything else but how excited I am for her.
We will have these memories forever... and also I am so going to be reading Emily's letters every week, re-living mission life through her haha seriously!!
This is great, this is the Lords work and definitely not a coincidence that she is being called here, Emily your a nobel and great one, we have the Pizzey blood, this mission needs you ;)! . Emily will be the start of a new mission pretty well because over half the mission is going home this summer and early fall.
So this week has been great, I have been up since 4 AM today because we traveled back to meet one another (Sis. Keeler) half-way in-between Sydney and Cole Harbour this morning ... so I feel like the day is a lot later than earlier.  We just arrived back.
So Sister Keeler and I will be serving with one another for a 4th transfer!! We are very happy! That will mean over 6 months including MTC time we will have been companions! We are so happy to be serving with another, being sister training leaders, serving in this area, around certain missionaries, we could not do better with anyone else. 
So this week has been great, on  Wednesday we had leadership council with all the zone leaders & sister training leaders of the mission, it was great.  Our vision for us a leaders for the mission is "as faith-filled, hard-working, and obedient leaders in the Canada Halifax Mission, we humbly teach those we lead how to baptize and reactivate the lost sheep of the house of Israel. We inspire them to feel personally accountable to the Lord for their results."  I love this vision.  Every morning I wake up and think about this vision and I think in my mind... "am I going to have a faith-filled day? am I faith-filled?" If I wake up and am tired or discouraged, i think in my mind "no I cannot be slothful, I must be faith-filled, these sisters rely on me, but most importantly the Lord does and the people he is preparing rely on me."  It simply is a decision to be faith-filled, just like turning on a light switch, it is a decision to switch our mind set to think spiritually minded not carnally minded.  Cast all negativity away and think of only solutions no problems and the many tender mercies the Lord is bestowing upon us. This week on my week long exchange with Sister Weaver it changed the work for me every day and many times throughout the day I would ponder and think - am I being faith-filed? Am I humble? Obedient? hardworking? These thoughts guided me so much in the work of salvation this past week! It was amazing, it allowed me to be worthy to receive the companionship of the Holy Ghost with me day by day and the Holy Ghost certainly qualified me for the calling, the duties and responsibilities we were facing this week it was quite humbly and amazing.
With the visit with Sister Weaver (she has been out a transfer less than I), so my vision for the exchange was to just remain focused, obedient and to set forth a good example, to quite simply work, work, work and love it! That is exactly what happened. There was some challenges and I just felt I needed to fast.  She was my shadow for those days, we talked to 200 ppl this week, this was something she was not so comfortable doing ...  She said she never had worked so hard her legs were killing the whole time.  Every morning we would do our 5bx then run over to the church and I would play ball and she would stand and run/wait for me as I finished the running portion of 5 bx.  It was amazing though because as I fasted for those 3 days I just felt so much patience love and understanding,  It has been such a blessing because I feel as I have served in Cole Harbour, I have grown to be more patient and understanding of others where I truly do listen and hear others out first and then speak. And I feel before I would be quick to be like "Sis W what?!? Why  why why!" But instead we worked and as we studied and roleplayed with one another, issues began to be resolved overtime where she was able to leave our visit with a clear understanding of how she can improve but as well feeling inspired and happy for the work we had done with one another and the blessings we had seen.  So we saw many blessings, met some great people that will hopefully turn into some new investigators this week!  I helped her see that being bold is true charity in desiring to bring others to Christ.  But again true charity isbeing concerned for ones salvation. D&C 15:6  It was great!
We had a lesson with two devote Christain girls that knew their bible inside and out.  Jennifer  who we picked up last week as a new investigator, whose parents are missionaries and are translating the bible in Papua New Guinea.. haha yea.. and we met her friend Amanada. I was quite nervous to go to this lesson with them without Sister Keeler because I feel my bible knowledge is slim and Sister Weaver is quite quiet. It was quite nerveracking when we came that Friday evening but thank goodness for the power of fasting!! Prior to that lesson Sister Weaver and I pleaded for the Lords help. The Spirit totally qualified me for that lesson it was amazing I was teaching through the bible left right and centre.  They have a list of anti questions and I just pop out all these scriptures to resolve there concerns.  They asked about spirit world etc prophets they shared scriptures to support their beliefs, we listened then BOOM we flip open to 1 Peter then BOOM to Ephesians, they actually had nothing to say. We had some silence and literally the two of them were just sitting there just reading over the passage we shared over and over reading it trying to comprehend the fact that this doctrine is Christs doctrine and swallow the fact that its true!! We just taught the whole Restoration and it was amazing.  I don't know how it worked but I was all red and hot in the face haha and just everything flowed and the Spirit guided every word. Sister Weaver came in at the end and gave a great testimony. We got in the car and Sister Weaver was like "Sister Pizzey what do you mean you don't know the Bible ?!?" haha " I was like I don't! The Spirit was the leading force behind all that!"
It was a great lesson we invited them to read the Book of Mormon and be boldly testified that they will receive an answer if they truly seek for one. 
I just love being a missionary and proclaiming this truth to everyone. I love sharing this great message how Christs Church has been restored this is a message that can not be hid!! I love standing for truth and boldly testifying of Christs gospel and of His prophets today because this is what the world needs. Nothing else matters. I know that who ever Heavenly Father sends in my path I will be able to say I have done all I can to to bring them to Him, because it is all for the glory of God, we are all so indebted to Him.   "God has not ceased to be a God of miracles." Moroni 9:15, Moroni 9:35
"And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him." Mosiah 2:23
I love you, have a great week!
Love,

Sister Pizzey

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

May 12, 2014 - Pics (Pam's Baptism)

Pam's Baptism - A great Day!!






May 12, 2014 - Crazy Busy Week ...

What a crazy busy week!
It was great talking to you all last night and seeing you all. It is interesting because everyone may looked a little different, but everything is still the same!
But I want to email quickly and explain to you this crazy busy week that was full of blessings!
We started off with Sis Christianson in our area with us for this week and we just worked, worked and worked with her. It was great. She at the beginning of the week actually was feeling a bit discouraged due to being moved around so much. But we love her and had a great time serving with her this week!
We had lunch with Sister Leavitt this week, last Monday, it was great we love her.  We were crazy busy for the first 3 days, all we wanted to do was just find new people to teach but we were busy with just a tone of things, it was stressful. We finished moving all of our things into our new apartment and still aren't fully settled in yet, we plan to get the rest organized today.  We began teaching a lady named Adrienne who has been taught by missionaries in the past.
We had an activity with the YW where we styled there hair and talk to them about serving missions. We went to the doctor in the middle of the week where I got some antibiotics and seem to be doing better now!

We were guided by the Spirit this week with our knocking and found some pretty amazing people to teach that we feel have been prepared by the Lord, two from Australia who are moving to Sherwood Park on Wednesday.  We are teaching them tonight and keep you posted about them!
We also knocked into this 19 yr old Jennifer who is Christian.  Her parents are missionaries, they are actually translating the Bible for this little island that is a 3rd world country near Australia somewhere.
Pam's baptism was amazing, President and Sister Leavitt were able to come.  Many members from the ward came out and supported it as well.  Pam is the lady who we met after the day of fasting after we set our goal of 4 baptisms and then that night President Kidd called us and told us about her.  He was giving her friend a blessing who came down from Cape Breton and Pam asked if she could come to church because she has seen a difference the gospel has made in her friends life, as her friend has become active.
We had some great lessons with Matt Whalen, he is on date for May 24th. A great lesson with President Kidd, it was wonderful!
I love this ward more and more they are supporting us in the work, I have come to see how this ward is full of alot of wonderful people with strong testimonies and are raising their children in good homes.  It is so important to make the time to support and go out and teach with the missionaries, it makes the world of a difference because we missionaries can not do it on our own.  Pam has flourished in the gospel because the wonderful members we have brought to the lessons and because of them they have been blessed with the life changing experiences missionary work brings.  If it weren't for President Kidd Matt would not be where he is, it is amazing!
I love this work,
I wouldn't want to be anywhere else but here right now.
This week was truly amazing, full of stress and growing and learning and to finish it off with Pam's baptism was great. After Pam's baptism we knocked in a dumping down fall of pouring rain for 2 hrs it was amazing, we were so happy doing it because we were in the work of our Lord.
I look at my conversion two years ago and ponder so much as I teach ...  I realize that two years ago I allowed God to change my heart I allowed the grace of Jesus Christ to carry me through all the changes that I was making and it wasn't my grit and will power it was the grace of the atonement that caused the miracle in my life. And it hasn't stopped right there. It is a continual life commitment to Give our hearts to God.
2 Peter 3: 18 "BUT GROW IN GRACE AND IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. TO HIM BE GLORY BOTH NOW AND FOREVER"
I love you all and pray that we all grow in grace.
Love,
Sister Pizzey

May 5, 2014 - Crazy Week!

Wow this week has been CRAZY !! haha sooo many things have happened its nuts!!
To answer questions because usually near the end of my letters I forget to...
Mom: President Leavitt is all better now! He is amazing I am so grateful to be serving around him and Sister Leavitt I just love them so much!
So wow okay so guess what!? We got evicted from our apartment..... haha yes we did, we got evicted for "Sub letting" our apartment. We aren't though we have had missionaries in the apartment for 10yrs, basically the landlord doesn't like Mormon missionaries, they have been quite rude to all missionaries .  For example she had called Sister Keeler into her office and asked us not to speak to people on the property of the apartment, just ridiculous things.  So finally they evicted us which is a blessing really because we now have a apartment where Sis Belford (LA) lives and all the senior missionary couples for the temple. We can see the temple from our bed room window, is it amazing. But moved out in a flash and just finished cleaning our old apartment this morning. Our old apartment was in a old gross dingy basement, our new one is on the 4th floor. And oh yes we found out we actually don't have bed bugs! It is a long story but we are free from bed bugs!
So we had visits in New Glasgow on Tuesday and well lets just say I am sooo grateful to be serving with Sister Keeler and be sister training leaders together, such a blessing. I am learning alot. There has been lots of things going on between the companionships, some mental health issues and some sisters don’t like taking advice ....  It is sad to see because one is a very capable talented missionary but she is limiting herself so much and her area so much with her attitude. Sis K and I with our leaders have just taken there direction and ran with it, we continue to soak everything up from our leaders and that is a key to a successful missionary. I had to be quite bold and applied D&C 12:43.  My vision for tonight is for her to understand how much we love her and want to help her how much potential she does have and how we want to work with the Spirit of love and unity. It was interesting visit and let me tell you I was praying alot to know what to do!
At the end of the visit with New Glasgow Weds night all 6 of us met up in Antigonish which is a small university town, this is a town that New Glasgow covers about half hour away.  (Sis ...) doesn't like going there but I would hit that up weekly!! We felt prompted that we needed to go there she was a bit hesitant going but miraculously we went.  It was a community event going on that day "Happy Day" the windows of the town were painted in yellow saying happy day! It was amazing many people to street contact.  So we street sung and got a whole lot of potential investigators I would be so happy to serve in that town!
So we then Sis Keeler left with Sister hughes to Syndey and Sis Weaver and I headed back for 2.5hr drive to Cole Harbour.  We had our exchange it went well.  Pres Leavitt has a son who is a counsellor who counsels alot of the missionary with mental health problems in the mission... 3 of the 6 sisters we train meet with him. So sis Keeler and I met back and well the sisters in Sydney are struggling alot, with depression, home sickness and obedience. It is sad and they are about 5 hrs away. As well as we travelled back from meeting half way from Cole Harbour to Syndey we took an elder with us back to the mission home and he was going home from his mission early... we aren't sure why quite sad. So We had a meeting with Pres leavitt day after the visit for about an hour, and we discussed how Sydney is struggling.  He has a plan for the next transfer, but we need to do something about this problem for the next 3 weeks.  So next week Sis Keeler will be going to serve in Sydney for a week with Sister Hughes and Sis Weaver will be coming here with me. We are just going to work our guts out and have them experience what real missionary work is all about. It will be great stretching opportunity for Sis K and I, as well to help us be more focussed and be EXACT obedient. President Leavitt is quite pleased with how we are helping the sisters he says we are doing everything exactly right and that there is a good chance Sis K and I will serve with one another for one more transfer. It is really eye opening serving and training all these sisters ...2  Sis Keeler and I love them but we are just so grateful for the strength it is to be doing this together and learning from one another.  Sis Keeler is such an example to be. We will be friends for ever! haha.  We have an extra sister with us this week sister Christionson, her companion was the sister we drove to the airport and went home couple of weeks ago! We enjoy her and making sure we include in her everything we can.
Pam will be getting baptised this week! And Matt is still progressing quite well he has narrowed it down to knowing he will be baptised in the month of May!!  We are exhausted, I love it though I wouldn't want it to be any other way!  We had to get up at 3AM Friday morning to travel in time enough to make a district training where I had to give the doctrinal discussion.  My brain felt like cotton, I couldn't think haha I was exhausted and sick not to mention.  The morning of New Glasgow exchange I woke up with knives in my throat pretty well, now my nose is a facet.  Sis Keeler can't get over how much snot I can blow out of it haha i know that is disgusting!  We moved into our apt Friday... then we have just been none stop moving!
I strive to continue to recognize my weaknesses and continue to stretch myself, we are having the YW sing at the baptism this Saturday.  We are continuing to build them up and strengthen them, and Pam can't wait to be baptised!
We had a dinner appointment at the former Branch Presidents house for Halifax YSA ward and he just loved our talks.  He was so touched about me sharing my conversion story and kept asking questions about my brothers mission and the difference it has made in me. He looked at us with tears in his eyes and said " when you sisters spoke I realized that this is the generation where the Lord is preparing and making strong confident powerful women who will be leaders for many in this church, because this world and this church needs women like you to change the world and I just know you both are one of them"
it was quite touching. I love this gospel. I am nothing without it. I love feasting on the scriptures I love being humbled and realizing how little we are without the Lord leading and guiding us in our lives.
I love the talents and blessing I have been given through the gifts of the Spirit to build Heavenly Fathers Kingdom!
Mom I was glancing at my picture of our family in my scriptures this week, and as I came across you in the picture I just truly can't wait to hug you in September. I love you all so much. Mom you are an amazing mother I have been blessed with goodly parents!! You are my best friends and I can't wait to rejoice and hug and squeeze you in my arms and to serve you. Sundays you will never be doing dishes again when I am home. Your faithful example has given me such a strong foundation your happiness and joy and kindness. I just had an overwhelming feeling of joy and appreciation when looking at the picture of you mom, truly.  When I looked at you during sacrament on Sunday I was just like"oh what a pleasant face I just love her and can't wait to squeeze her soon".
I love my mission and that time will come, but as for right now I would rather be at no other place then here. I can't wait to see you Mom and Cad on Sunday and dad I love you so much and feel the exact same way towards you!!
Love you so so much!
xoxox Sister Pizzey