I am just so happy to be a missionary, to be building the relationships
with the people I am, and to be learning so much life changing lessons. haha I
have just learned soooo much this week, I have just learned so much this summer,
in Cole Harbour, just these past 18 months it is crazy!! I LOVE IT!
So I have some pretty fun and amazing experiences that I am excited to
share with you all about this week and Debbie will be getting baptised this
week! But first off, I logged on facebook this week to message a investigator.
I was at the library on a computer where "facebook purity" was not installed,
therefore when I first logged on I see news feed until I click on my profile and
I saw dads post, it was the first post that popped up.. haha it was so cute!
Not something that is expected coming from Talman but wow I am just so grateful
to be raised in a family with parents that love one another so much. Being the
youngest of 5 kids and basically living with just mom and dad, I have come to
see how I want my marriage to be but as well how my husband should be, you both
still flirt with one another and I love it!
I am happy you like those talks mom! And say hello to everyone as you are
all hanging out at the Pizzey resort today.
Coming to this point of my mission I am just continually and continually
seeing weaknesses and ways to improve, we are to be refined in this life, I love
learning, changing and growing and see who we become and can be shaped and
moulded into as we actively chose to rely on Christ to change us.
So I am going to copy and past my letter to President Leavitt and share
some pretty great experiences we have been blessed to have this week!
Not I kind of wrote a novel to President this week haha :).
"Self: This
week has been a good week, I am happy to be serving here. Ever since serving
with Sister Echols, I have been really working on not being on the end of a
extreme fanatic and finding myself in the middle area of that line you always
draw out for us. It really has been an adjustment for me, to learn how to
understand success and whether or not I am being hardworking and consecrating
myself without having to be an extreme fanatic. I feel these last few transfers
I am learning so much where I am in a position to understand that the work is
far more than just the "work" it is the
people!
I love being
a missionary, I love working hard, and giving everything I can to the Lord and
seeing miracles everyday, it is a comfortable thing for me to give my all in
work, and just work, work and work but it is out of my comfort-zone to come off
in a way that is inviting to others not intimidating, and to inspire others not
"scare" in a way.. haha.I am very grateful to be learning so many important lessons that have a eternal value on them, I look back on my mission thus far and see how my efforts have been and I see that I was just doing my very best with everything I could understand at that time but now I have come to gain a testimony that humility is really the mother of all virtues! I desire to be one who serves others, puts others first and thinks of how I can help instead of thinking what they can do differently. I have come to learn this week that I don't need to change my passion for the work of salvation and my intensity I just need to change how I come across so I don't come across too strongly. Serving in Cole Harbour around the missionaries I have throughout my time here at times was not easy but I am so grateful for the person I have been shaped into. I feel I am coming to see things in a different perspective with having more patience and compassion for others. I hope this makes sense but I just wanted to take some time to "try" to "briefly" explain the amazing lessons I am learning here; being a Sister Training Leader learning how to work well with others and serve others has been such a blessing, it has changed everything for me! Thank you for how patient you have been in training and teaching me on how to be a leader and better servant of the Lord.
Area: We will be having a baptism for Debbie Lloyd this Saturday which Debbie, the whole ward and us as well are quite excited for! We are teaching some amazing people and as well working with a LA family that desires to come back to church which is quite exciting. We are seeing small movements that are allowing the work to progress in this area which is miraculous.
So that just about sums up my feelings and learning
this week! Sister Sandberg and I have decided to read the Book of Mormon for the
last month of our missions. We decided to do this before we knew
we were extending together, so the time of reading 17 pages a day will go from
August 26 to Sept 26. I started in Alma 57 and will be reading to Alma 57 and
then from Sept 27- Oct 13 I will read Alma 57 till Moroni 10 (aka: the end of
the Book of Mormon). It has been great to read it in such a quick time. We are
highlighting all references to the Savior in our scriptures! I just LOVE
studying and feasting on the scriptures on the words of Christ, there is just so
many ways to study, learn and expound. The Book of Mormon is key to turning off
the natural man, without the Book of Mormon in contact in my life I am just not
a pleasant person, the Book of Mormon just adds so much light and happiness, I
love it! My favorite scriptures of the day today is
3 Nephi 9:13-14 "be converted that I may heal
you... verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me and ye shall have eternal
life. Behold mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come,
him will I receive, and blessed are those who come unto me." I just love
it! I love it because it is Jesus Christ speaking, and as I was reading those
verses it just became to clear to be that Jesus Christ is pleading for us to
come unto Him, he just so badly desires for us to, because He loves us so much.
The other favorite scripture for the day is:
3 Nephi 10:10 "and the
mourning, and the weeping, and the wailing of the people who were spared alive
did cease; and their mourning was turned into joy, and their lamentations into
the praise and thanksgiving unto the Lord Jesus Christ, their Redeemer." ~
I love that verse as well because that is the beautiful power of the atonement
it turns all bad things into GOOD!
So this week has been great, I want to share a couple
memorable experiences we had this week:
1) So on Friday after our weekly planning we were
headed to the church to go on facebook and send and contact a few people through
it and as we were walking past the chapel there was a group of 8-10 people
sitting down in the chapel as the Stake President was standing up in front of
them all speaking to them. As we were walking by the stake President called us
in and said these are a couple of our sister missionaries. We introduced
ourselves and it turns out this group is a group of people who have organized
themselves from different faiths and what they do is every summer they go around
to different church's and basically just ask questions. This group consisted of;
two Catholic members, a Jewish man, a non denominational Christians, and a few
Pentecostal's haha it was crazy! So literally they get together and talk about
some incorrect things about LDS church and as well correct and come and debate
in a way. So we stood up there for 45 minutes with the stake President answering
questions back and forth and as well bearing testimony BOLDLY it was sooo great,
afterwards Sister Howell and I just were like that was legit! Pretty
cool experience, the age range was from 20s-60s I would say. It was an amazing
moment. They were all pretty hard in heart, but it was amazing to see how no one
can argue with testimony. President Evans the Stake President is a pretty humble
man, and it was amazing to see the spirit that was felt as he bore his humble
testimony nothing can deny that!
So with the Philippine family we are still teaching
them, and it turns our Bio's name is actually Pio not Bio haha so we actually
have been calling him the wrong name by a accident :S oopsy. We have a great
member in the ward who serve his mission in the Philippines's so he is teaching
them with us!
We also are teaching the Chatam family they want to
come back to church which is exciting, they are a young family of 3 kids and
they both were raised in the gospel but went LA growing up. Both their mothers
are active so I am sure us teaching is a answer to many of their mothers
prayers!
We also had a former investigator who Sister Keeler
and I taught back in April text us randomly, asking us when church is, the
address and time. His name is George he is a single dad raising a son and
daughter on his own and him and his kids showed up for church yesterday, which
was nice to see.
So there is this town in our area called North Preston
it is Canada's largest black community literally driving into the town there is
a sign that says that. And the elders got invited to attend the only church in
North Preston that on average gets 600 ppl out apparently, so after ward council
Sunday morning at at 10 AM, we decided to go attend their church before our
church at 11:30 AM. As President Leavitt said "we are in the
peoples business" so we thought it would be a good idea to get involved in the
community, and yea "up" the profile of mormon missionaries ... and let me tell
you that is the last time I will ever attend another church haha. Throughout my
mission I always thought it would be interesting to attend different churches
just to see what is like to be nosey I guess. haha and well let me just tell you
this Baptist Black church was just like the movies depict it to be.
Like hahah everyone shows up in their flashy outfits bit fancy hats
the ladies wear, and the church is just bumping with music. There was drums,
electric guitar, and as the pastor was saying the opening prayer the drummer was
drumming and banging the drums as he was like screaming "oh and Lord LOrd lord
and LORD and lord" and everyone would yell "thank you Jesus" and get up and
dance, haha us 4 missionaries were the only white ones there and we all just sat
there stunned. We definitely stood out haha so we ended up leaving and I just
looked at Sister Howell and was like never again. It was quite nice to go to our
church service after and see the worship the way Heavenly Father would like us
to. I believe they are confusing emotions with the Holy Ghost. It was
interesting it reminds of of the great and spacious building in Lehi's
dream.
That whole experience though made me think of "Not
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" Matt
7:21
But yea I learned from that experience that attending
different churches for me is like playing with fire, I know the truth, why be
curious about anything else, take the church and just run with it. So yes I love
the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and I just know it is true
:)
I am working on giving my full heart and mind to
Christ and His work, I am working on improving in Charity, increase of Charity
leads to increase of desire to share the gospel. I find as I come to the end of
my mission satans temptation is strong to have me doubt myself and question if I
have served fully giving my whole heart and mind. I know I have and I know I
have many mistakes made but that is all for our growth and
learning.
We had an amazing ward picnic this week, Debbie was
able to come and a family was able to invite a former investigator of ours to
come. It was a combined picnic with the Dartmouth ward. The ward mission leader
Brother Hudson and his wife were able to come from the Kentville ward and him
and I were able to reminisce on good ole' Kentville days. We
talked about the Recent Converts there and it was assuring to hear they are all
doing well! He also informed me that a guy who Sister Aslett and I found in
Wolfville ended up getting baptised a couple weeks ago which was so exciting to
hear!! There is great joy doing the Lords work, and I just love serving others.
As I express the same type of love Heavenly Father feels towards His children,
that is the best kind of way to grow closer to Him!
A LA couple the Thompson's we have been working with
the elders and the ward ended up coming to church this week for the first time
in a year!! It was amazing! His wife has MS and is in a wheel
chair!
This work is amazing I love the gospel of Jesus
Christ!
I love you all and have a great
week!
Love,
Sister Pizzey
xoxo.
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