June 23, 2014

Hello Good morning to you on the West side of Canada!

Things here are going nice and summery :) the sun is shining and it is a great day to be doing the work of the Lord!!

Well this week has been great.

this is my letter to President can give you a understanding of my week last week!  (Paige writes to her mission president each week in the areas of self, area & companion).  I thought I would include self ...
Self: This week has been quite amazing. I feel there has been alot of growing. I find it amazing how much we turn to the Lord when we are pushed outside our comfort zone; it compels us to get down on our knees and rely on the Lord so much more than what we were doing before. That is exactly what this week has been. Going from serving with you best friend someone you can basically read one another's mind to serving with Sister Echols has been an adjustment but something I am really grateful for. It has pushed me to be so much more focussed on the work, this week I have been able to receive alot of revelation and faith in my heart and in my actions it has been amazing. I know that we have seen many blessings because we have relied on the Lord in every way. This past week has been amazing I have just felt so close to the Savior I experienced a feeling of so much trust in Him, that He is aware and in control of the work here and as we are faith-filled we will see success. I have seen satan put thoughts of doubt, fears and worries in my mind that are really all a resort of "inward" thinking this past week. It has been interesting to catch myself in that cycle and jump right out of it because inward thinking is just a downward spiral. I feel one essential part of becoming a successful missionary is thinking outward, when we think outward our fears don't with hold us from seeing miracles, and we see the light instead of the darkness, thinking outward you just don't see darkness you only see the good and your just happy doing the work of the Lord. Outward thinking is so key to having the spirit and guide me in this work! This week I desire to setting aside time to have meaningful scripture study so I can teach with simplicity with power and authority through the scriptures.

So that has been my week! I have been able to grind down and focus and work my heart out! I have been getting up everyday at 6 AM and studying hard, I write in my journal then work out quite hard I have moved up alot in my exercises I was at 3B+ the chart for 5 BX and now I have moved up to chart 4.

This week i have felt so close to Heavenly Father it is amazing, I have received so much clear clear revelation.

Revelation just like I will be praying the first night with Sis Echols and just receive answers that are so clear one of them being;

1) be of good cheer

2) the future is as bright as your faith

two other ones as well i just have no time to write, I am just working on being optimistic, and being humble, willing to learn from SisE because I have a lot to learn from her.

We started teaching a great lady named Debbie, she is wonderful. We found her in such a crazy unique way, Sis E met her once when she served here last fall.  She was quite sick and could never meet with them.  Then we ended up teaching her this week, when she was healthier. She wants to be baptised July 12th, we will be moving that date back but she is so prepared!

Faith precedes all miracles!

We bike, we talk to everyone and we are being blessed as we are doing the Lords work.

I am learning so much. I love my mission. I desire to just give everything to the Lord and completely forget myself. These lessons I am learning are going to last me eternity.

I am going to Newfoundland tomorrow with Elder Evanson for the day.  We leave at 5 AM, tomorrow 3 elders are coming to pick me up from our apartment and sis Starkie and Sis Turner are staying here.  It will be weird to be with 3 elders and myself, I will be awkward but I am excited to learn and also share the things I know. Matt and Erica left yesterday to Newfoundland, they are living in a town called Clarenville, where actually a couple from Utah live.  We are probably going to continue to teach them over skype, and Matt met with President Leavitt Sat morning.  President said it was a great meeting!

Matt wrote me a nice note of his testimony it was amazing.  He said that they knew God sent me to them to bring them into this truth. My heart is so full for the experiences I am having with these amazing people out here, I knew I was called here for many reasons but one of them being to teach the Whalen's. They are convinced I am will be called to NFLD haha. 
Transfer letters are this Sunday, I don't have a clue what is happening. I have been a STL for 6 transfers, I could stay one or stay here I don't know! haha I am excited and am happy to be where ever the Lord needs me!

I will be serving in Truro this Sat with the sisters, just myself will be there on a trio with them. It will be great! I love the sister I serve and I love serving them and filling their ears with the knowledge and excitement I have for this work!

Missionary work changes lives on all ends!
I love this gospel and I desire to serve in it my whole life!!

I love you all, have a great week

And mom and dad for your 3rd hour just focus on the basics, there is no silver bullet to temple worthiness.  Just simple consistency with children, read together in the family, pray together, priesthood fathers blessings, fhe "seek ye first the kingdom of God and all things will be given to you".  In these last days we must do the basic Sunday school answers, read pray for meals morning and night, service, church attendance. Find talks that talk about that, but i think today the biggest thing in home and families is being 100% open with one another. I feel our home growing up we were very transparent and open with one another. I have seen that because in my companionships it is very open to be with all my companions where some struggle with it because they aren't use to talking open with people. But i was raised differently :)
LOVe you!
Sister Pizzey

June 16, 2014 (pics)

Eye infection, suffers for three weeks ... Medicine is helping now!

Paige and Sis. Starkie, friends forever!

Sis Hoy - Missionary from home (Edmonton)

Pretty girls!

 Bulletin Board at church, spotlight those great missionaries!!

What a beautiful place!!

June 16, 2014

So I have some sad and very exciting news to share with ya'll today! 

 

But first I am going to begin with answering questions!

I am happy you all liked the video and wow was that alot of work! It was my idea, Sis Keeler and I organized it all. It is of the sisters serving in the Metro. They aren't in our district, they are across the harbour from us. Sis K and I are in a district of all elders no sisters. Sister Starkie I have served around my whole mission, she came out a transfer after me and served on PEI with me in the same district.  Sister Starkie & Turner are STL's for the other zone in Nova Scotia. Elder Bodine is one of the office elders; he actually came out with us. So we came up with the idea; we took all the footage, organized the "vision" of what we wanted the video to look like, the questions to be asked for the video footage, and then we thought we could trust Elder Bodine with the rest to edit it and put everything together... we were wrong with that haha. He created the video in a day so Thursday after our exchange sister Keeler and I headed over to go take a look at it and WOW It was just not at all what we expected it to be like and had no gospel message to it or nothing about our purpose as missionaries and nothing about the story of Enos it was like a video of 6 YSA girls who love there dads not at all about 6 dignified sister missionaries who have come closer to God through their fathers and are bringing others closer to God. So we decided to take things into our control.  Sis K and I wrote out on paper all the clips and the timing and sat down with him and micro managed it all, told him to stop go back erase, add in so on and so forth. Finally Sat morning the video was completed but it really was a miracle in the timing that we completed it and how well it all tied into one another and worked out! Many times I would just say well lets just stop and pray, elder Bodine would just roll his eyes, but Sis Keeler and I relied on the spirit and well Heavenly Father blessed us with a video like the one we made, it truly was a miracle! But it was well worth the work because over 5000 people have viewed it over facebook!! President and Sister Leavitt love it!

So here is the good and bad news, I will give the bad first and save the best for last;

Sister Keeler is getting transferred to St John, New Brunswick today, we are driving at 11 AM today to Moncton, Newbrunswick where we are meeting our new companions and then me and my new comp. Sister Echolls will arrive back here at 5 PM.  We got a call Saturday night and we were just like what?! the assistants were just like "yes we are sorry President just called us and were splitting up the dream team" It still seems quite surreal - I mean we were expecting it to be at the end of this transfer for sure, but it is a mid transfer change, well actually more so like an emergency transfer. 

President and Sister Leavitt attended our ward yesterday after sacrament we met with them both and they were able to explain why.  Sister Wilkinson and Sister Echolls are the sister training leaders in one of the Newbrunswick zones but have had some issues ... but I am excited and I know this is a blessing I am going to learn lots and I am excited to do what I can to help out. Sister Echool’s actually has already served here for 4 transfers she was the sisters that were here before they closed it down. I am just so greatful for the time I have had to serve with Sis Keeler, words can not describe the things I have learnt and the wonderful experiences we have had. It is time for us to both grow and learn and I feel great things are instore for Sister Echoll's and I.  It will probably be a temporary 3 week thing till the end of this transfer then she may go back to being a normal missionary somewhere else. But who knows I have hopes we will love serving with one another that we will tare it up and that we will be kept together! 

 

ALSO!!! One of the assistants just called me and told me that next week they are having mission leadership training and for this one it would normally be where we all leaders mission wide would be in person here in Dartmouth.  President Leavitt has decided to be changing things up where all the leaders in Newfoundland and Newbrunswick are gathered in one location in each province and will be skyping into to Dartmouth where all the Nova Scotia missionaries will be, BUT to make things exciting me and Elder Evanson (he is one of the assistants) will be attending the training in Newfoundland!!! like what?!?! This is crazy! So Elder Layton the other assistant is going to Newbrunswick, I am not sure who he is going with, and Elder Evanson and I will be flying early next Tuesday morning and attending the Newfoundland training haha like why me?! I don't know, but I will take it!! They don't know how long we are staying yet but it may be a couple days so we can go on exchanges there... so I would go on exchange with the sisters obviously and he would exchange the elders. I can't wait!! Such a blessing! Although it will be weird being with an elder one on one travelling on a plane.... hopefully our seats are separate haha and or I will be way awkward. 

 

Also there are no sisters serving in the Dartmouth ward, the Dartmouth ward shares the building with the Cole Harbour ward, I was talking with the Bishop of that ward after church and we are currently teaching a LA and her daughter, we are preparing her daughter to be baptised in the Dartmouth ward. He was expressing he would love to have sisters in the ward how they have much work for the sisters to do, so we may be covering both Cole Harbour and Dartmouth ward (yea Utah missionary style!) So we are just waiting to hear back from President Leavitt but I would love that, we already know that ward quite well and bring some of the YW with us in the Dmouth ward!

 

Its been a great week, I had an exchange where Sis Hughes from Sydney came here and Sis K was in Sydney with Sis Christianson. It was a great exchange, we Biked everywhere and I was able to train Sis Hughes in a few areas as she is a new missionary.

We had a general authority tour the mission, Elder and Sister Snow it was great we had zone conference and we learnt so much.

I am so grateful for President and Sister Leavitt, they have changed my life. President Leavitt is just so smart and on top of everything! Everything the general authority trained us on President Leavitt was already there, guiding us in that right direction. It is amazing to see how the Spirit works because when we are on  the right track we are doing what the prophet would have us do, or a general authority would have us do, or or mission president and mission leaders would have us do because the spirit will inspire us to do because this is the Lords work, we are all the Lords hands and the spirit will inspire us all in the same direction to be instruments in the Lords hands. 

Elder Snow was like "missionaries should talk to 100 ppl a week " it was funny because President Leavitt was like "in this mission we talk to 215 ppl a week" haha it was great but we really are!! All of us talking to over 200 ppl a week! There are going to be a harvest of souls ready I feel and know it I have faith! And I feel much is in-store for Sis Echoll's and I as we serve together in this area!

 

I love you all!

Love,

Sister Pizzey

 

 

 

June 9, 2014

So I have like 37 minutes. and I just don't really have the energy to write a long email haha.
I was going to send a lot of pictures today but it doesn't seem to be working on these computers for some reason!

Well it was a great week anyway though and we had two exchanges, the first one I was with Sister Jarvis in New Glasgow. I just love the sisters in New Glasgow! So humble and ready to learn! We exchanged Monday evening so last money we left Cole Harbour at 3:30 PM and met halfway so we could get back in time to end our preparation day and get the week started!

That evening we had a dinner appointment we had a great member visit; where we shared, pray, look, speak & invite. We asked for referrals and they didn't know anyone but they kind of hesitantly suggested "well go see our neighbours their some what new here and we don't see them too often but your welcome to give them a try." So we were like OKAY lets do it! So we went and knocked on their door, they opened it and asked us to go around to the side door because they don't really use the front door.  We go see them and they are a great younger couple that are dating, and just had a baby.  The dad wasn't interested but after having a good real  genuine convo Crystal the mom was like here take care of our son and I want to learn.  So we went and sat on their beautiful porch.  We went through her religious background and our expectations, we taught the restoration and BOOM we committed her to be baptised for July 12th! It was such a blessing!! Those sisters hadn't picked up a gator for weeks it was nice to just show Sis Jarvis all the steps faith, warm genuine conversation, teaching to needs and boldly inviting! We were both so excited! Afterwards we ran over to the members home who live next door and told them what had happened I mentioned ... I was able to attend their "relief society district" that consists of 6 sisters and 1 set of elders which is elder Davidson (Maryns bro) he is the district leader and his companion who is still relatively new. It was honestly the BEST district training I had ever been too , Elder D just pulled it out he is a great District Leader. We love working with him, Sis K and I, as we have to communicate quite closely with him to train the sisters.  We are just on par with one another and he is very unique and had some of the best group role-plays I've ever had on my mission.

We got real nice and burnt the next day as we were out contacting all day long.  We were able to invite many people to learn and pick up a few great potentials, one whose sister has been a member for 25 years!

Wednesday we had a great activity with the youth! We had a "mini MTC" the YM president took my call letter and he changed it and he literally sent out "call letters" to all the youth assigning them to their mini mission, it was so real! We actually had one mom call us and asked why her daughter got a letter from the prophet to serve a mission for June 4th haha it was great! So they all came in, each youth at their name tag and were assigned companions, the elders worked out a fun skit of the morning wakeup, wake up, pray, workout, eat, studies on time, it was fun! Then Sis K and I did a training, we ended up doing one of the group role-plays from Elder Davidson's district training it was wonderful! Then we had a real live "TRC training" we mimic the first night of the MTC where all the new missionaries go in a room and teach as a group to a "investigator" who has a legit set up like a couch, mini living room.  We got a chinese recent convert who is hilarious to come and be a the "fake investigator", the the youth had no idea though. I told them that we just met him a couple weeks ago and that his dad died a year ago... haha they all were quite nervous. But it was very spiritual seeing all the youth one by one stand up and teach to Ryan and testify and answer his questions, it was very spiritual to see the future missionaries in the room. ahhh I just LOVE IT! I am so grateful for the experiences and to know what the MTC is like and to have that experience as well! This is the best time of my life!

On Thursday, Sis Fenn, a brand new missioanry who just came out, I was on a exchange with in Cole Harbour and it was great we talked to 40 ppl that day, it was hard for her.  We just worked out hearts away and biked for 3 hours, it was fantastic I LOVE it! Sacrifice truly brings forth the blessings of heaven because we picked up two new investigators that day! One of whom has friends and family that her and her husband both have that are members! I feel great about her!  Sis K and I may be heading on another visit in couple weeks to their area to get things in to shape and help and serve them!

Yesterday all four of us missionaries bore our testimony it was great! I am really enjoying serving with the elders in this ward, we are working together in awakening the ward to take part in this work ...  I bore my testimony about my love for the Book of Mormon I just LOVE it!! I am reading in Mosiah right now, yesterday my favorite scrip. of the day was Mosiah 1:3-7.  I just realized how when king Benjamin is talking about the plates and how they would be dwindling in unbelief and that is the EXACT same for us without the Book of Mormon we would be dwindling in unbelief.  love the scriptures and I love feasting on the words of Christ. I know the Book of Mormon is inspired words from God for these last days to inspire us in ways we can become better and increase our faith, it anchors us with eternal truths in this world of changing values!!

My fav scripture of the day today is Mosiah 2:9 we need a heart  to feel, ears to hear, eyes to see and feet to follow.  I encourage all at home to soften their heart to the teachings of Christ to not harden yourself away from change. Soften your heart and take part in missionary work!

Here is a amazing message Pam wrote on the relief society page on face book today;
"I would just like to say how grateful I am to have the Gospel and the great people I have met through the Church of Latter Day Saints in my life. Today, like most other Sundays, I almost feel like what is discussed in church and even peoples testimonies have been tailored to fit me. I know everyone, or at least most feel this way and one of our brothers had even mentioned this in his testimony today. I just feel so much better after being at church too. Today I came in and was asked in Gospel Principles about how I was and the move was going and I started tearing up because I felt so stressed and frustrated about it and the Sister Savannah Webber came in and told us the exciting plans of her and Brother Brandon Webber getting married in the San Diego temple. My happiness for her just wiped away any negativity I was feeling and it just lifted my spirit to know a fellow Sister and Brother are to be sealed in a temple and I am so grateful for her sharing this with us. I love you all and can't believe how I've become so attached to the church and everyone in it. But this would only make sense because this is the true church of God. I just keep having so many wonderful things happen that make my testimony stronger. Also, I need to say I am grateful for Sister Stephanie French coming into my life. She usually drives me and my children to church and I often get a few lessons on our drives as we often discuss things and she gives me advice and teaches me or reassures me with whatever is going on in my life. Being a new member there are still things that I need clarified a little more, and new member or not, everyday is a learning process and we will always be constantly learning and growing closer Our Heavenly Father. I am grateful to all my Sisters and Brothers for getting me this far and keeping me going. And I am especially grateful to the Sister Missionaries who took me under their wing and helped me learn what I needed to to get baptised and receive the Holy Ghost. I am just truly grateful and believe God has a plan for everyone and that He will present things at the right time in our life and it couldn't be any more of a right time to convert as it was now. And I say all these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."

It is amazing I love her so much!

The Lord is good to me and all of you God loves you all very much!

I love you!
Love,
sister Pizzey
xox.

June 2, 2014 - A WEEK OF MIRACLES aka: DOING THE LORDS WORK!

 

Well this week has been absolutely un real!! So let me begin...

Well I am just going to begin with telling you day by day what has happened!!

So last Saturday (not this past Saturday, like last last Saturday) I had a dream... I literally had a dream where sis Keeler and I were teaching this family that I didn't know; we were in a teaching situation and it was a family of 4, all that stood out to me really was that the man said, " I have never read the Book of Mormon before."  So I woke up with a strong desire to figure out how we are going to find real growth, because really for our efforts we have talked to over 200 ppl and had found no one.  Looking back at that day was quite interesting because when I woke up Sunday it was crystal clear to me what we needed to do - Instantly that morning I looked at sister K and was like we need to work with the ward, we need to go through the ward list and determine LA's and ppl we don't know and find people through them... I just had a fire and drive and it was just like a knowledge I knew that it was through the ward that we will see growth in this area. So we went to the church, before church and printed off a brand new ward list as our other one was few months old. I just went through marking ticks on it of LA's and so forth, so after church that day we had already set up two appointments with two different ward leaders to come sit down with them and figure out whose who and get the members involved.  We got the elders involved that night; at 8 PM we all were at Pres Kidd's house and went through the first page of the ward list.  We made plans and goals for ppl, sisters and elders who to go contact.  So now fast forward a day and this brings us to Monday of this past week... so at 8PM a lesson fell through, our back up was to go contact "Lillian Curnock".  We go and contact her and it turns out she is a 14 yr old who was baptised at 8 but her parents weren't, they were living common law.  So we knock on their door and end up picking up the whole fam jam, they are a great family and very open!!. Olivia is 11 Lillian is 14 and the parents!! So we have our second appointment set up for Sunday (yesterday). So BOOM just like that it was pretty great to see immediate results from that prompting we recieved and acted on that previous day.  So now I am going to fast forward to yesterday at 8PM and I am going to tell you about our second lesson with them last night.  So we show up the whole family comes and sits down, we begin teaching but it is pretty dry... the daughters are silent and just wasn't going really anywhere... we get to know Mike the father, he is a retired military went over seas and has seen some pretty horrible things.  He is pretty agnostic to whether or not there is a God but it is very clear he is dealing with alot of pain.  Lynn the mother is quite open, knows church is true has couple concerns, nothing huge that can't be resolved through some diligent prayer and scripture study.  So Sis K and I were teaching the first lesson, restoration, not going anywhere. Sis K felted prompted to begin asking Mike more questions the spirit was present as she changed that approach in the teaching, and then I asked Mike about the Book of Mormon then ... he said "I have never read the Book of Mormon before" and in that moment as crazy as it sounds my heart just stopped and words can't really describe but in my heart and mind it suddenly just clicked that this was the exact situation I had dreamed about a week ago. It was so surreal but instantly Sis K and I both were on the same page with the direction we took the lesson all towards Mikes needs and testifying strongly and boldly of Christ and how you can know that yes Christ does in fact live. It was amazing. After the lesson I asked Sister Keeler how she felt and she expressed the same feelings the lesson was going no where and then all the sudden she felt so strongly to just focus on Mike and ask questions, and that she still feels very strongly we are there for Mike.  I too agreed and explained the experience for me with the dream... I said "sister K do you remember the dream when Mike said he had never read the Book of Mormon it was so crystal clear to me that that dream was exactly like that moment." I know this probably sounds crazy... I hadn't written this down in my journal yet because we have no time and I wasn't going to share this but I want it documented haha and I know it was true and happened. It is the exact same feeling and remembrance I have with the dream I had with grandpa just crystal clear and something I won't forget. It was so interesting being in the lesson and in that moment then tying the pieces together and realizing that yes the other 3 ppl were Lynn and her daughter and that Mike was the man that we were teaching, the teaching situation was the exact same. It is crazy but its true and I don't know why were are teaching Mike but i know we are teaching him because God wants us to be teaching him for a reason and that as we continue to teach this family we will find out. We committed them as a family to read the Book of Mormon daily and to attend church. I hope this makes sense it was a very spiritual experience in the lesson and connecting the dots to realize this all in the moment of the lesson and afterwards talking about it with Sister K.

 

Wowee it has been great week we picked up 6 new investigators and we had an amazing visit in New Glasgow with the New Glasgow "East" sisters.  This transfer president took the elders out of that area and put sisters so now there are 4 sisters in New Glasgow!! Sister Burton is now in Charlottetown PEI with sister Thompson, so we have 3 new sisters in NG pretty well white washed the whole area. We had an amazing meeting with bishop yesterday as well and we are completely 100% on par with the elders in the Cole Harbour ward it has been a long way coming but now we are unified and working hand in hand with one another and strengthening the ward and making changes!! So yesterday our dinner apt fell through and we were like no way lets knock instead of eat!! So we went knocking and boom in that hour of sacrificing dinner, we find a new investigator, we found (new investigator) who is 23... She has been thinking about just walking into a church because she is caring alot of burdens of guilt and shame from her past, she is confused and believes there is a god but has alot of questions.  We taught her right then and there, we had a very powerful lesson of reading in the Bible and Book of Mormon, it was amazing.  We talked about baptism and we showed her the Because Of Him easter video and she cried, we prayed with one another and committed her to be baptised June 28th! she said YES!!  We left her with a Book of Mormon and left her with some great chapters to read about repentance atonement and faith Alma 36, Alma 7 and Alma 32!!  God has people for us to teach!!

We had an interesting lesson where we picked up two new investigators Debbie and Char they had a baptist friend who was continually anti and being very disrespectful, it was nice to "turn the other cheek" and be Christlike, but boldly plainly share what is true. We still picked them Debbie and Char up as new investigators and will be teaching them this Sunday... Debbie actually called us the next day and apologized for her friends ridiculous behaviour.

 

ALSO we were biking through a parking lot and I was on my bike and I saw a big black guy smoking a cigarette against a car with his hood up.  Sis K was already talking to a family and I saw him and biked past because I totally judged him, then I stopped whipped around and was like "what am i doing?!" in my mind... and I came back up to him and we had a GREAT conversation.  He noticed how I biked a circle around him and came back he asked why hahaha I was just like "well Miko I had to pray about it and see if God needed me to talk to you and guess what I do!" haha in a joking way he laughed, we built a great relationship... and then Adele his common law gf walked out of sobeys and came in the car and he was like "yo sweety do you want to be mormon she is asking us to be Mormon" well it turns our Adele is actually President and Sister leavitt's hairstylist!! BOOYAH! So we had a great old conversation and Adele is actually like Erica... we got along great, we bonded on hair and the gospel!! She loved us! She asked Q's about tithing, WOW marriage and I just boldly plainly told her the truth like yes we pay 10% and yes you would have to be married because that is the way God has asked us to and she just took it and we taught her the next day... she is great and I have faith she and her family will be baptised she has two little kids!!

 

We saw miracles all through the Lords plan. This is His work and no unhallowed hand will stop the work from progressing, faith precedes all miracles. I love talking to people, being warm, genuine and friendly is the key to missionary work, if it weren't for that I know we wouldn't be teaching half of these elect great prepared people we have began teaching this week. I love this gospel I love telling everyone I meet that "god loves you and that your a son or a daughter of god!" Every person I meet no matter how rude they are I will look them in the eye and say "well I know that God loves you and that your are a son of god" like what can anyone say to that?! and I know they knew this in the pre existence and that these words are familiar to them! :)

 

In stake conference the stake president announced how he has a vision of two stakes in NS and how all the wards need to have 250 active attendance and all the branches to have 150 active attendance.  That is a huge stretch and I have faith miracles will be happening here on this Eastern Land!!

We had a great meeting with Bishop and his counsellor yesterday.  It is amazing to see the changes in this ward from Jan till now it is unreal! The bishop asked us to help him with their vision.  We as missionaries were just testifying and sharing ideas, the spirit was very powerful we are on the same page with one another and at the end of the meeting his counsellor teared up and said "I feel a big sense of repentance... I use to know and have this knowledge and desire of this work like you do (speaking to us) and I know i must change.  It was amazing to me to see how humble that was of the Bishop and his counsellor but as well how easy it is to forget the things we see on our mission and the fire we have because life is busy and time is very little.  They both came to see that it is all about simply sacrificing our time for the Lord and building His kingdom up.

It is a great day to be a missionary. I love this work.  I am currently reading in Jacob and WOW he is right up my alley with how to be a bold missionary!! Jacob is such an example of understanding his duty and purpose, I know this is the Lords work.  I know these are the last days, we are the Lords hands, lets put ourselves to work D&C 34:4-8 - D&C 33:2-4

I love you all !!

xoxo

Sister Pizzey

I hope my letter made sense!

May 26, 2014 - A week of Gethsemane

Oh boy oh boy this week was a refiners fire...
I don't have much time to write this week but there has been much learnt this week!

It has been a hard week, it was very weird logging on to facebook ... It was probably one of the hardest weeks on my mission just a lot of mixed emotions but all is well in Zion and I am grateful for this week because I feel I have grown a lot from it.

This letter to President describes my week perfectly:
"Self: This week I feel was a refiners fire, there was a lot of emotions I have been facing this week, but looking back on it all I am grateful for these experiences because it led me to have some profound spiritual experiences personally and with my companion. It was quite difficult for me to log on to my old facebook, it brought up a lot of memories and feelings from my past that led to a lot of anxious feelings, guilt, and thoughts that just were not centred on my mission-it really was driving me nuts.. I don't really know how to describe to you in a brief letter the effect that had on me but Sister Keeler is a great companion and was there to help me along. I know it is inspired that we are serving with one another at this time because she helped me through a really hard point in my mission this week. Being able to literally delete the past life on my facebook helped me take one further step away from who I was and truly step into my new self my mission has created me into, it is amazing to look back and see how much I have changed and I know I have much to continue to change- missions are the greatest.  This week I have felt an over whelming appreciation to have the blessing and privilege to be serving a mission with such amazing missionaries & members around and because of their examples I have been completely changed. I stand all amazed and my heart and so full to be here. I have come to see that as representatives of Jesus Christ we will experience our own "Gethsemane" in a way, we will feel pain and sorrow for those we love when they choose to fall short of following the Savior in their life, as I was praying this week pleading to Heavenly Father for strength and help I had the words of Jesus Christ come in to my mind- "Father let this bitter cup pass from me, not my will but thy will be done." I realized then and there that I signed up to be a missionary; to represent Him and that these feelings of pain and sorrow we experience is nothing compared to what the Savior feels for our mistakes. Although I don't understand why we must go through certain struggles I do know that it will be but a small moment and for our good."

This week we saw blessings but as well we have grown through the stress of finding new investigators, understanding how to work with the ward, being more unified with the members in the Cole Harbour ward. We talked to 274 people this week, talked to everyone, we found one new investigator who dropped us.  She was great but due to a family situation, she made a decision to not learn further.

We have been re-evaluating this week and I just feel so strongly that we need to changed our efforts. We are going to make a huge focus on strengthening the ward, sifting through LA's.  I feel very inspired that we will teach through the ward, and through LA's we are going to change our efforts.  We have seen success in many ways in our approaches prior to now, but we feel everything has led to this point now.  I am grateful for what we have come to recognize we are quite unified with the elders and district now and the attitude in the missionaries has changed immensely in this zone. Sis Keeler and I are the only companionship that stayed the same this transfer, there is much to look forward to and little time to waste. We have many appointments we set up with members this week to strengthen them, inspire, as well lessons with the auxiliaries to go through the ward list so we can find the lost sheep.  I have come to see in this area that success is not measured by baptisms is it measured by our commitment to find teach and baptise.

We had a sad moment this week where we stopped by Sister ... (LA who has been preparing for the temple). She had a set back due to depression, instantly when we walked in I knew what was wrong.  Sis Keeler soon realized as well. There has been a huge rush of emotions in my mind this week as we have been teaching people and talking to Gods children. I am so grateful to be a missionary, to be sharing with others that the atonement is real that repentance and salvation is real. I am just so blessed to be serving here, my mission has given me 10 fold what I have put in.

I am a completely different person from who I was a year, 2 years ago and of course 3 yrs ago. I continue to change and give my heart to Christ everyday because I know; as 3Nephi 15:9 says "Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live." We truly live and are free when we come unto Christ.

I am so grateful to be here. I am so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ. I received a priesthood blessing this week, so did Sister Keeler it was amazing, such a profound spiritual experience. It was exactly what I needed to hear from my Heavenly Father. It said that "Heavenly Father ripped me out of the world so I can show to others that repentance and salvation is real and that this is my duty" there was many other amazing things, "to stand myself up and dust myself off" many many amazing things were said which were exactly what I needed to hear. I wish i could express to you in words the things I have learnt this week, but it will have to wait till when we see one another in person.

I don’t know if what I am expressing to you makes any sense, but I hope it does.  We did much great work but I appreciated going through these personal trials at this time on my mission with Sister Keeler.

We have many new sisters in the zone, we are STL's for 8 sisters and they are all amazing!! SO great they all are solid just willing to work hard, it is quite nice to see!

I love you all,

and don't worry I am doing great still loving the work!!

Love,
Sister Pizzey