July 21, 2014

Boy oh boy oh boy it has been an hectic interesting week, I have had 3 different companions this week, and including Sister Echols that would make 4.

So where to begin? Well!! Lets just begin with the update I have to share then I will just begin with describing this week day by day.  There has been many lessons I have learnt lessons that will last me a life time. Sister Echols is being transferred to Yarmouth which is 4 hours away, she will be serving with Sister Lee who actually came out with me, they will be finishing their missions together Sister Echols will have 1 more transfer after we go home.  We are leaving at 1:30 PM today, driving 2 hours then I am picking up Sis Mangleson who is serving with Sister Lee bringing her back here then at 5:30 PM we are heading to the airport and I am dropping her off, then at 6:20 PM my new companion Sister Howell is arriving!! She has been out for 4 transfers and I will be training her to be a new Sister Training Leader. She is great!! I met her in Newfoundland the day I went there for a day, we actually showed up to the training wearing the same shirt :) haha, she is 22 from Utah, is a nutrition expert so basically I am just going to eat everything she eats and lose some LBs :) and as well work hard!!

Poor sister she is going to be thrown into the deep end this week ... she arrives here tonight, we go work, then we are leaving early tomorrow morning driving a hour to attend a District Training in the "relief society" district where Elder Davidson is the district leader for a district with just 6 sisters.  He has asked us to give a training for 30 minutes, then afterwards Sister Howell wll be going to New Glasgow I will be coming back with Sister Jarvis for a day exchange, then on Wednesday we are meeting back in Truro switching companions, and Sister Howell will come back to Cole Harbour with Sister Taylor and I will be staying in Truro for another exchange with Sister Fenn, then by thursday night we shall be back in our area together to work with one another!! haha. It will be a hectic week, but I know the Lords work will go forward and that this week will be a week where we will rely on the spirit and see many miracles by doing so!

So most likely I feel I will be ending my mission in Cole Harbour with Sister Howell. And if that is the case, when Emily (Sister Lambert) gets here on the 23rd we will be the STL's that will take her and her crew of sisters out street contacting the Wednesday after they get here! So i would forsure get to see her and a  high chance we would be able to go out on the downtown streets of Halifax and street contact our lives away!! I would be more than happy to stay serving in Cole Harbour, miracles are happening here and I just love this ward so much!!

 

Here is my letter to President Leavitt this week;

 

We have seen many amazing blessings this week, on Monday I was serving with Sis Mahoney, her visa ended up showing up on Wednesday so she hopped on a quick flight on Thursday to Salt Lake City so she could join in on her original report date soon enough. It was fun serving with her. We had 8 member visits this week with the ward and they were amazing!! Such a amazing spirit in the work of salvation when members and missionaries serve and work with one another!! I feel such a strong love for those in the Cole Harbour ward, we showed up at a families house in the midst of a fight and we were able to come share our testimonies of how much missionary work has changed our lives, we invited them to PRAY, LOOK, SPEAK, and INVITE and then we invited their daughter to come out with us knock for 2 hours.  She said yes, we came back half hour later and took Zion out (the daughters name) working was such a strong spirit and I know we left such an amazing spirit in their home. As we were leaving the parents said this was so inspired, Zion needs this and we were all in the middle of a fight and we really needed the spirit in our home. Zion actually was speaking in church this Sunday and she was able to bear her testimony of missionary work and share her experience she had with us!!

Working with members this week really reminded me of a story in the Book of Mormon; in Alma 3-4 when Alma the younger just got the church organized in the beginning of Alma, it is just after they how thousands died from fighting in war with the Lamanites and the Amilicites, after thousands were killed there began to be continual peace throughout the land among the members of the church. Eventually as usual though the pride cycle begins and some of the members began to forget their Lord Jesus Christ, their hearts got set on vain worldly goods, not on God and with that the spirit eventually began to decrease in their life which resulted to them not desiring to serve one another and doing what God has commanded. So Alma begins to recognize this change among the members and he goes out and decided to go meet with the members and this is what leads to Alma chapter 5 where alma lays the law down... but I was reading alma chapter 4 this morning and Alma 4: 19 "And this he did that he himself might go forth among his people, or among the people of Nephi (members of church), that he might preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty, and that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness and all the contentions which were among his people, seeing no way that he might reclaim them save it were in bearing down in pure testimony against them."

We also were able to meet with another family whose daughter is 16 she is on the fence about things.  We had lunch with them and as we were giving our message I stopped and asked the family if they could call Coceil down (the 16 yr old) so they did she came in and sat and we bore our sweet testimonies from the bottom of our hearts about our missions and the change it has made, we read a scripture looked up and invited her to come work with us this Tuesday afternoon for 2 hours, she said yes!! It was amazing the spirit was so strong! Afterwards we asked the family if there was anything we could do for them before we left and the mom with tears in her eyes said "no you already did it". I just love missionary work!! Missionary work is not for the missionaries and it is not just for us missionaries to reach out to non members, it is to bring ALL to Christ!!

We began teaching a LA Stephanie Kenny this week, she was baptised almost 2 year ago and fell away quite quickly after, she is 24 and we have met with her 3 times.  It is a miracle to be in contact with her, missionaries have not been able to see her in ages! We are going to be taking her out with us this week to work with us!

 

The day we came out with Zion at 8 PM we knocked on a door and BOOM got in and picked up a new investigator!

We have two members planned for this week in coming out and knocking with us! 

 

Thank you Jordan for your last email I really appreciated it. I thank you all for your example.

 

I bear my testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ, I know He lives, I know he love us and I know he is aware of us. He can heal us, He can strengthen us. The amazing part about missionary work is that Heavenly Father really does not NEED us to do it, they don't need us to bring their children to them, they really could send angels down and do it all on their own and it would be a whole lot better than what we ever could do. BUT it isn't that way because they want us to feel of the joy they have, they want us to experience the blessings they have. Missionary work is preparing us to become like God one day, to live with Him, in order to live with Him we must be like Him... And well, lets think about Gods purpose : "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" Moses1:39, so should be ours then!! God is not asking us to burden us He is calling us to bless us and prepare us for eternity!

He loves you I know He does, I love you.

I have come to see that we are so imperfect and that Heavenly Father is so patient and caring with us, I am learning on how I need to emulate this. The lessons I have learnt from serving with Sister Echols will benefit me for my whole life. I will be a different parent because of this time, I have learnt so much from my mistakes and weaknesses and I desire to love, allow others to use their agency haha and not be forceful. I love Christ's gospel- our Heavenly Fathers plan and I am just so grateful to be here!

I love you all and please read ALma 4-5as a family

Love,

Sister Pizzey <3

 

 

July 14, 2014

Hello!

First off I wanted to thank you all for the packages!! I LOVED them I have gotten many compliments on the dress and skirt and I just love that necklace it is so cute!!! Reminds me alot of the necklace Breanne gave me last year for my birthday. THANK YOU!!! As well I loved the package Breanne sent me and Grandma sent me a really nice card with money so thank you thank you thank you I love it and really appreciate it!!

 

So this week has been quite challenging... I am just learning so much and with the help of President and Sister Leavitt ... So it is a learning process and I am learning alot about not allowing others actions to effect my happiness, so continue to stay happy postive and loving, I am learning to be more patient and understanding and just having faith and hope. The assistants gave me a priesthood blessing and alot of re assuring words were said and I just have faith, hope and trust in this all!

But that being said there is a sister who is a member in Truro (a branch about 1.5hrs away) and she has a call to Salt Lake City Temple Square mission and her visa has yet to arrived. So she will be serving in our mission till her Visa arrives. President Leavitt has decided to have Sister Echols to spend 4 days/this week in the mission home where she can take the stress off of missionary work and rest and the sister from Truro will serve with me.  I can pretrain her for the MTC!!  So tonight after our lessons we are going to the mission home and I will be dropping Sister Echols off and picking up this sister! I am some what excited and feel it will be good for Sister Echols. Funny thing is when I went and visited Truro sisters for day in a half few weeks ago I went to this sisters farewell lunch in, so I have met her and her family as well and she seems great and just excited to be a missionary!!

So that is the plans for this week!

 

Serving in the Cole Harbour ward from January till now has been amazing!! It has been such a blessing to be serving here and see the change of the missionary fire in hearts of the members from the Bishop, to the ward council it is infectious! This ward was refiners fire and was known as "Cold Harbour" ward but it is amazing because I truly feel this ward is turning in to one of the BEST wards!! The new elders serving here are great. We are working together to just include the members in all that we do! The members hearts are softening and being more open to actually PRAYING, LOOKING SPEAKING AND INVITING!! The ward is now going to have activites once a month ... they as a ward council are going to reach out to LA's and INVITE!! This is literally miraculous!  We were able to plan with the ward council.  Certain fellowshippers from the ward that will be assigned to fellowship Debbie and attend all her lessons from now until her baptism next Saterday on July 26th!! it was great and I know and have faith things will continue to progress!

It is quite interesting when we read the scriptures the Book of Mormon daily, when we are magnifying our callings, doing the simply daily "seminary answers" the spirit will inspire us all to the same thing- and that right now is to take part in the work of salvation! To be a member missionary and to not be sleeping through the restoration! What a blessing the gifts of the Spirit are and we all have different gifts that can bless different people in our own unique ways and many people need us to serve them!! I love this gospel and I desire and will always have it go first in my life then everything else second. :)

 

But Debbie is going great! her baptism was announced on Sunday and she is excited, the ward is excited and so are we!!  We met with 5 members last week and are planning to meet with 7 members this week so we can strengthen, serve, bless and inpsire the ward! I love this ward and I have high hope and faith that great things are instore in this area to flourish.

This is the Lords work, no unhallowed hand will stop His work from progressing!!  I am a missionary called of God to do the Lords work; I know it, I love it and I live it!

 

I pray you all have a great week, and have an opportunity to serve someone in the ward, to reach out to one whose faith is weak, to ask the missionaries what you can to help them. We are here to work together to gather the lost sheep in preparation for the Lords coming. "It is the eleventh hour, and the last time that I shall call laborers into my vineyard." D&C 33:3  The time will soon pass when we will miss the opportunity to join in the harvest and thrust in our sickle with our might in our own individual unique God given ways. This is a great time to be a active member of Christs true Church on the earth today, there is no greater time than now, we must join in; the joy is oh so sweet!! Let us follow our Saviour Jesus Christ, all for the Glory of God.

"Dilligently doing things that matter the most will lead us to the Savior of the World."

 

I bear my testimony that these things are true, that God loves you and that I know the Book of Mormon is true. It gives us plain eternal truths. Put it to test, read it, pray, ponder and ask God if it is true. I promise you it is worth it!

 

I love you all.

Sister Pizzey

July 7, 2014 - Great Day ... My Birthday!!

I DELIGHT IN THE GOODNESS OF MY GOD!

Every day we recite OUR COMMISSION: ``I am called of God, my authority is above that of the kings of the earth. By revelation I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my master, and He has chosen me to represent Him. To stand in His place, to say and do what he himself would say and do if he personally were ministering to the very people to whom he has sent me. My voice is His voice, my acts are His acts, my commission is to do what He wants done, to say what He wants said. To be a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ in word and and in deed by the divinity of His great and marvellous work. How great is my calling!!``

And I just know that if two missionaries live our commission in their hearts, they are just bound to get along! I love it and our calling is SO GREAT! It is amazing and I love it. The gospel is such a blessing, how many people go through relationship problems, marriages that are disintegrating, and there is  a silver bullet from God to fix it all... it is The Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know it and I love it and it is for us all to feast upon! How great is this knowledge we have! I love bringing this to all of Gods children, because where would we be without it?! We would be no where!! ... we are indebted to Him".

This is a piece of my weekly letter to President Leavitt:

This week I learnt that it can be quite hard to recognize weaknesses but pride is the ultimate barrier that creates tension in any relationship. This week as been humbling and I am so grateful for all that I am learning. It is hard but I would not trade any of this because in the end it is amazing!!"

 

I have never had a companion like Sister Echols. She is interesting but I know the the Lord is in control in this work. And that I am learning things I am suppose to learn on my mission serving with her. I love her. And have been praying to see her in Christ's eyes. I am learning to be gracious, not to always be right, and learning to speak in a softer way so it uplifts her. I am learning on not allowing others moods to effect me. And I am learning and desire to become better to see the light not the darkness. See the glass half full not half empty.

I know I am serving with her to have her change me. So grow in many areas that I have deep with in me. We have seen miracles when I woke up Wednesday morning I woke up early and was studying, and I read the article about "Becoming perfect through Christ" in this months Ensign. It was exactly what I needed to hear. I recommend all to read it! I invited Sister Echols to read it, afterwards we both let our walls down respected one another and have been getting along great. She is happy and so am I. IT WAS A MIRACLE!! Truly a miracle an answer to my prayers and hers I am sure as well!! We have been loving it since.

 

This week we taught the Whalen's over skype, as well we began teaching Erica's mom Kim.  We put her on date for Aug 19. She has said that ever since we have been around her life has changed so much for the better ... She prays all the time, and desires to change her habits and is preparing to be baptised!! I just know I am here for this family!! I know it and we just connect I know I am still here in this area for her!

Debbie is great we are preparing her for July 26th to be baptised. She has already planned it out. We have all of our lessons scheduled with her from now until then. She wants someone to baptise her where it would be real special for them.  She said, " I want a priesthood holder to baptise me where it would be his first time, where it would be just as special for him as for me!" So Brandon Webber a Recent Convert from April will be!! She is so elect like how great is she!!!
Pam moved this week she moved home to Cape Breton, till August 1s then she will be moving to Calgary. So Mom and Dad you should go meet her when she moves!! The missionaries in the ward where her home town is said that she got up and bore a great testimony.  They said it is inspiring to see a RC that is so converted. She also got up in Relief Society as well and bore her testimony about the temple and how excited she is to live around a temple in Calgary... i just love her!!

We have 10 sisters in our zone this transfer, sister’s got put in Dartmouth again which is exciting!! A lot more visits and organizing sometimes there is so much time managing to do, we have a call every night of the week and sometimes I am just like"ahhh how do we do this all!?!" so much responsibility but then I remember that this is not our work its the Lords work. He is in control. He works through us imperfect people. His work will go forth boldly nobly and independent - no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing!! That me myself can not to do it, but I must fear not or doubt not, because for with God nothing shall be impossible! I must have faith and trust in Him and know that whatever He calls me to do I can do it, as I rely on the atonement of Christ!!

I love my companion and I am learning to allow charity to possess me, it is not something we possess, and there is no flash in the pan results of developing charity, it isn't something we just do, it is an attribute we must allow to possess us - charity is a state of being.

 

I love my mission I bear my testimony that this is Christ' church. I know he restored it through Joseph Smith. I love the Book of Mormon I know it is inspired scripture from our loving Father in Heaven. I get emotional about my love of the Book of Mormon, it has changed my life. Reading the Book of Mormon turns off my natural man. I hate my natural man, but I love who Christ's gospel turns me into.  I know we are all Gods children and we must put off all selfish things and serve Him, put Him first and we will be forever blessed. These things are true, we should have daily contact with the Book of Mormon. It is a blessing not a burden.

I love you all and I thank you for all you do, for you prayers, support and guidance. I attended the temple this week. Sister Starkie has been transferred away from serving around me, she and I have served around one another our whole mission I just have felt like we have been companions. We were able to sit down in the sealing room with one another and talk, we teared up about how grateful we are for one another, for the Leavitt's and all our mission friends. We have changed one another's lives. I know we were suppose to serve around one another. We are perfectly happy with giving up our pasts and embracing our friends that we are all just like "Sons of Mosiah" with one another.  This mission is a miracles in our lives and the lives we have taught!!
I have given up 18 months in exchange of a change of eternities- how great is our calling!!

"O Lord, I have trusted in thee and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh: -2Nephi 4:34

this has been one of the greatest things I have learnt <3

 

I love you all and I hope the magnitude of the spiritual experiences I have had this week makes sense in this letter because I love sharing these precious moments with you all!!

xoxox,

love,

Sister Pizzey

 

July 2, 2014 - Pics

The "Rock" Newfoundland

Dilated pupils after seeing eye specialist!  Hoping to a speedy recovery!

The Whalen's - A special family!

Father's Day Sisters!

 Some of the special people Paige has met!

Some of the wonderful Sister Missionaries Paige works with!

June 30, 2014

So this week has been quite a week of adventures!

This week I had a scare with my eyes ... I went to a doctor because my eyes went blood shot again and well the doctor told me I had a eye condition that would cause blindness.... yessuri that sure did cause a lot of stress. But luckily I was referred straight away to an eye specialist.  I went to see them this morning and after 2 hrs of eye testing, dilated pupils so my eyes are blurred, yellow drops in my eyes, so on and so forth I am good and do not have "uveitis". Woah that sure was a scare!

I am staying here in Cole Harbour, and I am staying with my companion and we are still Sister Training Leaders. Going on my 7th transfer, we are getting a new set of sisters in Dartmouth one of them being Sister Sanberg who was in the MTC with me, and Sister Olsen will be coming in our zone who also was in the MTC with me. They both just got released from being STL's and for the last two transfer will be returning to normal missionaries.

This week was a busy week, a lot of travelling, we were in our area for 3 days. So we were not able to go and do a whole lot of work in our area. Sister Echols is a singer and had to travel to New Brunswick for one last concert, she took the bus from Truro on Friday, and I was on a visit with the sisters in Truro from Friday till late Saturday night. Sister Echols and I did not get back in to our area till 1 AM Sunday morning so we are still quite exhausted today.

On Tuesday morning Elder Evanson and I took a 6:55 AM flight to Newfoundland that was so cool! Flying into the Newfoundland it looks like your literally just flying onto a huge rock in the middle of the ocean! By 7 PM Tuesday night we were back on a flight heading back to Halifax. Back in our areas by 9 PM.  It was a great trip, it was so nice to serve around some new blood and attend a training around missionaries that I have never served around! We had such a great group discussion about working with ward members, and how to work with ward leaders and Less Actives. I love all the missionaries on the rock; there is such a special spirit! We all felt the spirit and had a great time together. It was nice talking to the missionaries in Bay Roberts (which is the branch the Whalen's will go to) they are quite excited to begin teaching the Whalen's.

So I would like to talk about a couple things this week, one being my visit with the Truro sister; it was so awesome! I got there Friday evening, the sisters in Truro are struggling with finding success, and as well being motivated so there is always a lot of pressure and stress in my mind coming into the visit. Hoping things will work out, that I will be able to help them, and that we will see success, work well with one another and walk away being edified and inspired from one another. So we begin with knocking and we knock into this father.  We are talking to him for quite few minutes he is explaining how he doubts there is a God, how he use to be searching for truth a few years ago.  His friend walks to the door and they invite us to come to their back yard as they are having a BBQ with their girlfriends out back. So we all look at one another, the two sisters turn to me waiting for me to answer and I am just like "sure ! Why not!" so we go out back and sit down with the 4 of them. We end up blessing our BBQ food with them, and teaching to all 4 of them. It turns out 3 of the 4 of them have met with missionaries with in the last 3 years! We are just challenging and testifying left right and centre. They were all quite receptive. But the one man who originally answered the door was a bit argumentative. He just was quite logical and had a lot of things to dispute about the creation, Adam and Eve, we handled the situation in such a great way that it actually drew his one friend Pete in because we were just quite respectful and humble but as well boldly stating and teaching the truth by the spirit. So Pete kept jumping in and defending us against his friend and it was just a really cool situation.  We were able to sit down with them all for a little over 20 minutes, and pick Pete up as a new investigator. After as we were walking out of their backyard the sisters were just in "awh" about the situation. We were all excited! Then we decided to go parking lot and store contacting, and I just stopped and had great conversations with every person we passed, whether they were in their car and I walked up to the window, or shopping in the grocery store. They were again in "awh" because they didn't realize how many situations you can put yourself into as a missionary if you open your eyes and go out of your way to talk to everyone. But not only that if you are warm real genuine and friendly you can really just talk to anyone, build a relationship, teach to their needs and have them understand why they need this message, it was amazing!! So the first people we talk to in the grocery store is a family from the Phillipeans.  Ron the father actually use to play ball with a whole bunch of members back home at the LDS church. They were so receptive and very excited to meet with us and learn about eternal families! We set up a appointment with them for the next weekend! We all were just rejoicing! As we walk out of the grocery store we see the Philippineo family honk and wave smiles beaming on their faces as they drive away! The sisters were just like wow!! It was amazing to see how Heavenly Father really does bless us and I always find on visits and exchanges that the Lord really is guiding me.  It was a miracle to see how much the fruit of our effort was right before our eyes, it was a great visit and I was able to train the sisters alot on being a fanatic about talking to everyone, about being bold, and having faith! This work truly is a work of miracles!! We saw many more miracles that day in a half together.

On friday, my eyes got blood shot again! So I decide to go to a different doctor than the one who I had previously seen 2 weeks ago, this doctor was extreme he looked at my eyes and said quote on quote "this is serious, this could lead to blindness, there is nothing I can do to help you".  I was just like WHAT?!?! So he was very quick but blunt. He said my eyes were the perfect picture of one who has "uvietis" that it is a life long condition not an infection.  SO he said he was to refer me to an eye specialist that may take 1 week to 10 weeks ... I was like "woah woah woah sir.... you tell me I could go blind but that I can't have any help for 1-10 weeks... that is ridiculous!!" so he said to go to the Emergency at the hospital... so I go and get all checked in. The doctor I had there was a lot nicer he actually took a look at my eyes. He said the the doctor was over killing it, that my eyes could be red from  allergies, or a infection or uvietis that he isn't sure. He did some tests but still didn't know. So luckily I got into the eye specialist today at the Halifax hospital I go there, they put all these drops in my eyes they are numb, my pupils are HUGE, and I had blurred vision. After a doctor testing them for over an hour, they said I don't have uvietis which is a relief. But that I just need to lay off the contacts so make no redness (which I have done for like 6 weeks).  They said to not wear them for 2 weeks then if redness comes back after wearing contacts again to come back.  They tested my eyes above and beyond and yea Weird hey!? But my eyes are feeling better and the redness has gone down I have a eye drops for allergies, may be from that? But on the weekend my eyes were like bright red!

Our investigator Debbie came to church this week, she is so great! She was telling everyone how she is getting baptised on July 26th.  She said the closing prayer in Gospel Principles. She is progressing and doing well! We are continuing to teach the Whalen's over skype and we will eventually pass them over to the missionaries in NFLD. I am excited to see them over skype and see how they are doing with preparing for baptism.

I love the gospel so much, I love prayer, I have really come to grow in my understanding of how to pray, and how to listen during prayer. When we take moments to just stop and listen as we pray, we will receive answers promptings and feelings of peace and love. I know God hears and answers our prayers He loves us, and prayer is when we become reconciled to Gods will.  It is where we can know His will.

I love you all very much .

I pray for you.

And I invite you all to serve with the missionaries in your ward, to not stay comfortable in your activity in the gospel (not the church) the comforter does not need to be with us when we are comfortable :)

I love you all and serve the Lord with all your heart, give your heart to Him.

Love,

Sister Pizzey xoxo