This is the Best Mission!

August 10, 2015

Hello everyone! I hope you have had a great week and that this week is even better!!

This week we had zone interviews and we each got to meet with President Stoker. as I visited with him he told me that I always seem to be loving misionary life because I always have a smile on my face and am excited about the work. Well, that's true!! He also said that I've adjusted to missionary life pretty well and that the Lord is going to use me as his instrument, so "be ready"! Great...not too sure what's going to happen there. Sister Davis keeps telling me that I'm going to train, and we'll just have to wait and see. but we heard that there are 4 new cars coming into the mission--which means 4 new areas-- and they're all sisters!! I keep getting a feeling that if I train i'll shotgun train (either open an area or take the place of previous missionaries), but we'll see. I don't think I'm ready for that yet, but the Lord always seems to have a different plan. 

This week we also got stuck in a wicked rainstorm!! it was so intense that we had to pull over to the side of the highway for a few minutes to wait for it to calm down a bit. it did for a while, but then it just got crazy again. we could hardly see anything! Luckily we got to our destination safely, but it was still insane! Sister Davis said it's the worst storm she's seen since she's been out here. that means, it was worse than the snow storms during the winter. crazy!!

On tuesday we had TONS of lesons!! we went from an investigator lesson to 3 LA lessons. I'm realizing that I love being busy and I don't enjoy lots of down time, and being inside all the time. I think that's because I was trained that way. but it's been hard because the rest of the week (especially saturday) we've been inside a lot because we've recently gotten the area book on our i-pads, so we have to transfer all of the teaching records into our i-pads. it is taking forever!!! I literally spent 3 hours just updating one of our investigators records (she's a former investigator). she had like 85 lessons dating back from 2009!! Gross. We actually had a lesson with her and her twin sister (who is LA) that night and I was super nervous to teach them about keeping the Sabbath Day holy. I think it was just because I knew their whole life history pretty much. Just insane. hopefully this week goes better with inputting all the records...we only have 2 weeks left to do it and we only have about 20 or so records put in.....we're pretty stressed...

Anyways, on Friday we had a movie night during dinner. We watched Joseph Smith: prophet of the Restoration. I think I've only seen that movie once or twice, but it was so amazing to watch it as a missionary and to know that Joseph Smith was born in our mission! That is what our zone leaders and sister training leaders stressed so much at zone meeting this week. as I watched the movie, I felt the spirit so strongly and KNOW that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God. he went through so much and only did it because he knew it was his calling from God. I also know that all of the early saints had such strong faith to keep moving and eventually pioneer to the west. It was more powerful to me because I have been able to visit nauvoo, carthage jail, and liberty jail, and trek on the martin harris handcart company trail as a youth. seeing the scene in the movie of Joseph and Hyrum riding to carthage and then being in Nauvoo where they have a statue of that same scene made me cry so hard! I was seriously crying so much as I watched that movie, and I am so grateful to be serving in this mission. it truly a privilege to be serving in the mission with the birthplace of Joseph Smith. This gospel is so true!!

Another quick thing, we had a lesson with a new investigator last night and we were asked so many deep questions by him and his friend, and it made me so grateful to have a member with us. As missionaries, we may seem like we know a ton, but we really dont. if you have the opportunity to go teaching with missionaries as members, do it! I know missionaries really appreciate your testimonies and your knowledge of the gospel. 

I love you all!

Keep P.U.S.H.ing!

Sister Pierce