TRANSFERS TOMORROW!!!

August 25, 2014

TRASLADOS!!! (Transfers!!)

Hola Familia :) Another week complete in the mission field! WOW! How is my first transfer and almost 2nd month of my mission COMPLETE??? Time is flowing by and I am loving being a missionary :) I finally have my feet underneath me a little bit and am LOVING the work. 

NOTICIA!!! (News!!) I am getting transferred! Tomorrow! I do not know where I am going yet, (we will find out tonight where I will be serving and who my comp will be), BUT this is my last day in Steamboat :( It was sad to say goodbye to all of the members yesterday. I really have grown to love this area. The members are interesting and the work is changing, but the church is true everywhere and the Lord's work is hastening. I truly love all of the people I am serving here in Colorado and know that this is where I need to be! :)

As far as this week goes... it was great! Here is the play by play:

Tuesday: 

We had sister's conference which is all of the sisters in our zone. It was taught by our Sister Training Leaders (Dotto and Smith)  and the Zone Leaders. It was AWESOME. So powerful when missionaries get together. Sister Dotto was sick during the day so I just decorated my planner and did my training. That night we had dinner with a member named Sister Bruchez. She is a widow and LOVES me because we bonded when I told her about Trevor. We visit her often and we were at here house on Saturday night when I found out I was getting transferred. We were all sad and I will miss her. She is amazing and has been kind of like my mom here! I know that one of the main reasons I was sent here was to provide her with solace and to comfort her and give her someone to relate to as she mourns the loss of her husband. (he died a year and a half ago. Not an easy pill to swallow and I have been able to help her by relating some of the same feelings I had when Trevor died. He continues to be an example and a light in my life even in my missionary work!)

Wednesday:

Exchanges! This week Sister Smith (companion of Sister White) came to Steamboat! We had a great day! Man do I love her so much! She will be replacing me in Steamboat when I am transferred! We had an AWESOME day and were able to teach an amazing lesson to Keyla about the BOM. I felt like my Spanish was soo on point and that I could communicate as well as I wanted. My Spanish is getting better every day and I love the language. My prayers are fluent and I can say everything about the gospel that I need to. I feel like I can finally express myself! It is wonderful and coming along nicely! I hope to be completely fluent in all conversation (not just gospel) after next transfer :)

 

 

Saying good-by to Flor & Keyla...2 investigators I love!

Thursday: 

District meeting in the morning and we switched back from exchanges. Sister D and I went grocery shopping in Craig then headed back to SS. An AWESOME STORY from today.

On Wednesday when Sister Smith and I were out working we OYMed a girl named Chelsea (16). We did the survey approach with her and set up an appointment at 3 the next day to teach her. Well, while I was writing down the appointment, I stopped to write down her telephone number and didn't finish my entry for the appointment. As we were talking, and leaving her with a pass along card, she asks us if she can give us something too. She hands us a Jehovah's Witness website pamphlet. Yikes. The JW's here are suuuuper intense. They invite the missionaries over to BASH. We don't even normally accept appointments with them. But, me, so naive, didn't know Kingdom Hall was a JW church and I set up the appointment before realizing. I was worried about it all day and when Sis D and I got back on Thursday, I didn't have a name written in at 3, but I had it circled in my planner anyways. I was confused of who the appt might have been with, and thought about Chelsea. I was pretty sure it was her appointment but wasn't positive, so out of fear, I dismissed it. Well, 3:30 rolls around and we are at the house eating lunch when we get a text... who shoukd it be? Chelsea, asking if we were still coming. What investigator (especially here) do you know that actually KEEPS and appointment and asks if you're coming? So, we rush over to Dream Island where she lives. The whole time in the car I was soooo nervous and had a terrible feeling. I had the vision that we were going to walk in and her family was going to be sitting there, ready to bash us. I was fearful. I was not being a disciple of Christ. Well... we get to the house and I am so nervous and have such a bad feeling I don't want to go in. So, Hna. Dotto assures me if something bad happens, we can leave. I say a prayer. A really really really heartfelt prayer of guidance and that this 16 year old girl will not tear us to shreds. Well.. we get in there. She's super kind (again) and we teach her the restoration. She has a few questions... but Is SO KIND and says she will pray to know if Jospeh Smith was a prophet and she asked US if we would continue to teach her. Talk about being prepared. Here I was, freaking out, and totally scared to share the most important and greatest blessing of my life. All in all, we have continued to teach her and she has committed to reading the BOM. I have no idea what will happen with Chelsea. She may never get baptiozed, BUT... SHE taught ME  NEVER to be scared to share the gospel. Who am I to deny ONE PERSON of the opportunity to hear the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and have an eternal family solely out of MY PERSONAL FEAR? It was an amazing experience and just one of the many things I have learned.

Friday: 

Normal day... we had weekly planning and did all that. It was a great day and we taught Marina and Veronica. They both accepted the soft baptismal challenge. I won't go into detail, but they are AMAZING. I will be sad to miss their baptism in September :)

 

Veronica & Marina gave me a heart and sunflower to say good-bye.

Saturday:

Great day as well! We were able to serve for 3 hours at a suicide awareness convention. I served the beans in the food line and my Spring Creek BBQ days served me well. It was wonderful! Our mission is a pilot for the JustServe program the church is doing so we serve in the community 7 hours/week in addition to all of our proselyting. It is such an escape and stress relief to serve others! I love it!!!!​ That night I found out I was getting transferred and was super sad, BUT I know that God has a plan!!

Sunday: 

Yesterday was AMAZING! We had Stake Conference broadcasted to us from Meeker and ELDER OAKS spoke at it. He is amazing and spoke a lot on missionary work and also on coming unto Christ: which literally means to be a FOLLOWER and a DOER of Christ. Amazing talk. Veronica came to church and loved it:) She and her sister are so beautiful. Later on that day we went and said goodbye to Francisco and Gaby (RC) that I love and taught them. AND that night we took Gaby, Francisco, Veronica, Marina, Their brother Jesus, Rafa, and Pedro (also investigators) to the baptism of Manuel in Craig! It was amazing! We walk into the baptism with a whole family with us and the ZL's were shocked and were so proud. They gave us "mad respect" hahah! It was amazing and such a great experience. It was a wonderful end to such a great transfer in Steamboat with all of the people that I love. 

 

We told Francisco to lose the hat for the baptism we attended!

 

 All in all, things are going great. I am happy and content with my service in Steamboat and am looking forward to a new transfer and even more lives to touch! I love this gospel with all of my heart and am so happy to be a missionary! Thanks for all of the birthday wishes... hard to believe I ill be 20 years old on Sunday!!! AHHH!! :) It's great and the church is true :) LOVE YOU ALL and THANKS FOR THE PRAYERS!!! 

 

Love,

Hermana Pierce