Photos from 10-19-15

October 19, 2015

 

The District

A neat teaching experience

 

 

Metro Sisters' Conference

 

 

The Javier Family

 

 

 

 

Carne Asada Fries...A heart attack waiting to
happen...but SO good!

 

 

On exchanges I locked our keys in the trunk...so this is me on the
phone with AAA. Don't worry, it all worked out! :) and we had
a miracle day...5 new investigators!

 

His Grace...

October 19, 2015

I had a really great weekly email planned out in my mind... but then today at 11:57 AM, Jett Davis, my FIRST nephew was born. Let me tell you about my experience...

 

This morning I was reading in the Book of Mormon and finished it again, cover to cover. Upon reading the last few verses of Moroni, my heart filled with gratitude for this book. I was specifically touched by these specific verses:
 

32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient

for

you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.
 
33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become

holy, without spot.

 

 

​As I pondered these verses, I thought about the true theme of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The meaning of what we believe is not to be perfect. It is not to ​do pass through mortality alone. It is not to use the atonement if necessary. It is use the atonement of Jesus Christ WHEN necessary and allow his grace to heal you. As we come to realize the importance of repentance and the necessity of a Savior, we begin to separate ourselves from man and draw nearer to God. It is then that a mighty change of heart occurs and we "can in nowise deny the power of God" and "become holy, without spot." It is then that we receive a remission of our sins. Only in and through the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ does this life become just and merciful. Only through the gospel of Jesus Christ can we be truly saved and return to his presence.

 

After reading these words, thinking, and writing down my testimony of the Book of Mormon in my study journal, I checked our phone to see how much time I had left in my personal study. I unlocked the phone to see a text from a family relative that lives in our area, Scott Roosa. Included in the text was the news that my sister, Kristen, had gone into labor with my future nephew. Upon reading these words, I was first in shock, and then my heart filled with a deeper love than I could ever imagine. I put the phone down, fell on my knees, and immediately began to thank my Heavenly Father for his mercy. As I began to reflect on my life, on the life of my sister, her husband, my parents, and all that have been involved in our journey, everything just seemed right. It hasn't been easy, and it hasn't been perfect, but it has been exactly as the Lord wanted it to happen. This transfer of my mission has brought so many changes into my own personal conversion. I can honestly say that I KNOW the Savior lives and that his grace IS sufficient. I am so grateful for the change it has brought into my heart and into the hearts of others, including my family. When I arrived at the Family History Center to email, I was overwhelmed with videos, pictures, and emails about this beautiful baby boy. As I watched my sister embrace baby Jett for the first time, everything was perfect. His grace was sufficient for her. His grace was sufficient for my parents and their parents, and every other person that has ever lived. And His grace will be sufficient for this beautiful, innocent little boy, who, at some point, will also be buried by temptation, worry, and heartache. And THAT is enough. That is the message we share. That HE lives and is our Savior.

 

 

I love my family. I love this gospel. I love the Book of Mormon. Little did I know when I was a child and in my earlier years, the power that this little blue book would later bring into my life. Now, here I am, 21 years old, with a sure knowledge that these are direct revelations from above. It is only through the restoration of the priesthood authority of God that we can be ETERNAL. That our relationships CAN penetrate beyond the grave. And for that, I am so very grateful.

 

Love,

Hermana Erica "Auntie" Pierce

 

 

My last transfer meeting! 10-20-15

 

PS: Transfers are tomorrow, I will be finishing my mission in the Denver 1st Ward. Sister Chandler will be getting transferred and I will receive my new and last companion tomorrow. I have loved the opportunity to serve the Lord and will continue to do so willingly and faithfully throughout the next 6 weeks. God is good.

Go To Church!

October 12, 2015

 

Time is flying by faster and faster... but nonetheless, we had another packed and amazing week!!

 

On Thursday, we finished teaching Mirna all of the lessons and she is completely ready for her baptismal interview! She had to come to church for the next 2 Sundays in a row to get baptized on the 18th. On Thursday night we had a lesson at Mirna's and her Uncle (Joaquin- who has been quite negative towards the Church in the past) sat in on the lesson the whole time, even tho he couldn't understand it since it was in English. When we finished Mirna's lesson, I gave him a pamphlet and explained the basic doctrines of the restoration. I bore my testimony that I knew this message would change his life. Joaquin responded humbly by saying, "Yes... I hope it does." A miracle in and of itself. He committed to read the pamphlet and said he would think about attending church on Sunday.

 

Sunday morning, we headed over to Mirna's to get her up for church. Joaquin answered the door and said she wasn't home and had gone to work with her mom. We had already arranged a ride for her and the member was on her way. As to not leave empty-handed, we invited Joaquin to join us again. Within 5 minutes, Joaquin was in the shower getting ready for church. In the mean time, we invited all of Mirna's brothers to join. The elders are teaching one of her brothers (Juan), but he was hesitant to come. We encouraged Juan and his younger brother Bryan to come and FINALLY, they gave in. Within 30 minutes, Joaquin, Juan, Bryan, and Pedro (2) were ready to come to church. We sent off Juan and Bryan in the first car and had to call a member last minute to come and pick up Joaquin since we had doubled the amount of people we thought would be joining us. We made it to church about 45 minutes late, but Joaquin had the biggest grin on His face. We took him to all 3 hours of church and we even got to go and take the sacrament from another branch that started at 11. When all was said and done, all 4 boys had LOVED their day at church. Later on that day, we went and taught Joaquin and Bryan and set both of them on date for baptism for November 15th. The Lord works in mysterious ways. Although Mirna will have to postpone her baptismal date, we are so grateful that we were able to focus on the concept of forming eternal families. Now, the whole family is progressing towards the same goal of eternal life through baptism :)

I love this gospel. It amazes me how merciful our Lord is to us.

Make it a great week!

 

Hermana Pierce

 

 

Got to have lunch with Crystal and Scott Roosa this week!
It was SO fun to catch up with the family! :)

 

Hasten

October 5, 2015

 

The Lord is hastening the work in Denver North! WOW! I feel so grateful for all of the miracles we have been able to see the past few weeks and the Lord is truly sending us those that are prepared!

 

Miracle/Progressing Investigator

Mirna Lujan! She is 14 years old and the daughter of a part member family (her mom is the only member- her parents are separated). We started teaching her about 2-3 weeks ago and set her on date for baptism in the first lesson. She has truly started to see the fruits of the gospel in her life! This week, we were teaching Mirna Lesson 3 and after talking more in depth about baptism and reviewing D&C 20:37 with her, it was determined that she is SO ready to be baptized! She has been taught a LOT in the past by elders and has just been soaking up everything we teach. At the end, after inviting her to pray about moving her baptismal date up one week we asked Mirna if she had anything to say or if she had any questions. She is normally very quiet and attentive, so we were surprised when she had a comment. She bore her testimony to us of how much the gospel is changing her life and how much she truly loves learning about these things. She shared some tough expereinces she had in Mexico this month when her dad kicked her out of his house at age 13. She said that learning about these things was really helping her to heal from these tough moments of abuse in her life. WOW. Tears were beginning to spill over as I felt such a strong appreciation for the Spirit. What an incredible moment.

 

During that same lesson with Mirna, her friend Maria came to her house and sat in on the 2nd half of the lesson. After that amazing experience and listening to Mirna's testimony, before leaving we asked Maria if she would like to learn about these things too. She responded by saying, "yeah... I really would." We got her contact info and set up a return appointment. This Sunday, Mirna AND Maria both came to the church to listen to the Morning Session of General Conference. After talking more to Maria, we found out that she basically raises herself. Her dad died a few years ago, she has one older brother that lives in Mexico, and her mom works 18 hours a day (6 AM to 12 PM) at a local Qdoba. Talk about being prepared to receive the restored gospel. I have no doubt that Mirna will be our October baptism and that Maria will be our November baptism. Maria loved General Conference and was even taking notes on what the speakers said. How is God so good to us? :)
 

Joaquin, Bryan, Mirna, Sister Chandler, Sister Hansen and ME!

 

I LOVE MY MISSION! This week was EXHAUSTING, but I loved every second. We worked SO hard to get member presents to all of our lessons and it worked out perfectly! We taught exactly 12 MP lessons (which is the standard of excellence in our mission) for two weeks in a row now! We have NEVER met that goal... my whole mission! It was such a miracle and I know the Lord is truly guiding us in everything we do in this area. We didn't knock one door this week... every single new investigator was found by the principle of "find when you teach, and teach when you find." The Lord was literally LEADING us to people waiting to receive these gospel truths.

Lunch with my cousin, Crystal Roosa and her husband, Scott.

 

 

This week on Thursday we had Zone Conference! It was the last zone conference of my mission :( which meant i was asked to give my departing testimony. man... it is starting to get real that all of this wonderful work is starting to come to an end... but i love being a missionary! there is truly nothing else as wonderful as sharing this restored gospel message.

 

Me with Hermana Chandler at Zone Meeting

 

GENERAL CONFERENCE was fantastic!!! I loved it so much. I can't even begin to explain all of the wonderful feelings I received while listening and allowing the spirit to teach me. One of my favorite talks was in the Sunday afternoon session by Devin G. Durrant when he talked about "Ponderizing!" It made me think of my dad always telling me to "ponder" when I go to bed every night. I am excited to start "ponderizing" every week and focusing my mind more on gospel-centered things.

 

Have a great week! :)

Hermana Pierce

 

PS: FUNNY STORY
 

 This week after our lesson with Mirna, it started HAILING like crazy! JUST POORING HAIL!!! Well, we had just washed our car about 2 hours prior so it could be inspected the next day at Zone Conference. So, upon exiting our lesson with Mirna, we sprinted thru the hail to our car and there was a box and a lesson 3 pamphlet on the windshield. We wait for the hail to pass and drive to dinner. Our clean car was completely destroyed. When we finish dinner, we tell the other hermanas to come outside and look at how destroyed our car was... when we notice a DEAD FLAT SQUIRREL on our hood! NO JOKE. It was disgusting and just smelled horrible. One of the hermanas picked it off with a stick. HAHA. We must have been squeeling pretty loudly because a man came over and asked us if we were okay. He was from Panama and we talked, explained the situation to him, he laughed, and then we shared the message of the restoration with him. Needless to say, a prank from the Barnum Park elders is now leading to someone's eternal salvation. It was pretty darn funny :) I will include pictures in another email. haha, good times!

One Day We WIll Look at the Lord and Say, 'Was that all that was required?"

September 28, 2015

Well all, this quote comes from my absolute FAVORITE talk given in the General Young Women's Broadcast by Linda S. Reeves. You can listen to it here! >>> CLICK! :)

 

It is so true... we are asked to do SO LITTLE by the Lord... and He continually pours out blessings upon us.

 

Leandro did an impromptu photo shoot with me and Hermana Chandler.

 

 

Weekly Update!

 

This week on Wednesday night, we went over to the Leiva's (PMF=part member family) with Horalia and watched Meet the Mormons. It was my first time watching it in Spanish and I LOVED it! It was so cool to have some of the people I love the MOST all together watching. Everyone felt the spirit SO strongly.

 

On Thursday, we had Demarus (a member that is leaving on her mission to Mexico City) come on a mini mission with us! It was such an amazing day! We taught 8 lessons! The Lord was definitely leading and guiding us to those that would receive us.

 

On Friday, I went on exchange to the south area again with Sister Allison. We dedicated basically the whole exchange to Alejandra Campos, their 14 year old investigator that was getting baptized this Sunday. (I spoke about the Campos family in the past when I went on exchange to the south area a couple of weeks ago---her mom is Susanna who I translated the whole lesson for). This week, Alejandra was being so overwhelmed by Satan and it was amazing to see how the Savior came in and truly saved her. The spirit accompanied us so closely as we prepared her to be baptized. Although I was not the missionary who found and taught Alejandra, I was so grateful to be a part of her journey towards eternal life. This weekend, I was able to share a lot of the experiences my mom had while also being converted and baptized at a young age. I was so grateful to have the spirit with us, and for its role in continually buoying her up. Alejandra was baptized yesterday and it was one of my favorite moments of my mission. I reflected directly on my mother and how her decision to be baptized has truly changed so many people's lives, including my own. This one small step of faith has literally influenced eternities.

 

 

 

Alejandro's baptism!

 

I love my mission! It's been such a crazy, productive transfer. I love this work so much. I can't imagine my life without having served a mission. It has brought me more joy than I could ever imagine. Continue forward in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!!!

 

Have a great week!

 

Love,

Hermana Pierce

 

 

 

 

 

PIC: Other photos taken by Leandro this week after watching Meet the Mormons... I had no makeup on and it was 9 PM.... BUT, he's AWESOME!!!!

"Why Would We Think It Would Be Easy For Us, When It Was Never Easy For HIM?"

September 21, 2015

 

Love this quote by Elder Holland!

 

Sooo this week was interesting...

Stella was supposed to get baptized yesterday, but she freaked out the day before because we had to change who was baptizing her and ended up not going through with it. Baptismal programs were printed and everything. It was a really upsetting experience because she was so prepared and ready to make that covenant, but let other things get in the way of her relationship with God. I love her a lot and know she will be baptized one day. I'm finding solace in knowing that we did absolutely everything we could for her and that one day she will realize the difference the gospel has made in her life.

 



A member gave us some "mole;" I can't even describe it,
but  it is basically like Mexican chocolate salsa
you put on chicken...AMAZING!

 

Although the set backs with Stella were constant and very stressful throughout the week, we saw a lot of miracles!

 

One night this week, we had just a few minutes left... we decided we would try to see a Part Member Family that we had been trying to get in contact with for a long time but could never find at home. Well, we went to the apartment and there were people running all over... then, a girl came to the door. Her name was Mirna and is 14 years old. It said on the roster that her mom was a member, so we asked to speak to her mom, but she wasn't home. We started talking with Mirna more and found out that she had been taught by elders a LOT in the past. We taught her lesson 1 and set her on date for baptism! She was so excited for it and was so glad that we found her!

 

 

We love cooking with the Leivas!

 

 

With Leandro Leiva

 

Horalia came to church again yesterday. We had some great lessons with her and she is so excited to get baptized on the 18th! :)

I am so very grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ this week. I have felt Heavenly Father's love more than ever as I have undergone so many trials and tribulations. I know sincerely that our Heavenly Father is just waiting for us to come to Him in prayer and ask for His help. I have gained such a greater understanding of His timing and plan. I love this mission... I absolutely love serving the Lord... even in the hard moments. Siempre seguimos adelante!

 

 

Me with a cool cowboy friend. LONG LIVE TEXAS! <3

Have a great week!!! :)

Love,

Hermana Pierce