Seahurst Week #5

This week we wanted to focus on finding a lot of new investigators so we decided to make this our "Tocar Week". Or in other works "Knocking Week". When we are planning for every day we always put backups in case our appointments fall through or we have extra time; so, this week we decided to put knocking as ALL the back ups, unless we really felt like there was someone we needed to go see. We found about the same amount of new investigators as usual, but it was a good thing because pretty much all of our set lessons this week went though and we have some amazing, very spiritual lessons! 

We had a Branch Thanksgiving Feast this week and it was amazing!!! Around 1/3rd of the people who came we're members of the church and it was a really great chance for people to get to know each other. The youth put on a cute little play about the Pilgrims and the Indians and it was adorable.

 The Branch here is really united and they really are an amazing to me of how a Ward or Branch should work. They always work together and are always there to support each other and help each other grow in their testimonies.

We had one investigator come to church this week. We ran into him one night this week when we were leaving from an appointment and started talking to him. We set up a time to come teach him on Sunday morning. We went to the appointment yesterday and taught him about the restoration and he seemed really interested. We invited him to come to church with us and he told us that he didn't know if he should. He'd never been to any kind of church ever in his like and he was scared. So after we assured him that church isn't a scary place and that it's a place where the spirit is really strong, he agreed to come! When we got to the church he was sitting in the chapel with us and he turns and says, "Wow it feels really difference here. I hope this is what I've been looking for." The whole Branch really welcomed him and we're hoping he'll choose to continue to come to church!

One of our amazing investigators ended up moving this week and that was really sad. She was really starting to progress and read the scriptures and pray. She didn't realize that we wouldn't be able to come down and teach her in their new apartment in Federal Way, and was so sad when we told her. She kept telling us to get special permission to come teach her. But even though it can't be us, she's still really wanting the missionaries there to come and see her. It's crazy how much I absolutely love these people and I'm so glad she is still wanted to learn because the gospel will bless her life so so much!

I hope that you all have an amazing Thanksgiving!! We get to have a little get together as a mission and have thanksgiving dinners with members so it should be a great time out here. Transfers are also next week, so we'll see what happens! I'm hope that I have the chance to continue to serve her in the Seahurst Branch, but if not, I'll go where the Lord calls me. 

Con Amor,

Hermana Pier

Week 4 In Seattle!!

Let's start out with my 3 favorite things about my mission:
 

1. Feeling the spirit all the time

2. Teaching people in the best language ever (Spanish of course)

3. Seeing peoples attitudes change completely as they feel the spirit
 

Okay, those may not be my favorite three things but there's too many amazing things to actually decide.
 

This week was a good week. We were able to meet a lot of people and teach a lot of lessons. We also got to give a church tour. Can I just, I love church tours! It gives us an opportunity to show our investigators the church so they can understand a little about what church will be like when they come on Sunday and the spirit is always VERY strong in the church.
 

Other than that it was a pretty normal week. We have a lot of investigators that we meet with regularly and that are amazing, now we just need to help them to progress and keep commitments. We have seen a lot of hearts being softened and know that we're going to continue to see miracles.

This week during my studies I was reading a talk about becoming the "4th missionary". Basically, what being this 4th missionary entails is being changed be your mission, giving up your will for the Lords and working with all diligence, out of love. Not for numbers or to impress leaders, but truly because you love the people and want them to feel the incomprehensible love that their Heavenly Father has for them. It really made me think about what should be the motivating force for what we do, not just in missionary work but in every day life. In the talk it asks the question, "Who are you? And who are you becoming?" I've been trying to ask myself that every day now. Am I becoming better every day? Am I developing more of the attributes of Christ? So, this is what I challenge you all to do! We're so so lucky that we have the opportunity to become better, but a lot of the time it's so much easier to stay dormant. So, this week ask yourself everyday, "Who am I? And who am I becoming?" I've been amazed to see that as I have done this, I can see both my strengths and weakness and use then to become better. And  I know we can go to our Heavenly Father, receive his guidance, and then ACT!
 

Les quiero!!!!! Gracias por su apoyo y amor!!!
 

Con Amor,
 

Hermana Pier

Our Apartment

Me and Sister Larson

Scripture cases a member gave me.

I'm glad they called me on a mission, now that I have grown a foot or two!

It's been another fabulous week in the Washington Seattle Mission!
 

Something that we have been talking about as a zone this week is inspired paths. We're trying to really be in the places that the Lord needs us, when the Lord needs us. The first cool experience that happened because of this was a couple days ago when there was a huge wind storm! We were trying to contact the people who were in our plans for the day and when those fell through we started knocking some doors. But we both started feeling like that wasn't where we were supposed to be, so we decided to reconsider. Then, Hermana Larson says, "I think we should go visit the Giles family." (They're an inactive family in our branch). So we head to their apartment complex and as we get there we see that in the middle of their parking lot, a GIANT tree has fallen over in the storm. There were people with chain saws cutting it up and then we saw our zone leaders helping them out with moving all limbs and what not. So, we got to help join in with the work. It was pretty cool to see that both sets of us missionaries felt the need to go to that specific area and because of it we were able to help serve someone.

We also learned a lot about listening closely to the spirit and following it's guidance this week. We had a set appointment with a family and we went to the appointment to find that they weren't home. But their son said they should be home in 15 minutes so we went to visit a potential investigator who lives nearby we went to her house and she wasn't home. We decided to start heading back because it's not the safest to knock random doors at night, but as we were walking, this one apartment just stood out to me and I guess I was just staring at it because Hermana Larson said, "Do you want to knock that door? If you feel like we should, let's do it." So we knocked it. And instead of the typical, "Sorry, I'm Catholic" answer that we usually get, we got a warm greeting and invited in right away and met a family who is really interested in learning more and was so willing to listen to our message. It would have been really easy
 

Also, we had our branch Halloween Party!!! Our investigator, Marlene, came with her 3 kids and it was a great time. They had a giant dinner and then trunk or treating. It's great to get people to know the members of the branch and for them to feel welcome and like they are a part of the branch family. It was so cute to see all the kids dressed up and having the best time together. It'll attach a picture of the cutest little boy in the branch, Diego, in his Indian outfit. His has the cutest long hair and makes the PERFECT Indian.
 

Also, one of the members of the Branch, Yared, came out with us one day this week and went to all of our lessons with us and it was amazing. Her and her family were baptized a little over a year ago and she it wanting to serve a mission when she turns 19 in May. It's really powerful for me to see how strong her testimony is and how much it helped strengthen our investigators. It was amazing to see how much the gospel has blessed her and her families lives, but also it was amazing how much they bring to the branch and how vital each member is and how much they help strengthen one another.   

I just love this area so much. I am learning so much and growing so much everyday. I know that the Lord is directing us in every step. And I know that he is there for you all as well. Something that I've learned a lot lately is the power of prayer. Heavenly Father is ALWAYS listening to us. Prayer is a lot like a phone call, I can call someone and tell them the things I am thankful for and the things I need help with and say anything, but if I don't wait for them to answer me, that phone call won't help me at all. So, something I've been working on a lot is listening and waiting to receive those answers after I pray. The answers aren't always instantaneous, but as I've been trying to listen, I KNOW that they always come.

  

Les quiero!!!!!!

Con Amor,

Hermana Pier

 

Cutest little boy in branch, Diego, in his Halloween costume.

Mt. Rainier

Seattle Zone Flag