Feb. 15, 2016 - Service makes life much more fulfilling

Hellooooo family again! I hope y'all had an amazing valentines day! I know I sure did. I loved all the gifts and they all made me so happy! 

Anyway, I can just say....the Lord loves me A LOT. Somehow, we're having weird weather for the Panhandle and it's actually warm!!! I love it. Bike days are nice, we can go outside to work out in the morning, and people are actually outside so street contacting actually happens!! I love it so much! Plus, I don't have to live in tights everyday now, which is a grand blessing. Man, it's so funny how excited we get over simple things as missionaries! But it sure makes life so much more fun!

This week was full of service! We went to all the places, because we are really trying to do the 10 hours of service a week that has been asked of us. It's pretty hard to fit in, but we did it! We were at Salvation Army, Meals on Wheels, a senior center, a food/clothing pantry, with a member family that has to move, and even cleaning up at the church! It was so much fun and I know so well after all this service in my mission, that it just makes life and everyday so much more fulfilling and happier! 

I think that's another one of my favorite things about this gospel, it just makes everything better. We may know Christ, but when we receive His restored gospel, we know Him even better. We may feel the Spirit, but when we keep our covenants, we feel Him even stronger. We may have a loving family, but when we put Christ at the center of our homes, were even closer. It truly is amazing!

The work with a lot of our investigators was hard this week. But I know, as we continue to follow the spirit in teaching them and work to find more people and families to teach, things will continue to progress. Some days, it's hard to convince myself of that, but that's why endurance and patience and perseverance are asked of us. Sister Harvey and the Lord, through a whole lot of prayers, help me to keep working my best and invite and help every person I meet come unto Christ through His restored gospel! 

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ, whether with or without a name tag, will never be easy, but it is the best path we can ever walk. It's full of growth, peace, and hope! It truly is the path to eternal life. This gospel is true. Never let anyone tell you it's not or that it's too hard to keep living. It's true!

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!!

Love,

Hermana Peck

Being the Lord's instrument in helping people come to Christ!

I feel like every week that I come to email y'all, I just think to myself, "Wo, how in the world am I going to properly express to them how my week went?...so much has happened!" So hopefully, y'all can get a gist of what I experienced all week long through the words I quickly spit out in the next 20 minutes!

Aaaanyway, our week started out fun on p-day. Sister Harvey cut my hair! She is a cosmetologist and I am so glad she did it. It feels much better! And she had fun doing it.

The next day was zone conference in Amarillo! AMAZING. I cannot begin to express how wonderful it is to have leaders that are inspired and care so much! That is probably one of my favorite things about the church. The knowledge that those that lead us are inspired and given authority from God is priceless. Oh, and side note about zone conference...they made me share my departing testimony! Oh my lanta that was scary. I really didn't think they would ask me to share it, since I have so much time still left, but since it was my last zone conference they asked me to! And it was an amazing experience. My entire mission I've pondered what I would be like and what I would be saying right before having to leave the mission field, and I can happily say that I know I am becoming the woman God wants me to be! But the key word is "becoming," I'm not there yet...but now I have the rest of my life to take what I've learned here in the Texas Lubbock Mission and keep growing.

The next day was a world wide missionary conference. It was amazing to be taught by leaders of the church and know every missionary was learning the same thing. This truly is, all through the world, the same work! It's the Lord's work and it is such a wonderful thing to be a part of!

Then came bike day. Oh man, that was probably the windiest day of my mission. Remember how last week, I mentioned how some of our lowest of lows come after our highest of highs? Well, those conferences were a spiritual high and that bike day was...a low point. We could barely even keep our bikes up right while on them, because the wind was blowing us so hard. But we made it through and my legs are 10 times stronger now than they were before:)

Saturday and Sunday were amazing too! We had our stake conference, and the Amarillo stake is so solid! The stake presidency works to help us know the Lord's will for us. They are working to turn the stake's perspective to members doing the missionary work and having the missionaries come help. I love it! It is switching my perspective of missionary work and really helping me focus on being the Lord's instrument in helping people come to Christ!

And even with all that was going on this week, we still somehow fit in so much missionary work! Our investigator Pat is the cutest. She cried this week about how we have changed her life because of all that we teach her. That was amazing, because she rarely ever opens up about spiritual things! And Tim...oh Tim. He and his buddies were joking around about drinking all through our lesson yesterday. I was so heart broken while trying to teach, so we just ended the lesson and told them we would come back when they were willing to let the spirit in...and then I broke down crying because it just broke my heart to see people I have worked to help just throw what's good away. I don't think I've ever done anything like that on my mission, but it was definitely from the spirit! It is amazing to see how the spirit truly does work through us! I have no more time, but pray for the Shelton family---they need it!

Love y'all have a great week!

Hermana Peck

I actually let her cut my hair!

Zone Conference with all our amazing sisters!

When we make Christ the center of our lives, our fears will be replaced by the courage of our convictions

 

Wow, it was a crazy week. Like, I don't think I have had a week this weird in a while! But I attribute it all to how tired I am. Not even kidding, my brain is dead these days! Poor Sister Harvey probably thinks I'm going loopy! For example, I accidently used her toothbrush this week...oops! So gross haha, but luckily she had an extra in her suitcase so she didn't have to use it after I did. Oh man, I still can't believe that happened. So sorry a head of time if this email makes zero sense:) But even with all the tiredness, we still go go go...go every day and I love it all!

Tuesday we had our zone training. It went really well! I don't know if I am just too out of it to worry any more, but I think that I am getting much better at instructing. My favorite part is when something I say then leads the spirit to teach another missionary something and then their comment allows the spirit to teach me something. Because it truly is Him who teaches us the best! And I learned so much from all the instructions! I just love missionary meetings. They are the BOMB. After zone training we jumped right into an exchange with the canyon sisters. I love them so much! The sisters there right now are Sister Jackson and Baby Perez!! And we are doing exchanges differently now, so we can focus more on training the sisters. So, now they both come to our area and we blitz Pampa. It was crazy and I felt bad for Sister Harvey because she doesn't really know where anything is yet, but she did amazing! I was with Sister Jackson and we had such a good time. I have known her since she first came out and it is amazing to see all her growth and how she's changed. It is inspiring and so exciting to see! So that entire day was just way too fun and full of miracles.

Thursday was such a strange day. We were out on bikes and luckily it was gorgeous out! It was warm (well, like 40-50 degrees) and sunny! We met some amazing people with lots of potential! And also some interesting people that tried to save us and were basically praying for us, because they are so worried that we are lost....Those situations are always interesting. There is much anti here in the bible belt, so people sometimes don't really see who we are! But I love when we get the chance to declare truth and help them.

Saturday was our temple day and that was much needed. I just love being able to go and escape from the world. There is much negativity around us constantly so it is such a blessing that our Father literally gives us an escape from it all, where we can learn, feel the spirit, and grow closer to Him.

The adversary is good at making us feel like worthless. But I cannot even express how joyous it is to have the gospel and how Christ can pull us out and up from those feelings. Church was about peace and the spirit and the Plan of Salvation and how it all fits together. The messages were perfect, and after church I was able to receive a priesthood blessing that completely changed my outlook on life and the work I am doing.  I now feel like I am flying, because I was willing to rely on Christ. I love how that works! President Monson said in this last conference, "When we make Christ the center of our lives, our fears will be replaced by the courage of our convictions".  I know that this is true, and I know by my own personal experience. Christ loves us, He heals us, and He helps us to become stronger everyday.

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!

Hermana Peck

Jan. 11, 2016 God is Just Too Good

I cannot even tell you how amazing everything is going out here. Not that the work is perfect or that we're even achieving all we hope for, but seriously, I am just on cloud 9 with how happy every day is! Even with how freezing it is...and it just keeps snowing (Every time we go out, it has snowed again!). I can truly feel the joy and hope of the gospel in my life. In living it to the best I can, I really have come to know how the ultimate reward for righteousness is peace in this life and eternal life in the world to come! And I love being the Lord's instrument in bringing that joy and peace to His children in Pampa, TX through leading them to receive a remission of their sins.

Tuesday we were on bikes all day. Man, I don't think we've ever looked so crazy in my life. Biking in the snow, but we saw miracles! We knocked on a man named Cory's house. He was so interesting. He studied religion in college and still has so many questions. He gave us a few examples and I was in awe. Every question he spent years studying to find answers and still hasn't found, I had an answer! This gospel is so cool! We are blessed with so much knowledge and we don't even truly realize it. I'm pretty nervous to teach him; it will make us think and really focus on what the Lord wants us to say... I kinda feel like a trainee haha, but we have a lesson set for tomorrow, so pray for us!

We were also able to teach our investigator Bethany and her son Braden this week. They didn't read any of the Book of Mormon yet, so we read Enos with them, and literally, mid reading, she received an answer to her prayer...and she told us she knows the Book of Mormon is true! It was amazing to literally watch her come to know for herself the truth of the Book of Mormon. And it strengthened my testimony so much!

Wednesday we were able to go out to Dalhart and Tucumcari for exchanges with the sisters that cover those two towns! I was with Sister Coombs, and we had such a great time--exchanges are my favorite. I truly do learn so much from those I serve. Thursday we drove home, and then that night drive to Lubbock...it was a crazy day! And I was exhausted, but it was so worth it. We spent the night in Sister Wilkins new apartment!! That girl and I are crazy together. And Sister Harvey and I of course, we're just having a blast. We even did some mattress sliding...shh:) And then MLC was Friday. That was the best MLC I have ever been to! It was inspired. And they informed us that this month there will be a world wide missionary broadcast where every single missionary in the world will be watching. I cannot wait. It is to focus all missionary work on teaching repentance and baptizing converts. I am seriously so excited for the new focus. It will bring miracles--it already is!

With that, President Heap instructed on repentance--wow that was amazing. And I have to give an instruction on it tomorrow for the panhandle zone. My favorite part was when he talked all about the purpose of repentance. Often we think of it as our way to become clean from sin, but that comes from baptism and the sacrament. Repentance's purpose is to strengthen us, to change us, and to line our will with God's. With the example of a tree, Elder Oaks explained, "We tend to think of the results of repentance as simply cleansing us from sin, but that is an incomplete view. A person who sins is like a tree that bends easily in the wind. On a windy and rainy day, the tree bends so deeply against the ground that the leaves become soiled with mud, like sin. If we focus only on cleaning the leaves, the weakness in the tree that allowed it to bend and soil its leaves may remain. Similarly, a person who is merely sorry to be soiled by sin will sin again in the next high wind. The susceptibility to repetition continues until the tree has been strengthened." What a blessing it is that our Father is not just concerned with cleaning us up, but also with strengthening us to keep us clean more often.

One last thing, miracle this week! So, Sunday morning, it looked like no one would be coming to church. We tried so hard to get them there, but no one would answer Sunday morning. As church began to start, I said a small prayer that at least one investigator would come. And right then, Tim walked in! Not only did he come, but he was all dressed up and looked so happy! My heart has never smiled so big! He is really starting to progress, thanks to the amazing gift of the Atonement.

I love you all and hope you have an amazing week! With Christ in our lives, there is no way to not!

Love,

Hermana Peck 

Every single day last year I spent as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Saying goodbye to Hermana Vance!

I love my life!! Y'all have no idea how amazing it is to be here. This week was so crazy, but it was so much fun and I am just on cloud 9 with the wonder of being a missionary. I cannot believe I am running out of time so quickly! If you find out any of my travel details, don't tell me. I plan to pretend like I'm just not going home until about 5 minutes before I get off the plane. Because I love it here way too much to even think about having to give it up.

Anyway, on to the week--let's just say, goodbyes for days. Everyday, we got a text from the zone leaders with a change for transfer day. It finally ended up happening on Saturday, so I got almost a full week extra with Sisters Wilkins and Carter. The poor sisters had to like live out of their suitcases and say goodbye like 5 times to people in case they would have to leave. But it ended up being a GREAT week. We even got to do some service painting at a member's home, which is always my favorite kind of service.

Our new years was spent in our trio too--we're so lame haha. We were in bed by 10 pm and didn't even consider waking up at midnight to cheer happy new year. It was a fun night in though! We played games, laughed a lot, and ate. But it was crazy to think back on how every single day last year, I spent as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. How amazing is that! And such a wonderful privilege. I loved everyday of it, and I am so happy that some of 2016 gets to be spent as a missionary too:) The best part is that even though we start a new year, we get to start where we left off the year before. Through Christ, we wash away all the bad, and we can continue progressing with all the good we brought! It is simply amazing.

Now, I am with my new companion, Hermana Harvey, and I love her!! We have only been together like 2 days, and we are already best friends. I am having so much fun and growing like crazy. We come from completely different lives, and somehow, we have the same personality. This week, we have exchanges in Dalhart, TX and Mission Leadership Council in Lubbock, so it will be crazy busy, but so much fun too! I love you all and hope you have a happy new year!!

Hermana Peck

Temple walk with Sister Moore at the Christmas party

Christmas day sunset.

All our Christmas day pictures are way too ugly to send home

Mission tour with Baby Perez!

These are goodbye pictures with Sister Wilkins and with Sister Harvey!
(I didn't get a goodbye picture with Sister Carter.)

an instrument to the Lord

I cannot even believe it is already Christmas week. The Christmas season has flown by this year, but I have truly loved every second of it! And I cannot wait for all the fun things planned this week. We will be well taken care of here in Pampa:) We have 2 dinners Christmas eve and also breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Christmas day with so many of my favorite people! Plus, this is probably my favorite part of the entire thing...our investigator asked us to come over on Christmas and share a message with her entire family that she hasn't really talked to in 5 years! She came to church on Sunday and felt like she needed to work on her family relationships and felt like we should come and help with it! Christmas miracles are real. This gospel does so many wonderful things, but one of the best parts is it's ability to heal families through the Atoning sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ. And we get to take a part of that on the day we celebrate His coming into the world! It is truly magical and I am so excited.

This week was so amazing too. We taught like 10 times the amount of lessons we were teaching at the beginning of the transfer. And we are finding such amazing people to teach! Including this one man named Scott. He was a former investigator that we met while out knocking. He is so excited to learn more, he ended up setting a baptismal date! That itself was a HUGE miracle...one of our sisters was asking questions about inviting people to be baptized, and it was exactly what we needed to study to really prepare Scott to accept the invitation. Tricia is still doing well. She is really progressing and is determined to get her answer! Just pray that she comes to church!! Also, our investigator that got out of jail and we found miraculously is now off the grid again, so that's sad, but our ward mission leader saw him yesterday still in Pampa, so I have faith that we will find him again! I seriously just love Pampa so much. We are so blessed, I am learning so much, and I am growing through the challenge of teaching these very faithful people. I love being an instrument to the Lord in bringing all His children to the fulness of the gospel and to the most happiness we can ever imagine! 

Yesterday, we were able to go to our mission Christmas party, which was so much fun! The entire party was wonderful! We had a talent show of funny stuff to start and I loved hanging out with so many of the missionaries that I love! After was a lunch and then we had a more spiritual talent show. Our mission is seriously so talented!! I loved it. And I decided that I really need to develop some perform-able talents. But that wasn't even the best part. At the end, we watched this old movie called It's A Wonderful Life. It felt really weird to watch a real movie...but President had such a wonderful purpose in showing that one. Basically, the movie is all about this man discovering how important and wonderful his life really is.  I loved what President Heap shared, so I wanted to share it with y'all! Our lives are truly wonderful. We so often think that what we are doing means nothing, but according to the world's view, the life of Jesus Christ wasn't much. Yet, His life influenced the life all of us individually and eternally. I cannot even imagine life without Him. And it is the same for all of us! Our lives are worth so much. And I know that life would be so much less wonderful without each of you!

I love you all and hope you have a very merry Christmas! Have a marvelous week and I am so pumped to talk with all the family this Friday!

Love y'all!

Hermana Peck

Happy days all the Christmas time days

First off, thank you for the fun packages to mom and dad. My companions, the sisters I go on exchanges with, and I are all really enjoying the entertainment and fun they provide. It makes Christmas so much more fun than it already is! Sister Wilkins and I had a ball making the ginger bread house..it was much uglier than the picture on the box...And before I forget, next p-day will be on Tuesday because of our mission Christmas party! We have a place to skype but no set time. I'll let you know next week what we planned. Are there any times that work best for y'all? It will most likely be morning or early afternoon.

Okay, so this week was amazing. I was just in constant awe about how wonderful every single day was. We asked for miracles and we got them! Monday night, we taught as many lessons as we had all last week! Tuesday Sister Carter and I were with Sister Lorrigan from Childress on exchanges in Pampa. We got to teach some new people and use the Christmas message from the church! Which is so fun to use. It truly opens so many hearts. The next day we had zone training in Amarillo and I actually instructed on the "A Savior is Born" initiative. Which, is you haven't watched it yet, watch it!! It teaches so much truth in such a short amount of time.

christmas.mormon.org

I had so much fun talking about it with the zone. I talked about the star that appeared when Christ was born and how it lead those who were seeking Him directly to Him. And then I went on to compare how this initiative is a star that God has given us to lead those who seek Christ to Him. It is truly so amazing to me!

After zone training I headed to Canyon with Sisters Jackson, Carter, and Perez! We had so much fun. They are in a trio too, so we did a weird 3 way exchange. Wednesday night I was with Sister Jackson. That was a weird night...we street contacted an old man and he kept almost falling over so he was using my shoulder as a way to keep from falling, but he was uncomfortably rubbing my back at the same time. And then, a less active girl from their ysa branch ran up and hugged me and kissed my neck when she met me. I felt a little weird by the end of that night...but hey, it makes for funny memories! We also got to eat at this delicious Texas bbq place called fat boys. And that's basically how I felt by the end of that meal. Thursday morning I was with baby Perez! It was so much fun to be with her again. And because I trained her to try anything that the spirit prompts her to, we decided to knock a sorority house right off of WTAMU campus. It wasn't a sorority house....it was a FRATERNITY HOUSE We were both not trying to bust up laughing the entire time. But it actually turned out really well!! We had them watch A Savior is Born and they loved it. The spirit was so strong as we talked about it. Only with Sister Perez would something like that happen...

As soon as Sister Carter and I got back from Canyon, we jumped right into a night of splits. I was so hectic and I was exhausted, but I was able to teach 2 lessons in Spanish with a few members of our ward that can speak Spanish. And I got homemade Mexican food out of it, which I am never opposed to. 

Also, 2 huge miracles of the week--2 of our former investigators got out of jail this week and now REALLY want to fix their lives. It's totally safe, so don't even worry. It was 100% led by the spirit how we ended up finding both of them this week and I am so excited about it! One of them even came to church yesterday! It just truly shows me how Heavenly Father will never stop trying to help us get back to Him. If you are ready, He will lead you back to Him!

Now finally, for the best part of the entire week! We had our ward temple day on Saturday and ti could have not been more perfect. We got there for the 9 am session and I learned so much. The temple is seriously one of the greatest blessings we have. There is so much we can receive and learn and feel there. I love it! Plus the sisters who are now serving in Carlsbad were there and I got to hear all about the work there and even see some of the members from Carlsbad. We went out for a bit before out ward baptism session and I ran into the Borger ward! I was able to see some of my favorite people and a ton of missionaries. It was like everyone was at the temple that day. Even President and Sister Heap were there! Then, we went to do baptisms with the ward. Megan was able to come! And a woman named Pam who we have been helping a ton to come back to church. It was both of their first times! Another man in our ward who had been less active for about 30 years just went back to the temple as well that day and came to do baptisms also to do the work for his mom, dad and grandpa. I was able to stand in place of his mom, and we were all in tears. The entire group had brought family names to do, and we were all in tears. I have never felt the spirit so strongly in the temple doing baptisms. And it grew my testimony of the power of family history and the blessing that come from it. This gospel is so amazing! And so true!

We are back to snow here in Pampa, I am hoping for a white Christmas!!! Have a wonderful week and an even more wonderful Christmas season! I can't wait to talk with all the family on Christmas day:) 

Hermana Peck