Hello Family and Friends!
What an unreal general conference! That's really all I want to talk about today but before I do let me throw at you all the random things I would like to tell you guys. So big changes in the mission. First thing. Preparation day has been changed from Monday to WEDNESDAY. This will be the last Pday on Monday, next week it will be Wednesday. So that means a full week and half with no Pday! I know, not fair right!? It was nice to have the weekend then a big break on Monday and then district meeting on Tuesday. It doesn't matter though not a big deal and I will obey! So district meetings are still after Pday, just on Thursday morning and then Friday is the same, weekly planning from hours 10-12. The times we attend the temple have all changed as well. We are now to attend on our Pday, during the hours of our Pday. But if we want we can attend the 5:30 session but must be home at 5:30 for our studies. I think that makes more sense but definetly not as convenient, it probably should be a little sacrifice of our own time if we would like to go and this way we will have more hours for proselyting. So these are basically the big changes in the mission. There are a few other things but not too big. Interviews are only quarterly along with zone conferences, they used to be every transfer (6 weeks). I thought you would like to know, especially the Pday change.
So this transfer is officially done! We did pretty good for this dead old area. Not dead anymore it's on fire! We had two people baptized this transfer and as of now we have six working towards a baptismal date. This week we will start teaching at least a couple new people as well. That is if I'm in the area still! Nooooo I think I will stay but we never know, I'm always ready for whatever the Lord has in store for me. Tomorrow though "transfer call tuesday" so we will find out, I guess you will have to wait till next week. Actually next week and half... thats too bad. I would love to stay though and I am confident I will, it would be sad to leave all these people I'm getting close too.
We moved this week! For some reason I really liked the change, we just needed a little change. We now live with the Johnson's who live in the Park 3rd ward which is just north of our old home. We have the entire basement basically to ourselves, I love the set up. We have own room of course, bathroom, study area and lounge area. We have a TV with a DVD player so if we want at lunchtime, at night if we are done planning (home 9 - bed 10:30) or on Pdays we can watch any of our DVD's we hand out. Testaments! My illegal copy of Joseph Smith: Prophet the Restoration or PMG training DVD's I have for district meetings. Remember I told you my MTC teacher, Elder Bott, was one of the six Elders they followed with cameras for four months on his mission. Those videos finally came out and they are sweet. BUT we really don't spend that much time watching DVD's, really any extra time I try to study. We don't have a kitchen so we share with them upstairs, which is OK. Really we never use it at the same time, they both work and we eat out at members homes at night. They do have a dog though! Skye! Man he is alot of fun, I forget what kind but he isn't a little rat dog. A real sized dog that you can actually play with. He always hangs out with us downstairs, makes me miss Macy! How is she? Still alive? Here is something cool. Sis. Johnson was raised in Edmonton. Her sister still lives in Alberta, in Calgary actually. Well her sister used to babysit for Bill and Doreen Pizzey! She said at the time they only had 2 or 3 kids! Crazy isn't it! I will have to get a her maiden name for you. Enough about the move!
So normally you don't get to go to conference until after your first year. Well I got a call Thursday night asking if I would like to go to the Saturday morning session! I guess they had extra tickets so they randomly chose some people. HECK YES! I felt terrible for E. Lundwall though, him being out for 11 months. So I told my ZL's that and they agreed, I was about to give him my tickets and then we got another call on Friday night and asked if E. Lundwall would like to go Sunday afternoon. So everything worked out and we were all good. I saw a few people at conference. First Brother and Sister Roosendaal from my old area! That was exciting. Then I saw Elder Boyd! He was there with the Provo Mission of course. Then Pres. Miller told E. Bourlson (my ZL) and myself to go find our missionaries who got lost, so we had to leave the building. As we were rushed looking for them I ran into Brother and Sister Bennett! Mark Bennett! A strange feeling! I wished I had 10 minutes to talk but I only had a minute or two. I wanted to thank him for doing all that he's done in helping me out in my youth. Being an example. He's one of the many people who God placed in my life threw church callings to help me through some of those difficult times in high school. He and those other leaders may not even realize the impact they made on our life's. So many memories with all of them. Bro. Bennett killed it on that bike ride from Jasper to Banff. Love you guys and thank you. One day I will serve like you and prepare future missionaries as well, thanks for setting the bar.
I am sure glad I was able to attend the session I did, Saturday morning that is. It had to be my favorite other than the Priesthood session. Elder Uchtdorf's talk on pride just spoke to me and called me to repentance! I loved it. But the Saturday morning session was great. Elder Holland's was way different than from what he normally goes with. Usually he's so intense and bold, but this time it was very different. Maybe because he opened up the conference? But I liked it, very heart felt. Elder Uchtdorf's was great as well. It's so funny because I think of what this talk would mean to me if I was just a normal person and compare it to a missionary. It's always completely different especially his talk that morning. We can't slow down as missionaries! We don't have time to just stop and ponder. To go for a hike in the mountains or just relax! We are constantly on the go! Non stop. The time we have to think is from 10:30 till we fall asleep as we lay in our beds. Even then you can't control your thoughts, they don't slow down. You loose yourself and focus on others. But that's what I love about this work. I get to serve God by serving others. It's such a unique experience and I will never get to do it again. Only the Apostles put in as much time in to our callings as we do. I love it. Coming back to E. Utchdorf's talk on really keeping it simple, as far as the gospel goes that's all we do! We teach the basic principles of the gospel over and over and study them over and over. Which is great don't get me wrong but it's just fun to be a missionaries during conference. All the talks mean something completely different than if I was at home.
One year ago I attended conference with our family, the mini family that is, plus Lindsay. But I remember during the Priesthood session an experience that changed my view of God's church. We were waiting for the prophet to come into the Conference center. Everybody was talking quietly but then he walked it and it went completely silent and everybody stood. The spirit testified to me then that he truly is a prophet, God's mouth piece on the Earth today. It was the first time it hit me what it truly meant to have a prophet on the earth today! Now as I attended this past weekend I kept reflecting on that experience. I was hoping the same thing would happen again but I was getting my hopes up or expecting it to happen. But it did! The first presidency walked in together just thirty feet away from me and I've never felt the spirit so strong! It was overwhelming. I looked at Elder Dohm (friend in the mission) who was standing by my side and we both knew we were feeling the exact same thing. What a witness it was. To me, that this is God's church and that those men thirty feet in front of me are true servants of our Heavenly Father, ordained of God!
The reason this experience was stronger this year than last year is because I'm more receptive to the spirit. I have been able to tune my instrument by acting on the simple whispering's of the spirit I have received. We must act! And not be acted upon and Elder Bedar always says. That's what I have this week and until next time keep the faith!
Elder Pizzey.
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