December 29, 2010

December 29, 2010 - Week 1 of Transfer 8


Dear my Ma and Pa!

Well hello once again, I feel the same way. We caught up on the phone so there is not much to chat about today. I say that now and by the end this will be over 15 paragraphs long of me rambling on. So Christmas is over and its the start of a new transfer! You know what that means for me, a new planner! I have described that wonderful feeling of starting fresh and getting all organized for the next transfer.

Christmas was a little different being a missionary but none the less it was great. Far better than what I expected. After speaking to you guys Christmas night I was able to finish the night off with several games of pool at the family of Elder Dick's that we visited, it made my holiday. But really what made Christmas was the letter I was able to open up Christmas Eve night from you guys. That cracked me up and really brought a strong feeling of gratitude to me. I am grateful for my family, I love you guys. I couldn't ask for it any better. But not only from you guys did I get gifts, there were tons who made my Christmas. Let me say thank you to Grandpa, Grandma, Nana, the Low's, the Hirsche's, the Heavenor's, Paige, Lamberts, Lindsay pie, and last but not least Mr. Anderson! Really though thanks for the gifts and the letters of encouragement, I appreciate all of your support and I will try to get better with writing. But no promises just quite yet but I will get on it!

So as you can probably tell I did not get transferred and I am sure glad I didn't. This area is way to much fun for nonsense like that! There were some small changes for our zone though. Elder Ng is now gone, and we got a new District Leader. The sisters got changed up and there were a few in zone transfers made (basically just switches). The changes look good though and we are excited to see what happens. The worked slowed down slightly this past week but that was expected but I can feel it picking up once again!

I have told you about this young married couple we are teaching right now, the Curley's. He served a mission five years ago and quickly fell away when he got home. He recently had a serious accident that he considers was his wake up call since then life has changed! For the past month he has been attending church and reading scriptures everyday with his wife who is not a member of the LDS faith. He is a teacher in the Elders Quorum and this past Sunday spoke in church. There were two lines I just loved from his talk, he was speaking of his previous lifestyle. "never did I feel so alone in a group full of friends and never felt so heart broken while having fun with those friends" I just loved what he said there. It's so true. 'Wickedness never was happiness" I think for those people who have once felt pure, true happiness or real joy that comes from keeping the commandments will have a time in their life when they want it back, as did my friend here. This temporary pleasure or joy he was speaking of does not LAST, hence the word temporary. Friends are so key. Looking back on the last few years before I left I realize that's what made the difference. I thought of the Lord's words to Joesph Smith as he sat in Liberty jail when Bro. Curley was speaking of his friends.

"Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.Thou art not yet as Job; thy friends do not contend against thee, neither charge thee with transgression, as they did Job. And they who do charge thee with transgression, their hope shall be blasted, and their prospects shall melt away as the hoar frost melteth before the burning rays of the rising sun" (Doctrine and Covenants 121: 9-11)

So moving on and wrapping this up let me share one more story. In my first (with Elder England) we taught a lady by the name of Lourdes Tea, she is from Peru. Well we taught her one lesson nine months ago. It was a spiritual lesson and when we feel the spirit, we know they do to! We invite people to be baptized! Well it scared her a little as it does with most people. We never were able to get back in there and teach her again, she was good at dodging us. Well on Sunday Elder Dick and I were able to go back and do her baptismal interview! She started to read the Book of Mormon we left with her and shortly after started to attend church. The Bishop hooked her up with the missionaries and she was on her way to taking the first step, baptism! It was amazing to see the fruit of some of my earlier labors! You never know when your planting seeds, I just had the biggest smile ever while I was over there. She kept apologizing to me and wishing she would have continued on but I have realized once again it happens in the Lord's time. There is a timing to everything and it all comes together.

I love both of you, I love the Lord and love this work.

Your son, Elder Pizzey