Super Week

Twinkies, Happy Birthday! 

Dianna, Tom, Happy Anniversary! (you might be getting old....)

So last week was good! We found a lot of people to teach and boy oh boy we are learning to be very prompt and aware of time...more so than usual at least. This week has been kind of rough spiritually though. I have really come to love the ward members the less active ones as well as the active ones and they talk to us about how hard their lives are and I just feel so sad for them (I almost put that I feel their pain but then I could only think about dad reciting Muppet's from Space with gonzo and rizzo saying I have a paper cut that's a doozy do you feel my pain too? haha) but seriously I see their struggles and I don't even know how to respond, and since we as missionaries don't council people or shouldn't we then teach them the gospel over and encourage them to read their scriptures and go to church and pray. They then kinda look puzzling at us. But it weighs on my spirit sometimes and then I remember Alma and Ammon and how great their sorrows were and yet how great the joy was to see people accept the gospel. So life really isn't that bad and I really love teaching people and I really do get joy when people are progressing towards God and eternal salvation. It is worth the difficult times all the more! And besides the gospel really is a happy thing because it is the only thing that people can find peace in when they have difficult times. If they turn away from it, usually their quality of life has not increased...and they feel empty. Speaking of which we met these guys whose veins were shattered!!! Yes only I noticed their veins because my comp doesn't understand the beauty of veins seeing as she is a music major vs a nurse. It was super sad though! Beautiful bulging veins that were so scarred that I just wanted to ask him where he currently shoots up at, but thought better of that question seeing as it wouldn't fulfill anything and I know that curiosity kills the cat and more than once. So happy thing! Our investigator is giving up all her addictions!!! She is doing great too! She went a whole day without smoking and drinking coffee! And yes we celebrate each new improvement!

This week has been a miraculous week and we are well on our way to another wonderful week! I hope everyone else is as well!

Love Sister Pendleton 

Sorry forgot pictures!

Hey Everyone,

So this past week has been an adventure. My companion has been called as a sister training leader and so she had a meeting on Tuesday which went from a what we thought would be an hour training to a 5 hour training which was slightly a little crazy so I got rushed to another companionship and basically went on an exchange in someone elses area. It was great! Got to know the two sisters better. Sister Doyle is one of the sisters that was in our group who is, for those who came to my last sacrement talk prior to leaving and remember, Brandon's little sister. They are alike that is for sure! I loved it though! Anyways...so then we went on two exchanges and I was able to go with two different sisters in my area. So on Wednesday I was with Sister Aliki who is the one in the picture. She is from Tonga and we were able to do service for the member that we live with by helping her decorate her house for Christmas! It was so awesome! This was her first time ever decorating a Christmas tree and she was so excited about it! I love her enthusiasm! We also rode bikes which was also her first time and I just about died of a heart attack!!! Seriously, she kinda would ride in the middle of the rode and it was giving me some mommy moments when I see her life flashing before my eyes as a car comes. But she did really well. Super powerful missionary. Very spiritually prepared.

Then there was Thanksgiving. It was a great day. We made Aunt Josee's yam sufflet which wasn't as good as her's but edible and took it to Margaret (the one in the wheelchair from last week) and then we had mexican food. It was delicious. It was rice and beans and a type of beef and I can't even tell you what it was called with tortillas. Yummy! We took a pumpkin pie to a members house who was less active and struggling to have dessert , but her husband who was higher than high came in and touched it and so we felt like the safest thing to do was not partake of our yummy pie. It was interesting! But the member was very thankful because it was the only Thanksgiving food that she had that day.

I love seeing all the Christmas lights out here. Everyone has decked out for Christmas already and I absolutely love it! We listen to Christmas music that sister Folsom got and I just love Christmas!!! (Slightly missing the snow but it is okay...I will have plenty more Christmas's with Snow)

2Nephi chapter 4 has been just a great chapter for me this week! Check it out!
Mom, Ken, you are awesome to help the Missionaires...sometimes they really are very lost and need members help. Thats for sure! We definately rely on the members a ton!

Love you all!

Sister Pendleton