Last Month

So This is the start of my last 30 days....nope I am not counting but my dear Sis-in-Law just emailed me letting me know that I have that many days...well to be honest it was 29 days that she told me but I though it would sound better to round it off....

So this past week we had zone conference. It was good to go to and talk with the other missionaries. Our president taught us some good things. One of which is Faith is taking one more step. So I am continually telling myself that Faith is taking one more step. It is great. It helps me keep going no matter. what.

No huge stories this past week. Small daily miracles get us through the day. We met these two teenagers who I wasn't too keen on talking with but then something in my mind said, if this was your younger brothers would you want the missionaries to walk away. Well, that got my attention real quick. I began to dig deeper and get them thinking about life. So many teens have such a bleak outlook on life. So we taught them about repentance and what it is. They were really receptive to it and wanted to meet with us again. Glad I didn't give up on them!

Well, love you all!

Sister Pendleton

Baptism

Hello!

So this past week we were able to have a baptism. Deziree was baptized on Saturday! It was so good. Her husband has been very supportive of her and her husbands family as well. He own family didn't come and that was a bummer for her. She was beaming though when she was confirmed. It was awesome in church we got see her go up and bare her testimony. It was awesome! So simple, but so powerful. She was referred to us by a member, and it was awesome because she told him thanks even though at first she wasn't really happy about it. Now she is very thankful for it. It was a good dose of missionary work for the ward and how they should do missionary work. Then we get to talk next week about missionary work. I am excited about it. :)

Last night we met/found a man who pulled his records from the church. It was very sad. I wanted to cry and almost started crying for him. He was very active, he bore his testimony to us about how he knows the church is true. What held him back was that the people weren't helping him, he was trying to help the people within his realm of influence and no one would help him. He is very bitter with some bishops and other leaders about the lack of support. He knows he will come back, he told us of his manifestations that he was able to have due to his faith. He has looked into other churches but they are not what Christ would teach. This church is the closest he has found. I couldn't believe that, he was a member of the 70 at one time. I was amazed and realized just how close we have to watch ourselves and nurture and apply the atonement in our lives daily. That we must forgive people of their weaknesses, and we must forgive ourselves, but to not give up. I can't even tell you the feeling of sorrow that occurred as we talked. I could feel that God had a great work for this man, but he had walked away. We invited him to come back, to forgive, to read the Book of Mormon more in his life. He said he wasn't ready. We told him of the hastening of the work, that now was the time to prepare. That he couldn't waste more time, but begin his journey back. I pray that he will. I couldn't believe what had happened...It was crazy!

Well...I hope that you all know and understand the atonement of Christ isn't just to forgive us but to help us forgive others. To bind not split. To build not tear apart. I hope that if you have something against another person that you start the process of forgiveness now. Don't wait, don't waste precious time!

Love you all!

Sister Pendleton

LAST TRANSFER!!!

Hello my family and friends!

Well, this past week more miracles have occurred. I can't say that they will ever stop because well this is God's work and nothing can stop it. I have been reading about President Wilford Wodruff...He testified of this great work and how it will never stop. Honestly it is actually amazing that this church hasn't stopped when considering it's history. But God has protected it. It gives me great hope and comfort knowing that I can't screw that up as a missionary. I am actually amazed at all the things that I have discovered about the prophets and just how cool they really are!

So I have to say that My comp chopped her hair all off!!! Hahahaha I encouraged her to...I thought it would be good for her to start new. She looks cute with it. Good thing though cause I would have felt aweful had it not turned out so well. Good thing it grows...but yeah. I thought about cutting my hair as well. But I just am not quite ready for that yet.

Well, I have 6 weeks left. After this email you will only receive 6 more...that is a weird thought for sure..Crazy!

Well this past week we met a lady and she told us how she just feels like it is time to change. She wants to changer her life completely now. Well lucky for her the Gospel is all about change. We love change! If we aren't changing than we aren't doing it right. I hope that I have changed a lot!

Love you all!

Sister Pendleton

Pictures

My Zone....

Valentines gifts....

My last planner that Sister Tumurbaatar made me! It is amazing!

Valentines Day/ Presidents day

Hello Family! So this past week we really had not too much exciting things occur. So I will tell you about some of the more tender mercies that occurred. So we went and stopped by this less actives house that no one knows anything about and we found out that the guy had just moved the week before to Whittier...yeah that is interesting. But the lady talked with us for just a few moments and we were able to find out more about her. She told us everything that she was going through and I was like wow you got it rough. Then we were able to share with her Mosiah 24:13-14 and it really touched her. She told us that we should come back in a few weeks and she would have more time for us. It was so cool! I was so grateful that we had stopped by. 

Then we went and stopped by this other less active that I didn't really know anything about. Well turns out that she really wants to come back to church but just hadn't felt that love from people. She showed us how she knows how to crochet and that she does minions. They are amazing just so you know! I was so impressed. So then when we go to walk out she was like I want to come to church next week. I was like wow, that was the easiest reactivation attempt ever on my mission. Now it is the follow through, didn't have to convince her or anything. She knows where she is suppose to be. It was awesome! So we were so grateful for those experiances this past week!

Well Hope all is going well! 

What are your stories for me this week?

?

Love yall!

Sister PEndleton

Hello Everyone! Oh the 1st week of February....

Well this past week was hilarious in a sense but so high and low. 1st though a good funny story that I think all of you will appreciate....

So yesterday I was wearing one of my longer skirts that was white. I just recently got it passed off to me from another missionary :) So I was getting out of the car and leaning over to grab my bag when my shoe fell off of my foot. So I partly put my foot in my shoe and lifted it up to put it back on. Well little did I know that part of my skirt was inbetween my foot and my shoe until I went to put my foot down....yeah....that is totally right....you probably guessed it....my foot hit the ground and my skirt came with it....okay not that bad but it did totally just come down though and then I pretty much yelped and tried to pull up my skirt but it wasn't coming up and it was just a problem. So I figured out that my skirt was in my shoe and so off came my shoe and up came my skirt...Phew...luckily I wear a slip...saved my life...and 2nd that by the Tender MERCIEs of the Lord no one was outside and I was able to have this whole situation go unnoticed except to my comp who was just laughing at me not helping me at all...but it did provide us with a good laugh...for a little while....

So next I realized the last week that I just don't have as much energy, my patience has worn thin with people...I am much more bold with people and sometimes just blunt...I have been pondering why my charity is lacking...so I realized that I am just tired. Tired of getting told no, putting in effort where people don't even care, tired of all the stress that comes with being a missionary....Then I went on this whole thing of what Christ went through and everything like that. Well....turns out there is nothing like that chastisement when you compare your life to Christs and everything. So then I realized that I just need to humble myself just a little more and pray for the strength to keep going and continue to love people no matter what. I figure that I will feel like this in several years when I have children or am trying to work with people...getting tired of things will never end...you just learn to pray for strength...

Well, what is your story for me this week?

Love you all!

Sister Pendleton

Asian food that we ate...not awful not the best either...

Sisters P-day

February

Can you believe that it is already February???? Yeah neither can I but that is totally okay! Lots of things are happening this upcoming month. We have a baptism and we are going to reach some pretty high goals.

I love that EVERYONE tells me not to get too trunky and then asks me when I am going to come home, and what not. Other questions. Hahahaha, how could I not!!! Just kidding, actually I kind of just forget that I am coming home and really it is like forever away. I am also maybe experiencing denial of some sort, and well maybe I have just gone so long without real life that I don't know what to even day dream about!

So with all these barriers I don't think that I am. Plus I am with a new missionary. I am trying to help prepare her for the next 18months....so it is almost like I have 18 months to go....until the members ask us how long we have been out and her 3 weeks is a stark difference to my 16 months now. Yeah...that is a significant time diference.

So this past week was crazy! We have definitely been doing some good work. Our investigators are coming along. Louis who doesn't believe in God, well he fasted, he doesn't think that it is that huge but it is...and well....Sister Harrison is doing great!

We found this guy and then he dropped us and then well we were trying his next door neighbor who is a member, and we saw his grandpa struggling to get back to the house. He was stuck next to a car. Not able to move. He was probably late 70s and so we stopped to help him and it took us 20 to 30 minutes to just get him from the end of his driveway to the house. His hip was grinding together. So my comp goes to the door and yells for his grandson to come help and he totally ignores us. Until she sounded desperate. Made me think of an old time show. But he came out and well...lets just say I am not impressed with this 22 yr old boy. He has a lot of growing up to do.

Well, love you all!

SIster Pendleton