I'm Dreaming of a Brown Christmas

Utah, who has "the world's greatest snow" had an ugly brown Christmas this year. Even Florida had a white Christmas this year. Needless to say, I'm disappointed in Utah.

But besides that, Christmas was Awesome! Elder Houghton and I visited a few families and played some football. I got to Skype home, after some stragegery and finding a plan B on the spot since our plan A Skype house failed. But it worked out. I got a lot of letters and packages, so for that, I thank you. During interviews, President told me I might be tied for the lead in package receiving in the mission. So for anyone who has contributed to that, I thank you. For anyone who hasn't contributed to that, there is still time :P

My Landlords, the Rogers are now checking up on the blog, and told me if I said anything else about the barn, I'll be sleeping out with the horses. So, I'll have to keep the barn jokes to a minimum. They did give me a SWEET Christmas present.

A home-made Dallas Cowboys quilt. Like I said, they are reading this, so I can't say too many good things about it, but it is pretty cool.

Our baptism on Christmas Eve did go through. It wasn't the smoothest baptism. (Aikyrea and her family showed up 30 min late, and we found out she's deathly afraid of water during the multiple attempts to baptize her) But it did go through, and she's a new member of Christ's church! :)




Elder Houghton, Aikyrea and Elder Pearson

 For the spiritual story of the week, I'm gonna use a story from the Denmark, Copenhagen Mission. This is a good one. There is a show out there called South Park. One of the creators of the show is an Ex-Communicated member of the church [mother's note - neither of the South Park creators is LDS - many of their friends growing up were LDS]. So a lot of the jokes are making fun of the LDS faith. There is one whole episode dedicated to making fun of Joseph Smith. Someone in Denmark watched this episode, was interested in the church, and got baptized! South Park helped convert someone! It's not really spiritual, I just thought it was a cool story. Well, that's all I have today, we're putting a big football game together today with a lot of youth. And when you have 19 wards, you have a lot of youth.

So Y'all have a happy holiday and a safe New Year!

Merry Christmas!



Former Elders Phelps and McCann who served in the Houston TX mission.  They took Elder Pearson and his companion out for dinner


This week has been crazy. Trying to get this baptism together, continue to find to have baptisms in the future, and still get lost every now and then. And apparently there's a big day on December 25th that's not helping with anything. But the work keeps moving along. We are getting more ward participation for Christmas Eve's baptism. I'm way excited for it.

We found the sweetest trailer park in the world. Chalk full of genuine Ogdenites. And I was really missing my first area too. We met a guy who was at least 450 pounds, about to lose his legs. A lady who's obviously on something who told us to watch out for the "dark people." Then she went inside because a 12 year old Hispanic girl was walking down the street. It was sweet!

So our area is all about the news here. Last week I talked about a plane crash a block from our dinner appointment. Well this week, a block from that there were a bunch of cop cars. There was a domestic disturbance. The husband went to jail for beating his wife. Later he got out, got drunk, and walked through the restraining order with a gun. Luckily she had a gun too, and wasn't drunk. He shot her in the arm, and she shot him to death. Happy ending I guess? Our area is sweet.

On a spiritual note, I heard about a sweet story. The Provo Tabernacle burned down this week. Everything in it was destroyed, except for one painting. A picture of Jesus Christ was burned everywhere except the part Christ is on. Here is the picture.




Remains from Provo Tabernacle


Yall have a Merry Christmas





Elder Pearson looking for love....



:P



The Texan missionaries serving in the Ogden, Utah Mission.

 It's been another week of greatness. This E-mail might be short. I'm in the Ogden Public Library, and the computers are slow and time is limited.

We are setting up a baptism for Christmas Eve. It's for Aikyrea. Her family got baptized a few years ago and now she's following their example. She'll also have her brother there, who she's seen once in the last year. So it's gonna be a great experience. Now we just have to convince people to remember Christ during Christmas and support her in this baptism, Which might be easier said than done, but we are working on it.

The family we live with are way cool. I enjoy working with their kids.

I got a call the other day from a former missionary in Lakewood ward, Elder McCann. He and Elder Phelps (also from Lakewood) are gonna take Houghton and I out to dinner tonight. I'm excited for that. That's all I got for today. The computer is kicking me off. Love yall

Deja Vu

My 2nd email outside the MTC I wrote about an experience I was going through. After I had been out and in the area for a week my trainer, Elder Shonk, got into a bike accident and went home. Leaving me as the missionary who knew the area the best with a companion that came down from up in the Idaho area.

Well, same song, 2nd verse. On Wednesday, we got a call from the big cheese in the mission. Some missionaries were not getting along up in Richmond, and an Emergency Transfer was going to take place.
Elder Williams went up there, and my new companion is Elder Houghton.

This is my 11th transfer and he is my 11th companion. It's not nearly as bad as it was my first week in the mission field, but it's still been a fun few days trying to continue to learn the 3 stakes with a companion who knows less about the area than I do. It's no problem, we're just going through a LOT more miles getting lost than we should be. Luckily I just got a GPS on Black Friday. It's helping out.

We are managing to continue to find more people to teach. Right now we have 2 investigators we just picked up with dates to get baptized on Dec 18th. That's been the exciting news for the week. That, and a plane crashed in our area! Yall might of heard of it. A plane crashed in one of our wards in our Roy stake. The scary part is a week ago I was in the house next door to the house that was destroyed, and we were eating dinner in a house one block away at 5... shortly before the crash. It's been crazy. We drove by when Fox and ABC were doing their coverage, so we might have been on TV for a sec?

Anywho, keep getting closer to Christ. I'm gonna keep trying not to screw up this area. Love yall

COLD



Elder Pearson and "his firstborn in the wilderness" - the first Elder he trained Elder Miller.

 This week has been sweet. I cover 3 stakes in my new area. One in Kanesville, one in West Haven, and one back in Roy. One of the wards in Roy is 100% made up of a trailer park. That's the whole ward.

My companion, Elder Williams had his license taken before his mission, so he's not allowed to drive. So I drove for the first time in over 14 months. It's been fun. The first night I drove was Tuesday night, the night of the most over hyped blizzard ever. It was just a couple hours of good snow and that was it. All our lessons canceled that night, but we visited a family. So my first day driving in a while was also my first day ever driving in snow/ice/ storm. It was fun.

We live with a family, but we live in their barn. It's pretty cool. complete with horses and all. It's been a bit of a change from living in a mansion to moving into a barn.



Elder Pearson's home for the next little while.

 Sunday morning I had my first fun experience in a car. There was a lot of snow on the roads, and I took a corner too fast. The car ended up in someone's front yard. The car stopped less than a foot of a tree, so I missed that. The car somehow maneuvered in between the telephone pole, street sign, and yard ornament. No damage to the car, thankfully. But I was able to hit the telephone box for the whole neighborhood. So, a few of our wards lost phones, lol. Everything is all good. And I get to keep driving.

On Saturday, I was able to go back to Layton to a baptism. Christian and Isaac were baptized.




Elder Miller, Bro. Brown, Christian, Isaac and Elder Pearson.

I literally spent the whole 4 1/2 months while in Layton trying to get these two kids baptized. So it was awesome to be able to see them take the steps to follow Christ.



Elder Pearson and Christian.

 While Elder Miller and his new comp were trying to get their program together, they had a sweet experience. They needed to pick an opening and a closing song. They couldn't think of any, so the missionaries chose the opening. Then Christian remembered his mom singing a song to them long ago. Their mother hasn't gone to church in years, but has been very supportive of them doing this. He had no idea what it was called. He just remembered the words: "Lead me, guide me, walk beside me" from years ago.

So "I am a child of God" was chosen as their closing song. It's amazing how the spirit works. How he can remember that from so long ago. The power that Hymns have is, I think, very underrated. They lift and inspire, and bring back good family memories.


Elder Pearson and Elder Williams quilting.  "Our landlord's wife told us we would get a hot wife if we knew how to quilt."



Transfers

Zone November 2011

Tomorrow is transfers. We got transfer calls this morning, and I am getting kicked out of Layton. I'm going back to the Roy Zone, in the Kanesville area. I don't know too much about Kanesville, but hopefully it'll be sweet.

I'm gonna have a car! It'll be my first car area in 14 months. Right in time too. It's getting cold. But I'm scared to drive for the first time in over a year in the snow. I'll be serving with Elder William. I've served around him before. He's a good kid... he's into world of warcraft and all that. So it'll be a fun transfer. I didn't want to get transfered yet, but it's not up to me.

We've got 2 sweet baptisms set up this upcoming Saturday that I'm going to try to come back to Layton for. Until learning I was leaving this area 2 days before Thanksgiving, this week has been pretty good.

There is a family in our area that will be on tv. TLC is making a new show about spoiled kid's birthday parties. It'll be like Super Sweet 16 except with a 6 year old. The Lunt family in our area was chosen for the first pilot episode. The show gave this family 20 Grand to spend on this party. It's crazy. So, if anyone wants to see the people I've been dealing with the last 4 1/2 months, check it out. They are a cool family though.

This week, our Zone Leaders gave out awards to every missionary for random things. Miller got rookie of the year. But I got the coolest award ever: Most Likely to Secede the Union and become the first President of the Country of Texas. So yall know that I'm still showing love for the true Zion.

We had a really cool experience this week that showed how much service can change a person. We were tracting some apartments. Right as we knocked on one specific door, the guy opened it up and said: "I gotta move a couch, come back another time...... actually don't!" We offered to help move the couch. He accepted. Then we spent the next hour helping him put it together in his apartment. We found out he grew up in the church, but doesn't go anymore. And his wife wasn't a member. They are expecting a baby and said they were actually thinking of looking for a religion to raise the baby in. They told us to stop by any time and talk to them.

It was so cool to see the 180 he turned. From not willing to talk to us, to opening up, getting to know us, and potentially learning about the church with his wife. Service does wonders.

This Thanksgiving season, especially, I'm trying to look for anything I can do for other people. That will be my showing my appreciation for all I've been given. And when you reach out to help others only good will come back to you.

:P



Elder Pearson with his warm hat.

 Hey y'all, how's everyone doing? This week has been bueno.

We got a chance to hear from, and talk to Sister Cook. She is the First Counselor in the General YW Presidency. She gave a very inspiring fireside, and was pretty cool to talk to a bit afterward.

We've had a few investigators have different concerns slowing down their process towards baptism. A lot have been family concerns. It has got to be hard to do anything without family support, which is why I'm so glad to have such a good, supportive family.

Another thing I'm glad for is the spirit. It makes missionary work so much more effective. A few nights ago, Elder Miller and I were walking to a lesson with Christian, who's (fingers crossed) getting baptized on Dec 27th. While we were walking, we got the impression to visit some investigators, Robert and Tammy on the way. It would make us late, but we felt it was something important. We also felt like singing a hymn to them. And y'all know it would need to be some pretty strong inspiration to get me to sing!

We popped in and sang "Did you think to pray?" It was a pretty amazing feeling. At the end of the song, Tammy had tears streaming down her face and Elder Miller and I both knew that was where we were supposed to be at that time. The lesson we were late for fell through, so we lost nothing by going there, we only gained strength to our testimonies on how the spirit guides. God answers everyone's prayers through all of us. We just have to act on those feelings.

Hey



Elder Pearson and Elder Miller day 1 - at the mission home.

 Not too much to report this week. It's getting cold, and snow is everywhere.... yippee? But luckily I have a very warm hat I got from home that is helping me out.

Elder Miller and I are continuing to find, teach, and baptize. So all is well.




William's Baptism - November 2010

Faith's baptism - with her family.  November 2010.

 The Book of Mormon is continuing to teach me new things. I've started it for the 4th or 5th time, and no matter how many times I've read it, I keep getting more out of it. Right now, I'm in Nephi. He was asked to do many difficult, time consuming, and challenging things in the first few chapters of 1st Nephi. Most of the time, as he started the task, he didn't fully understand why he was doing these things, or why they needed to be done.  Yet he had complete faith in the Lord that not only were these things he didn't understand important, but the way was going to be prepared for him and the task was always possible.

A verse that sticks out is Chapter 9: verses 5 and 6. Nephi was commanded to make 2 separate accounts of the same history of his people. Which is hard by itself, but he had to do that by engraving gold plates, which probably took some time.  He said: "Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to make these plates for a wise purpose in him, which purpose I know not. But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning."

There's a lot of times I don't understand why there is a certain commandment or rule. And I follow it only half heartedly. This is something I'm gonna work on. The scriptures are a great example for me to continue to do what I know is right and important. 

Howdy

I know I haven't sent any pictures lately. I have a good amount, something just stops me from doing it every week. It's been everything from forgetting the cord to link my camera to the computer, to having a slow computer, to running out of time, or having a computer that won't recognize my camera. I'll get it done next week.

This week has gone well. We had 2 people get baptized. One was Faith, a 9 year old girl who's family is coming back into the church and plan on getting sealed in the temple. The other was William, an 18 year old who's been a blast to teach. Just as we had 2 people less to teach, we picked up 2 more this week who want to be baptized. The work won't seem to slow down... which is a good problem to have. Just crazy times.

They're kicking me off the computer now. So I have got to go. Love yall

It's Getting Cold

Yesterday I saw snow on the Mtns and knew Utah winter was here. Then this morning it snowed at our house. Let the cold begin.

Work in Layton is going well. We have two baptisms scheduled for this upcoming weekend. And 4 more to follow in the weeks after. Now we need to focus on finding more people to teach so we can have a continual line of prepared people brought to Christ instead of having nobody to teach for weeks like we had before.

We had an amazing lesson this week. There is a family, the Bylillies, that have been taught in the past. The parents are members, but don't go to church. The wife has 2 daughters who haven't been baptized, and don't go to church. After some persistent work, we started teaching them a few weeks ago.

The main hurdle was the mom. She's been, for lack of a better word, grumpy toward the church and missionaries in general. We have a lesson every Wednesday. This week we taught the Plan of Salvation, which is something they've been taught at least once, probably a few times by missionaries. The actual lesson was good. Nothing at all special. We answered a few questions, taught about where we came from, why we are on this earth, and what happens after we die, which is what this lesson covers.

After the lesson, Bro. Peterson, the neighbor, bore his testimony of how the knowledge of this plan has helped his life. After he did this, Elder Miller and I followed suit. Just after the 3 testimonies, as I was about to wrap it up and end the lesson, the mother burst into tears. She then bore her testimony about prayer, the Plan of Salvation, and said "I know the church is true". It was amazing. The spirit hit us all like a semi truck.

It completely changed my attitude of having lessons over at their house. They still haven't gone to church in a loong time. But there is progress, however slow, steps are being made that she, her children, and everyone she comes in contact with will be blessed with. I love being a missionary because I get so much out of talking to people. I get to hear people's heartfelt sincere testimonies and that just strengthens my own.

Great Week

I just ate lunch at the new In-N-Out burger in Centerville. It was tasty.

This week has been great. I'm serving with Elder Miller. He's from Minnesota, and a stud. I've got another hard worker, and the work is continuing to expand. Right now we have 6 people who have dates to get baptized. It's hard to imagine this is the same area I served in a month ago when not a single thing was going on.

We met a way sweet guy at church this Sunday. He's mentally handicapped. He saw my name was Pearson, and I was from Texas. So he asked me for a pear. I told him I didn't have one. So he said if I didn't give him one next time he saw me he was gonna cut off my leg with a Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Then he told that to the Bishop. It was pretty funny... so now I have got to get some pears. He told Elder Miller he doesn't drink. haha.

This week's been great. I wish I could say I'm teaching Miller a lot, but that would be a lie. He's a stud. I'm learning a lot from him though. Keep me posted in yalls lives. And don't forget to pray.

Another Transfer, Another Companion

Tomorrow is transfers, and I will be getting a new comp. Elder Johnson will be going to Farmington, not far away at all, and will be serving with a sweet missionary. I don't know who I'm serving with yet. I'll be training, and they always make that a big thing.

So, I'll find out who I am training tomorrow when we meet the greenies. Should be fun. Every transfer seems to go by faster and faster. It's hard to think that after this transfer will be my final Thanksgiving and Christmas. Things are going great in the area. I'm really glad to be staying in Layton, because there has been a lot of great work going on and it's gonna be great to see it all play out.

Elder Nichols, who lives very close to me in East Texas, will be my DL. This is the most excited I've been for an upcoming transfer. It'll be SWEET. I just hope my son, my trainee, is cool. Everyone pray i get someone from the South.

Transfer Nine Comes To An End

Next week I will know if I'm getting transferred or not. It's always exciting and a bit nerve-racking to find out who and where you will spend your next 6 weeks with. The good thing is to know that wherever and whoever I do serve with it is the Lord's will. So we'll see.

This week has been great. We are continuing to have success in finding and teaching. The time has flown by this last week, which is good. Because it means we are working hard and have a lot to do.

General Conference was this weekend. General Conference is a time when we get to hear of the inspired men and women that lead the church at this time. From the prophets and apostles of this time. There are 3, 2-hour long sessions on Saturday, and 2 more sessions on Sunday. Elder Johnson and I watched the Saturday morning session at home in the Jensons' (the people we live with) home theater. It was pretty neat to be able to watch that. We watched the afternoon session with a cool family in the area. And we got to go down to the Conference Center (in Salt Lake City) to watch the Priesthood session in the evening. It was amazing!

I think the coolest part was when Elder Russell M. Nelson, one of the Apostles, gave a talk on missionary work. And told all the full-time missionaries to stand up. In the midst of 22,000 other people in the center, I was able to stand up with all the other missionaries.

Elder Pearson in front of the Salt Lake Temple - Oct 2010

We also returned to the conference center for the Sunday morning session. And watched the Sunday afternoon session in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It was a weekend packed with long days, amazing talks, and the spirit. It was definitely an amazing experience to have, and I realized that this was my 3rd conference to watch as a missionary. Which means I will also be going to the next conference in 6 months. And it will be my last one as a missionary :/ kinda a downer. But just means I need to make every minute of what I have left count.



Elder Johnson and Elder Pearson at Temple Square



If You Judge People You Have No Time To Love Them

This week has been a complete turn-around from last week. Last week we had a grand total of 0 lessons. We had 7 lessons cancel in just a 2 day period last week. This week was much better. We taught 6 lessons, picked up 4 new people we're teaching, and now have 4 people who have goals to get baptized in October, rather than the 1 person we had last week. It's been a true blessing from the Lord. He has put prepared people in Elder Johnson and my path. I know we will continue to find people now, and work with the members to teach those that want to learn more about Christ.

We had Zone Conference this week. We got to hear from Elder Robbins, who is in the 1st Quorum of the 70. We also had a special meeting we got to go to where we met Bryan Davis, who is a direct descendant of Joseph Smith. He told us of his conversion. He didn't grow up in the church. He and his mother found out about it through their lives and eventually joined the church that was restored through their ancestor. It was cool to see him, he looks a lot like Joseph.

Things are going well in Kaysville. I'm continuing to gain weight. I checked a few days ago and am now almost to 170. haha. I'm not really fat yet, so I hope I'm just getting taller and not wider? There's too much food here. Anyway, keep in touch

Another Week

Another week has gone by in the mission. Thats another week of work I've lost. Being on the downhill half of the mission ain't fun. Nothing too crazy has happened. A lot of tracting and appointments that have fallen through. Gotta love being a missionary.

This week we met a sweet family though. The father, Bishop Katoa, played football at BYU. He played with Ty Detmer when they beat Miami and Ty got the Heisman. He's in the Tysman Rap. It was cool to talk about football a bit.

(In case you did are not familiar with the Tysman Rap)

Not too long ago someone asked me who I would want to talk to out of anyone on the earth who has lived or is living. It's a question that's asked a lot. There are a lot of people who would give anything to talk to some great leaders, scientists, or musicians of the past. But there is someone who all fail in comparison to. Someone who we actually do get the chance to talk to whenever we want. God is by far the most influential in Earth's history.

He is the inspiration of anything good that comes about. He knows everything and everyone, and loves us all. Because he loves us, Our Heavenly Father commands us to pray to him. The greatest opportunity we have, and we are asked and expected to take it. Prayer is key. I couldn't imagine my life without having a listening ear at the drop of a hat. Not only does he hear our prayers, but answers them too. He knows what's best for us and might not give us the answer we want, but we will get something. It's up to us to build a deep personal relationship with the creator of all we know. And our relationship with him is as close as we make it.

Someone told me that they were getting frustrated and disappointed with their prayers. I guess they were not as grand as expected. But the key thing about prayers is it doesn't matter how fancy we say them, or if they are done how others might. All that matters is a sincere conversation from the heart. If you do that, then the prayer is perfect.

In the Bible, James 1:5 tells us there is no stupid question in a prayer. And Galatians 5:22 tells us how we are going to get our answer. The Holy Ghost, through our feelings, will tell us what is right and answer any question we have. It's such crucial thing to have. There is someone out there who has a perfect infinite love for everyone, and wants to hear from us. Don't let how you pray discourage you from doing it. Don't let Satan ever make you think you shouldn't pray. Christ tells us to always pray unto the Father in his name. A quote I love from Brigham Young is to "pray until you feel like praying". You aren't going to get comfortable with prayer until you exercise it and build up your relationship. I have a strong belief and testimony of prayer. I've seen too many of my own prayers and others' answered to think otherwise.

Love yall. Keep in touch

Elder Pearson at Kay's Cross for information click here

http://www.utahgothic.com/tour/Kay's%20Cross.html

What A Week

Things are going pretty good in Layton. Still not as busy as we can be, but we're getting there.  The weather is cooling off a bit, which is kind of good. It's cold in the mornings.

Steve Dorman, one of our investigators, was baptized on Saturday.

He is 23, and the definition of a stud. There was not an open chair in the room when he was baptized. His mom, who hasn't gone to church in a loooong time, decided at last minute to go. And his dad, who isn't a member, went with her. It was good to finally meet them. He also had some older sisters who haven't gone in a long time go. One bore her testimony after the baptism. He also had a lot of old high school friends go. It was one of the times I've felt the spirit the strongest. He bore his testimony after and basically gave a talk. His real good friend who baptized him, Taylor, really had to change a lot lately to be able to be there for him and be able to baptize him. And now Taylor is planning on going on a mission.

We have a lesson Friday with someone and we're taking Steve along. We've go to figure out a way to get him to go on a mission. He's worked hard to get the job he has now and would be leaving a lot. But he'd be so great as a missionary. So that's next on our list with him.

Other than the awesome baptism, we've had a normal week. Just working hard and looking for people. We tracted out some apartments. When we knocked on this one door a guy, Matt, answered and looked really happy to see us. I recognized him as a drunk man I've spoken with before on the street. He said we came right in time. He had a real sick dog and has been praying for him all day, and he was going to give up in 5 minutes. He wanted us to say a prayer with him. The moment we said amen, the dog who had not eaten or gotten up in 3 days was limping around the house with his tail wagging. He ate 2 bowls of food while we were there and looked pretty happy. Not nearly as happy as Matt.

He said it was something he really needed and told us we'd seen a miracle that day. It was true. They happen because God loves us. It's great to know there is always someone looking after us and helping us with everything. No matter how big or small.

One Year Mark

Thursday is my official year mark. I'll have been in Utah for 12 months.

Elder Johnson is a typical Canadian, and reminds me a lot of Andy Bernard from the Office. His first day in the area I got a sweet family, the Godfreys to pull a prank on him with me.

The Godfrey Family with Elder Johnson and Elder Pearson

They have a daughter who I told Elder Johnson we were going to teach and prepare to get baptized. Bro. Godfrey picked us up and pretended to be Bro. Green, someone from the ward to come along with us and help us teach. We started the lesson and Bro. Green spent half the time teaching the more unique things about our church that investigators don't need to know. He went way into detail about a lot of stuff, which is a missionary's worst nightmare that we sadly face a lot.

Half-way through the lesson, Sister Godfrey, the "anti" mom got home. She yelled at us for teaching her daughter, yelled at her for having boys home without her there, and threw a fit. it was hilarious. Johnson bought every second. Definitely a memorable welcome to the area.

Last night we had a pretty cool experience. We were walking down the street when we got a text from someone we didn't know telling us to go to this house we just walked past. So we turned around and knocked on the door. It turned out to be a family who doesn't go to church anymore, but are all baptized. So we set up a lesson with them tonight. After we got out we texted the mystery person who told us about the family and thanked us. He told us that they've been fed a lot of anti-Mormon stuff and we should talk to the Bishop before going over there. So we did. He said that he and the stake president had been trying to get into the house for months, and was excited we were able to do it. So hopefully we will have a sweet lesson tonight and help this family back to church.

We also have a baptism this Saturday. Steve is getting baptized. Saying he's a golden investigator wouldn't do him the justice he deserves. He is beyond prepared. Half of me is mad nobody found him before, but I'm happy to get the chance to see him get ready for this Saturday. Teaching him has really accelerated and energized the work in the area. We have some more potential going and it's great.

I know lately I haven't had a lot of cool stories or good spiritual thoughts. It's not because I'm not having them or because I don't care any more. I love being out here. This last year my testimony has grown by leaps and bounds. I've grown more and in more ways that I ever could have any other possible way. I love being a missionary. I love being able to tell people every day what I know is true. One of the things that the devil hates the most is when people bear testimony. And I get to do it to every person I meet! I get to make him mad on a daily basis. I do know that Christ lives! He loves us enough to go through what he went through for us. Without him, life would be meaningless, but with him, its so meaningful. This church is true. I know it without a sliver of doubt. President Monson is an inspired man, and the Prophet of God. I got a ticket to the Saturday Morning session of General Conference, and I am counting down the days until I get to look at God's Mouthpiece and witness firsthand the spirit he carries with him. It's gonna be sweet.

The Jensens, Elder Brown and Elder Pearson (the Elders live in the Jensen's home)

9Th Transfer Starting

This morning we got transfer calls. I'm staying in Layton/Kaysville and greenie busting Elder Johnson from Alberta Canada. (My 2nd Canadian comp) Elder Brown is going to Clinton to serve with Elder San Ramon from the Philippines. He'll be in a different area than I was in when I served there.

This week has gone well. The Temple president for the Houston, Texas temple lives in one of the stakes I cover. It was pretty cool to get to see his home. The bulk of our teaching at the moment is still Steve, who changed his baptism date back to September 11th. Steve is a stud.

The mansion we live in has a movie theater room in it which we haven't been able to use. That changed this week when we showed Steve a DVD.  Elder Brown and I came across some copies of Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration, which is regularly shown in the Joseph Smith Building in Salt Lake. It's a powerful movie, but even more so with the big screen and surround sound. It was cool. I'm hoping to be able to continue to utilize the theater room.

Jory was baptized this Thursday.  It was a good baptism. It really helped me realize how much the spirit helps people in times of need. Jory doesn't live in the ideal home. His dad showed up to the baptism drunk, and his mom spends almost all her time at work. I'm just happy Jory was able to find a good family to go to. The Jenkins have helped him out a lot. He's always over there, and they, over time, brought him to church and introduced him to the missionaries. It was great to see him take the steps he needs and be an example to his family. He's great. And one of his friends, Ryker, was at the baptism and went to church this last Sunday. We just need to get his parent's permission to start teaching him. So we'll work on that this week.

Besides that, theres not too much to report. I'm hoping to continue to work hard and find the daily miracles the Lord puts in my path. I hope everyone is doing well. Keep in touch. Love yall


Elder Pearson

Utah, Ogden Mission

Getting Transferred

Elder Pearson and Elder Brown teaching the Kaysville Crestwood Ward Primary

Elder Brown and I have gotten along really well and really turned this area around. So obviously, one of us will be getting transfered. It's the way it works. I'll let yall know what happens when I find out in a week.

This week has been great. We've had a lot of lessons and are getting ready for a baptism in 2 days. It was supposed to be on Saturday, but had to be pushed back so that Jory's family could be there.

We cut down branches for a tree for service and both Elder Brown and I almost died on separate occasions. It was pretty sweet. Nothing too exciting to report this week. We've had a bunch of lessons with Steve, who's as solid of an investigator as they come. He's been great. He actually moved his baptism up to next Saturday. Not many people move their date up, so it's way cool. We've got to continue finding more people now.

I hope everyone's having fun with school starting :P I aint gotta worry about all that. But now that it's back in normal routines, I expect more letters. Love yall

Elder Pearson enjoying his BlueBell - the best ice cream in the country.

Hey

So we had a sweet week this week. A lot of people we found last week were flakes, which is what was expected. But we're teaching some real solid people and have a bunch of potential in this area.

Transfers are in 2 weeks and I really hope I don't get kicked out. I love this area. We taught a Young Women's class. And it was the young womens president, Sis Godfrey's, birthday, so we went over the day before we taught her class and made cupcakes. It was pretty fun. 

Elder Pearson and Elder Brown baking.

Elder Pearson goofing off while baking.

Elder Brown, Whitby, and I just got back from DI and bought some air soft guns. So this week will be fun.

We have a kid getting baptized this upcoming Saturday. He's a cool kid, and the Jenkins family, who are taking him to church, are way tight.  We are going to have an air soft war with all of them.

Nothing too specific happened this week. We stopped teaching the Polygamist. He wasn't progressing and there's a weird feeling whenever we go to the compound to teach him.

Last night we had a first lesson with Steve, a 23 year old who's lived his whole life in the same house in Utah, but just now interested in learning about the church. It's amazing how much that happens. It goes to show you that everyone has their own time and you can't force anything. He also mentioned the great example his neighbors have set for him. He was totally prepared to take the lessons. He accepted a date to be baptized Sept. 11th. That will hopefully be our 2nd baptism that day. The spirit was there and was strong.  The family who's home we had the lesson in did a great job of being there for him. That's what missionary work is about. If someone feels loved from the ward, it'll do wonders with helping them feel the spirit and prepare to be baptized.

We're still working hard. We are continuing to see success, but there are more people out there we still have to find.

Love Yall


Elder Pearson

Utah, Ogden Mission

BooYah

This week has been amazing! First off, thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. Special shout outs to all who went the extra mile and sent a package. Aunt Melissa, Sister Smith, Terah, and my family for sending a package AND a big box of Bluebell ice cream... still frozen.

Pooh Bear and WhatABurger shirt from Terah

Birthday tie from either Aunt Melissa or Sister Smith

Some missionaries threw a little birthday party for me with the help of Brother Ninalga, who is a way cool member here. So that day was pretty cool.

Birthday party - missionary style (sin drink is Dr. Pepper)

The first couple weeks in this area have been horrible as far as missionary work goes. And I began to get pretty frustrated, as last week's email showed. But I also said that the Lord was going to bless our hard work.... and he did.

We were able to get a father and his 2 daughters baptized finally. He had something holding him back, but this week the Bannister family got dunked.

The Bannister Family with Bro. Ningala, Elder Pearson and Elder Brown

I was able to baptize and confirm Aspen. The little one in the picture.

They were the only people we had that were preparing to be baptized. But now we have 2 more individuals with dates they are working toward getting baptized on. One will hopefully get baptized in 2 weeks. We've also had miracles fall from the sky all week long. We've suddenly run into people who want to learn more about the church. So we've had a lot of lessons with new friends investigating the church, and quite a few coming up this week. We've also found multiple people who are going to invite their friends to meet with us (the ideal situation). One lady, actually stopped us to tell us she was planning on inviting someone that week. It's hard to imagine that this is the same are I've been in the few weeks before. It's been a polar opposite. I'm so excited to dig into all this work that God has given us. His children that he's trusted us to help and teach.

This transfer, Elder Brown and I have been trying to look for a daily miracle to write down in our planner. At first we had to think hard to find something. But lately we've been having to put at least 3 a day. It's really been great. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for this area. I do not doubt we wouldn't have had the same success if it were not for yall. Now just pray we can handle everyone we've talked to and help them to come unto Christ.

Elder Pearson and Elder Brown

One cool story from the week is from the Christensons. They are a married couple. The wife was baptized a year ago, and the husband has always been a member, but returned to going to church. We've been meeting with them for a while and helping them understand the scriptures. We hadn't had a lesson for a while because Sister Christenson was in the hospital for a bit. After she got out we tried a time or two to come over, but when we had set something up she hadn't felt good or been asleep.

We went by Thursday morning to set up a lesson. She wasn't feeling good, and told us to come back in a few days. Luckily later that night we saw them again, just walking around the neighborhood. She had felt better and told us to come by the next day. So we went by Friday evening and she was asleep when we were supposed to have the lesson. Brother Christenson didn't want to wake her up, so he told us to come by in a day or 2. While walking out of the apartments, we stopped and talked to some people. Then we saw Bro Christenson sprinting toward us and told us she woke up and was mad he didn't wake her up.

So we ended up having the lesson and at the beginning, their upstairs neighbor happened to knock on the door, saw we were there, and asked if she could sit in with us. Now she wants to start taking the lessons with us to learn more. It was way cool to see all the little things that kept that lesson alive so we could meet Kim.

That's all I have for today. This week has been awesome. Thanks again for all the support. Love yall

--

Elder Pearson

Utah, Ogden Mission

Howdy

Elder Pearson from his new house

This week has been pretty good. The work is really slow right now. I guess the 2 missionaries before Brown and Ii didn't have the best luck with member trust, so we have a lot of things to repair to get people to trust us with their friends.

The family that was going to get baptized on Saturday had to postpone their baptism. Hopefully they'll be getting baptized this upcoming Saturday.

This week has been a test of patience. Elder Brown and I are working our tails off and not seeing the immediate results. But I know they are coming. This last Sunday I did a fast for the area, and we are going to skip all lunches starting tomorrow to work longer until we start finding more people to teach. I know we'll find them. Elder Brown is a great missionary and people see that. The Lord will lead us to all of God's children in this area who are willing to learn more about the church and looking for happiness.

We did find one new person we started teaching this week. His name is John. He believes that Joseph Smith was a Prophet. He believes that the Book of Mormon is Scripture like the Bible. Why isn't he baptized? He believes that Polygamy is OK. He comes from a Polygamist family, and lives across the street from his sister, who is one wife of a Polygamist family. It's crazy. Right in the middle of Kaysville is a little hidden street with these guys. It's kinda scary with all the little kids everywhere, almost like Children of the Corn. But they are all good people and we're teaching just John for now.

Keep me in y'alls prayers. We're going to need a lot. And a lot of faith to start being able to find success and help people.

Love y'all

--

Elder Pearson

Utah, Ogden Mission
 

Hike in the mountain on p-day.

Elder Pearson and Elder Brown on p-day.

Hike on p-day.

My New Area

Last week I was informed I was moving to a ghetto part of town. That was a lie. Elder Brown and I live in the basement of a mansion.

Complete with theatre room, library, and sports room. We live way up hill, so we leave our bikes down at a member, Brother Ninalga's home and either walk there or get a ride every morning. When we walk, it takes an hour.  We live kinda out of the way.

We cover 2 Stakes- 18 wards. One Stake in Layton, one in Kaysville.  90% of the people that live in our area are members of the church.  So tracting is of no use at all.  The Elders next to us have 5 stakes and 45 wards. It's crazy. Elder Brown is a stud.

Elder Brown mowing

Our area has had 1 baptism all year so far. But this Saturday we are baptizing a father and his 2 kids. It's sweet. And there is a lot of potential out here. I still don't know the area at all, but I'm working on it.

I'm really excited to work here and get things going with Elder Brown. There are some people excited to hear about the Gospel and some excited to share it here. I'll keep yall posted on everything that happens. Hopefully I'll have the area down by next week. Love yall




--

Elder Pearson

Utah, Ogden Mission

Getting Transferred

So I just got a call this morning and found out I am getting transferred to Layton. Which, from what I've heard, is basically the ghetto of Bountiful. So it'll be sweet. Kinda sucks I'm leaving. I was not expecting it, but I've been in Clinton for 6 months. So it's all good. I'll be with Elder Brown. He's from Philly. He's been out 6 months. I haven't met him yet, but I hear he's way tight and been recommended to be a SR companion some time soon, so a studly missionary. It'll be sweet.

Last Wednesday, Elder Tutt and I got a call from someone from the mission office. Our landlord called them, asked them to do a surprise inspection, and informed them he was kicking us out because of the state our room was in. The guy told us to get it back in shape. We did, and then sweet talked the landlord. We did such a good job, that we aren't getting kicked out any more :) I didn't like that room, but didn't want to be the reason missionaries didn't live there any more.

On Saturday, We got to be on a float for a parade in Clinton.

The float in front of us was throwing out candy to all the people. And the people were throwing candy back to us.

So our float was full of candy. Then at the end of the parade I hear a family shout "Hey Elder Pearson" I look up and see the Hansens, who live in Idaho now, but used to live in Houston.

And with them was my sister Sophie. Way against the rules, but I figured I wasn't breaking it, they were. So I talked to her and took a few pics. It was sweet to see her again for a second.

Then the 2nd house we knocked on after her told us they wanted to go back to church, and had 2 kids who needed to be baptized. So she was good luck.

That's all I have. I'll let yall know how Layton is next Tuesday. Love yall, keep going strong.


Elder Pearson

Utah, Ogden Mission

Life in Utah

When I got a call to Utah I was told to be prepared to be treated like a rock star. so I was prepared to talk to every other person who sees me at Walmart for at least ten minutes. I was prepared when a kid sprinted 2 blocks to give Elder Tutt and I a donut. I'm prepared to get slipped a 5 every now and then.

But I was not prepared when Tutt and I got a call last night from a member. This Saturday, there is a parade in Clinton. Bro Burtan (no idea who he is) created a missionary float for it.  We get to be the stars :)  Then on the 24th we'll get back on the float for another parade in Ogden. It's gonna be cool from the sounds of it.

Not too much has happened. We have some more potential people to start teaching. Someone who was going to get baptized on this upcoming Saturday went back to go live with her mom, so it's a bit of a downer.  What is important is that she gets baptized. I just wish the Provo mission didn't get the baptism.

We've been working and talking to a lot of people. There was a cool story I heard in a talk on Sunday I wanna share.

There was a traditional American businessman at a pier of a small coastal Mexican village with a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied "only a Little while". The American then asked why didn't he stay out longer and catch more fish. The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs.

The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?" The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I hang loose and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life, senor." The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing with the proceeds buy a bigger boat with the proceeds from the bigger board you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise." The fisherman asked, "But senor, how long will this all take?" To which the American replied "15-20 years." "But what then, senor?"

The American laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions." "Millions senor? Then what?" "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, fish a little, take a siesta with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could hang loose and play your guitar."

We are commonly so concerned with what more we can have, we forget what we do have. What truly makes us happiest?  Will adding something add to our happiness or just make a mess and put us back where we were? This is a problem we all, myself included have. I want to try to focus more on what I have and not worry about what I could have.

I love yall, keep in touch.


Elder Pearson

Utah, Ogden Mission

Happy Independence Day

The 4th of July, like any holiday, put a halt to missionary work. Nobody wants to see us when family is over or they have fireworks to shoot off. Which I understand, but it's a bit frustrating.

I've also come to realize that Utah has the weakest fireworks in America. They have so many laws that it's nearly impossible to enjoy watching what little they're actually allowed to light. It just makes me soo happy I live in Texas.

But there was a great idea some members we watched fireworks with had. Put on 3D glasses. It made the experience a lot better.

(Elders Tutt and Pearson watching fireworks)

Something sweet coming up, the 16th and 17th. There is a huge youth fireside going on at Weber State football field. It's been planned for 18 months. President Monson and Elder Holland are gonna be there. It's probably gonna be broadcast on BYU TV, so if anyone has it, I recommend watching it. But the best part is, Elder Tutt and I will be some of only 40 missionaries that will be going... and sitting right next to the Prophet. It's gonna be so sweet. It'll be a lifetime spiritual high for sure.

One thing I realized is I'm getting older :/ in a month from yesterday, I will no longer be a teenager. Kinda sucks, but it's gotta happen some time. One sweet thing I've seen is the excitement people have to share the gospel with their friends and what that can lead to. We're working on a long chain of such an instance.

When I was pretty new to the Clinton area, a 9 year old girl, Grace, invited her friend to go to church. After a while of Rylee Wallwork going to church, her dad was motivated to go back to church, get the priesthood, and baptize Rylee.

(Rylee with her family)

Elder Evensen and I were fortunate enough to be there and witness all this. Once baptized, Rylee wanted to follow Grace's example and invite someone to church and the missionary lessons with her. After several people she asked, she received several declines. She didn't give up and wanted to help someone. So she came with us and helped us teach two other people, Alyssa and Mikayla. Rylee and Alyssa, both 9, became best friends and with help and support of Rylee, both Alyssa and Mikayla were baptized.

Now these two girls had the fire in them and wanted to share the gospel with someone. Their sister is living with them for a month from out of town, and with Alyssa and Mikayla's encouragement, taking the missionary lessons and has a date to be baptized July 17th! They also have their best friend next door preparing to be baptized in August.

It's amazing to see what an impact a good friend can have on us or others. I'm so lucky to be out here to see all this and have it inspire me to do the same both out here in Utah and back home. Seeing others overcome adversity and take steps in their lives towards happiness is such an amazing thing. I love this church. I know it's true. I know it's led by Christ himself and I can never be grateful enough for what He has done and is doing for me and all those I care about.

Elder Pearson

Howdy

Busy, warm week.

We had 4 baptisms this Saturday.  I got to perform two of them. It was way sweet. Except for one of them the water was too low so it took a couple tries to fully submerge Libbie, in the water.

Elder Pearson, Libbie, Elder Tutt

Alyssa & Mikayla Parkin (and dad) with Elders Evensen, Pearson and Tutt

Buffy

Since we baptized 4 people, we were short on people to teach. This week, as we've been looking for more, chances have suddenly been showing up to teach. I'm really excited for the upcoming little bit.  We get to meet new people and prepare them for the saving waters of baptism. One of the people we're going to start teaching soon, is the sister of Alyssa and Maikayla, who talked to her all about their own baptism this last week and got her interested. The sister will be in town for about a month, so it'll be hard teaching her, but if there is gonna be a miracle, I think it'd be for someone trying to do the Lord's work in His church.

I heard something interesting during a talk this Sunday. It was if you were arrested, charged, and tried in a court of law for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to condemn you? I thought of Matthew Chapter 5, verse 16, which says: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." We all need to be an example of what we believe and why we believe it. I know I've had times that there wouldn't be enough convincing evidence to put me in jail for being a Christian.  All I can do is try to live my life right and let the light shine.

This work is amazing! I've had such great support from my family and friends. Keep it up. I'm so happy to be out here helping people in whichever way I can.

Elder Pearson

Great Week To Be A Missionary

We've had a great week. Another missionary, Elder Kreiberg, and I had a way sweet lesson with a guy named Jacob. He was cool, but made sure to let us know how much he knows the Savior. He even knows his favorite food, which is obviously spaghetti. It was pretty awesome.

We had a baptism this Saturday and it went really well. The spirit was definitely there and felt by all.

Alex Ashby with Elders Pearson and Tutt 

We have 4 more baptisms this upcoming Sat. I'll be baptizing one of them. I shouldn't be excited because it's better that someone from the ward does it, but oh well. I'm excited. Now we just need to find more people to teach. We're losing them all.

One of the people getting baptized this Saturday, Libbie has a way cool story. She recently moved here to Utah from Colorado, where she heard about the church for the first time. And she is planning on going back to Colorado. But she had been here just long enough to learn about the church, find out for herself that it's true, quit smoking, and get baptized on Saturday.

I know that the Lord brought her here where she'd hear about the church. All we have to do is look and we can see his hand in all things. Now Libbie will go back home and be a great example to all her friends and family.

Cool scripture I found. Alma 15:8- "... If thou believest in the redemption of Christ thou canst be healed" I've seen too many people healed physically, emotionally, and spiritually to not know this is true. The atonement was made so that Christ would know how to best heal us and so he could do this. I've seen it in my life and know any of y'all can too.

Elder Pearson

Snow This Week in Utah?

Bi-polar Utah weather strikes again. We had a cold few days. but it's back to warm now, so I'm happy.

This has been my first week with Elder Tutt. He's awesome!

(Elder Tutt)

He's got a Basketball scholarship for BYU waiting for him after the mission, so we've been playing a lot, and I'm getting a lot better. Wouldn't say good, but better. He's from Tri-cities Washington. 

Our area is rockin and rollin right now. We have 7 people who have a date to be baptized. And hopefully one more after tonight. The Lord has definitely helped us out in finding people to help,  and guided us as we teach them so they can feel the spirit and know the truth of the gospel. Tutt is picking up the area well and we're both learning a lot from each other.

Last week I was reading through the Conference Ensign and read through President Uchtdorf's talk on patience. Amazing talk. One part that stuck out to me was: "Often the deep valleys of our present will be understood only by looking back on them from the mountains of our future experience.  Often we can't see the Lord's hand in our lives until long after trials have passed. Often the most difficult times of our lives are essential building blocks that form the foundation of our character and pave the way to future opportunity, understanding, and happiness."  I know there are many times that things turn out differently than I'd like or imagine. When that happens is when we grow.

--

Elder Pearson

Utah, Ogden Mission
 
 

(Elder Pearson's shoe after nine months!)