To start, my uncle Steven had to leave his mission in Brazil early due to medical reasons. Some prayers are much needed and would greatly help. Thank you.
Besides that, Elder Evensen and I met a couple, Hillary and Bill, living in Clinton. Thought that was pretty funny. And I met someone related to Dan Jones. Anyone who doesn't know who he is, look at Preach My Gospel toward the beginning there is a picture of him. One of the greatest missionaries in the latter days. It is too bad the lady related to him doesn't ever go to church. But we're trying to work on it.
Not a lot has happened this week. We got yelled at by one of our investigator's dad because we expected her to continue going to church after she gets baptized. So he postponed the baptism. So we are down to 4 people getting baptized this Saturday, which is keeping us busy enough planning 4 separate baptisms in one day. Can't Wait!
One cool story for the week: we met a family last week that we are going to start to teach. There is a mom, who is baptized but doesn't go to church. A teen-aged girl who is the same. A teen-aged boy who is into Satan. A 9 year old girl who doesn't want to be baptized, and an 8 year old boy, Brandon, who does. This kid is a stud. He's never been to church. So last week we mentioned that they should go to church and we might get someone to pick them up. We honestly said it not planning on being able or thinking they would want to go. Sunday morning our 8 O'clock meeting ended early and this family's ward started at 9. So we figured we'd stop by and make them feel bad for not being ready and try for the next week. When we knocked on the door at 8:45 Brandon walks out all dressed and said he's ready to go. We asked where the rest of his family was. The mom, he wasn't sure where she was... gone. The teenagers were asleep, and the other little kid didn't want to go. It makes me think, if I were 8, would I get myself up, dressed, and head to a church I've never been to before that starts at 9 in the morning? Alone? Never! This kid is a stud! Talk about motivated. He was scared walking in, but things worked out and he loved it. That's what inspires me to be out here. If an 8 year old can go to church, anyone can! I never have an excuse not to go for the rest of my life.
Love yall. Keep up the great work. Write me,
Elder Pearson
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Transfers! I'm Staying
Elder Pearson, Elder Evensen and The Duran Family
March 27th is going to be a big day for us. we have 5 separate people getting baptized. so we're going to spend all day at baptisms... which is fine by me. It's gonna be an amazing day.
We had a baptism this last Saturday. Brother Duran, who I talked about last week, baptized his son. It was so great! He has come such a long way to be able to do this and the spirit was amazingly strong. The room was packed too. We expected maybe 1/4 of the people that showed up, but everyone was there to support the Durans. It was definitely the highlight of my week.
We also spoke at a meeting with Emily Freeman. I didn't know who she is but apparently she's a good author and knew the scriptures well. She gave a great talk. We were kind of just the opening act.
Another sweet story was yesterday we contacted a family that hasn't made it out to church for a long time. The mother was baptized about 3 years ago and when she moved to Clinton decided the neighborhood wasn't nice enough and didn't want to go to church and get looked down upon for anything. So, she refused to go. She said nobody has come up and introduced themselves to her. Right as we were outside her front door talking about that, someone who just moved into the ward came up and introduced herself! She just got off a mission from Texas and wanted to get to know the neighbors. Things turned around immediately.
We're going to a couple of these kids and get them to go to church with their new neighbor/friend.
Honestly an answer to our prayer at exactly the right time. I know that our Father in Heaven answers our prayers through other people and when we feel impressed to go do something.... DO IT! It was real cool to see this happen, and it got me thinking how many perfect opportunities like this God sets up and people just don't act. This isn't to condemn anyone, just a reminder. With the Lord on our side and the Holy Ghost helping us out, we can all be amazing instruments to help people out.
Anyone who has a good missionary or spiritual experience, whether you are Mormon or not, please send them to me. I love reading them and they help me out. Love yall,
Elder Pearson
Thursday, March 11, 2010
A Great Day To Be A Missionary
Every missionary gets a cool dog story. I still haven't yet. I almost did this week. This huge dog was walking down the street unmonitored. It walked up to us all happy and I tried to pet it. Right when that happened it tried to bite my hand off and started barking and growling and running around us. We decided to just ignore it until it actually bit us. Eventually it left us alone.
Then we walked by 2 bulldogs in a backyard. The fence to the backyard might as well of not been there. Every time either of them took a step forward to bark at us it would go right under the fence and stick half way out. So they were either very dumb or obedient. In any case, I'm still waiting to get bit some time. It'll happen.
The work's been going great. Clinton has really turned around. We had about 6 people we were teaching when I first got here. 2 Got baptized. And now we have just over 15 people we're teaching. It's amazing the blessings you get when you serve and work your tail off every day. It's awesome. We have transfers on Wed. So next week I'll let yall know what's going on. I really really don't wanna leave Clinton. But I also wouldn't mind a different comp. We'll see what happens.
Something really cool happened this week, a true miracle. We're teaching a guy, Mike, in his 50's who hasn't really progressed or gone to church or even prayed... until this week. Elder Evensen was inspired to ask Brother Duran, someone who was in a complete other ward, in his late 20's, and didn't know Mike at all to teach with us. When he told me that's what he was thinking I immediately knew it was from God and we should make it a priority to bring him to the next lesson. We knew that both Mike and Bro Duran had similar backgrounds as far as dealing with gangs and things like that, so it sounded like a good idea.
Mike canceled the first lesson we planned to bring Bro Duran to. The next one we almost had to cancel but a lesson we had planned at that time fell through so we could go to the lesson with Mike. Once we got Bro Duran there he just realized he was best friends with Mike's son, who was murded in California. He bore strong testimony about how he changed from gangster to member and got Mike to pray at the end of the lesson. We'll see how the next lessons with him go, but it goes to show you that our Father in Heaven knows everyone better than we do and can inspire us to help people in ways we wouldn't of thought to.
I gotta go, but love yall,
Elder Pearson
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
March 2, 2010
Elders Pearson and Evensen and I don't know
Yesterday Elder Evensen and I were riding around and some guy yelled at us. We turned around to talk to him. After we introduced ourselves, he just stood there and stared at us. Then he told us to keep our helmets on. It was so funny to talk to him, crazier than any Ogdenite I've talked to so far. He told us that he has his own world. And in our world we're men but in his we're girls. And he'd get right in our face, in my bubble, and just mouth stuff. He then he told us we had nice suits, then went back to being mean and asked if we thought we were better than him. He told us it was because of him that we have helmets and can do whatever we do. He said a lot more but some I didn't understand or really wanna bring up. All in all it was the funniest and scariest few minutes of my mission.
Right after that we went to check on someone who is going to invite someone to meet with us. We were in their home talking when I suddenly hear "Are you Ryan Pearson?" Ashley Carleton, who lived in my ward a long time ago was there. She married the son of the people we were talking to. It was crazy to see her, in a Cy-Creek shirt which really was weird... I've been in Utah a long while now.
On a spiritual note, I wanna share a scripture I love about the Atonement. We always think of Christ suffering for our sins. But he did so much more for us. Alma 7:11-13 says " And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. Now the spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me." The atonement does so much more for us. Christ went through exactly what we go through, and knows exactly how to help us. There's always someone who we can relate to and loves us. Loves us so much he engraved us on his palms.
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