Transfer 11; week 1; Cover zone--Beehive house

Hello!

I write to you now with a whole lot of changes and a lot less things to do. (I kind-of feel like a traitor to Sister Au-Yeung for leaving the office right before the biggest transfer this mission has had in over a year and monthly report and General Conference) It wasn't my idea, it was Gods. Oh well... God needed me back at the Beehive House, for some reason or another at the same time as last year. General Conference in a prophet's home, not a bad way to spend it, right?

I'm also writing to you with a new companion Sister Kaberry from Australia and Germany... which means that I have now had companions from all the continents on the earth except Africa, but I am teaching a man from Africa... does that make up for it? He is the sweetest man in the world and is in love with a member from Utah (how they met each other I do not know) she's really nice so far but because of exchanges I actually haven't been able to get to know her very well yet. But I'll let you all know more about her next week when I'll know her very well. But she's from Australia so that's pretty amazing anyways....but more exciting news is to come.

For the first time in Temple Square history there is a missionary going to the beautiful Florida Jacksonville Mission! Her name is Sister Mendivelso and she's one of my favorite people in the world. We were roommates for two transfers and I won't be able to see her again while I am on my mission.... but she may get to serve in my home town. (But apparently the mission is HUGE, did you know that it covers part of South Carolina?!? I am praying that she gets sent to our area with the sisters there. Love her so so much. She is hilarious and Columbian, which makes her even more awesome.

Since I wrote pretty much everything else that happened on Saturday.... I'll just let you all go with the fact that the church is true and that there really are prophets and apostles on this earth.... and sometimes they give amazing talks about tiny flowers.

Love you all!
Sister Pielstick

Transfer 10: Week 6; Extended Zone--OA

Hello!

This week was a Japanese week. So many different people from Japan, and they were all amazing.... albeit Japanese culture does not look kindly on having strangers visit. I hope that the missionaries tract into the people that we met over the last couple of days, especially after they watch General Conference. (They promised to after talking to us.) The gospel can really help all people find peace no matter what trials they are coming into in this life. God knows them, and when they come to a place where they can feel His love He gives it to them freely. One Man from Tokyo was so sweet, we have a display here on Temple Square where you can watch the Testimonies of the 12 modern apostles speak, we showed him Elder Perry's testimony and he felt the spirit so strongly, he wanted to know how he could listen to more... so we told him about General Conference and he's going to go and watch the apostles talk... he hopes that one of the Nehongot (Japanese) Seventies speaks this conference.

We also had some interesting times interpreting Scriptures from the Chinese translation of the Book of Mormon... because apparently it is written in regular Chinese not old Chinese (like the King James is in Shakespearean-esque English not colloquial) So when she was reading the last verse in Chinese she read that the Judgment Bar was cute, like a cat... not pleasing. We had some fun conversation about this but we still have not come to a conclusion about what the cute Judgment Bar will look like. Maybe it will be pink? I don't really know, interesting to think about though.

We are all preparing for Conference, transfer conference and general conference... They tried to have me sing three songs for transfer conference because they are trying to have a musical spiritual transfer conference.., all about the Savior, so I finally do get to sing the song that Dagan found for me. YAY! It turns out that it is Sister Günter's favorite as well, and Sister Willis from England is accompanying me...as is her beautiful American companion Sister DeMontingy. We're really excited about it.

And interesting thing happened.... President Holmes gave the mission a pre-conference treat... we got to watch 17 Miracles, a movie about the handcart pioneers. It was pretty good, albeit I already knew all of the stories because of my mother's tutelage. Who knew that the apple pie in the middle of the desert was not common knowledge? I guess other mothers prefer other types of bedtime/anytime stories. Who would have known?

Best week for investigators ever! They are all not officially reading, or excited to read the Book of Mormon and one loved what he read in Moroni so much that he is sending his family to church even though he is working on Sunday. (we met him on Temple Square and he is a truck driver so he has a hard time making it to church) But there were so many amazing miracles this week... and that was just the past few days. General Conference season is truly a season of miracles. As Sister Bruno always says "Heavenly Father is amazing" (to be honest it only works if one says it in a Brazilian accent, but I'll try my best... apparently my Portuguese isn't too bad though. I greeted one fellow and he tried to carry on a conversation with me while his daughter put copious amounts of flowers in his hair... such a good dad)

Love you all! Be excited for conference! With God nothing is Impossible.
Sister Pielstick

Transfer 10: Week 5: Extended Zone OA

Hello!

So I decided that since we were cleaning out our boxes for the summer that I'd show one of the things that we do here in the office. Since the church cannot do more than give a copy of the Book of Mormon to the guests who come here from mainland China we have many referral cards that they give us that we scan and keep digital copies in the computer for them to be contacted in the future when missionaries go there. The cards in the picture are only from the time I was in the office... not counting the other two summer months that I was not in the office. Amazing to see how many people wanted to learn more about the gospel and are now only waiting for a chance to hear it. Oddly enough the only scientists I've had refer on my mission are from the Asian countries and I cannot really communicate with them. Someday perhaps...with a lot of education on my part.

But the mission here is pretty fun. We're counting down to General Conference. I am so grateful that I get to have three General Conferences on my mission; I think it is my personal favorite time of year on my mission. We get to work with members of the church from all over the world, and as we work together to help others come closer to Jesus Christ we end up uplifting each other. I learn so much from the members that I meet. They help me realize the kind of person I want to become after my mission. In turn I hope that at least some of the scriptures that I share and the questions that I ask help them out... because if you really think about it we're all in this great battle together.

Think about it... we've been saved for generations to come at this time when evil is considered good and good evil, that if someone wants to have a family that it is considered a waste of your potential. When if you allow anything to happen without commenting you are considered to be tolerant... if you fight for morality that you are considered small minded and petty... and we're right in the midst of it... God really wants us to succeed that is why he sent us prophets in this day and age. And General Conferences and temples and the Book of Mormon.... there are so many different things to help us grow in this day and age. Hard as it is -I am glad to be here at this time. Who needs story books? We're fighting real battles each and every day of our existence. The stakes are greater than those found in any novel... our salvation is at stake. The reality of beings that existed since the dawn of time are rising and falling every second. It's exhilarating.

Yes we had some amazing people that we've taught. One woman that we're teaching over the phone finally realized that she finds the answers to her questions in the Book of Mormon. There is a different spirit around you when you study the scriptures and when you do not. I've never realized it more than while I was teaching my investigators or the members here. I don't even have to see them, but I can recognize in a few moments if they have or have not.... even if the lesson is in Cantonese.

The Spirit is that strong.

Sister PIelstick.

Transfer 10; Week 4 Extended Zone: OA

Hello!

This week has been pretty fun. There have been so many Australians coming out for General Conference. Maybe the church should make one of the sessions go to Australia and the other be in Utah... except that would be a lot of change and then the Australians couldn't plan six week church history tours that culminate in General Conference at Temple Square. It's fun how excited everyone here gets about it, the excitement is so contagious that even the non-members want to come back and get ticket to watch a real live prophet speak the words of God. We had an Australian who really wanted to extend his trip so that he could see it first hand, but he said he was definitely going to watch it when he got home. (Albeit it would have been sweeter if he had also wanted missionaries to come and talk more about prophets, but everyone has their agency)

I suppose this week was Australian week. I got to try and explain what little I know about rugby to Sister Au-Yeung, who was convinced that it was something to do with raising bunny rabbits... not exactly. Lots of things to learn and improve on... especially my Cantonese. I am not trying to learn the language while I am on my mission... I merely want to be able to introduce myself. However when there are nine tones involved and I can only identify about 5 of them... sometimes Sister Au-Yeung tells me not to say certain things ever again. I also had two Buddhist missionaries (I've never heard such a thing before, have you?) try to convert Sister Au-Yeung and I to Buddhism... I didn't have the heart to tell them that I had read the books they were talking about and they had actually confirmed my faith in the apostasy of the early churches and my testimony of the restored gospel. (English was not their first language and they were trying so fervently...well, I wish that was the real reason, in actuality I had forgotten that I had read the books until he told us the title and the author and left... the mission makes you forget many things)

But after all this and more I can now tell you that I am still a member of the restored version of the original Christian church. And that I am going to need some major memory help after my mission, or I'll have to re-start reading the whole library again.

Love you loads,
Sister Pielstick

picture from http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnwhite/367901857/

Transfer 10; week 3; Extended Zone; OA

Hello!

This is Sister Pielstick checking to make certain that everyone has survived the first week of the new school year. Don't get too stressed, God will help you get through everything. God is certainly helping a lot through all the hard times that this mission has been having. We just found out that one of my friends from the MTC died in a car accident last week... so sad. She was companions with Sister Moisio while she was outbound to New York. Funny how life takes turns that no one expected, the world really does go a mile a millisecond sometimes... it's hard to put President Utchdorf's council to focus on what matters most sometimes. Ok, to be perfectly honest, most times. But my roommate Sister Judas said the most profound thing yesterday: "You don't hurt as much because you let the atonement work on you. If you don't let it, then it can't really help you do anything." That is so true. Take time to think about it Jesus Christ was "despised and rejected of men" but he overcame all. He broke the bonds of death so I know that I can see her again. As we take the time to focus on the atonement, we discover that there is so much good to look forward with each bad thing. For every door shut there are about a thousand other doors that are opened. Amusing how we focus so much on the closed door that we fail to see all the growth that will come and all the doors that will open with the choices that we make to follow the Savior.

One of our investigators is still really ill; I hope that he gets better soon. But even though many terrible things have been happening, there is so much good as well. This week I got to meet President Packer. He is an inspiration to me. I wish that all of you could have been there to see him; he really does care for the gospel. I watched him pour over the temple display with tears in his eyes because he could feel all of the hearts that were changed because they got to peek inside to see what they were aiming for. He spoke a little Chinese to Sister Au-Yeung and then was wheeled away to another meeting... talk about wasting yourself in the service of the Lord. I was so honored that President Holmes allowed me to meet him.

I also gave my talk a few weeks ago, but I haven't had time to get it properly set up (aka typed up) so I'll write that soon.

Best of luck to everyone!
Sister Pielstick