Transfer11; week 5; Cover zone--beehive house

Hello!

How are you doing? There is so much to do in order to get everything done. I talked to the most amazing fisherman (imagine Deadliest Catch, like Dad likes watching only it's actually his life) who loves the change that he saw in the life of his daughter because of the restored gospel... the people you meet on your mission help you see how amazing God's children actually are.

Still more people in hibernation, at least in hibernation they answer their phones on a more regular basis and we get to talk to more people than we usually do. Sisters get really restless though. I think that they are all stir crazy in the motors... most zones get 40-50 hours on the computers so they find it rather difficult to manage everything and be on task... but that's the challenge of any mission I imagine.

Our investigator from Kenya just agreed to be baptized... we're so happy. But we didn't get much farther because his phone died. He's really amazing though. (and he's getting a new phone soon that should accept our calls on a better basis.) We're learning a lot and everything is going well otherwise... missions are a whole lot of work and I'm not certain of how I am going to adjust to real life at all... but that's what happens I suppose.

That's all! We have to get to a German language meeting for SIster Kaberry.... fun, right?
Sister Pielstick

Transfer 11: week 4:Cover zone--Beehive house

Hello family!

Life is pretty much amazing, despite the frigid weather... maybe it was just a hot summer and I got used to it or maybe my companion's warm bloodied-ness is making things hard... who knows? Anyways, Utah is cold, but I am glad that God has me spending another fall in the Beehive house. Even if it means that I do not get to take as many people as I would like to the conference center. (which is my personal favorite place to teach people, always has been, actually) But we took an amazing man from Oregon there the other day and he was so sweet, I wanted to adopt him as my grandfather. But, he already has granddaughters. Oh well, I'll just share with him more about the restored gospel... that'll be good enough, right?

Also our investigators from Africa are eagerly awaiting the coming of the missionaries. They don't have the feast picked out, but they are trying to figure out how in heaven's name to get to church when it is so far away. I never thought of how much of a blessing it is to have a church so nearby (even when we had to drive almost 35 min to get there) and these people typically travel by bus, which makes the drive even longer than it would be normally. But one especially is amazing. He met a group of members who came out to help build orphanages and he saw something different in them and wanted to gain a testimony for himself of the truth.

Also we're excited to see what Halloween excitement will happen this year, I didn't realize that Halloween was so close! Next week. Oivey... and then Sister K Farmer and a whole bunch of other people will go home to their families for thanksgiving. Life is certainly crazy, and the crazy people come to the Beehive house. We've had some wonderful people, members of the church as well as guests who asked about the law of chastity in the middle of one of the children's rooms. We haven't been on Temple Square as much as I would like with my assignment, but life is still pretty good.

Have fun!
Sister Pielstick

Transfer 11; week 3; Cover Zone--Beehive house

Hello!

This week has gone by so fast! There are so many things that need to be done, and far too little time in which to do them. I wish that I had more time in a day. Being in Beehive house all the time and in motors so much is making it rather hard to see the people on Temple Square... but I'm certain that things will work out in the end. I just wish that I could be more productive... over conference we got over 9,000 people for us to call on the phones and we have to get in contact with them. Which makes me so happy to be in the Beehive house, because we get so much time to call.

I've already talked to a couple, and they are pretty much amazing. For some reason people almost hang up on me when they find out that I am a missionary... then when I mention that I am a scientist as well they stay on the line and talk for a little longer... which helps a lot in these cases. Who knew that microbiology was of interest to so many people? (and that you could bridge to the gospel from tuberculosis and Penicillin) Muhahah... I've also discovered that your success is dependent on how you choose to be. If you choose to be sad because you forgot your coat and it's 50 degrees outside, then people don't want to talk to you and they definitely do not want to learn more about the gospel that has obviously not made you very happy... and when you are happy to be there, then so are the guests and then they are more likely to refer for missionaries.

I'm so lucky to be a district leader.... I'm not certain what I can do to help the sisters out, but they certainly help me learn how to be more productive in teaching, in missionary work and in life. They are such amazing examples to me and then I get to learn a little more about how much God loves each and every one of his children. We are also now allowed for the first time ever in my mission to commit people to baptism! Which makes me so so happy! I feel like a first transfer again, only now I know how to talk to more than 10 people a day. This change in the mission direction is so so necessary. I just wish that I had more time to enjoy the new freedom that comes from helping people focus on a clear goal. Baptism. Entering into the first real covenant with God and enabling you to access the Atonement of Jesus Christ to the fullest extent! These last few studies have been so much fun because we can practice baptismal commitments... our first lesson to commit is planned for Friday!

Otherwise missionary work is slowing down a bit as people start hibernating for the winter... honestly, it seems like no one wants to be where it is cold outside. Oh well God really and truly loves us and wants us to be helped to know what we are doing. That's why he put us in a nice warm house for the winter (well it will be warm as soon as they figure out how to turn on the radiators... apparently the person who did it last year retired and forgot to tell someone how to do it... so funny it reminds me of when I had to buy ink for the large printer when I was an office assistant.... no one had purchased it for about 4 transfers so no one who was on the mission knew how it... except for Sister Hardy... but she knows how to do everything)

Hope that this finds everyone doing well!
Sister Pielstick

Transfer 11; week 2; Cover zone--Beehive house

Hello Family and friends!

We hope that everything is going well with you all. This last week has been crazy busy, having General Conference in the first two days of the transfer was a very scary thing because so many people were going outbound and so many things were changing all at once... Sister Pielstick may or may not have been really sad to leave the office and mad that she got an assignment that she has been trying to avoid since the beginning of her mission. (not Beehive house, District Leader) But since I am now consigned to my fate, I thought that you all might like to know why I am not always with my lovely Australian companion.

Sister Kaberry and I have a lot of fun, we both attract the oddballs and the Beehive House attracts the oddballs so we've met some really amazing people and some really bizarre people this past week... our favorite person to talk to was a wonderful man named Ali who loves his children and his grandchildren and almost referred to have missionaries come. I love prepared people who are not afraid to ask the hard questions. Answering questions makes me so happy, assuming they are not asking for the bathroom or whether the china dogs in the front parlor are originals. I just hope that everyone understands how powerful being in the home of a prophet can be because they really enable us to bring the spirit with only a little explanation. I love presetting the feeling of love that you get as you walk through that house. Sister Kaberry also speaks German so we also get to talk to wonderful German couples... but no German Sheppard yet... (just kidding, I know that wouldn't be the best idea in the world) This is wonderful because every person I seem to contact seems to speak German... which can be frustrating.

Also we have an investigator in Africa who lives about 3 hours away from the nearest church, but he just told us that he is thinking about driving his motorcycle over to the church to see what it is all about. So funny, people in the states might complain if the church is 30 min away from their home when they are in a car. People are so prepared sometimes, and when you feel like you don't have anything to teach them Heavenly Father teaches them everything through the Spirit. I'm glad that God is on my team in this endeavor. It makes things a lot less difficult.

Nothing else to really report except that I really am looking forward to seeing what General Conference was all about because I certainly didn't know what all the leaders talked about... I saw the afternoon session and absolutely fell in love with Elder Perry's talk on missionary work. (surprised? me neither)

Best of luck, and just so you know Australian is the hardest accent to learn ever…
Sister Pielstick