A Missionaries Dream

Hello family, how goes it this week?

Things are going really well here. This week has been kind of rough. We didn't get the chance to see alot of our investigators. Which stinks. It was just kind of one of those "blah" weeks. Where nothing really seems to go right or the plans fall through. It happens though. Just have to get back on the horse and ride baby ride! haha.

Anyways, i got the package you sent me mom and thank you. I appreciated it. It was funny though, the day before i was like "elder Howard, I'm gonna loose weight" and then you send me a package full of candy haha. It just seems that every time i decide to start i get bombarded by candy and other goodies ahah. Well anyways.

So this week, I'm going to share with you an experience that i didn't get the privilege of having but it happened in our area. I was on exchanges with elder labrum in Duncan while elder Howard and elder Boyd worked in Clifton. Well while they were here, they were working on the task of visiting a bunch of potential investigators. Well they were working and they visited two potentials right in a row with no success. They were working on the same street and elder Howard felt inspired to check the ward directory. But he blew it off. They made another visit and again he felt inspired to check the directory. Well he was like "OK fine, i will check it." So he checks for any members that live on the street they were working on. Well there was one...just one. (name is not important). So they go and check it out and a man answers the door when they proceed to ask "is so and so here?" and he was like "no he moved out, i have been here for a couple of months now. So are you guys here to share something with me? lets hear it!" So they began to teach him and set him a baptism date right there. His response was this "i don't know what it is, but i feel empty inside, and i know what you have will fill it" AHHHHHHH, a missionaries dream right there. He is way solid, the lord is performing his miracles as we speak. We have no idea who is ready or when, but we know how to follow the spirit, because the lord knows. And he will guide us there.

Well i love you all so much, sorry it is so short this week, next week will be longer...i hope! Well i hope everything is going A-OK there, i just love you!!! Write me!!!

Love, Elder Pierce

That right there is Why I'm a Missionary!!

Hello family!

Hope everything is doing fantastic down there in the 702, or where ever you are reading this from. Because things are going fantastic down here! Things are just going so good these past couple weeks. Well anyways. I will inform you on exactly WHY its going so well.

Specifically i will start with this weekend. Saturday specifically. This Saturday we all had the opportunity to listen to the Prophet and his apostles speak to us. Giving us wise words of wisdom as well as advise. It was a marvelous experience. An experience we only get two times a year. Well this Conference, we had the chance to hear from D. Todd Christoffersen and Elder Patrick Kearon. If you remember correctly, those same individuals visited The Arizona Tucson Mission and me and Elder Howard personally had the chance to shake their hands and talk with them. it was amazing! such a cool experience actually knowing i have met them. And then to see them on the TV and talk to millions of people, it was just a cool realization.

Elder Pierce, Evan Lackner & Elder Howard

I would have to say that my favorite talks this conference were the talks given by Elder Juan A. Oceda on putting off the natural man, and then listening to President Uchtdorf give his talk about Pride...oh boy, those hit right at home for me. They were so powerful yet extremely sincere and sensitive to the situation. Man, they were just good talks.

Whoever reads this has to write me a letter, saying what their favorite talk was and why. :)

 So continuing on with why Saturday was so amazing, in between the afternoon session and priesthood session of conference, we baptized Evan Lackner...finally! It went so well. We had a huge turnout and alot of his family showed up as well. His uncle even came down from Salt Lake to baptize him. It just went good. Me and elder Howard got to participate and be the two witnesses as well as be in the circle of his confirmation and holy ghost receiving. It was way tight. But the coolest part of all was after the baptism was all said and done, he looked at me and elder Howard and in the sincerest way possible, said "thank you...thank you guys, without you i wouldn't be here right now, so thank you." Family, that right there is why I'm a missionary. Those simple words touched my heart in unreachable places. That right there makes all of this worth it. The heartache, the frustration, the pain, the sadness, the sore feet, being tired ALL the time...is worth it. Those simple words, "thank you". makes EVERYTHING worth it. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is worth it. Finding his children that are lost, simply trying to find their way, is worth it, every single day. That day was just amazing. Evan is such a good kid and i know he will go on to be a great missionary some day. Serving the lord the way his heart desires.

Family, i love you all very much, i hope you are all having wonderful experiences sharing the Gospel and being disciples of Jesus Christ every single day. Thank you. I love you all so much.

Elder Pierce

Drum roll please

WELL HELLO!!! 

how is my family doing this week?? I hope everything is going well back at home.

I guess the biggest news that you have all been waiting for is the transfer news...(drum role please).....me and elder Howard are both staying together another transfer here in Clifton!!! exiting right?? it is very exciting. We are both looking forward to serving together for another 6 weeks. We get along with each other really well and we have been having so much success. We are just having alot of fun down here.

Elder Howard, Nikita & Elder Pierce

Well on to more important news. We had a baptism last Saturday!!! YAY!!! Nikita Yazzie got baptized!!! it was so awesome. She was so ready. Bishop day had the opportunity to baptize and confirm her and it was just great. Me and elder Howard both said the prayers during the baptism. So it was just great. I cant express enough how needed that baptism was in this area. Because we have been having success but we really needed to start dunking people. So we did. And i really feel that Nikita was a gift from the lord. Because she was already ready. We just had to teach her. She was just on fire the entire time we were teaching her.

And this week is looking awesome as well. Its just going to go great. The highlight of this week is clearly going to be this weekend. For one, we get to listen and watch General Conference!! SWEET!!! I'm excited. Well here is our schedule for this Saturday. First the 9-11 session, then the 1-3 session, then Evan Lackner's BAPTISM!!!, then 5-7 priesthood session. So our Saturday, is going to be booked for like the whole day, then Sunday of course.

What I'm looking forward to this Saturday as well though is that during the priesthood session, the Clifton ward provides an ice cream buffet!!! do you believe that? and ice cream buffet for the priesthood session. how awesome!!! what could be better than that? Being able to listen the the prophet and other general authorities while chowing down on endless ice cream...wow!

Hmmm, what else has been happening down here...i will inform you of a sweet miracle that we had here. The other day, we visited a former investigator by the name of Maria Enriquez. She is such a nice lady. In Maria's life, she has a ton of challenges from day to day. She has severe medical problems, which require her to be in a wheel chair as well as having severe arthritis in her hands and wrists. She suffers from all of these problems yet still has such a strong faith in god. Well the other day, when Elder Quevas and Elder Howard were visiting her, they offered to give her a priesthood blessing and she accepted. Well not even 2 minutes after the blessing, the phone rings. Its the hospital calling. They inform her that she has just been accepted to receive a shot she has been waiting months for that will help her walk again. It was a miracle and the hand of the lord intervened in her life. Ever since  that day, she has been studying and reading from the book of Mormon, and she has said she knows the church is true. We made emphasis on how the priesthood has been restored and there is a way for ALL of us to return to live with our father in heaven again. She has been told from the holy ghost himself that this church is true, and she knows that. It was such a miracle and i am so happy to be a missionary and see the lives of individuals change every single day!!! How amazing of a work. How great is our joy!!! I love you all so much. Thank you for being such a great support and love to me.

Love, Elder Pierce

Sept 20, 2010

Hello family!

So not to much has happened this week. But we do have some great things happening this week which I am looking forward to!

This past week, we had the opportunity to listen to Elder Paul Johnson of the 70. He was such an awesome guy. He was very spiritual, and we had a separate leadership meeting, where he personally talked with all of the district leaders and zone leaders. It really was a cool experience.

Happy "20th" Birthday Elder Pierce

hello!!! hi mommma!  I had such an amazing birthday. it was just awesome. I have a ton of pictures to that i will send home. So far i have gotten yours and shaynas and the one from the moores! they were all phenominal! i loved them so much. 

Thank you thank you thank you

September 13, 2010

HELLO!!!!

How is it going my family!?!? I hear things are going quite nicely in the wonderful 702. Which is something i enjoy hearing.

Well the work hear in Clifton/Morenci is going just superb. We have a couple baptisms lined up for the next week and we are excited!! hoot hoot.

Let me tell you, Nikita, our top investigator is just on fire. She has been reading the book of Mormon and coming to church every week. She is just amazing.

Then there is Evan. He is a stud. We have been working with him for quite sometime. But he is for sure ready now. He has a fierce desire to come to church and be baptized. He has been reading every night and has been studying from the book of Mormon. He is ready. The only problem is church attendance. He has a hard time coming to church because his family likes to go out of town, up to alpine, and he likes to go and visit his dad on the weekends. But last night we went over to his house and talked with him about coming to church and how important it is. We also expressed to him that if he wants to get baptized on the 2nd of October, he NEEDS to come to church these next two Sundays. He committed to this and i could tell it was will real intent.

We found a huge frog the other night, this thing must have weighed about 10 pounds. It was huge!!! it couldn't even function it was so fat. Like it tried to hop but then it just collapsed under its own weight. It was like the king daddy of frogs! it was fun messing with it too. We were like rolling it over and like chasing it. It was just a blast.

I also wanted to express and thank everyone for the wonderful birthday gifts. I appreciated it all so much! It was a great birthday despite the fact that i was away from home. I cant believe I'm no longer a teenager anymore. I am between that gap of a teenager yet no old enough to be an actual adult. It feels weird actually.

Not so much more to report on this week. Just know that i am doing fantastic up here and i am enjoying myself as i serve the lord with all my heart, might, mind and strength. With full diligence. As we do so the lord blesses us with success. As we share the message of his restored gospel as best as we can. He provides us with the best of blessings. I love you all so much. Thank you for the love and support you have shown me.

Love Elder Pierce

Sept 7, 2010

HELLO! family.

Well dang, sorry this is getting to you on Tuesday, but the libraries were closed due to labor day. (i think that was the holiday). It seems that holidays just mess everything up for missionary work. no one really wants to talk, or they go out of town, or they have family over. Then the businesses get closed, and it just evolves into a big mess. haha.

But its OK, we still had fun. It was P-day anyways so it was alright.

But also, i just read Elder Moore's email, and wow, that elder is just amazing. I look forward to reading his emails every week because of how spiritual they are. Just an amazing individual.