Anna's Mission: Learning to Dance in the Rain: 🌱Change and Growth

Happy new year + a week!

Sorry I didn't have time for a group email last week! We had to drive into the city to go grocery shopping and things got a little crazy! But we have no plans to leave little Vernonia today so I have plenty of time to catch you up on the last two weeks!

First of all I want to say a thank you to our dearly departed Prophet Thomas S. Monson! He was an amazing man and selfless servant of the Lord. When Sister Unferdorfer and I heard about his death all we could think was that he is reunited with his wife Frances who he loved and missed so much! ❤️

I'll just start with a couple of teaching stories...

We have been teaching another young person. His name is Moses and he is getting baptized on the 20th! He is so sweet and sincere, and ready for baptism!

Another person we have been teaching has a lot of interesting "interpretations". For example he believes what Joseph Smith saw in the first vision was a hologram of a future version of himself... We need to clarify a few things, but he is a sincere person who is open to learn.

We got to watch Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration (the hour long movie) with Jared and his mom! It was great! After watching it we had a good discussion and Jared himself answered most of his mom's questions it was so cool! Now she is reading the Book of Mormon!

On P-day we had a good discussion and handed out a Book of Mormon in Walmart. You never know where or when someone might be ready to hear the gospel and you just have to be open and ready to do your part and share it!

We had exchanges this week and both sets of sisters stayed in Vernonia. It's a tiny town for two sets of missionaries. Let's just say there were a couple of repeat conversations that happened.... But we also had a lot of great finding experience and miracles! It really got me pumped for the work here in Vernonia again!

On exchanges we saw a large group of people in a yard as we were walking home. They were still down the block and We wernt sure whether we should go talk to them or avoid them. Sister Williams left it up to me. After thinking about what was making me want to go around them, fear of large groups, I decided not to be controlled by fear and just go talk to them. (I've started telling myself when knocking on doors or approaching people "what's the worst that could happen? They can say no!?") As we got closer you could see they were having a party and most of them saw us and went inside. Only two people from the big group were still outside. One of them has a Mormon friend he likes to talk religion with and told us that he has been wanting to read the book of Mormon. After a long day of handing out all of our materials a Book of Mormon was all we had left! It was a cool experience that wouldn't have happened if we had given into fear. Now not giving in to fear is different from not listening to common sense or the spirit telling you to be careful. You still need to be listening to that still small voice in every situation.

One more story from exchanges...

We saw this lady in her driveway and desided to go talk to her. It was raining and we are far away. All we could see is long hair and pink flowery pajama pants. As we got closer and started to talk she turned around and is actually a he with a very big beard! I almost burst out laughing it was so hard to keep it together! He was an interesting, sassy, "you ladies are on fleek today!" *z finger snap* person, not interested but we gave him a pamphlet for his daughter.

We have also been volunteering at the food bank and library. It's fun service and a great way to get into the community. Plus sometimes we just get to sit and organize or cut out something which is actually really relaxing, haha!

🌱Spiritual Thought!

Alma 32:28

"Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me."

This scripture reminds me of this picture... (attached below).

When we water and nourish and allow the seed to grow in our hearts, change is a natural outcome of that growth. As we read the Book of Mormon and ponder the words of God we will grow and our souls will be "enlarged".

There is a quote (from someone) that says (something to the effect of) "Come as you are but don't expect to stay as you are."

Change can be scary but it is interconnected with growth, and we are here on this earth to learn and grow. As we go to God with our imperfections and weaknesses He can turn them to strengths.

Change and growth, though in the moment is uncomfortable, is for your benefit and one day you will look back and see how far you have come and the thought of what you have been through will be a happy memory.

I know that as you search the scripture and seek to learn more about what God knows you can become, you might feel discouraged by how often you fall short of that potential, but with God's help, line upon line, you can grow into something more beautiful than you could even imagine.

Don't be afraid of change! Change is a sign that you are growing, and the way to stimulate that growth is by diligently watering the seed of your faith in Christ.

💛Love you all! Have a wonderful week!

-Sister Anna Peterson :)

(Editor's note: Anna included the following list of pictures, but didn't include #1, and skipped a #2 altogether.... But we're just happy for any pictures, right?)

1. Spiritual thought scripture

3. Drawing of us sisters by a young girl in our branch :)

4. Vernonia in the sunset!

5. P-day morning Pic (realized I didn't have many pictures of myself to share...)

6. Enjoying the rainy weather!