Zone conference with Elder Condie!

Hey y'all! Not too much to report on from down south, sadly. We're struggling to get members and investigators to church here in Oakdale. If y'all could keep the following people in your prayers, that'd be amazing! These are all amazing people and families we're working with, and they have incredible potential, which means that we're really ticking Satan off here in Oakdale, and he's stepped up his game a notch. Well, I say if he wants to play like that, that's just fine with me. I'm calling in the calvary. :)

Will you please pray for:
Mike and Christine Neumeyer ("New-meyer")
Chris and Elizabeth Darvonne ("Dar-vohn")
Ronnie and Amanda Cormier ("Core-me-eh")
Joanna Carpenter
Troy and Angela Hubbard
Robert McKenzie
Dustie Thibodaux ("Tib-ah-dough")

Also, any prayers for our little Oakdale branch would be greatly appreciated as well. The work is SLOWLY moving along, but it is moving, and we've got BIG plans for 2010!

"Make no small plans; they have no magic to stir mens souls."---Pres. Spencer W. Kimball, "The Vision of the South"

I love y'all! Keep on keepin' on!

Love,
Sister P.

P.S. We get to hear from Elder Condie of the Seventy on Thursday! He's coming to tour our mission. This means I'll have LOTS to tell y'all about next Monday.

P.P.S. For anyone who knows my family, we have some big exciting news! Stacia is officially engaged! She'll be getting married to Jake in May. If you want more details...well, tough, because I really don't have any. ;) Just teasing...but seriously. If you really want to know more, get a hold of my sister. :) Love y'all!

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hope everyone's holidays were good! I'm down to mere seconds, so I just wanted to tell you a little bit about what we did down here in the south. :)

We had a really great Christmas, but I think my favorite part was Christmas Eve. We went with Sister Vance (the senior sister missionary) to go sing Christmas carols. We picked a handful of our investigators, and some people in the ward that we thought might need a boost. And then, we went to the hospital and sang to the 9 patients there. That was REALLY something. I really felt the Spirit, and I know they did too. Everyone asked us who we were, and told us we sounded like angels. I'd been thinking a lot about that lately---about what an angel's job is, and how we can be angels here on earth. The Book of Mormon is chock full of information about angels, and it's been really incredible to read about them and see how we can be angels of the Lord as well. My favorite scripture I've found about angels thus far is Alma 13:22-26. Alma mentions the 'glad tidings of great joy' and 'joyful news' a good handful of times---and what is that message of great joy? What are those glad tidings? Look at D&C 76:40. "And this is the gospel, the GLAD TIDINGS, which the voice out of the heavens bore record unto us---" And again in D&C 79:1---"...proclaiming GLAD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY, even the everlasting gospel." And last of all, in D&C 128:19-20---"Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have recieved? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of truth out of the earth; glad tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy...And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah!...declaring...the dispensation of the fulness of times!" What greater joy can we ask for than to know and have the Spirit of God bear witness to us that Jesus is the Christ, that He still lives and loves us, and has proclaimed His gospel in its fulness so that we can make it back to our heavenly home and family?! I love this work. I love getting to share this news with everyone I can. I'm so grateful that I have been able to serve the Savior here in Louisiana. I have learned so much, and I have seen the hand of the Lord more clearly in my life and in the lives others than I ever have before. This gospel is true! This is Christ's church, and He stands at the head of it, beckoning us to come follow Him.

I love y'all! Keep on keepin' on!

Your Friend in the Faith,
Sister P.

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

Happy Thanksgiving/December!

Hey y'all! It's your favorite sporadically-writing missionary here! How was y'all's Turkey Day? Ours here in Oakdale was good...much turkey, ham, cornbread dressing, rice dressing, pecan pie, sweet potato souffle...oh so yummy! Plus, we got to share the gospel! HOORAY! Best Thanksgiving EVER!

Work-wise, it was a tough week this last week, but we dug in our heels, and came out with just a few bumps and bruises. Our car, on the other hand, did not fare so well. We came out of our lovely abode Sunday morning, and found the scandalous scene unfolded! The culprit, a big orange pumpkin, lay carelessly a few feet from the victimized Malibu. We almost got out our sidewalk chalk to draw outlines on the asphalt of the broken pieces of the driver's side tail-light. There was mucous-like orange entrails above the damaged light, and even a seed stuck to the trunk of the car. Needless to say, we were shocked and amazed. Apparently Oakdale is smaller than I thought---or the people here are REALLY REALLY bored. Either one... :)

Well, that's all I've got time for folks! I love y'all! Keep on keepin' on! Do good, TRUST GOD, and don't worry.

Your Friend in the Faith,
Sista P!

Sorry it's been a while!

So, I just realized I hadn't sent out a mass email for a couple of weeks now. Oops...my bad! Sorry!

This is probably my first email since transfers. So...I got transfered. I'm in Oakdale, Louisiana, and I am a lucky stinker and get two companions!!!! YIPEE!!! Sisters Bunker and Myer and I are having an absolute BLAST. We're tearing it up up here, and loving every minute of it. Sister Bunker and I have discovered that we are long lost twins seperated in the pre-mortal life. Seriously, we are so alike, we creep Sister Myer out. It's AWESOME. :) And Sister Myer is so much fun---she's a riot. She has only brothers at home, so Bunkie and I are slowly breaking her in, and getting her used to sisters. Needless to say, we are all sleep deprived and very giggly. I love it.

Funny story of the week:
we're participating in the Oakdale Community Christmas Pagaent. I was Mary for one rehearsal...then we found out that our director, Mrs. Bradley, wanted a more...um...lively pagaent than most Christmas pagaents. Let me put it this way---Sisters Bunker, Myer and I, along with the senior missionary couple here (the Vances) are the ONLY white people in the entire cast. Yup. It's pretty entertaining, to say the least. So yeah, I was Mary...til I discovered that Mrs. Bradley expected me to really sound like I was going into labor. Moaning, groaning...and the more of it, the better. Needless to say, I couldn't do it without laughing, and since I'm pretty sure those kind of hysterics aren't a typical part of childbirth, we decided to let the Vances be Joseph and Mary. Which of course is even more hilarious because Elder Vance and Mrs. Bradley have very different views of how things should be done, and both keep trying to undermine each other. Yup---never a dull moment in Oakdale, that's for sure. :)

Well, that's it for me for now! Love y'all. Keep on keepin' on! Fight the good fight!

Your Friend in the Faith,
Sista P!

Goodbye Houma, Hello Oakdale!

Well, you guessed it...they're moving me out of Houma. I've loved this place so much, it's hard to leave. But I'm leaving this part of the Lord's vineyard in truly capable and loving hands---Sister Thomas and Sister Schultz are going to be AMAZING down here.

As for me, I'm headed to Oakdale with Sisters Myer and Bunker. Yup, I'm going to be in a tri-panionship. It's going to be SO much fun. I've been dying to serve with these two stellar sisters, and I never thought I'd get to. And now, BLESSINGS FROM HEAVEN and TENDER MERCIES, I get them both! HOORAY!!!

We did have a baptism this weekend---Sister Dana Rutledge is the newest member of the Thibodaux ward! HOORAY!!!! She's still struggling with smoking, so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep her in y'all's prayers. She's going through some rough stuff right now, and could use all the extra prayers that she can get.

Um...let's see. Not much else to report on, really. It's bittersweet, leaving Houma. I've learned SO MUCH here. I can honestly look at myself and see the growth that I've made because I came here. I've been so blessed. I've had amazing companions and good areas my entire mission, and I am only adding more to that list. God works in mysterious ways. I know that it was He that called me to Oakdale through President Woods, and when the call came, the only answer I could give was, "Here I am, send me."

We are led by men of God, who are inspired by Him. What joy and relief that brings me! We will never be led astray by them, and as we hold true to the promises and teachings of Jesus Christ, we will see so many tender mercies! I love y'all! I'll get my new address up here next week. Until then, send stuff to the mission office address:
Louisiana Baton Rouge Mission
12025 Justice Ave.
Baton Rouge, LA 70816

Keep on keepin' on! Do good, TRUST GOD, and don't worry.

Your Friend in the Faith,
Sista P! ;)

Hey y'all!

So, I'm being forced to say goodbye to Sister Santos...sigh. She's been a blast and a half, and I'll miss her like crazy. If any of y'all are going to be visiting Temple Square between now and March, find a Brazilian sister and ask her to find Sister Santos for you so you can give her a big hug for me (if you're a girl, at least!).

I'm probably not going to be in Houma much longer...droga. (That's 'dang' in Portuguese.) We had to push Dana's baptism back again...she went through some major stress, and picked up smoking again. Keep her in y'all's prayers, okay? We've got our fingers crossed for this weekend.

Um...I can't think of much else. We've been working our little hineys off, and have been seeing so many tender mercies, I can hardly keep track of them! I love being a missionary! I love being able to tell people, "This is how you can have eternal happiness!" The gospel really is the answer---and the fulness of it is found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It's true. I know it.

Sorry so short...down to mere seconds!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

Your Friend in the Faith,
Sister P.

No time...sorry!

This week has been really good. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED GENERAL CONFERENCE. We are truly led by men and women inspired by God. Anyone who missed Elder Holland's talk in the Sunday afternoon session NEEDS to find some way to watch it. WOW. I now know how to better bear my testimony of the Book of Mormon.

I know that Jesus Christ lives, that He loves us, and is still guiding us today. He has set up one way of doing things (see Ephesians 4:4-6, 11-14), and it is our duty and privilege to always be striving to find that way, that path. I know that the Bible and the Book of Mormon are the words of God, and when used together, bring us more peace and assurance in this life, and the promise of life eternal in the world to come. If you have ever doubted the veracity of the Book of Mormon, know that you are not alone. There is one simple way to find your answer concerning it's truthfulness. Read it, ponder its message, and then ask your Heavenly Father. I promise you, as a servant of God, that He does hear and answer our prayers, and that if we ask with "a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto [us], by the power of the Holy Ghost." (Moroni 10:4)

"Hearken unto these words, and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words, believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good." (2 Nephi 33:10)

I love you all! Thank you for your prayers! Please keep the new members of the Church in your prayers as well...they need your love and your support.

Your Friend in the Faith,
Sister P.