Week of Sacrifice

This week is what our mission president, President Moldenhauer, has entitled the Week of Sacrifice. It's super awesome :) We have specific hymns and scriptures to incorporate into our companionship study each morning. They center around Christ's sacrifice for us and are teaching us a lot. Each area of missionaries has been designated a specific day of the week in which we will participate in a special fast. We are spending 5 hours Mon-Fri on finding activities like tracting or park contacting. We are even ending our Preparation day at 2 pm instead of 6 pm today and dedication those hours to finding. These are days that are incredibly exhausting, but wonderful. This will be a week to remember and I'm so blessed to be a part of it.

Ironically, in preparation for this week Sister Stott and I caught the Mega-Cold of the Century! It's been an adventure to try to take care of ourselves and be effective missionaries at the same time. I started taking some Zicam tablets when it set in on Saturday. They're supposed to decrease the severity and length of a cold and I think they work, because I'm feeling much better much quicker than Sister Stott. It's mostly just congestion and a sore throat for me now. The Lord is strengthening us and providing us with wisdom as we deal with it. Sister Miller has been a great sport about helping us out in our sick state.

The work is still going great and we are so excited about it! Miss B's baptism was wonderful! She had several friends and family attend that are not members of our church, and she is clearly enthusiastic about sharing the truth she has found with others! It's really quite awesome :) Miss B.A. is still planning to be baptized, but we've had to push the date back to April 24th. She has been unable to attend church because of health reasons and we want to make sure she is ready and prepared for her baptism. We're still very excited about her and love watching her progress and understanding increase.

We are so excited about General Conference this weekend! I hope you all make time to watch as much of it as possible- it's going to be amazing :)

I'm pretty much out of time, but will leave you with a brief "Animal Experience". We met a woman while tracting last week. We discussed the gospel with her on a bench in her front yard. She kept mentioning her dogs and then asked if we wanted to meet them. We agreed and went into her home to meet 12 TOY POODLES!! That's right... 12 crazy little poodles. Let your imagination run wild- it was that fascinating.

I love you all and hope you are all well!!!

Oppossums and the temple

I'm feelin' kind of funny as I write this email. The library computer I'm using this week is on a higher desk w/ a higher chair, and my feet can't touch the floor. It feels like I'm a little kid and makes me giggle. (Don't worry Amanda- I'm giggling on the inside... I wouldn't want to be a disruptive library patron ;) ) My thoughts may be a little scattered this week, so my apologies in advance, but I will try to make this a good email.

Random Animal Story: (that actually happened prior to this week)

We went to the home of a couple that had invited us back to share a message with them. They weren't home for the scheduled appt., so we were writing a note on a post-it to leave on their door. Suddenly we heard branches rustle and a decently loud thud. We turned behind us to see what it was and initially saw nothing. Soon though, Sister Miller asked, "Is that a Possum?!" Sure enough, a baby Possum had fall from a tree in the yard. It was quite shocked and scared and so stinkin' cute! We didn't touch it... or get to close... just close enough to take a picture of all its cuteness. Sister Stott was quite concerned for it, and I assured her that nature would take its proper course which probably involved the Mommy Possum coming to retrieve Baby Possum very soon. (which we named... we name everything... but I can't remember what we named baby possum...) We then went on our merry way and got back to missionary work :)

Upcoming Awesomeness:

We are particularly excited for Miss B's baptism this Saturday. She is so incredible and we are so happy for her! We are also delighted that we have been having more success recently in finding new people to teach. Nothing happens in missionary work until we find people to teach, so it pretty much rocks! We schedule time each day to spend finding. That usually means tracting (going door to door, sharing the gospel), or park contacting. As we dilligently and search with faith to find new people to teach, we are seeing the Lord's miracles in our work. The Lord has prepared people who are searching and seeking for truth, and he will lead us to them. It's awesome!

Temple Trip!!!!:

We were able to attend an endowment session at the Houston Temple yesterday. It was such a sweet, uplifting experience for all of us. We had to get up at 3:30 a.m., to leave our apt. at 4:30, to get to Orange and catch a bus at 5:30, that drove a whole bunch of missionaries to Spring to go to the temple! It was early and exhausting, but wonderful. After attending the 10:00 a.m. session, we went to the nearby meetinghouse to have lunch that was provided by local members of the church. We are so grateful to them and so many who are willing to provide such service to us! After we ate, we met in the chapel for a powerful "Zone Conference" meeting. I learned so much about improving myself as a missionary, and felt the Spirit strongly testify to me, how much Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me, and EVERY single child of God! It was an awesome day. We stopped by a local LDS bookstore for about 20 minutes and then headed back to Orange/Lake Charles/wherever different missionaries had to go. We got home about 10 pm, and were quite exhausted. It was a FABULOUS day!

I love the Lord, and I know that the work I'm engaged in is truly His work. He strengthens us and helps us every day! SMILE!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

*~Sister Pilmer~*

Storytime!

I'm hoping to write a more interesting email this week- I took notes throughout the week of things I wanted to share that y'all might find interesting. We'll see how it goes :)

Today (being Preparation Day) we were able to go down South in our area to Cameron. A member of our ward took us down there... where she lived before hurricane Rita. Storms have shaped the area in the past few years and many of its former residents have moved further North. We visited the beach and were given a mini-tour of the area by Sister Trahan. She is so fabulous. On our way back up to Lake Charles, we stopped at a wildlife refuge and got to see lots of turtles, alligators and other wildlife. Good times!

The past couple of weeks I keep forgetting to mention the bugs of Louisiana. My companions don't get bit much, but true to my lifelong habits- I'm apparently doing something to make insects and spiders love me! The first semi-warm day we had here, I came home with my legs covered in bites. It hasn't been quite that bad since, but I think I get at least one new bite a day. Some of them get pretty swollen, like the spider bite I woke up with a couple days ago. I have not yet been poisoned or come down with any infectious diseases though, and I hope to keep it that way. As far as itch relief goes, "Chiggerex" cream is my new best friend! I keep it in my purse.

I'd like to share with all of you some incredibly embarrassing moments from my mission thus far. I hope you find them as amusing as my companions do :) After a district meeting, the missionaries in my district decided to go to IHOP for lunch. While waiting for the food, I needed to go to the restroom and quickly hopped up and waltzed right into the men's room... I was in long enough for two men to look at me like a nutcase... then hurried out with a bright red face and started laughing hysterically with the missionaries at my table. I then ran to the ladies' room to finish my original plan and started feeling really stupid. Sister Stott came in to check on me and comforted me, and Sister Miller stayed at the table to inform all the other missionaries (all of which are male) that they had better not bring it up after I returned to the table. I have the best companions :D This past week, I waltzed out of the ladie's room with my skirt completely tucked up in back! Sister Miller noticed quickly and I was able to fix it.... I'm pretty sure only two other strangers at Dan's BBQ noticed... and I'll hopefully never see them again? I need to be much more careful at public restrooms!!!

As of this Monday, I am now authorized to drive our mission owned vehicle. It has been adventure. Having not driven for 9 weeks and not being familiar with our car or the area... my companions have plenty of opportunities for learning patience. I'm quickly improving though, and we have survived so far! They plan to have me drive for at least a week straight before we start rotating drivers again.

We have lots of fun tracting in lots of different weather. Rain or sun, we know the joy our message can bring and love being able to share it! We went contacting at the park last Saturday and enjoyed some perfect weather! It's also been fascinating to have so many creepy/entoxicated/old men ask us to be their girlfriends and such. It's definitely the most unwanted male attention I've had in all my life.

EXCITING NEWS: Miss B.A. has also decided to be baptized! She is our neighbor- lives in our apartment complex and has been meeting with missionaries for quite some time. It's been a long time coming, and we are so excited for her decision. Her baptism is currently scheduled for April 10th :) The evening we committed her to baptism was so awesome, and it was such a sweet experience to feel the Spirit working through us. I often find myself saying things I've never thought of before and get excited to realize how true and powerful the words are!

Miss B. is also doing wonderfully. We are able to serve her and husband in their home each week as they're re-doing flooring. She finds herself having to defend our religion to many of her close friends and others. She actually enjoys standing up for it, and the peace she's found as she has let God lead her through this journey. The stories she shares about it with us are absolutely fabulous. She is such a rock! She is still scheduled to be baptized on March 27th.

I'm so excited to be staying here in Lake Charles for at least one more 6 week period! Sister Stott, Sister Miller and I were not transferred this past weekend. We are thrilled to continue to serve together and move the Lord's work along in this area. Sister Stott will then be going home- this is her last transfer. Home for her is Layton, UT. Sister Miller will be on her mission until October. We each represent a different phase of the mission: beginning, middle, and the end. Each of us are able to use our unique perspective to strengthen our companionship and enhance the Lord's work. Sister Miller is from Springville, UT.

I love you all!! Send mail! :D

She loves it, Mikey, she really loves it!

I have a very special, important announcement to make! Are you ready for it?!...........drumroll please....................

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!!!!

I know that's probably an anticlimactic statement after all that build-up, but I seriously do mean it. I'm tired all the time and I'm always outside my comfort zone, but I can't imagine wanting to be anywhere else right now. This is the Lord's work, and I'm SO blessed and SO happy to be a part of it!! I received exciting news this week that my cousin Melody has decided to serve a mission and I am so thrilled for her! She's going to be awesome :)

We have been so busy and are so excited about how the work is going here in Lake Charles. The most exciting news of the week is that we set a baptism date with Miss B for March 27th. She is so absolutely incredible and we just love her to pieces! She's making leaps and bounds in strengthening her testimony and is doing awesome with making changes in her life to prepare for baptism. She's even taking scriptures to work with her so that she can read the word of God instead of smoking on her breaks! I also suffered my first mission animal attack while teaching her last night... one of her cats bit my elbow! Haha! It was pretty funny to yelp and fling my arm in the middle of sharing a story.

My brain doesn't seem to want to function at the moment to share any good stories with you from my week, so this is going to be a shorter email this week. My apologies to those who have specifically requested more stories. I promise to take notes this next week and write a really good email/blog post next Wednesday :) I did just remember some exciting news though! I get to go to the Houston Temple on the 24th of this month! We get to go 3 times this year and I'm so excited to attend with the missionaries I'm serving with!

Questions and comments of what you'd like me to include in my weekly updates are still welcome :) Mail is also still welcome!

Tracting alligators

Another week has flown by! I know I keep saying that, but that's really how I feel! I can't believe it is Week 5 of being in the Lake Charles South Area! One more week til transfers when everything could change. It's a little unnerving to think about where me or my companions could be assigned. I know President Moldenhauer is very humble and prayerful about the transfer assignments though, and whatever happens will truly be what the Lord wants and knows is best. Who knows- maybe he'll leave all 3 of us in Lake Charles for another transfer!

I'm still loving the work, and doing my best become the best missionary the Lord can help me to be! Finding and teaching those the Lord has prepared is always an adventure:

-One of our investigators Miss B. is progressing so much and we are excited to set a baptismal date with her this week. Her husband hasn't joined our lessons yet, but always turns the volume on the TV down and sits close in the other room. It's pretty clear that he is listening and we look forward to seeing the progress he makes as well. Miss B. came to church on Sunday and loved it.

-While tracting out in Grand Lake, LA (South of Lake Charles) we really enjoyed ourselves. It was cold and rainy, and VERY muddy. It's pretty darn rural out there and as we were passing a swampy area we could hear what sounds like the mommy alligator's call to her babies. It's a little cold for gators to be out... but it's still possible. I'll try not to get eaten! (or drown in the mud) We also were invited in for hot chocolate during that tracting outing and it made our day!- awesome family, awesome mini-marshmallows, and awesome gospel sharing experience.

Amusing quotes from local church signs:

"Saints win here every Sunday!"

"God answers knee-mail"

"Be an organ donor- give your heart to Jesus!"

I love you all so much and look forward to hearing from you! Be diligent in the things that are most important to you! The Lord will strengthen and bless you as you strive to do what is right :)

*~Sister Pilmer~*