July 26

Howdy from La Porte! It's been a great week serving in my new area w/ my fabulous new companion Sister Frazier. She's 25, from Alpine, UT and has been out on her mission for 15 months. We're working hard together and loving every minute of it. I've met some amazing people this week. My new ward, Pasadena 2nd, is full of fantastic members and I'm so excited to work w/ them.

One of the lessons taught this week was to Miss B.B. and her sister Miss K (my apologies for the fact that everyone I teach has the same initials.) We taught them about the Restoration and they felt the spirit. Miss K described the way she felt a cool sensation over her whole body as I quoted Joseph Smith's first vision to them and how she could visualize it in a very real way. I will never get used to having experiences like that. I know truth, and the Holy Ghost is with me and he testifies to the hearts of those we're able to share truth with.

This gospel is SO true, and is ABSOLUTELY the path to happiness for all of our Heavenly Father's children. I love you all and love you so much! I still love mail :) I plan to write a way better email next week ;) SMILE LOTS!!!

*~Sister Pilmer~*

July 19

Howdy from Baytown!....

For the last time! I'm being transferred today, in less than an hour. We're not supposed to know where we're going until we get there.... but I'm cool and just found out that I'm headed to La Porte, TX. I'm pretty nervous about it, but I know that it's the Lord's will and I'm going to be just fine... actually I'm going to be just fabulous. My new companion will be Sister Frazier. She's a great missionary, and I know the Lord will help us accomplish great things together.

My last week in Baytown has been wonderful! Sister B.L. was baptized on the evening of Thursday July 15th. (Happy Birthday Daddy!) The service was wonderful, with wonderful talks given by awesome members. At Sister B.L.'s request, Sister Mapa and I sang a duet "Learn of Me" by Janice Kapp Perry. I'm really going to miss singing w/ Sister Mapa. Sister B.L. was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Sacrament Meeting yesterday and given the gift of the Holy Ghost. It was such a precious experience to witness. I love her so much, and feel so blessed to be a part of her life and help her receive the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

My brain is a little scattered and my heart is very full with transfers happening... so I'm not quite sure what else to write about. I'm so grateful for the time I've been given to serve in Baytown. The Baytown 2nd ward is full of absolutely amazing members!! I have been so blessed to have the opportunity to work with them and to meet and serve so many great people here in this area! I think I'll just mention a few of the highlights of the week that come to mind, aside from the baptism.

-Fun lesson w/ Sister B.L. on Monday where we taught her how to hold a Family Home Evening w/ her boys and grandmother. We taught about keeping the Sabbath Day holy by making and Ice Cream Sunday w/ gross toppings and talking about how a lot things are great, but not everything is great on "Sunday". We played a fun game called "the grateful game". And Sis. Mapa and I sang a song we made up (while Sis. Mapa played a ukulele we borrowed from a member.) It was fun for Sis. Mapa and I to share our experiences of successful FHE's from growing up. We had a great time.
-tracting in heat w/ the mosquitoes- it's the best!

-Lunch at "5 Guys" on Friday w/ fabulous member Sister C.C.

-Painting a bedroom on Friday for the fantastic Sister V.

-Pizza and Movie Night on Saturday, watching "The Testaments" w/ awesome recent convert Sister A.

-Lot's of other great stuff I can't remember right now!

I love you all! I know the church is true! I love my Savior, Jesus Christ with all my heart! It is such a privilege to serve Him as a missionary at this time. Write me letters! Be good!

July 12

Hey everyone!

Greetings from Baytown- home of your favorite mosquito-bitten Sister Missionary! After the heavy rainstorms passed the mosquito population of this area increased exponentially. As many of you know- these little insects are MAJOR fans of a certain Sister Pilmer. I currently have over 50 bites and am probably developing cancer from the intense bug spray :) It may sound bad, but don't confuse this for complaining. I am still SO ridiculously happy! The opportunity to make sacrifices to show my love for the Lord and to serve His children is a privilege. When people look at us like we're crazy as we stand on their doorstep slapping ourselves to kill the swarms of mosquitoes- we testify that we are there sharing the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ because it's TRUE and can change lives and bring happiness! (That was a very run-on sentence... my apologies.)

This week has been very spiritual and very successful! We are teaching several new people who seem very interested in finding out the truthfulness of our message for themselves. A couple of our new investigators are Miss H and Mr. D- a cute 18 yr. old couple (dating, not married) who just graduated from high school. We had a powerful lesson with them on Thursday about the Restoration. They are super cool, and one of my favorite moments in the lesson was when Sister Mapa asked how they felt about what we shared and if they thought it could be true. Miss H replied that she could see in our faces that we believed it was true and that she felt like she could trust us. She said it sounded awesome and she would definitely pray to know for herself. Awesome times :)

Also in exciting news- Miss B.L. has moved up her baptism date to this Thursday the 15th. (Also my daddy's birthday) She is so prepared and excited to come closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ. I love her so much. Sister Mapa and I feel so blessed to be a part of her life at this time.

Saturday was a particularly cool day this week. We had a "No Miles Day", where we did not use our car for the day. Due to the large size of our proselyting area and the fact that we don't actually live inside of it- we had to rely on our local members to help us out. It was challenging, but we pulled it off with the Lord's help and some wonderful members of the Baytown 2nd Ward. At one point we had a member drop us off to tract in a neighborhood "fairly close" to our apartment complex. We planned to walk back for our lunch appointment with recent convert Sister A.G.. We estimated it would take about 30 minutes... but after 40 minutes of walking quickly and singing hymns as we went, we were only about halfway there. We called A.G. and she came to rescue us from the 100 degree humid heat. The Chic-fil-A she fed us for lunch tasted SO good after our little trek. We also had a wonderful lesson with her about what it means to be a daughter of God. More awesome times :) The day was full of miracles. Utilizing the members in our missionary efforts provides so many blessings for all involved. It's amazing.

Life is good here. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true and is led by a true, living prophet who receives revelation from Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. I'm so happy and am learning so much as I work and serve! I still love mail :) I love you all so much! Keep being fabulous!

July 6

Howdy everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July! It was definitely a joy to celebrate the holiday down here as a missionary! It was mostly a typical missionary Sunday for us. We had early morning meetings followed by church at 9 a.m.. We visited and taught people and did our missionary thing. In the evening we volunteered at the Mont Belvieu city party. I thought of my mom and grandma and great aunts quite a bit as Sis. Mapa and I were assigned to monitor the quilt exhibit. (Our job was to walk around and smile, keep food and drink out, and discourage visitors from touching the quilts.) The quilts were lovely and our service was appreciated. The Elders helped w/ crowd control and serving free hot dogs. It was good times. :) After returning to our apt. for the night, while doing our nightly planning, we heard fireworks. We ran out to our parking lot for a few minutes and enjoyed the Baytown Fireworks display for a few minutes! It was very fun, and because we ran out barefoot, I of course got a couple fire ant bites- those of you who know TX and know me, know that that truly completed my 4th of July experience.

The work is still pressing forward here in Baytown, and we are loving every minute of it. I'm exhausted at the end of every day. Each day brings new challenges and trials as well as new miracles and joy. We are teaching some awesome investigators and are still particularly excited for Miss B.L.. She is excited for her baptism and loves all she is learning. She is gaining and nourishing her own testimony of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and it's amazing. We have many potential investigators that we are optimistic about teaching and helping come closer to Christ. The Lord's work is powerful and such a privilege to be a part of. I love it so much!

The weather here is pretty nuts. It's either very hot and humid or very rainy, depending on the day and the nature of passing hurricanes and such. It's always an adventure.

I love you all and love hearing from you! Be good!

June 28

Hey everyone!

I'm happy to report another fabulous week in the great state of Texas. The big event of this past week was my birthday on Friday, and it was celebrated by two even bigger events- the baptisms of Sister B.P. (a sweet elderly woman the Elders have been teaching) and Little Mr. J (sweet 9 year old boy Sis. Mapa and I have been teaching). It was an awesome day, and since I'll only celebrate one birthday out here in the mission field, I suppose I'll tell y'all all about it!

The day before my birthday we had zone conference (training conference w/ 1/3 of the missionaries in T.H.E. mission). After the conference we were served lunch by local members and everyone sang to me- it's embarrassing and delightful to be sung "Happy Birthday" by such a large group. That evening we went to a local member's home to teach a lesson on missionary work. Sister C.S. had made me german chocolate cake! with candles! and presents! She gave Sis. Mapa presents too and had us both blow out the candles which I loved, because it was fun to do it together!

Sis. Mapa and I have (as previously reported) been fighting plenty of illness between the two of us and the past couple of weeks have not been able to utilize our morning exercise time very well. That means when we both felt well enough to go walking at 6:30 a.m. on my birthday- I was very excited :) While walking there was lots of thunder, which I love, and Sis. Mapa witnessed a woodpecker pecking for the first time. So fun! We came back to the apt. and I opened the pkg. from my parents, and the card from my grandparents. Thanks Mom and Dad for the 3/4 sleeve cardigans, brownie mix, candles and card! Thanks for the card and birthday money Grandma and Grandpa! I also really enjoyed the papers inserted to my birthday card signed by many of my cousins, aunts and uncles w/ birthday wishes. I felt very loved and can't even express how much I love and appreciate you all! Sis. Mapa made me eggs and toast for breakfast, and we went about our morning schedule of getting ready and enjoying personal and companionship study as usual. (Sis. Mapa french braided my hair for me during comp study too!)

By 10:00 a.m. we left the apt. to go give service at the Senior Center in Montbelvieu (Sp?). We do that every week, but usually on Wednesdays. We helped hang children's artwork from a 4th of July art contest, and when we were done- Miss L, the S.C. director invited us to stay for their Friday lunch. It was catered delicious food and they were actually celebrating the birthdays for the month so had cake and wished me happy birthday too! Before heading to the church for a luau farewell party for a member of our ward getting ready to leave for school at BYU Hawaii, we stopped by Elders Jex and Christensen's apt. (the Baytown Spanish speaking elders). They called and said they had something for me. When they answered their door, they were wearing "N*Sync" party hats, holding a cake, and singing"happy birthday" to me. It was hilarious and awesome. The luau party was fun and we were able to visit with several local members and support our friend who is leaving. As Sis. Mapa and I tried to duck out quietly, we were stopped so they could all sing "happy birthday" to me. More fun embarrassment :)

We then enjoyed knocking on doors in the heat and humidity. We talked to quite a few people, and one was very kind and interested so we'll be visiting him and his wife again soon. Then it was time to head to the church to fill up the baptismal font as Miss B.P.'s baptismal service started at 5:30 and the elders wouldn't be able to make it to the church in time to fill the font. We started the water and practiced the musical number for her baptism. For her service, I sang "Learn of Me" accompanied by Sis. Mapa on the piano. It wasn't perfect, but it went really well. The Spirit was so strong throughout her service, and she is so happy to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints. Jacob's service was held at 7:00 and also went very well. He was so happy and excited. His father was able to baptize him and it was a very special evening for his family. Our bishop's sweet wife Sis. C, sent me home w/ a vase of white roses for my birthday as well. (They smell just like my favorite roses in my backyard at home in UT!!)

Miss B.P. and Mr. J were both confirmed as members this Sunday and given the gift of the Holy Ghost. Ms. B and her grandmother Sister H both attended all 3 hours of church yesterday and loved every minute! She is happily progressing and preparing for baptism and we are so happy to be a part of it. Miracles are happening here in Baytown every single day. This is truly the Lord's work and while it is exhausting and challenging, I love it with all my heart! I love you all so very much!!!!

June 21

I'd like to wish a belated Happy Father's Day to all you awesome fathers! I'm so grateful for the role that righteous fathers play in our Heavenly Father's plan. I'm super grateful for my own awesome Daddy, and for many awesome male role models my life.

It's been another awesome week down here in Baytown, TX. Sister Mapa and I are really great at sharing... especially our germs! I was sick for the first half of the week, and she was sick the second half of the week. That was hard, but the Lord really helped us to know when we could work and when we needed to rest. The time we spent out working was very effective, and we absolutely loved it!

Sister M came to church with her 3 little boys again this week! So did Ms. B and her less-active grandma Sister H! Awesome stuff! Ms. B has also committed to be baptized on July 24th and is very excited about it!

We had an awesome ward game night this past Friday that Sis. Mapa and I headed up w/ our ward activity chair. We were so excited for the success! Little Mr. J is still scheduled to be baptized this Friday and we love him and are so happy for him!

I'm out of time now, so I apologize for the lack of details, but love you ALL very much!