Baptism!

I had a really good week this week! We've been spending a ton of time outside in the summer sunshine!! I’m getting a lot of sun and its been so nice!!

So we always do our whiteboards in this one park and every time we are there, there is this man who is always on a walk with his 13-month-old girl Amilia. We tried to talk to him about the gospel a few weeks ago but he wasn't interested BUT every time we are there he comes by with her and we just play with her and talk to her and it’s so fun! I feel like she feels the goodness of the gospel and so does he! And that’s why he keeps coming back! Regardless it makes my day every time they come and even though we already tried talking to him I feel using my slight obsession with babies is winning their hearts! I knew it would come in handy on my mission one day! So this week we took a couple pictures with her!

We also took our English classes to the zoo! Because why not! We spoke in English and saw the animals and had a great time! Only 3 people showed up but we all loved it!

So this week I also got a call from Sister Stratton!! My baby Stratton. And she actually has to go home for medical reasons, I was so sad!!! I just love her so much it was really sad to see her leave. But I know that it is all in the plan. I love that girl so much and it broke my heart to have her leave her mission. But when I talk to her, my motherly instincts kick in, and I immediately started telling her that everything was going to be OK. That this was the plan that God has for her and the more I told her that the more I felt that was the truth. I think that its important to remember that everything we go through is part of God's plan for us. We always associate the good things like deciding to go on a mission, getting a new job, having a contact that was amazing, as things that were from God, things that were suppose to happen. But often it’s hard for us to remember that the hard things we go through in life are just as important and just as part of the plan for us. I know that Sister Stratton going home is part of God's plan for her and although its sad to me to know she had to leave I know it’s what needed to happen for her. I think its all just a matter of faith in what God wants and needs us to do.

Luckily enough I got to see her again!!! Because I went to BARBARA'S BAPTISM!!! It was the most amazing thing ever! She was so happy and I feel so lucky and so filled with joy that I was able to go and see her be baptized it made my mission to be able to be there!! I just love seeing how the gospel changes people everyday! That’s what it does. When we learn the principles of the gospel and we learn more about Christ we naturally want to become more like Him! And it’s the everyday step-by-step change that will help us become who God wants us to become. I’m so grateful I get to be here and help people in the beginnings of that process!! It’s the best!! So that was my mission this week. It was a really great week. Lots of learning and growing and fun! Which is how the Mission should be :)

Barbara's Baptism!

Sister Swenson and me with Amilia

All of us at the Zoo

Institute Class

May 19, 2014 - The Climb, visit to Katowice and meeting Danka!

I had I really good week żartuję, it was the BEST WEEK.

To start things off on P-day we went to this huge fort and climbed a mountain!! A man-made mountain but it was so fun. Sister Swenson and I literally did climb a part of it. It was hilarious I almost peed my pants I couldn’t handle it.

And then I went on a bus to KATOWICE to go on an exchange with Sister Stratton!! it was the best thing of my life!! First I went to the chapel and they were having Family Home Evening. BARBARA and KRYSTYNA and ADRIAN and RAFAŁ and DANIEL were all there!!! And SISTER STRATTON!!! There was so much excitement and love I almost hugged all of them! I just love them so much you know? So anyways it was amazing! I got to talk to Barbara about life and her baptism and I got permission this week from President Edgren to attend her baptism!!!! IM GOING TO BARBARA'S BAPTISM!! I cannot wait. I just love everything about everything right now. It’s just that life is so good. Like every dream and wish that I have came true.

On a daily basis and I don’t know why I am so blessed!! So continuing on with the exchange, Sister Stratton and I went back to the apartment and everything was so trippy because I was in Kato again. Exactly one year ago I was serving in Kato with Sister Packard, my trainer, and now here I was again in Kato the same time and with my trainee, Sister Stratton!! It was so amazing. We had a good night and the next day we had district meeting. We had a meeting with Krystyna and did some contacting. I loved everything about being back together and doing missionary work together again. It’s a great feeling to just jump back into our companionship and go to work again. I loved it!!

We went to Sosnowiec to go to Helena’s house!!!! It was beautiful!! We talked and she fed us pierogi. We talked about life and the gospel and how much I love her! Then we went with Adrain to maxi pizza! And all of my gypsie friends came!! Adrian, Patryk and Kewin!! They are the best people ever! It was fun to see them and talk to them and catch up!! It is amazing that I can talk to them way more now than I could before. I remember being in Kato and my heart was so full of love and joy!! These people hold a special place in my heart! It was the best! I don’t know how I was so lucky and blessed to be able to have that exchange. It was life changing and wow!!!

But what felt even better was coming back to Kraków and feeling like it was home and that I actually missed it all. It was just another testimony to me that this is where I’m supposed to be right now.

To top it all off this weekend Danka came to Kraków!! For the whole weekend! We were with her just about 24/7 which was so cool! She met a ton of the members and we taught her a lot of the lessons even though she already knows everything. It was the coolest just to get to know her more and love her more! I just love being able to be here and be a part in her conversion! She is amazing! I love watching her desire to learn and grow in the gospel take off and see it change her! It’s so amazing to be a part of.

This week was literally nothing but good. I just feel so happy and blessed to be here and for my mission. I see the work and all it is doing and how much it’s changing my life and me. I am so grateful! It’s the most exciting thing ever to be right in the middle of all these experiences that are changing who I am and being aware that it’s all happening. It’s so hard to explain but I love waking up everyday and knowing that I can be better today than I was yesterday and happier, and the future is always so bright! Coming down to the last 3 months of my mission is so amazing because I love it so much. I want to be here and be doing the Lord’s work. I love how much my mission is preparing me for the rest of my life! Sister Swenson and I made a 5 year plan this week. It was a little scary but so exciting that I have no idea how everything will turn out, but I have faith IN Christ and His Atonement, and in the plan that God has for me. It creates this huge feeling of happiness. I love it so so much!

Love,

Siostra Pearson

At the top!

What we climbed!

Sister Stratton and me

Me, Danka, Sister Swenson

Pictures with Kewin, Adrian and Patryk

May 12th We are God's children and He loves us

Pretty much missionary work in Poland is the best thing ever. Over the past 2 weeks there has been a shift in how we do missionary work. There is this cool drive to expect miracles and to do what we came here to do, bring people unto Christ. The prepared are being found! It’s been amazing to see the faith and unity in our mission just spike and to have missionary work go right with it. I love it so much! We have been working a ton with Danka! She is the best thing ever!!! She has such a desire to find the truth and is really seeking it. She’s pretty much the perfect investigator. Since she lives so far away we teach her through the phone, or rather she teaches us, and we get to talk to her everyday! 

Then on Tuesday SHE CAME TO KRAKÓW!! So we met her and talked with her for the first time. It’s so weird saying that because I feel like I’ve known her forever! I already love her so much! Last night we taught her the plan of salvation.. ITS SUCH AN AMAZING PLAN! We talked about our pre earth life and about the fall and Adam and Eve and it took the whole time! We were all just talking about it so much. It was beautiful! It was like I was teaching it for the first time. It’s really hard to explain but I feel like a part of me has just changed so much on my mission and I have this crazy love for the gospel! Everything about it, and what stood out to me was we lived with God before this life. He already prepared us for the things we are going through right now, and knowing that I came up with these conclusions: 

1. I chose to follow Him already because I am here right now

2. I can get through anything because I have been prepared for it already.

It all comes down to God knowing us and loving us individually. He loves us so much!!! And I never get tired of hearing it!!

That was pretty much our week. It was beautiful! I’m getting a tan cause the weather is so good!! Alright.. it’s like a red tan.. but it works. :) 

Siostra Pearson

Rafal & Me

Siostra Pearson with Daniel

Siostra Pearson & Siostra Swenson

The Most Amazing week of my mission!

 So I pretty much had the most amazing week of my mission!!!! I’m serious. So lets start with Monday, we had a great P-Day! We went to the castle, went in a dragon layer thing and it was awesome. Later that night when we were doing our nightly planning I received a call from Sister Hutchingson who is serving in Katowice (they are the senior couple there) and she’s like hey Sister Pearson! I need to tell you about the FHE (family home evening) we had tonight! And I’m like... ok cool! What’s up! You know me I’m just excited about everything. Well she starts telling me that Krystyna and Barbara were at FHE (MY BARBARA the one I taught for 6 months and had a baptismal date with, and saw the miracle of her stopping to smoke, and she came and saw me in Warsaw the one I love more than anything!) So ya.. Sister Hutchingson tells me that the last few FHE's they’ve been focusing on the Book of Mormon trying to help Barbara gain a testimony of it. They watched a video on the Book of Mormon that brought it to life like the bible videos or something and afterwards Barbara says, " I know the Book of Mormon is true!" and THEN she says that she talked with her sons and she decided to be BAPTIZED ON THE 24TH OF MAY! BARBARA IS GETTING BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was screaming and almost bawled my eyes out. I don’t know if I have experienced joy like that in my entire life! It was amazing. Words cannot describe the happiness I have for her. I actually called her this morning and we caught up and she told me about her baptism and I am just so excited! It was so beautiful to talk to her about it! She just decided and she is just ready.

The next day we went to Katowice for zone conference! I WENT TO KATOWICE!!!! I miss that place so much! It was just like coming home. I have so many amazing memories there. We had zone conference there and President Edgren has received some new revelation for our mission. The AP'S and President announced a new way that we are all going to be doing missionary work. This is like mind-blowing revelation. Anyways so as of Tuesday we are now contacting people on the topic of BAPTISM. Straight up like hey were talking to people about baptism today. BOOM that’s it. It’s going back to our purpose for being here to bring others unto Christ through baptism. That is how the prophets of old taught and as we listened to this inspiration, Sister Swenson and I were sitting there just blown away. It was terrifying! Baptism is a scary topic. It’s a big change. So after telling us all this, what do they do? They send us out on the streets to go contacting in the middle of zone conference! Just so we could all test it out and see how it goes. There I was contacting on the streets of Kato again! We just started talking to people about baptism and asking them what it means to them and sharing what it means to us. It was BEAUTIFUL and not nearly as weird as I thought it was going to be! Ever since every one of us in the mission is contacting 2 hours everyday only taking about baptism and that’s what we have been doing. It’s amazing! I feel so much like a missionary and we have had some of the coolest contacts! Baptism is such a gift! It’s a new start that brings peace, joy and forgiveness!! It’s jumping through all the fluff so we can share with them really what it all comes down to, the Atonement. Doing this these past few days has just made me so happy!! But wait! it gets better!!!

After zone conference, I went out of the room and ADRIAN IS THERE!!!!! I freaked out and we start talking and then RAFAŁ CAME!!! We freaked out even more. It was the coolest thing in the entire world!! My face hurt so bad from smiling!!! I have missed them so much! The coolest part was first, jumping right back into being best friends and second, we kept switching languages! We would talk in English and then Polish and back and forth and I COULD SPEAK TO THEM IN POLISH! At the beginning of my mission that never happened and they were so proud and happy for me. There was so much love that day!

So skip forward a couple days after having the coolest week of my mission and we get to Friday. Sister Swenson and I were calling a girl named Danka. She is a self-referral that we received from the mission office a few weeks ago. We really wanted to meet with her but she lives 2 HOURS AWAY. So we called her. On the phone we chat and pretty much tell her why we are serving a mission here and that there are lessons that we want to teach her. Before we can get into the details she’s says I have a question, what is the celestial kingdom? And were like whoa so we start explaining it and about the plan of salvation and she knows it already. She starts teaching us the plan of salvation and then moves into the restoration and then teaches us about everything! About Jesus being on the earth and the great apostasy and the church and priesthood being restored through Joseph Smith and then all about the priesthood and how we can repent and be baptized and have the Holy Ghost and the whole time we are FREAKING OUT!!! I was jumping around the room going crazy trying not to scream I was so excited!!!!!! She has been studying everything on her own and on the website, Mormon.org! We said to her you know all this information but do you know that it’s true? She was like yes of course!! and then I died.. and I  said well Danka as missionaries we are here to help people come closer to Christ through steps like repentance and baptism by someone holding the priesthood of God and I bore my testimony simply about baptism and the gift it is. Before I could even ask she was like yes this is what I want.. SAY WHAT!?!?! Sister Swenson and I were freaking out and laughing with Danka. We asked her to be baptized on June 7th and she said YES she would love too! We talked to her for a while, and she is the most amazing person on the planet. She is so prepared!!!! She is 22 and she found the church in England. Now she is reading the Book of Mormon everyday and knows its true and we are teaching her. SHE IS GETTING BAPTIZED! It is the most amazing thing ever. There is so much joy inside of me I can’t even tell you how I am feeling. It’s so beautiful!!

The events that happened this week strengthened my testimony and just how beautiful the gospel really is. I love my mission. I have grown so much and love life. The gospel is true! More than anything I have come to know this truth more than I ever could have before. There is no greater feeling than serving a mission and having the privilege of playing a part in someone’s conversion to Christ. We never know but God always does. He always has a plan and there are so many miracles in this work! I’ve been on my mission for a longer time now I see how much I love the people of Poland but more importantly how much Heavenly Father loves them. I am going to cherish the time I have spent as a missionary for the rest of my life. I love being a missionary.

Love,

Siostra Pearson

Saw Adrian at Zone Conference

Sister Swenson and I ready to deliver cookies

After our call with Danka

Left the cookies at the door

Dragon's Layer

Teaching with Elder Allen

Sister Swenson and me