18 months.

Well.

This is it, folks -- the final email I will write as a full-time missionary.

As cliche as it sounds (and as much as I never thought it would be me saying this), the time did go by so fast. There were times when it seemed to crawl -- times that were hard and trying. Times of discouragement and doubt. But, it all seems a blur now. Looking back, the good definitely overrides the bad. The people I've met and come to love run through my mind. What would my life be like without their part in my story? Who would I be? I will be forever grateful I came on a mission. It has changed my life -- it has changed me.

This week has definitely been the best week of my mission. We worked hard and had faith and we have seen miracle upon miracle this transfer, but especially this week. I was reminded of this scripture yesterday in sacrament meeting. "How great reason have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed when we started from [Plainview or insert New York] that God would have granted unto us such great blessings?"(Alma 26:1). That entire chapter sums up my feelings --"I cannot say the smallest part of what I feel."

A little rundown of the week ...

Tuesday, I went to the temple with the other 12 departing missionaries and President and Sister Calderwood. What a wonderful experience to be in the celestial room with them! It was a very spiritual time and a time of reflection. I thought back on all my past companions, areas, and people I've met or taught. My heart filled with gratitude! After the temple, we ate dinner at Carnegie Deli (the tradition). I ordered a rueben (all of the sandwiches there are notoriously large) and took most of it home. We also ordered cheesecake. It was delicious! After we returned to the mission office, I had my departing interview with President Calderwood. That was a sacred time! I love my mission president. He certainly has inspired me! He also committed me to read the Book of Mormon daily for the rest of my life, promising if I did that I would not fall away. Challenge accepted!

Wednesday, we went to the temple to do baptisms with three sisters from our branch. One hadn't been in more than a year. It was great to be there with them and to see their sweet smiles in the the temple. We started our final exchange of the transfer after the temple trip and Sister Cook joined me. She is an amazing teacher! We taught Nick about tithing and fasting and then went to our volleyball night. Thursday, we finished our exchange and had institute. Friday, our sweet Shayna met with President Calderwood to resolve some concerns she had. After the interview, she told us she wanted to get baptized October 12. I screamed. I was so happy she had found her answer. I know we had to commit her first for Sept. 21 so she could find this answer. Prayer and fasting work. Saturday, we went to the temple and Heather received her endowment. I love Heather. It was great to be there with her! Then we had a stake icecream social before the womens' broadcast, which was a tender mercy because I got to see people from Riverhead and Terryville. Sunday, we met with Nick before church. We wanted to talk about baptism again and bring up October 12, the original date we extended two weeks ago. Well, towards the end of the lesson, Nick says, "So, I am really excited to get baptized! October 12, right?" !!!!! He brought it up himself. Man, so pure in heart. I couldn't believe we had only met him two weeks prior, but we've been able to teach him 3 times/week plus daily contact. The lesson was followed by a wonderful time at church and our two investigators calling each other "baptism buddies." I gave a talk and Sister Kapisi and I sang as well. I didn't want to leave church and say goodbye! Luckily, we have FHE tonight and kind of a "goodbye party" (they do that every time there is a change) so that will be fun.

As you can tell, it has been an amazing final week here in New York. I am really, really grateful for everything. I couldn't have imagined how much love I would have for Plainview when I started here in July. These people are the best!

I can't wait to see everyone soon! I know that there are good things to come, even though this phase of my life is ending. There are always new adventures around the corner.

I love you!

Sister Peacock

Here are a few pictures to wrap up:
With President & Sister Calderwood at the temple, Sis K and I with Heather, me with Becca, Lina and Kim before doing baptisms,me & Shayna, and me with my mission mom, Sister Blom :)

so much good.

This week has been am-az-ing.

Remember that guy I told you about last week who randomly showed up to
church? Well HE REALLY IS GOLDEN. :) He called the mission office on
Tuesday because he hadn't heard from us yet (I got his number mixed
up) and we had talked about meeting on Wednesday. So, since Wednesday,
we have taught him three times. A little background -- he doesn't
really know where the spark started, but he has been "drawn to the
church" for years now. He contacted missionaries a few years ago in
London but now he feels like he is ready for a change. He wants to be
part of a religion that has the gospel at the forefront of everyday
living, not just a once-in-a-while thing. He already knew so much
about the church too from his research. He apologized for NOT knowing
the prophet's name ... [we were shocked that he knew so much]. He also
brought up the word of wisdom to US in our second meeting, saying he
had read we couldn't drink coffee. The next day, he text us and said
it's tough, but doable. Again [shocked]. He told us from the start
that he loves that families can be together forever. I mean, really.
Sis Kapisi and I just feel so lucky and blessed to be teaching him
right now, even though he is so so so prepared. Oh, and when we met
with him Wednesday, he had already started reading the Book of Mormon
and committed himself to reading an hour each night ...in addition to
work and law school. If he has time, WE have time! He asked what he
should wear to church (though he dressed nice the first time) and we
suggested a white shirt (he wore a colored shirt) and tie. When he
showed up yesterday, a lot of people thought he was an RM. : ) Anyway.
It is such a blessing and testimony to me to know that there ARE
people prepared -- really, really prepared to hear the gospel.

In addition, we have had a great week with our other investigator who
had a baptism date for yesterday. She didn't feel ready Sunday
morning, but we will keep working with her. The branch is so
supportive and she was telling people earlier in the week that it
"might be happening" this weekend which made us smile. She has a lot
of friends here and feels at home, which is a definite blessing of the
church. I LOVE PLAINVIEW. :) Did I make that clear yet?

We did service this weekend in good old Riverhead. We helped their
zone out with a race that I also helped with last year for cystic
fibrosis. I can't believe it's been a full year since we helped! It
was a lot of fun to be there and the people running the event said our
name is being spread for good throughout the community.

This week includes: departing temple trip and final interview with
President Calderwood tomorrow, our temple trip for baptisms Wednesday,
an exchange Thursday, and a temple trip for endowments Saturday plus
the womens' conference that night. It is going to be an exceptional
week, I know.

I love you all & I know that miracles still happen today.

SO, let me leave you with a few photos!

1 & 2: Volunteer events always leave us with free stuff -- tshirts,
hats, etc. We were twinners.

 3. Heather, who we are going to the temple with on Saturday, and our
investigator next to me. See, he fits right in!

Grave hunting!

This email will be a little short because my companion and I are doing
some searching for ancestors ... as in, grave hunting. She has some
buried on eastern Long Island.

--Oh, sidenote. It's turning fall here. And fall on Long Island is my
absolute favorite. The leaves are starting to change and the weather
is in the 70s. It's lovely!

But, this week was amazing! Are you tired of hearing about all the
miracles? Because they just keep coming.

We had megazone this week, which was incredible. It hit me hard when
President Calderwood talked about how precious our time is as a
set-apart representative of Jesus Christ. I felt like everything was
revelation for Shayna, our solid inv. We received so much guidance for
our next lesson with her (which I will tell you about in a minute).
But, one of my favorite things from the megazone was a quote from
SIster Calderwood:

"The greatest feeling in the world is to lay broken, spent and
exhausted on the field of victory. The second greatest feeling in the
world is to lay broken, spent and exhausted on the field of defeat."

Isn't that so true? I feel that way at night ... just so exhausted and
ready to rest my eyes. But, it's the greatest feeling too.

Just to name a few miracles:

-"S" is SO ready to be baptized. We've been fasting and praying,
especially as the quarter ends soon, that the people we are working
with will be baptized. She was thinking of getting baptized in
December (her birthday) but we knew she was DEFINITELY ready to be
baptized before then. Friday we taught her and I was studying so hard
for her that morning ... and praying about WHEN we should challenge
her. I got the strongest prompting that we should invite her for
September 21 and felt Heavenly Father's love for her and his desire
for her to be baptized.  I even felt specific words as I prayed as to
what I should say. I was a little nervous going into the lesson
because I wanted to be bold and loving. But, the fear left me the
moment we started to teach. The Spirit in the lesson was SUPER strong.
Everyone was crying. :) She didn't accept the date yet, but she is
praying. She said she had prior commitments at her ministry this week
so she wouldn't be at church (First time this transfer). Then, IN she
walks right before sacrament! I was SO HAPPY! Her meetings got pushed
back so she decided to come. Fasting works!

-Second, right before church started, this man, "N", walked into the
chapel. Oh, he just decided to search it out on his own online and
find the chapel. GOLDEN? He met with missionaries 3 years ago in
London. He seems great & was already talking to all the members. We
wanted to set up an appt with him and saw him walking out of the
church with one of the members, so we started to head outside, only to
realize the member was getting him a Book of Mormon from his car. What
a great member missionary! Then when we set our appt, the member said
he would make sure he was available to  come :) I LOVE PLAINVIEW.

We had a man speak in sacrament, a high councilor, who is now in his
fifties. He grew up in gangs, and told us he would carry 3-4 guns at a
time. He bore powerful testimony and said, "Without the gospel, I
don't know where I would be but it would either be dead or in jail.
But with the gospel, I know where I am and I know I have a Heavenly
Father." He testified of the powerful change in his family's life
since accepting the gospel. IT's amazing how the gospel can really
help anyone who is willing to change.

Also, we had two exchanges this week with some great sisters! On the
first exchange, I apparently woke up at 1:30 a.m. and asked this
sister, "What do you consider a success from last transfer?" She
answered, asked me the same question, and I responded. The next day, I
wondered if it had really happened. Then she told me that she had
needed that question because she had been trying to think of her
successes..the Spirit works even when we're sleeping :)

Have a great week! We're praying for a baptism!

Love you!
Sister Peacock

{ny south|forever changed}

#floodtheearth

Hi!

Another week has come and gone! This past week was filled with
teaching again (HOORAH!). We had another great lesson with our new
investigator from last week, Aleyca. She is a little uncertain about
her baptism date, but feels like she WILL be baptized. And, she has
the desire. As we taught her the restoration, she asked if she could
keep the pamphlet. Then we gave her a Book of Mormon and she said, "
This is for me?? I can keep it?" SWEETHEART. She is from the Dominican
Republic too, and sometimes she has to express herself in Spanish. I
LOVE it. I can talk to her in Spanish too, which makes me super happy
:]

What else? Oh, we are meeting with a few other members and will
hopefully going to the temple with them to do baptisms at the end of
the month. They are the SWEETEST too! All of them are Spanish (2 from
the DR and 1 from Peru). It's like a little tender mercy! Also, this
girl showed up to church yesterday who I had met visiting my past comp
in Jamaica, Queens (back in December) and we remembered each other.
She sat by me in church and we just became instant friends. And she
said she would bring me & my comp pupusas and tamales next week (She
is Spanish and those are two of my favorite Spanish foods that I
haven't had in months!). Doesn't Heavenly Father love us??

Another EXCITING thing! So, we started our #FLOODTHEEARTH social media
challenge (thanks for participating!) and Sis Kapisi shared it with
LDS MIssionary on Facebook. We checked back a few days into the
challenge. They had posted it  and it had almost 800 "likes" and 200
shares, including other mission presidents. We were STOKED. We're
following an apostle and flooding the earth :) It's been really
exciting to see!

Finally, we had ZTM this week and I have since been studying
conversion. A testimony is knowing something, but conversion is being
CHANGED because of what we know. There is an excellent talk by Elder
Bednar so I will invite you all to read it ;)
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/converted-unto-the-lord?lang=eng

This was one of my favorite parts:
"A testimony is spiritual knowledge of truth obtained by the power of
the Holy Ghost. Continuing conversion is constant devotion to the
revealed truth we have received—with a heart that is willing and for
righteous reasons. Knowing that the gospel is true is the essence of a
testimony. Consistently being true to the gospel is the essence of
conversion. We should know the gospel is true and be true to the
gospel."

Let's be CONSISTENTLY true to the gospel. I know it bless you. It has
blessed me.

Have a wonderful week! As I bore my testimony yesterday in church, I
told the branch that one of the greatest feelings of being a
missionary is responding to a prompting and having it bless someone's
life or be the answer to a prayer. We each have the power to do that,
missionary or not.

I Love you!
Sister Peacock

{ny south|forever changed}

OOPs! I forgot to mention that we volunteered for a color run this
weekend ... IT WAS A BLAST! We got to spray people with color as the
ran past. So, here are some fun photos.

into the lovely month of SEPTEMBER.

I don't even know where to start this email because it's been a WEEK
FULL OF MIRACLES. The work EXPLODED here this week. We had nine
lessons (remember, it's usually 3-4), and we were able to have members
with us at SEVEN of them. Members are the key :) We have two solid new
investigators with baptism dates! And, we had nine people come to
church who haven't been since I've been here -- either less actives or
nonmembers. We had four members bring their friends. It was awesome.

This week we had MLC. How I love working so closely with President &
Sister Calderwood. This whole mission experience would be worth it to
know them -- they are amazing, life-changing people. I felt so
inspired at MLC. We talked about a standard of excellence we have in
our mission which is inviting people to be baptized -- with a date --
on the first lesson. I realized I have done it out of duty, but not
always out of love. We talked about how we have to do it because we
want these people to make covenants with God that will take them home
to Him. That is the ONLY way they can do it. We realized the commit is
broken into two parts: "Will you FOLLOW the example of Jesus Christ
and be baptized by someone holding the proper priesthood authority?"
AND THEN "Will you PREPARE to be baptized on ... ?" How critical it is
that they understand WHAT it means to be prepared -- it means coming
to church, praying, reading, etc. President said we needed to invite
"on our toes" not timidly "on our heels."

Well, after MLC we wanted to apply what we had learned. We were doing
lookups for a less active and knocked on her college dorm room.
Someone answered and took us to her room, where her roommate answered.
The girl, Lina, was not home at the moment. We started talking to
Paola and invited her to volleyball, but we knew we needed to tell her
more. We started talking about Jesus Christ. We testified. She asked
how she could know the truth with so much confusion (Joseph Smith
wondered the same thing). We invited her to pray. We prayed with her.
As we ended, there was a knock on her bedroom door. It was another
roommate, telling us we had the WRONG apartment. The Lina we were
looking for lived a few doors down. MIRACLES. We walked down to the
right apartment and both the girls we were looking for were home and
wanted a ride to church. They were excited to see us; the feeling was
mutual. It's wonderful how God leads us to the pure in heart,
something we pray for daily.

Fast forward to Sunday and Lina brought her roommate, Aleyca, to
church. We had a lesson with them after munch & mingle with a less
active and our mission leader. President's reminders were in our head
-- do it out of love. Make sure they are prepared. I felt that love as
I taught and testified. I asked how they felt at church. Aleyca said
"at home." I testified that is confirmation from the Spirit. Sis K
invited her to follow the Savior and be baptized. She accepted. We
continued talking and mentioned what we must do to prepare. We invited
the members to prepare to go to the temple for baptisms on Sept. 27
and then invited Aleyca to prepare for baptism on the 28th. I told her
that I knew Heavenly Father wants us to return to Him, just like our
earthly parents (since we were all away from home). I promised that we
could make it back, but only through making covenants with God. It was
amazing the difference we felt as we invited on our toes :)

And, two other miracles. We were invited to go to the temple with
Heather, who is preparing to receive her endowment. She was going to
fly home to Oregon but decided to do them here in Manhattan and wanted
us to come. I was so honored! And I'm excited. It will most likely be
the end of September.

The other miracle was earlier in the week. We had a lesson with a less
active and had wanted to bring a member but she didn't feel
comfortable with that. So, we went to her house and got to know her a
bit. Halfway through our visit, we hear her doorbell and it was a
MEMBER from the branch who happened to be selling solar panels in the
neighborhood ... seriously, he works over all of Long Island and he
happened to be on her street? At 7:30 at night? He joined us for the
last half of the lesson. God provides a way :)

Well, this email is getting pretty long but I do know miracles are
happening. They will continue to happen. I read this week in Alma 60
and it motivated me to try harder to NOT complain. They didn't do it,
even after hunger, thirst, fatigue, and "All manner of afflictions."
What reason do I have? it's actually been pretty fun to try it out
this week!

Finally, my comp and I made up a "30-day social media challenge" after
reading Elder Bednar's BYU education week talk
(https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/to-sweep-the-earth-as-with-a-flood?lang=eng).
It's been on my mission bucket list to have some type of social media
challenge, so it was fun to come up with fun, simple ways to follow
Elder Bednar's invitation to "sweep the earth as with a flood." So, I
thought I'd attach a photo and invite YOU to follow along. It's
simple.

Ok, I love you. Have a fantastic week! Congrats LIZZIE on your
baptism. I am so happy and proud of you :)

xoxo,
Sister Peacock

PHOTOS: 1. 30-day challenge.

2.  We took a photo after our awesome
lesson Sunday. Aleyca, our newest investigator, is in the middle :)

13.

Hi everyone!

And so begins my 13th transfer.

Sometimes I feel like my emails are so scattered because I just write everything coming to my mind, without any organization. Apologies in advance.

So! This week has been great. Monday night we had our YSA Talent Night. It was a lot of fun and we had some pretty cool talents -- a fantastic cellist, one guy did archery, another did magic tricks, and Sis Montgomery and I sang a song and played guitar. We had a good turnout too, about double the size of most FHEs.

Tuesday was transfer meeting so we headed off, car loaded with Sister Montgomery's stuff! I couldn't believe it really was the end of our transfer together. It definitely flew by too fast. We got to transfer meeting  & I had the thought the night before at who my companion could be. I was right! Her name is Sister Kapisi. She is from Hawaii. I don't think I've ever talked to her before though! She served in Bermuda for six months so we've never served in the same area. This is her first transfer as STL. We're going to be singing a song together soon! She has a strong testimony and I'm excited to see some miracles with her this transfer!

We taught a few lessons this week and made contact [finally] with some less actives, which was great! Our mission leader had given us some people to contact and Saturday night, we got ahold of one girl. She said she was really excited to have us over and would love to start coming back to church! Hoorah! We are meeting her tonight and then going to FHE with her. Then, a set of sisters in a nearby area have been teaching a YSA potential. They told her about YSA and she was interested so they are going to "pass her off" for us to teach. She came to church yesterday (and brought a friend) and has a baptism date. We will start teaching her this week. See, miracles?

We also got to go to the temple on Saturday with the branch. That was super fun and always great to feel the Spirit inside the middle of Manhattan. After the trip, we ate lunch in Central Park and our branch president bought tickets for us all to ride the carousel ... quite the adventure in a pencil skirt. #neveragain.

Yesterday, two new girls showed up to church. They are nannies and are here for a year! What a blessing. We need to grow this branch! I'm so grateful they're here and can help the branch. I thought I would leave you all with some thoughts lately from my studies of the Book of Mormon.

One thing I learned while reading in Alma this week was the importance of DESIRE (Which I've written about many times, I know). It's something that has stood out to me many times on my mission so it's probably something I need to really learn AND APPLY. But, in Alma 41 it mentions people being raised to happiness because of their desires to be righteous/do good, etc. Or we can desire evil and receive unhappiness. Our desires really do determine our character and who we become in life (and after this life). Desires and motivation have fascinated me on my mission though. I didn't pay much attention to WHY I did things before. Sure, I'll be obedient. But I didn't ever think ..."Am I doing this because I love God?" President Calderwood mentioned in transfer meeting this week that when we are obedient for the RIGHT reasons, we gain the attributes of Christ. Isn't that why we are here on Earth? Whew. I feel like I can spend all day talking about this. So I will stop here. But it's something I want to learn more and understand better.

What is something you learned from your scripture study this week? <-- an="" br="" invite="" see="" share="" that="" to="">
Anyway, this upcoming week will be fun -- two exchanges and MLC are on the agenda. Remember how I did that "Transfer by numbers" a few months ago? Let's try it out again. We have:
11 exchanges, 3 zone training meetings, 1 mission leadership council, 1 mega zone conference
2 temple trips, 1 departing interview, 6+ leaders' meetings, *1 baptism (HOPEFULLY!), and about 24 YSA activities. So, just combine that with finding, teaching, and studying and you have a pretty crazy transfer!

I love you! Thanks for the support and love.
xoxo,
Sister Peacock
I said goodbye to two of my best companions! Sister Montgomery and
Sister Lewis.

3. I saw a member from Little Neck at the temple on Saturday. Hermana Bermudez -- I love her!

4. Our sweet little temple group after doing baptisms.

1. Our pday last week on the beach

2. District breakfast at the senior
couple's home before transfer meeting. We made yummy pumpkin pancakes
and buttermilk syrup. They were a hit!

3. My ticket for the carousel in Central Park.

4. My beautiful new companion, Sister Kapis


{ny south|forever changed}

I'm getting transferred??

Just kidding. I'm staying in Plainview YSA for my final transfer! Woo!

But it's that time yet again -- transfers! We find out tomorrow who my

new companion will be & Sis M leaves Wednesday :'( SO sad to say

goodbye to her! But, we will be forever friends! Yay for mission

blessings of all sorts. Anyway, it's been a crazy week, getting things

ready for her to go home & her departing temple trip, etc.

On Tuesday, I had an exchange with my dear Sister Acosta because her

comp is also going home so her comp and mine went to the temple trip

together. It was so fun to be with Sister Acosta in her new area and

to see how much she has spiritually grown in the past YEAR since I

trained her (Sidenote: I can't believe it's been a year. What the

heck?). But, she is an amazing missionary and I"m so excited for her

because she is going to be training! Woo! In mission terms, I will

have a "grandchild." :) We taught a few lessons together and enjoyed

the chance to work together for a day.

We had a lesson planned Wednesday with a less active. We had invited a

guy who was in town for a week to be the member present. Well, God had

a different plan and as it turned out, we were supposed to teach the

guy we invited to teach with us. So, the less active couldn't show up

to the church until later, so we thought ..."Ok, let's just teach T

instead." And then a member from the YSA branch who was coming to

volleyball just walked into the room, sat down, and started teaching

with us .. it was a miracle! Super cool. T started crying during the

lesson as we talked about repentance and forgiveness. Man, I just felt

super strongly during that lesson that God loved him and wanted him to

receive forgiveness and move on with his life and not hang on the past

mistakes. That's what he wants for each one of us -- receive that

immediate forgiveness, and forgive ourselves, and let the healing

power of the Atonement help us. It was such a strong lesson. And it

was cool because T flew back to Utah that night so it all worked out

perfectly that we had the prompting to ask him to come with us. God

works in a lot of ways to bring about his purposes, right?

We also had a lesson with Kevin again, who we haven't been able to see

for a few weeks because of his crazy work schedule. He is our

investigator who told us he was going to a different church that is

closer to his house ... and has a rock band. But, we read 3 Nephi 27

with him and he stopped us and said, "Wait, so if it's in the name of

Moses, it's Moses' church? So if it's in the name of man, it's his

church?" And we were able to teach why it's important that it's the

Church of Jesus Christ and that it is built on HIS gospel. Kevin is

awesome.

It's been a crazy week -- I can hardly believe a new transfer starts

today. Tonight we have a talent show for FHE and Sis Montgomery and I

arranged a primary song to sing (it's on FB) which should be a lot of

fun. I just want you all to know that I know this church is true. I am

definitely seeing the blessings of being on a mission -- it is hard,

but it is so worth it. My testimony has gotten so much stronger and I

am grateful to share it with others.

I love you!

As always, some photos from the week!

I am not sure if the captions ever work so  I will put them all here

so you can read them for sure!

1. New York is known for bagels so we decided to go try it out for

ourselves at a local bagel place. I had a french toast bagel with

cinnamon raisin cream cheese. DELICIOUS! :)

2. A girl in the YSA is getting married so Sister Owens asked us to

help decorate cupcakes for her bridal shower... as you can imagine, I

was so down! I had a lot of fun frosting them and writing the labels.

3 & 4. The last two are with Zach ,our amazing branch mission leader.

He helps us out so much! Sis M and I bought matching shirts last week.

It's been funny to see the reactions.

green smoothies, poison ivy & M came to church!

Helllooo!

What a great week it has been. I am amazed at the opportunities we
have to be instruments in God's hands everyday to help people or to
comfort people or to laugh with people. What a privilege it is that he
trusts us!

So, this week ... whew. We had two exchanges. We were supposed to have
three, but one of the sisters is having kidney stone problems so she
actually went to the hospital. We ended up just visiting with the two
of them for an hour or so. But, it's been a good week. Back-to-back
exchanges are fun but exhausting. It sure was nice to be back with Sis
M on Thursday! Friday we had leaders' meeting in RIVERHEAD. I
seriously get so giddy every time we drive out there. After the
meeting, we stopped and visited a family I had worked with there & it
was nice to see them (even if the Spanish part was a little struggle
after so much English!). I really love, love, love the people I have
met on my mission.

Wednesday night, we taught a family we had found while looking for a
former investigator. Roslin and Kahim have two kids. Roslin used to go
to church growing up and you could see her heart softening as we
taught. She said she knew she needed to go back and she knew the
blessings had come when she was going. She told us she would go before
the end of the month. And said, "I like you sisters. You are nice. You
can come back again." :) Yay! We'll have to pass them off to the
Plainview Ward sisters since they aren't YSA ... but a family! That's
exciting. It felt so good to teach them and to testify!

Saturday morning we did service for this natural reserve park. We were
pulling "non-native invasive" plants ... unfortunately there is also
poison ivy in the same area. One of the elders got it last week pretty
bad after doing service. I don't seem to have any problems yet, but
Sis M is feeling kind of itchy ... So, we'll see. Oh, and as we were
standing in the field, an elder says, "Wow, that's a big spider!" (in
a really CALM voice). I looked to where he was pointing ... ON MY
FOOT. And, I was wearing like slip-on shoes, so this giant spider was
ON MY SKIN. I kind of panicked and kicked my leg around and then the
lady in charge came over to take a picture...this thing was HUGE. It
was bigger than a quarter. It was massive. BUT, it was a lot of fun to
be out, doing service. The missionaries have been helping this
organization since April and they really seem to appreciate the
service. After the service, we had a branch bbq in honor of the bug
boys who will be leaving this week (as in 50% of our branch). It was
pretty fun because for the first half of the bbq, Sis M and I were the
ONLY girls there...two others came at the end. But, we had a lot of
chuckles at the situation. Oh, and it was a pool party. #awkward
#ysalife

Sunday was awesome! M made it to church! She was answering all sorts
of questions in Relief Society and seemed to enjoy herself. She likes
church. She likes the people. She just doesn't know if it's true. But
she will one day! After church, Sis M and I taught Lizzie about
baptism on Facetime. It was such a cool experience to teach Lizzie! We
were amazed at how smart and prepared she was! She knew what a
covenant was, why we are baptized, what repentance means ... she
basically taught us :) But I was so grateful that we could share our
testimonies about baptism and the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know it is
the only way to happiness.

We were headed to a lesson with the senior couple but it fell through,
so Elder Owens drove us by the house where the Amityville murder took
place in the 1970s, which was right around the block from our lesson.
He was a prosecuting attorney and worked on the OJ Simpson trial. So,
he was pretty excited to drive us by the house. Anyway, the Owens are
AWESOME.

On a funny note, we decided to call everyone in our phone because
there are so many contacts we don't know, especially because we were
blinded in. Well, I called one "Lisa" and started explaining who we
are and what we do and asked if she had ever met with missionaries
before. She says, "Yes, my husband and I just moved from New York. He
was an area seventy for that area." Oh, my life.

Anyway, it's been a super great week. I can't believe it's week six.
Sis M and I only have one more week together! It's going to be GREAT
though. This work is true. I am so grateful to be a part of it!

Love,
Sister P

school supplies?

Well,

It's August. I couldn't believe when we went grocery shopping at
Target today that all the school supplies are back! Sister Montgomery
and I both said how we love them. But, how can it be turning that time
already? As I've said with other months, July just flew!

This week, we had two exchanges, a joint MLC with the north mission
leaders, and a BOMB lesson with M, our investigator. She's lovely :)
But, starting at the top of the list .. our two exchanges. Sister
Pieper, who is now serving in Hampton Bays, came to Plainview with me
:) We had a great time and I always learn so much from her. We were in
the same zone for 4 transfers, and I remember when she started her
mission. She said I remind her of her older sister, so she was excited
to go on the exchange. She said it felt like visiting "home." :) We
were able to stop by an investigator Sister Hale and I began teaching
last summer who lives in Hampton Bays. It was such a blessing to see
Laura! She is receiving lessons again and has started reading the Book
of Mormon, which she struggled with last summer. It was amazing to
feel that immediate love come flooding back the moment I saw her.

On Friday, we had a joint MLC. So, the mission leaders from the north
mission joined us on our side. I felt like I learned so much and
received personal revelation, and also felt the Spirit telling me what
i Needed to improve and change to be a better, more obedient
missionary. It was also interesting to be with President & Sister
Morgan (from the north mission). I learned from them also, but I
definitely have a testimony that we are called to a mission for our
mission president. One of the things I learned at MLC was about the
gospel of Jesus Christ, which we always talk about.

See, we can define the gospel of Jesus Christ  (faith, repentance,
baptism, etc.) but HOW is the Gospel of Jesus Christ defining us? How
is it changing us? We need to let others see it defining us. What can
others see as they are around me? Do I follow promptings? Do I testify
frequently about realtime repentance? Am I different because of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ? We talk often about what is known as #realtime
in our mission ... #realtime conversations and communication (meaning
we use our ipads to talk with our leaders and be accountable),
#realtime planning (planning throughout the day), and #realtime
repentance. I have a testimony of realtime repentance that is getting
deeper roots everyday. I know when we repent #realtime, we receive
immediate blessings, immediate peace, and immediate forgiveness. This
is one thing I've definitely come to to know here. We don't have to
wait and wait to repent. Do it the instant you know you've done wrong.
And you receive forgiveness.

So, the MLC was great and I ran into an old friend from SUU who is a
zone leader in the north mission. I also sat next to an STL there that
was serving in a YSA ward at Christmastime and guess who her bishop
was? Kyle Poll. She said she loved spending Christmas at Emily and
Kyle's house :)

We also had a bomb lesson with our investigator. Every time we meet, I
am more and more convinced that she is not atheist. She prays every
time we are there, and is praying on her own now. In the last lesson,
she prayed and said, "Thank you for being there." Her heart is
softening. We are praying that she will have the desire to be
baptized. We love her!

Other than that, we've been doing the usual ... trying to find new
people to teach, going to leaders' meetings, and waking up feeling
like we never even slept (I heard about this at the beginning of my
mission from older missionaries ... it's true! You get exhausted and
you FEEL the exhaustion!). But, life is great. I am so happy. I have
never been happier. Even with the exhaustion and the struggles, I have
never been happy as I have been as a missionary. So grateful I still
have two months to do all I can for the people in New York and for my
Heavenly Father!

I love you all!
Oh, and I hope mom had a happy birthday yesterday and HAPPY BIRTHDAY
to Jen today!
Love,
Sister Peacock

So, what have you learned on your mission?

It's been a long, long time since I've had time to sit down & write a blog post.

To start, I'll tell you that I have about 9 weeks left on my mission (as in ... 9 weeks from tomorrow I fly home to Utah). That is crazy stuff! My companion and I go on quite a few exchanges each transfer -- this transfer, we have 11 exchanges.

On these exchanges with new missionaries and new people, I often get asked the question, "How long have you been out?" When I answer, "Nearly 16 months," I almost always get a wide-eyed look, coupled with, "So you're almost done."  

Done. Done. That word kind of scares me ... I mean, sure, I will be "done" being a full-time missionary. I'll no longer have a name tag attached to me at all times. And I know that's what these people mean. But, surely, I am not done with other aspects. I feel like I am just starting to learn how to learn (awkward, seeing as how I graduated from college ... nearly 18 months ago). But, I am learning how to learn in a new way. I am learning how the Spirit speaks to me. I am learning how to become more than I am. I am learning how to trust in the Savior, no matter what I am asked to do.

Another question I am asked is, "So, what have you learned on your mission?"  I hardly feel like I have been out long enough to be asked this question (I still feel like a new missionary! Are you sure I am going home in two months?). But, this question oddly leaves me with a thousand things churning in my brain & not one quick, solid answer. To help with this situation, I decided to compile a list of various things I've learned.

Right now, I want to tell you something I learned from King Benjamin. I'll label this lesson as such:

GRATITUDE --> KNOWLEDGE --> BEHAVIOR

"12 And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.

 13 And ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due."

What was the application? As we consistently pray and give thanks for our many blessings, our testimony of our Heavenly Father will be strengthened and we will KNOW that He is real. He lives and He loves us. As our testimonies are strengthened in our knowledge of our Heavenly Father, our very nature changes. This is why the gospel of Jesus Christ helps us to become something. The gospel of Jesus Christ is more than just knowing information. When we come to know, it influences how we live and who we are. 

I am grateful for this pattern. I know that as we show our gratitude, our knowledge of God and His plan for us increases, and our behavior really can and will change. 

This was just one of the things I've learned, but I hope I can post more in the future! 

xoxo,

Sister Peacock

"Oh, what kind?"

Hello!

It has been one C-R-A-Z-Y week! I can't believe everything that has
happened since writing last week. We had two exchanges and a sisters
conference and two zone conferences...but in between all of that, we
found out we would be getting a third companion.

So, my companion from Terryville was having problems walking & she was
in the city so Tuesday night, president called and asked that she come
with us. In 24 hours, we had figured out a way to rearrange our room
to fit three beds (UN MILAGRO!), attended a zone conference, carried
out sisters conference (the STLs plan it...we started like six months
ago!), and got a new companion. PHEW. We weren't really sure how
exchanges would work with three of us, so I ended up going to the
other sisters' pool and being with both of them for the day.

Sunday we found out that we were taking Sister Jean to the airport
(today) as she would be flying home. It was a WHIRLWIND of a week!
Lots of unexpected events. So, we are getting everything ready this
morning so we can drive her to JFK this afternoon.

But, a few gems of the week! We set a VGP for our district (vision,
goals & plans) for the rest of the transfer and have already seen
miracles in the form of investigators for our other district members.
We WILL find a new investigator this week in YSA! I know it. We had 3
member present lessons, which is great considering we have a very
small pool at the moment & a little branch. The lessons were awesome!
We taught our investigator who claims to be Atheist. She is the
sweetest! This was our second lesson with her. She has been praying &
said she would keep trying even though she wasn't sure she was getting
an answer. We taught her about scripture study and she committed to do
it. Our awesome branch mission leader (best ever) made her this study
guide with questions which she was super pumped about. She said she
would ask her boss about Sundays so she could come to church :) yay!
We also had two lessons with recent converts. Both have amazing
stories! And the members who came are stellar teachers. It just makes
me so happy to see members testifying and committing people to do
something :) yes!

Two awkward moments of the week (yay for me being quirky and awkward,
right? Good thing I can laugh at myself!)
•while visiting our investigator's house, we met her adorable niece.
Her brother is Spanish and his wife is Japanese. I said, "She is so
cute! What a good mix!" A good mix?! Not like her niece was a
puppy...sheesh.
•while teaching our RC, the member said he was Asian. I replied, "Oh,
what kind?" I meant like...Japanese? Korean? Chinese? He was confused.
After explaining it, I proceeded to tell him the few things I know in
Chinese...our purpose, free English class... He responds, "Yeah, I
don't speak any Chinese." #awkward

What else? Sisters conference ROCKED! We had inspiring workshops and
it was wonderful to see all the beautiful NYSM sisters :) There are so
many now! 80 sisters, which is about 40 percent of the mission. Crazy.
And now we have ASL, Chinese and Cantonese in addition to Spanish
speakers. Soon we will be getting Korean sisters. It was amazing to
watch the sisters and observe their faces from the stand. How I love
them! The biggest insight I received from the conference was this:

-we talk a lot about "real time" repentance. I realize that any
negative comment, even directed at myself, drives the spirit away and
should be repented of immediately. I'll admit. I am not the best at
always talking about myself in a positive way. But, it really struck
me that we can't feel the spirit when we speak negatively about one of
God's creations, including ourselves! #realtime is our favorite
hashtag to use in the mission.

Also, after the conference I met a new senior couple. They asked where
I was from..then they asked, "Do you know a Jacob Peacock?" I told
them he was my brother and Sister Eckhert got so excited. She said
they were in the same ward in NC and they just looooooved Jacob
Peacock :) so, there ya go brother!

Well. This email was longer than I planned! But I hope you are all
doing great. Remember to be positive, even (and especially) about
yourself! Don't let Satan win!

Love,
Sister Peacock

A good week indeed!

How is it the start of week 3 already? Are you kidding me?! This is
going by way too quickly. We are having such a great time together
figuring out Plainview YSA. We finally had church this weekend & we
had about 50 people ... 20 or more are bug boys and will be leaving in
August. But I just love it! It is a little different to be in YSA but
it will be awesome.

We met two investigators this past week. One is a professed Atheist
but she is a super sweet, spunky girl. We will teach her again on
Tuesday. The other is a recovering alcoholic. He is 23. But you can
see his desire to change his life and find God. He said one of the 12
steps is to have a relationship with a higher being and that
everything we were teaching was right along with what he was feeling.
I really can see him progressing. Hopefully we will be able to help
him!

Other than that, we had two exchanges & a Skype call with the sisters
in Bermuda. But this week...is real crazy! We have zone training
meeting tomorrow, and then a different zone's training on Wednesday,
Sisters Conference on Thursday (which we are in charge of) and two
exchanges. Whew!

Well, sorry this email is short but we have to head off to the city
for a final meeting before the sisters conference! Here are a few
silly photos from the week.

Love you all & HAPPY PIONEER DAY! :)

Me & Sis Montgomery spotted a Jamba Juice and rejoiced after not
having one our whole mission. And then we took advantage of the
mustache magnets on our fridge.

a whirlwind & a convertible.

Hello!

I really can't believe this first week is already over. It has been a
WHIRLWIND for sure. But, it's been absolutely great!

Here's what's going on!

I was transferred to the Plainview YSA branch with Hermana Montgomery.
She was Sister Hales' trainee (my companion in Little Neck, not my
trainer). She is from Rupert, Idaho (shout out to Jenni!) and is
ab-so-lute-ly fantastic! She goes home at the end of this transfer :(
(that means I will have TWELVE companions in total). We get along
SOOOOO well, are always making each other laugh, and enjoy a lot of
the same things. We are serving as Sister Training Leaders together
and we were blinded in to Plainview (meaning both of the sisters were
transferred out of the area). We showed up to our apartment and our
district had come before and left balloons, streamers, and a "Welcome
Sister Montgomery & Sister Peacock" sign. It's been a little crazy
getting things ready to go and trying to learn the area and the
branch. Luckily, I have served an island mission so the area part
isn't too bad! Our branch was gone this weekend on a trip to Palmyra
so we haven't had a chance to meet most of the members. But, we will
tonight! We have a lot of fun activities each week that we attend --
FHE on Monday, volleyball on Wednesday, and institute on
Thursday/Friday. The branch only has about 45 people, 20 of which are
bug boys and will be leaving at the end of the summer. But, there have
been a lot of miracles here in the last few transfers and I am excited
to see what happens.

I am trying to learn how to fearless YSA-age men and invite them to
activities without feeling like I am looking for their number. That's
the new challenge! But, it's funny how everywhere we go now we are
scouting for the YSA specifically. It's a lot of fun! Most of the YSA
here go to Stonybrook University or other colleges on Long Island. Our
area covers about 2/3 of Long Island (we even cover clear to Riverhead
and Hampton Bays!). It's rather big!

We also have the ONLY convertible in the mission. I mean, at least it
feels like it  ;) Our car has a faulty A/C so ... we drive with the
windows down all the time. It makes some good memories ... and a mess
of hair. But we laugh through everything.

It's going to be a crazy transfer ... it is already going by too fast.
And with 11 exchanges, a sisters' conference next week, a temple trip,
and all the other aspects of missionary work ... it's going to be
fast. We already had president interview's last week & it was so
strange that it was my LAST one before my departing interview. Where
has the time gone?

It was also a great privilege to be back at the Mission Leadership
Council. I felt so humbled and grateful to be part of it again. We had
an amazing, Spirit-driven meeting. Elder Baker, who I served with for
6 transfers straight, just became an AP and gave a wonderful workshop
on Preach My Gospel. THe Spirit was super strong in the room. It was
incredible. We want to focus ourselves and the missionaries on really
becoming "preach my gospel" missionaries and making sure it is the
FOCUS of what we teach and what we do.

We had our first exchange over the weekend, and I could already feel a
difference since being an STL two transfers ago. I just want to really
focus on the sisters and make sure each exchange matters and helps
them. I was really seeking for revelation for her during the exchange,
and it came.

Anyway, I will leave you with some photos so you can understand the
fun we have together :)

"One and done"

*Phrase commonly referencing a missionary who stays in an area for
just one transfer before leaving.

Well! What do you know? I'm getting transferred! That was definitely
not what I was expecting, after having served in my first two areas
for 6-9 months. But, I totally trust that the Lord needed me here for
just six weeks. He knows what He is doing!

It is exciting though! I am ready for change & looking forward to
serving with a new companion and in a new area. Bring it on!

That was probably the biggest update from the week but I thought I
would list some miracles from this transfer in Terryville:

•ELIZABETH WAS BAPTIZED! Woo! Even more, I asked her yesterday what
the greatest part has been since her baptism and she said having the
constant companionship of the Holy Ghost and never wanting to lose it.
She also said how she has learned about "everyday, real-time
repentance" and the importance of the sacrament. AH. Music to my ears!
•It is totally possible to love people & a ward/area in a SHORT amount of time
•Two temple trips for endowments!
•Amazing, inspired zone leaders.
•I have met wonderful families who have definitely gone on the list of
influential people I've met on my mission.
•Mission conference with Elder Nielsen of the seventy. It is always a
privilege to be in the presence of a general authority
•Patience. :)
•Being so close to my first area & being able to visit and see other
people who I've come to love in Riverhead and Hampton Bays.
•I can do hard things! (So can you)

The mission is so exciting and always changing. Sister Jean is also
being transferred so we are being  "blinded out" of our area.

Sometimes I think back to two years ago, when I was toying around with
the idea of going on a mission. I am grateful I decided to be humble
and actually ASK Heavenly Father if that is what he would have me do.
It took a few years for my heart to be willing to go on a mission, but
I know this is where I am supposed to be right now. I shudder to think
of the things I wouldn't have learned if I had stayed at home. Good
thing the age change happened so I could come right now! (just kidding
... everyone just thinks I am 19 here :) But, I am going to make the
final 12 weeks of my mission count. I know they will fly by because I
can easily remember what I was doing 2 transfers ago. How crazy that
time really does pass so quickly when, at the beginning, it seems like
18 months is so far away.

I will share a tidbit from my personal studies to end the email. I was
reading one of the best talks ever ... "Beware of Pride" by President
Benson (1989 general conference if you are interested...). I received
that talk in seminary in high school and our teacher had given us a
copy of it, which has been tucked away in my wallet since that day.
But, I read it again this week and this particularly stood out: "Our
motives for the things we do are where the sin is manifest." Why do we
do the things we do? For praise? For God? Because we love God? Are our
motives pure? Pride is the "great stumbling block to Zion" and we know
that Zion is the pure in heart. Let's look at our choices and see WHY
we do the things we do.

OH, wait. Let me add one more thing from this past week. I was
studying Preach My Gospel about the purpose of the Book of Mormon.
Mormon 8:35 hit me super strong! "..I speak unto you as if ye were
present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you
unto me, and I know your dong." Okay..he SAW us. He saw our day. First
of all, that would be CRAZY for a number of reason (technology, paper,
cars, airplanes, electricity...you know?) but also..the Book of Mormon
really was written for US. I mean, they didn't go back and read their
writings. They were written for OUR benefit. So, take advantage  of
that awesome gift. STUDY it. Love it. I just finished reading the BOM
again and the last time was the most insight I'd gained and I am
excited to see what impacts me this next go-round. It is an incredible
book.

I love you! Can't wait to update you next week on where I'm headed. I
have some guesses (here on Long Island) but it could be different than
I expect. We shall see tomorrow!

Love,
Sister Peacock

"From Detroit down to Houston & New York to LA..."

Dear family,

First of all, I hope all of you got the reference song from the
subject line of this email. I had to write something about Lee
Greenwood's song in honor of the upcoming holiday! God Bless the USA!

I am thinking back on the week and there isn't too much to report! We
were able to teach a woman who was taught a few years ago and though
she seemed a little standoffish at first, she started asking
questions. We ended up teaching her the restoration and she accepted
the invite to be baptized if she knew it was true. I know the spirit
helped tremendously in that lesson. We also met her husband while we
were there. He took out his phone and began showing us photos he had
taken the previous week...of the Washington DC temple. I don't think
that was coincidence! Nothing is! So, we didn't get a chance to teach
him but hopefully we can teach them together. At the end of the
lesson, I felt impressed to ask her if she felt like her life could be
happier. You could see sadness in her eyes with her response. I loved
being able to PROMISE her that if she learned and applied the
teachings of the gospel, really, her life WOULD be happier. I promised
her that her marriage would be stronger. I know that for a fact.
Hopefully we can see her again this week!

Another great thing that happened is that on Saturday, we met up with
our recent convert Elizabeth and had a lesson with a few RS sisters.
We talked about the scriptures and watched the Joseph Smith movie. It
was amazing to hear her and the other sisters share their conversion
stories and see their friendship blossoming :) so happy about that!!

Other than that, we did service at our YW president's house and she
has a 5-year old son named Elijah. Elijah and his younger sister,
Amaya, began whispering to me. Elijah started telling Amaya things to
tell me. She comes and says "You're the prettiest girl in the world"
and then he asks me what she told me. I repeat it and he gets all shy
and then says, "I didn't say that! I said you are the most BEAUTIFUL
girl in the world." Haha I was cracking up! It was so silly. Man, kids
on the mission are the best!

Now we are off to week 6! Final week of this transfer. So, we'll find
out what happens this weekend. I think I am staying in Terryville
though!

Happy Independence Day!
Love,
Sister Peacock

how firm a foundation.

So, this week was another week full of tender mercies from Heavenly
Father :) We had exchanges this week with the Sister Training Leaders,
whom I already love! Sister May came here to Terryville and we had a
great time! We looked up a media referral we had received and were
kind of confused when we got to the given address. It definitely was
not a house. Well, we go inside to find out it was a senior center. We
met Delia, and she was so sweet! She knew full well who we were and
had requested a Book of Mormon online. The next day, Sister May and I
visited her again & committed her to be baptized. She said she would,
but of course we need to help her prepare and make sure she is
committed. We visited her twice later in the week, and she had already
read to Mosiah! She  loves to read & is about 70 years old. She is
pretty spunky though. I sent an email with a photo of her. She said
she would get a ride to church this week, but didnt make it. Hopefully
next week she can come!

Thursday, we had our zone training meeting. It was awesome. Our zone
leaders are very inspired and caring leaders. They focused it on
following the Spirit and receiving personal revelation. It was
structured so differently than any ZTM I had seen. Usually it is full
of workshops and things, but this was just one workshop. We were
blindfolded and lead around the church and outside, stopping every so
often. One of the leaders would read something regarding the Spirit.
We were instructed to listen and try to learn from the Spirit, so
there was no talking during the process. Finally, we were lead into
the chapel & handed a notebook. We then took off the blindfolds. The
zone leaders had written each missionary a note, describing a
spiritual gift they saw in us. As I was sitting there reading it, I
noticed a folded up paper at the back of the book. I thought, "that
would be cool if it was a letter from my mom." but I assumed it was a
talk that had been referenced in the workshop. But, as I unfolded it,
it was indeed a letter from mom! So, the zone leaders had contacted
people who were our "spiritual giants" (I guess I talk about mom
enough for them to know that :)) and had asked them to write a letter
to us. I am not sure what they had asked them to write about, but it
was exactly what I needed that day. And, it was interesting because
everyone had received a letter from someone who meant so much to them,
but they weren't all from parents or siblings. It was definitely a
neat experience!

On Friday, the Riverhead sisters had a relief society activity and had
asked that I translate for the speaker (both of the missionaries are
English right now). Well, that was a wonderful blessing! I never mind
seeing people I have met and loved in other areas. It was especially
sweet to see Elizabeth, who was baptized last September, still going
strong! She was also finally able to go to the temple to do baptisms
this last weekend.

Finally, Sunday was a WONDERFUL day! After church, we headed off to
Little Neck (my last area) to see Anesia's baptism. She was baptized
by President Calderwood and had a lot of support there from the ward.
My former district leader and I sang "Come Unto Christ" (it is the
2014 youth theme and I LOVE it!) and the spirit was really strong
while we were singing. I was so grateful that I could feel it there so
powerfully. Of course it was such a blessing to see Anesia again -- I
can't believe we only met her a month ago! -- and to see how happy she
is and will continue to be. And, we saw other wonderful people too,
like the Zohars! I am happy the sisters are still visiting Manny. One
day! After the baptism, we headed back to ... Riverhead. There was a
fireside with the temple president and we had been invited. Our recent
convert, Elizabeth, went and a few other members we are working with
in Terryville. My goodness. I love Riverhead. One of the elders said,
"This is like a homecoming for you, isn't it?" It really felt like
that. It was wonderful to see the Bloms and other members who have
blessed my life with their friendship. I am truly grateful for each
one of the areas I have served in and for the people I have met there.

Finally, to wrap this letter up ... I want to write about something I
learned in my studies this week. I was going over the Plan of
Salvation lesson in Preach My Gospel. It says that agency is one of
the greatest gifts of God. I made a connection that agency is ONE of
the greatest gifts, but if we use it wisely and correctly, we will
receive THE greatest gift of God, which is eternal life. :) And
eternal life is far more than living forever. It is being exalted, it
is living with God and our families forever. It is knowing God and
Jesus Christ and experiencing the joy they feel. So, agency is pretty
important! It is amazing how I can read the same book everyday for
over a year and still get something new out of it each time. The
Spirit is awesome.

Oh, and one other thing I learned this week! I am reading in 3 Nephi
and it was the chapter where Jesus is talking to the people, giving a
lecture similar to the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew. Well, in
3 Nephi, he said "Be ye therefore perfect, even as I, or your Father
is perfect." But, I thought back to the account in Matthew where he
says to be perfect like the Father but doesn't mention himself. I
started seeing that He was not resurrected when he was giving the
account in the New Testament, but WAS a resurrected being in the Book
of Mormon account. So, part of our "perfection" or being
whole/complete/fully developed includes that step of resurrection.
Cool stuff right?

Oh, there is so much more I want to write about all of the things I am
learning from the scriptures! But, I think I will stop here for today.

Love you all! Can you believe July is NEXT WEEK??
Until then,
Sister Peacock

Woohoo! Anesia got baptized and our mission president had the honor of
performing the baptism :) I was so happy for her! I can't believe
Sister Lewis and I met her only 4 weeks ago! #miracles
#goldeninvestigator

a picture is worth a thousand words.