from freezing to 60.

Hi family!

Well, it has been a crazy week ... in terms of weather. On Tuesday, it
was a chilly 7 degrees. With the wind chill, it felt like -21. So,
that was pretty cold. We were fearlessing and outside for awhile. My
ears and cheeks were burning, but for some reason, I couldn't stop
smiling! Am I weird or what? And then we had weather in the 50s at the
end of week, which practically feels like bathing suit weather
comparatively. Minus that we are missionaries and don't wear bathing
suits. But, anyway, you understand the idea.

So, what has happened this past week? We haven't been able to meet
with our investigators as we had planned, but we did continue teaching
temple prep to two members. I am getting so excited to go in February.
I can't wait to feel that peace and joy from the temple! ANd to see
these members take that step in their lives as well.

We have been on a kick this week to talk to more people and to give
out more Books of Mormon ("a BOM a day keeps satan away"). Well, we
were able to get into an apartment building on a super rainy day, so
we just started knocking doors and were able to meet Miriam. I
exclaimed, "That's my nieces name!" but we talked a bit and offered
her a Book of Mormon. She said we could come back in a few weeks, so
hopefully that will go well!

We also helped the bishop's wife with some household things the other
day. She mentioned, "I have so much oatmeal! What do I do with that
much oatmeal?" ANd of course me, being me, said, "Well, I could help
make cookies with your girls!" Hehe. It was super fun and reminded me
of all the times making cookies with Lizzie and Millie. Fun fact. The
bishop is 34. His wife is 32. They have 5 kids. Lilly is 8, Owen is 6,
Tessa is 4, Penny is 2, and Alice is a baby. Weird to realize...oh,
our bishop is younger than my brothers. :)

Another fun fact. One of the elders told me the other day, "Hey, you
could have been MY efy counselor!"

We taught Sunday School yesterday, and as I realized I was 10 years
older than the youth we were teaching, I started thinking back to my
times in Sunday school. I still remember some of the lessons. I
realized though how much potential there is in these youth -- the
lessons are different now; the teaching method has changed. But, their
future is so bright! IT is really exciting. Also weird to think I will
be almost 30 when they go on their missions.

A big highlight of the week was our sisters' conference on Wednesday.
President told us that by June, we will have around 80 sisters in our
mission (about 40 percent, and we are getting both Chinese sisters and
sign language sisters). THe conference was a great chance to be
edified and uplifted. We watched the talk "His Grace Is Sufficient" by
Brad Wilcox. Fantastic devotional. Look it up. And I realized, over
and over, how I am supposed to be here. Not only on a mission. But to
THIS SPECIFIC mission. I know I have been called here for a reason. No
doubt.

Just to wrap up, here is an excellent quote the talk:
"Jesus doesn't make UP the difference. Jesus makes ALL the difference.
Grace is not about filling gaps. It is about filling us."

I love you! Looking forward to whatever transfer calls bring this
weekend...I sense a curveball!

love you.

-sister peacock

ps. we looked at the pics of incoming missionaries for next week and
one of them is from SUU and I was in a ton of Spanish classes with
her! She is actually a visa waiter, waiting to go to Russia. But, hey,
maybe the curveball will be me training her! Ha!

PS. ANother fun idea...transform your Jenga game in to gospel
principles. Write one on each block. Great way to talk about each
principle throughout the game. Then you can talk about how they build
a strong foundation; but if they are taken out, our foundation
eventually crumbles.

Pictures: 2 of the bishop's girls (Lilly and Penny) in their German
dresses; me with Tessa making cookies; all of the sisters in the
mission at our conference.

2014

Hi family! Happy New Years! We had to be in early so we played some
games and then went to bed at 8:30...and just like my other missionary
friends have said, it seems really weird to be inside at 6 p.m. and
not doing anything.

This past week has been good -- we had 3 member presents this week!
Woohoo. We're getting better. And, one of the lessons, we challenged
our inv. Wilnara to get baptized. It was my first time meeting her,
but it was a pretty awesome commit. She said she would commit to Feb.
22, so we are really excited. She still needs to come to church, but
we are praying we can start teaching her whole family. She is from
Brazil; her husband is Dominican; they are MARRIED (that is a big deal
here!) and have 2 kids. So, I know we can have miracles here if we
work and are obedient. I am excited to see what happens.

We also taught a woman who is preparing to go to the temple on Feb.
21. She is from Barbados. We taught her at the Calderwood's house. It
is definitely a blessing to have President Calderwood and his wife
help with our lessons. We ate dinner with them and Elmie and then
taught her a temple prep lesson, because they don't have it in our
ward right now. I am excited for her too! We have another person who
we have committed to go to the temple on Feb. 14 (both of these are
for endowments) so if all goes as planned...we will have two temple
trips and a baptism next transfer. Now, that would be amazing. I
really look up to my mission president though and his family -- i
learn so much everytime I am around them and feel inspired! Blessed to
be here.

Friday, we received like 10 inches of snow...everything shut down. But
we had a great time shoveling driveways and sidewalks for about 5
hours. Nothing stops us! People thought we were crazy. We're not
crazy. We're missionaries.

Saturday, we had a street sweep and Sis Martinez wanted to be more
confident with fearlessing (contacting people) and she had a mission
to hand out all of her mormon.org cards. It was great fun! We stood on
a street corner and talked to eveyr single person.Then, we walked up
and down one street...4 times..trying to hand out the final 2 cards.
Every single person said no (after 1.5 hours of success). It was just
Satan, but  I knew she could complete her goal. And we did! She
said,"I have never been that fearless in my mission!" and I can really
see her desire growing to be more open and talkative to people. She
does want that. It was a really great moment!

I can see changes -- more desires to be obedient in our companionship,
more desires to see miracles, to talk to more people, to work hard, to
use our time wisely.

One other thing this past week that was special -- I posted a story on
my blog from my friend Carter. He was less active for the 5 years I
knew him, until this summer. ANd I have been able to have skype
lessons with him. Well, he has been going back to church for 5 months
now and I can see such a difference in him. He is so much happier. He
asked me if he could write a post on my blog about his conversion
story and his decision to come back. It was a great post. I hope it
inspired or helped someone; many people commented on Facebook about
the link and how inspiring it was. It is amazing to see the
transformation in someone's life when they accept the gospel and when
they accept Jesus as their Savior. Truly, we are nothing in life until
we use the Atonement.

Finally, as I was studying this morning, I started thinking back on
the past 9 months of my mission. I started to think back on the times
of being bold, on bearing witness of the message, and on things I
needed to improve on for the next 9 months. I felt the realization
that my time left is relatively short -- have I become the missionary
the Lord wants? I am still striving, but I felt the need to do more,
to work harder, to be more fearless, more bold. Now is the time to
have more courage. I know that if we look for miracles and WORK for
miracles -- if we prove our faith through obedience -- that the
miracles WILL come. I realized I am not yet the missionary I want to
be; there are many things I want to improve to become more like the
Savior and I have to start now, before my time is up.

So, anyway, long letter...but I love you! Thanks for everything. Happy
Birthday dad! I kind of organized an "inter-district bonding" activity
with one of the neighboring districts because my friend Elder
Martherus (Served with him for 6 months) is in it and it is his
birthday today too. So we are playing Jenga and Clue, eating brownies
and icecream, and socializing. I am glad they are nearby! IT will be a
fun pday...so I must be going!

Until next week,
Hermana Peacock

Oh, and for a fun picture...we are helping this woman in our ward with
family history. She has 8 cats, 2 large pit bulls, and 1 small, blind
dog. In a tiny apartment. You learn a lot on your mission ;) But, this
cat was at least fluffy. I joke with my companions that I am destined
to be a cat lady. THis proves it!

My whole mission on Christmas Eve! :) just to give you perspective of
how many missionaries..we have 260 and last year was about 180.

conversion: a sister missionary's battle with pornography.

 

This story was written by a sister missionary serving here in the New York, New York South Mission. It is her account of battling with pornography -- how she tried to hide it, how it affected her, and how she is now fighting it as a servant of the Lord:

"I'm not sure exactly how or when it happened, but when I was 12 years old, I found myself gripped in the addiction of pornography. The adversary was -- and is -- working double time to ruin the lives of all people on earth. Unfortunately, it wasn't until four years later when I realized exactly what it was I had gotten into. I had always heard the general authorities talk about the dangers of "pornography" but I had no idea this big word they were talking about was what had trapped me. 

I thought that since the form I was partaking of was “more conservative” that it wasn't what the general authorities were talking about. Then again, I wasn't really listening to them much. I continued going to church -- not because I wanted to but because I had family in my ward and I knew they would get worried if I didn't come. I didn't want to disappoint my parents. But I would use any excuse I had to miss church (many times feigning illnesses). I kept going to church and acting as if I was a perfect little "Mormon" girl. All the while, I was keeping my addiction very, very secret and very, very hidden. I could see my testimony slowly withering and honestly didn't care. I could feel the difference between me and other youth. They knew doctrine and scriptures ... I could maybe tell you where to find 1 or 2 Nephi. 

I lived this way for six-and-a-half years, keeping my withering spirit hidden, and putting on a happy face to hide it from family and friends. When I was 17, about to be 18, I had a humbling experience that made me want to change. My grandfather, one of the kindest, gentlest, most Christlike men I have ever met, was diagnosed with cancer. He went through test and surgeries, all to no avail. The cancer had progressed too far and there was no way he was going to survive the next year. I had the blessed opportunity to receive my patriarchal blessing from him and two months later on Christmas Eve, he passed away. His death struck me very hard. I could see how my mother was grieving, I felt guilty for what I was doing, I felt as if my loving grandfather was watching over me, and would weep for me when he would see me indulge in my addiction. But I was so deep into the addiction that there was no way to stop. For about six months that guilt worked on my heart and mind. 

 I will forever remember the day my life completely changed; I had been invited by my best friend to attend her stake girls’camp. This girl had been my friend through everything though she didn't know about my addiction. At the camp, we had no access to computers, cell phones, music – it was just us and nature. The first day at camp, we had a meeting, began talking about the armor of God and the fiery darts of the adversary. A young woman began speaking about a trial she had with an eating disorder and how she was able to overcome it. While she was speaking, the Spirit was speaking to me, telling me I could make it; I could stop my addiction, I had to trust in the Lord.

It was at this time the camp song was introduced to us. I am a musically inclined person so this song spoke to me in a way nothing else could.

The photos in the magazine don't dictate who I'm supposed to be. 
The world can't recognize all that I am inside, but I know in his eyes I am a part of a bigger picture. 
There's so much more to me, he helps me see that I have so much to offer -- I am HIS daughter. 
He loves me the way I am, he's my strength when I stand, he is my king and my father. 
I am HIS daughter. 
The people on the tv screens, The leaders, rulers and queens. 
I watch them shape the world, and though I'm just a girl, I still know for sure 
That I am a part of a bigger picture. 
There's so much more to me, he helps me see that I have so much to offer I am HIS daughter. 
He loves me the way I am, he's my strength when I stand, he is my king and my father. 
I am HIS daughter. 
And when I'm feeling small, And wonder if I'll ever, 
I'll find courage to stand tall, 
Through his love I'll remember.
There's so much more to me, he helps me see that I have so much to offer I am HIS daughter. 
He loves me the way I am, he's my strength when I stand, he is my king and my father. 
I am HIS daughter. 

When the song finished they told us to take a small package of papers and find a secluded part of the camp to ponder and pray. I took my package to a rock near a small stream, and poured my heart out in the most heartfelt prayer. That day, under the powerful influence of the spirit, I gained a testimony of the Atonement and how Christ paid for EVERYTHING. 

There is NOTHING He can not do for us. I made a decision that day to never again view pornography. And here I stand, 18 months later, holding strong to that resolution. I made the decision to begin reading the Book of Mormon or others scriptures and praying everyday, and I haven't missed a day. Four months after my resolution, the age change for missionaries was announced. I could see the hand of the Lord preparing me to be able to leave as soon as the change was announced. If they had announced it any sooner, I wouldn't have been worthy, and any later, I may not have had the opportunity. I've seen the blessings of the Lord and am so grateful for everything He has done for me. 

Some days are still hard. The battle with pornography is an ongoing mental challenge, but I know the Lord is my rock; He is my salvation and the song of my soul. I love Him and am so grateful for His redeeming sacrifice for me, a little country girl from the middle-of-nowhere Idaho. I can honestly say, I KNOW that my Redeemer lives; I know He loves us. And now I am here in New York, proclaiming to the world as a missionary, what I know and how it will bless them. I know my Savior is here with me and is helping me everyday to get through challenges of daily life. Not all conversion is as instant as mine; most takes years to grow and develop. Now I know I am on the road to perfection, the path to peace, and the way to my Father in Heaven.

There are many thing that lead us away from the gospel of Jesus Christ; there are also things that lead us TO the gospel. I hope you learn from my experience and know that it's NEVER too late to turn to Christ and accept His atonement in your life. 

happy new year!

HELLO!

So, we hit a breakthrough this week! I think my companions and I are
now friends. That is big news! Mostly I think we all felt rejuvenated
and empowered after our mission-wide Christmas Eve devotional. We have
started to talk a lot more, tell stories, open up about ourselves,
LAUGH together, and equally participate in planning and teaching.
Plus, my weird side is coming out .... :)

I learned this week, in my studies, how change always teach us
something. I love this quote from President Monson from October
General Conference. He says,
"such difficulties allow us to change for the better, to rebuild our
lives in the way our Heavenly Father teaches us, and to become
something different from what we were--better than we were, more
understanding than we were, more empathetic than we were, with
stronger testimonies than we had before. This should be our
purpose--to persevere and endure, yes, but also to become more
spiritually refined as we make our way through sunshine and sorrow.
Were it not for challenges to overcome and problems to solve, we would
remain much as we are, with little or no progress toward our goal of
eternal life.  (“I Will Not Fail Thee, nor Forsake Thee”)

The talk, in its entirety, is super great so you should just read it
"I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." It was a great moment of
reflection for me -- to see where I was a year ago, six months, ago,
one month ago, and where I am now. I know that the challenges of this
transfer are to make me become better, to rebuild my life to be more
obedient, and to learn that understanding and patience. I definitely
have seen my testimony grow in the past few weeks as well. I thought
things were great in Riverhead and that I had it all figured out as a
missionary. But, since being here, it is a rededication to my purpose
as a missionary ... to be more obedient, more fearless, more giving,
more bold. Sure, things were pretty great there, but coming here
allowed me to look at what I was doing and ways I could improve to
yield even more blessings. I know I am coming to know my Savior as I
trust in His plans to guide us to people who are ready, and waiting
for the gospel.

Christmas was fantastic. We did service at a veteran's hospital, where
I saw an old piano and began playing christmas carols. Soon enough, we
had a group of about 6 singing along. They were really grateful for
our help too. And dinner at the calderwoods plus a priesthood
blessing...

We met again with our new investigator, Liz. The elders found her and
referred her to us. She is Puerto Rican but has lived in NY for most
of her life. She has three daughters; the youngest is 16. She reminds
me a lot of mom and the relationship between her and her youngest
daughter is very familiar to me. We taught her about the restoration
this past week and I could feel the spirit so strong during the
lesson. She said she believed it was true -- what happened to Joseph
Smith. It is an amazing feeling to be able to promise blessings as a
representative of Jesus Christ. I promised her that if she continued
learning and making the gospel a priority, her family relationships
would improve and she would find greater peace in her life. I know,
beyond a doubt, that is true. I know she felt the truth of the words I
was speaking too, as she was close to tears. I can really see her
progressing towards baptism and hope she will continue meeting with us
so she can find that happiness in her life.

I have also had a few other faith-building experiences this week. I am
starting a project on my blog where friends/missionaries/etc share
stories of their conversion or of coming back to the gospel. In doing
so, I have been able to strengthen my testimony of the power of the
Atonement. I recently received a conversion story from a fellow sister
missionary, and in her story, she talks about the struggles SHE faced
with pornography as a teenager. It was shocking to me to read her
account and realize how far she has come. I hope this project will
help others who are struggling or who need to hear that someone has
been in their place. If you have a story to share, please send it to
me as well. I'm excited to use this tool for a good purpose.

In other news, this week we had a minor detour into the New York North
mission. See, there are a few bridges in our area and if you don't pay
attention while driving, you will find that you missed the last exit
and there is no way to turn around before reaching the other mission.
On Thursday night, we were headed to pick up a member for a lesson and
Sis Price missed the exit, resulting in crossing a bridge into the
Bronx...and paying $7.50 toll. Luckily, we were able to quickly turn
around once we crossed the bridge. It was quite the adventure, and
although we ended up an hour late to our appointment, we returned safe
and sound ..and had some good laughs about our misfortune. I think
that was a bonding moment for all of us!

But happy 9 months to me this Friday! Holy cow. Halfway? My mission
time left seems relatively short now.

We are preparing a member to go to the temple for her endowments as
well on February 14. The bishop is having us teach her he classes. I
am excited to be able to go with her. What a blessing to go to the
temple! To have it so close.

Why Not Now?

 

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about an upcoming series on my blog -- stories of hope, faith, change and conversion.

 

This is Carter's story.