Week #53 -- Hurricane Emails

Email 10/5/16

Dear Parents,

In the Florida Orlando Mission we are preparing for the oncoming tropical storm to insure the safety of the missionaries.  All missionaries have been contacted and provided with specific instructions for emergency preparedness.  For those missionaries living near the coast, evacuations have been planned to provide a safe place for them to stay until the storm ends. We will keep you informed as to the safety of all our missionaries.

Thank you for your concerns and prayers.

Sister Rasmussen , Secretary
Florida Orlando Mission

Email 10/6/16

Dear Parents,

All missionaries are accounted for and are safe.  Many have been relocated to provide for their safety. They are prepared with food, water, flashlights, and given instructions to keep their phones charged if possible. We will continue to keep you informed as long as we have power.  Thank you again for your prayers.

Sister Rasmussen , Secretary
Florida Orlando Mission

Email 10/7/16

Dear Parents,

We are grateful for your prayers as we continue to stay inside and weather out the storm.  The missionaries have reported in and all are safe.

Sister Rasmussen , Secretary
Florida Orlando Mission

 

Week #52 -- #Conference Weekend #Hurricane

Hello Everybody!

Hope you all had a great week! If not let's make this week great!!

To start off the week we did service for a nonmember. We didn't know what she was going to have us do until we got there.  She then told us that she wanted us to clean out the rats nest under her house!! The first thought came to my head was like heck no!! We pulled all the grass out and then sprayed it with weed killer. Luckily we never saw it which was good and didn't have to crawl under the house. Crawling underneath a house especially in Florida isn't the best idea cause you never know what you will find under there. We then finished some other things that she needed done. We then had a talk with her about the gospel. Her husband was a member but past away like a year ago. We talked about the Plan Of Salvation cause she was talking to us about how much she loved her husband. We figure that talking about them being together for eternity would hit home. It did and we tied it to the Book of Mormon and gave her one. She said she will read it. Can't wait to see her this week.

Wednesday and Thursday was so cramped with people to see cause Conference was that weekend. Just saw a handful because we don't have very many investigators to teach right now.

Conference was so amazing!!! I loved it so much and can't wait till they come out so I can read them and apply the message into my life. It is so hard to choose my fav one cause they all are so good. I did like the one given by Elder Stevenson about the Book of Mormon. The one question he asked was, can you see the Book of Mormon as the keystone of your testimony?  Ask your self this question and ponder on it. If your answer is no to this then use your agency to change that so it is the keystone of your testimony of the savior. I can promise you that as a servant of the lord Jesus Christ anything is possible through Jesus Christ.

I love you all!! Would love to hear from you all!!

Elder Pearson
Florida Orlando Mission

Week #51 -- Thunder??

Hello Everybody!

Oh my! A lot has happened this week. There has been a lot of laughter, spiritual experience, sarcasm, and being out for one year!!The time I have been with Elder Thayne, my sarcasm has come out a lot more than usual and it's great cause he gives it right back. If I could record the entire day of Elder Thayne and I, it would just be us laughing the entire time. It's great!

The laughter part was mainly Elder Thayne laughing I wasn't. This last Thursday night we had a big storm that came in. Around 10 it was lighting pretty good but there wasn't any thunder. It was cool when outside and took pics. Then it started getting closer to us and the thunder was pretty loud. I then told Elder Thayne that it's going to crack thunder and lighting at the same time and the power will go out. IT DID!! I can't tell you how bad it scared me. I was freaking out so bad that I scared Elder Thayne more than the thunder. The worst part is that it happened AGAIN!!!! I didn't sleep very well that night. I might send the videos that we took while this was happening.

It has been a year!!! I can honestly say it hasn't felt like I have been out for a year. It has been the greatest experience ever. I have loved every minute of it. It has had its hard times but have learned a lot.

The spiritual experience this week was found in the Book of Mormon. I restarted reading the Book of Mormon and posed a question at the beginning of it. I have heard of people doing this before and them having a cool experience from it. Every time I read it I read something that answers that question in some way. It is amazing. The Book of Mormon is true and can help anyone in times of struggle.

I love you all and have a great week!!

Elder Pearson
Florida Orlando Mission

At the one-year date of being on a mission missionaries burn a shirt and tie.

Week #50 -- New Transfer

Hello Everybody!

I can't tell you how how excited I am for this transfer. This past week was great. I didn't get to see the people we wanted to like the investigators, but did get to see a lot of less actives.

On cool experience this week was on Wednesday. We were stopped at this former investigators house and first thing she said was, "Hi Elders! I was just thinking about you". Let me point out that investigators don't usually call us elders and we go crazy when they say they were thinking about us. As we talked she was saying about when she got baptized and what's been going on in her life. Once she talked about her being baptized we were totally lost of who we were talking to. We figured it out though and had a great talk with her.

To give a little bit of info about my comp. Elder Thayne is from Ogden, UT.  He can play the piano very good. It's awesome cause he can give me more pointers. He was in the marching band in high school and played the trumpet. Also he is known back at home for his "selfies" pic that he takes. We are going to take some great pics.

My thought for you all is something that I have been thinking about this week. It's all about agency. I know I have talked about this before but it seems that I learn more and more about it and how it is essential in our heavenly fathers plan. I have been able to understand more of how our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ might feel when his children don't make the best choices but through Christ everything can be changed. We need to forget the mistakes we have made and start now to make the better choices. Christ didn't just suffer for us to not to use the atonement. The atonement is there for us to use. I want you all to know that the atonement works. Just trust him and forgive and forget. He will make you whole again. It has made me whole again. I love you all very much. Please know that. The gospel is true and will bless your life.

Have a great week y'all!!

Elder Pearson
Florida Orlando Mission

Week #49 -- Transfers??

Hello Everyone!

I thought I would let you all know that I will be........STAYING in cocoa for another six weeks with......Elder......Thang! Yes Elder Thang. Which means sadly that Elder Armijo is leaving and will be spending is last two transfers in Conway, it's near Orlando. Had a good time with Elder Armijo and was a good learning experience. I'm super excited to stay here in Cocoa for another six weeks. Gives me more time to help our investigator and others that we are working with.

Speaking of our investigator, we had just an amazing lesson last Wednesday with him and his wife. We focused a lot on faith cause it seemed last time we met with him he didn't have much faith. As we went through the scriptures, we started in Alma 32 were it explains what faith is. I love verse 21, it explains faith perfectly and simple.

21 And now as I said concerning faith--faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true. We then went to Ether 12:6 which says

6 And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.

The reason we went to this scripture is because we know that he isn't going to revive his answer to know if the church is true unless he puts everything we have taught him to the test. By reading your
scriptures daily, coming to church, praying, and following the commandments. If he doesn't put it to the test he won't be able to gain his witness. I happy to say that he is. He just has a couple things he is working through.

Sorry this will be a short one.  You are all in my prayers and love you all very much. Have a great week!!

Elder Pearson
Florida Orlando Mission

Week #48 -- Trials

Hello Everyone!

Last week of the transfer is here! I'll let you all know what happens next week. Haven't stayed more than two transfers in an area so we will see if that is still the case.

This past week we got to see an investigator. It was great. Sadly we were an hour and a half late cause we got stuck on the freeway from a car crash that happened. We still made it though which is good. He's been taught all the lessons so we really just wanted to see where he was at and what the next steps where going be. His wife sat in on the lesson which was awesome. She also was a lot more vocal in the lesson than she has been. Talked about what her thoughts and concerns where about
him being baptized. We are meeting with him again this Wednesday.

This past Friday we got to go to the temple. I honestly can't put into words of how great the temple is. It is one of the best places to be. I love being at the temple so much. I can feel the spirit so strong. It is truly the house of the Lord.

Throughout this past week, a lot of what we talked about with investigators or less actives that we saw was about trials and struggles that we go through in this life. In Alma 36:3 it give us some guidelines of what we need to do when we have these struggles. In this scripture Alma is giving his son Helaman some council and this is one of the things he said.

3. And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.

We know that trust in God is the same as having faith. Having faith that he will "support" us.  The definition for support is, bear all or part of the weight of, or, give assistance to. If we put our trust in
God he will help us. He doesn't want us to fail he wants us to succeed. Ask him for his help and he will give it according to your faith in him.

Have a fantastic week!

Elder Pearson
Florida Orlando Mission

Week #47 -- Families are forever

Hello Everyone!

Summer is almost over!! Which makes me happy cause it won't be so hot. I thought from living in Arizona my entire life I would be used to the heat, I guess not.

Had a pretty good week. Started it off with Zone Conference which we had to leave the house by 5:45 to be at the chapel in Vero which is an hour away. Once we got down there at 7, no ones there and we misread the email that they sent out saying it would be changed from starting at 7 but at 8. At least we were on time. I love these meeting cause I always get to learn something to start applying in becoming a better missionary or get reminded about something I have been slacking on doing. Also there is where we get to see other missionaries from the other zones.

The rest of the week was a lot of stopping by to see people. Sadly most of the people we stopped by didn't answer. The people we did see though are doing well. It was mainly less actives that we got to see. Didn't get to see one of the investigators that we were really hoping to see. We found out from another family that she has been having family problems so we are hoping that things will work out so we can see her sometime soon. The awesome part is that our other investigator came to church again yesterday! We also are going to see him on Tuesday. It's super exciting cause he knows the church is true and wants to get baptized. He just a great guy. It's awesome to see how the gospel can transform someone.

Yesterday at church was awesome. The talks we all about families and how to strengthen them and the roles of a father and a mother. Families are such an essential thing in this life. Families are for eternity. I love that doctrine. Knowing I can be sealed to my parents and sibling, as well my family I will soon have. I love my family and am so grateful for them and all that they do for me. I love my Savior and my Heavenly Father. God bless you all.

Have a blessed week!! Loves!!!

Elder Pearson
Florida Orlando Mission

P.S. -- Families are together forever. Adding on to my email about families we
got to sing this song at church after the talks and had all of you on
my mind as we sang the song.

https://familysearch.org/photos/audio/28817426