"This 'no soliciting' sign means you"

Hmmmmm, I know good things happened this week, but I can't remember exactly what they were. So I guess I'll just talk about my tender mercies from each day and hope that jogs my memory. 

Monday- Well, everything was still covered in snow/ice but we still had a good day! A member from our ward came and rescued us from being inside all day by taking us to get Thai food for lunch. We went tracting in the evening. Even though we didn't find anyone to teach, we met some really nice people. They let us in, gave us water, and gave us a referral for their neighbors. #snowdaysuccess

Tuesday- Some random girl prayed for our families. (Oh how I love the South.) We were tracting and had taught her a little on her doorstep. She wasn't interested but wanted to pray with us. She said the prayer and specifically asked that our families would be blessed. 

OH! Miracle story! We had a couple referrals in one neighborhood, so we tried to contact them and then tracted around. No one was interested but we felt like we need to knock one more door. So we knock and the boy who answers isn't interested. Of course. But he did tell us that one of his neighbors might be willing to listen to us and that they could benefit from a message about Christ. Since we had time, Sister Wall and I decided to try it. The lady who answers the door is so nice. She is also Muslim ( I see what you did there, sneaky kid....) but totally open to hearing our message. We were able to teach her the Restoration and set up a return appointment. When we shared the First Vision and asked her what she thought, she told us it reminded her of Moses' experience with the burning bush. I love that the Spirit was able to connect what she heard to something she already believed in, hopefully that will soften her heart to believe that Joseph Smith was also a prophet, just like Moses was. 

Wednesday- Interviews. I love interviews, it is always wonderful to get to talk to President and Sister James. I just love them so much and I know that he is meant to be my mission president. 

In the evening we had a member come out with us. No one that we went to see was home (members, if this ever happens with you  when you're out with the missionaries, you are NOT bad luck! This happens all the time and it has nothing to do with the members) so we tried to see a potential. Sister Wall couldn't remember exactly which building they lived in, so we stopped outside of one to check her notes. We 'just happened' to be in front of the right building. We go knock on the door and no one answers. We are just turning to leave and check our backup plans when the potential walks up the stairs! After explaining why we were standing in front of her door, we were able to teach her a little! Heavenly Father truly is in the tiny details! 

Thursday-  "OH NO! There goes Jesus" ~Sister Wall Hahahaha this is the funniest story! We were going on exchanges the next day, so I was in the closet grabbing clothes to pack. All of a sudden, I hear  Sister Wall yell and say "OH NO! There goes Jesus!" We have this big picture of Jesus on our wall and apparently she had accidentally kicked it. It then started swinging and ended up falling onto her bed. Once I figured out what had happened, we couldn't stop laughing :)

Another Thursday story just to show that Sister Wall is not the only one that funny-bad things happen to. So, we are tracting in this little trailer park (we did a lot of that this week. That's where the humble people are) and we knocked this one door that was of course empty. On the way up the stairs I had noticed that one of the steps felt a little wobbly. Well, on the way back down the stairs, 'wobbly' turned in to 'completely falling off'. As I stepped onto it, the board came totally off and I fell down the last step. I'm totally fine, I just have a little bruise. It was just so absurd that something like that actually happened that we kept laughing about it the rest of the day! 

Friday- Authentic Vietnamese food, cute notes from Sister Xiong, biking with Sister Grimsman. We went on exchanges and I went with Sister Grimsman while Sister Xiong went to Holly Springs with Sister Wall. Sister Xiong wrote me sweet notes, wishing me a good day. 

Saturday- We found 2 awesome trailer parks! Trailer parks are the best as missionaries because the people are so incredibly humble and often have people who are looking for God. Oh, I also got complimented on my Spanish today :) I don't actually speak Spanish, I just know 5 sentences. I had the Hermanas in Durham tell me how to ask if Spanish missionaries could come over another time. So I pulled out the very limited Spanish I had and the man told me my Spanish was good! Hopefully the elders speak better Spanish than I do :)

Sunday- Finally able to go to church, Chad came and loved it, the youth speaker told everyone that it's their job to help find people for us to teach, and the sacrament hymn was perfect. For a few days now I have had this hymn stuck in my head, but I could only remember one line and I had no idea what the title was. Then it was the song we sang in sacrament meeting and it made me so happy! 

I think my overall tender mercy for this week is Chad. Chad is so prepared! I told y'all about him last week, but OH MY GOODNESS he is the best!!! He had asked us for scriptures about baptism to learn more, and he had had some questions about the pre-earth life. He came to church on Sunday and really enjoyed it. Then this morning he texts us to ask what we will be talking about the next time we see him 'so that he can be better prepared'. Ummm, what? No one has ever done that before! He is seriously the coolest! 

Love y'all

Sister Pyper

PS The title comes from a not-so-nice man who really did not  want to talk to us. Too bad for him we weren't soliciting. Also, thanks to the  Jehovah's Witness and the Supreme Court, we are legally allowed to knock on doors with 'no soliciting' signs. Thank you President James for being a lawyer and telling us to keep knocking doors :)

Snow day adventures with Sister Wall <3

I met someone famous!

​So this (https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/you-never-know) is one of my favorite Mormon Messages. I walk into church on Sunday and see this woman. I thought she looked familiar but couldn't place it. Then I realized she looked just like the mom in the video. After awkwardly starting for a few minutes, I decided to just go ask her if it was her. Turns out it was! The coolest part is that she is from Washington too!!! And she is a ward missionary and is excited to come out with us! How cool is that?!?!

Making new friends

​Some sweet girl let me hold her mouse while we taught her grandma. My favorite part is the look on the cat's face in the background :)

​"There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home" 

I love these street names :)

These are in the same neighborhood as 'Yellow Brick Rd'. And its' a trailer park, so 'Hidden Treasure' is accurate, at least for missionaries. 

Go home NC weather, you're drunk

​4 days after the snow storm, this was the temperature.....at 10:30 am. Craziness.