"We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet"

It was kind of a slow week, but it ended with Conference, so all is well! We have been trying to find more people to teach, most of the people that we met or were already being taught when we got here aren't really progressing. So that means lots of tracting! Yay! We literally spent our whole day on Friday knocking on doors and trying to contact former investigators. Did we find any new investigators? Of course not! BUT we found people whose hearts we were able to touch. We didn't find the three new investigators we had hoped for, but at least three hearts were opened to the Spirit. Success is not defined by the numbers, but by our efforts. We worked hard this week and I know that what we did was what we were supposed to do. There was one woman in particular that I know we were meant to meet. She opened the door and I could tell something was wrong. After introducing ourselves and asking how she was doing, she told us she was fine. I knew she wasn't. As we talked a little more about what we do as missionaries, she told us it wasn't a good time. Both of her parents had died within the past couple weeks and she didn't want to talk. We asked if we could pray for her and she said yes. As I prayed on her doorstep, I felt so much love for her. We gave her a pamphlet for the Plan of Salvation and we testified of the peace that comes from knowing God's plan for us. I felt like I should give her a hug, so I asked if she would be okay with that. She was slightly hesitant at first, because she wasn't fully dressed, but then she said yes. As I stood there and hugged her, I knew that I was literally standing in the Savior's place, doing what He would do. I couldn't make everything better with just a hug, but for that moment, she knew that she was loved and was not alone.

I will try to make this a weekly thing, but no guarantees. Here are fun things/tender mercies that happened each day of the past week.

Monday- Our investigator Jarek, who won't be able to make his baptismal date of October 8, understood the importance of the priesthood and what he needs to do to be ready for baptism. Since that is something not a lot of people here in the South grasp easily, it was amazing to have an investigator who does!

Tuesday- The member we brought with us to our first lesson connected really well with our investigator and helped her understand what we taught!! I love having members with us!

Wednesday- RAINSTORM!! I love the rainstorms here, they are so much fun! 

Thursday- Someone we tracted into said "I'm kind of interested but I don't know why" (We know why: the Spirit :) ) Also, one of our investigators is now living the law of chastity and on track for baptism!

Friday- I experienced a knock-knock joke in real life. We went tracting and one person had their screen door closed but their solid door open. Sister Burkholder said "knock knock" to get the persons attention. The man inside said "who's there?" and we told him it was the missionaries. He said "who?" It was the funniest thing!

Saturday- General Conference!!  

Sunday- General Conference pt 2!!! Also, between sessions we went through the phone and called people we didn't know (which is still pretty much everyone). Someone somewhere was playing bagpipes and I could hear it. Totally made the bug bites worth it :)

A few weeks ago was the Primary Program and they sang a song that perfectly describes what I love most about General Conference.

"I hear a living prophet speak the things that Christ would say

If He were here upon the earth to talk with me today,

The prophet teaches how to live in righteousness and peace,

And if I listen with my heart I hear the Savior’s voice."

 When we listen to the prophet, apostles, or any other divinely called church leader, the Holy Ghost is able to speak to us individually. Each person who listens to the prophet will have a different thought come to mind. Those thoughts are personal revelation, direct communication from a loving Heavenly Father for your specific needs. 

There were a couple insights I had from Conference that I wanted to share with y'all. The first came from President Uchtdorf's talk on Saturday morning. At the beginning of his talk, he spoke about the importance of keeping our sense of awe and wonder. He used the analogy of technology, saying that we have come to take our incredible technology for granted and become frustrated when information is not instantly available. He then applied that to the gospel, saying we can sometimes forget the incredible miracles of this restored gospel. That is something that I have thought about before on my mission, how easy it is to take for granted the incredible things we experience every day. As missionaries, we teach the message of the Restoration hundreds of times. I noticed that it is very easy to get into a rut when we teach, but when I stop to think about what I am sharing, it is the most incredible news I could give anyone! Every day I have the opportunity to tell people that God loves them, that their family can be together forever, and that Christ's true church is on the Earth again, never to be taken away. How incredible is that?!?! I see miracles every single day and sometimes I think that those miracles are just a normal part of life. They are, but that doesn't mean I should stop seeing them as miracles. Take some time today, tomorrow, in the next week, and every day to notice the many small ways the Lord has blessed you. I promise that when you start paying attention to them, you will realize just how many miracles happen in your life on a daily basis. 

The greatest miracle of all is of course the gift of the Atonement. The second thing I wanted to share with y'all that I learned from Conference came from Brian K. Ashton's talk on Sundayafternoon. In teaching of the Gospel of Christ, he spoke of the Atonement. I'm not sure if this is an exact quote or just the words that stuck out to me, but he said something about how Christ's scars signified the completion of the Atonement. As I thought about the scars the Savior bears, I thought about the time between His death and resurrection. When Christ appeared to his apostles in Jerusalem, and later his disciples in the Americas, He showed them the scars in His hands and feet to testify of His reality. I realized that the wounds left by nails through His hands, in only 3 days time, would not have turned into scars unless He himself chose for that to happen. In a normal person, wounds that deep would be barely scabbing over in 3 days. However, the resurrected Christ bore scars to signify His suffering for us. He chose to be scarred. As the Son of God, He had the power to heal His body and take up His life again. He did not need to keep the scars that came with His death, but He loved each of us enough to carry an eternal reminder of what He did for us. His scars are what allow ours to be erased. His eternal wounds serve as a constant reminder that all of our hurt can be taken from us. 

Love y'all

Sister Pyper

Gas shortages, rainstorms and revelation

So, in case y'all didn't hear about it, there was a gas shortage this past week. I'm still not quite sure if it only affected NC or more of the South. Oh the joys of having no access to information about the world :) Anyway, NC was affected and everyone was panicking for a couple days. The first we heard about there even being a shortage was Sunday evening when we asked a member to come out with us. She couldn't come because she wasn't sure how the gas shortage would influence her plans. The next day the mission sent out a text telling us to keep our tanks halfway full (or more if possible). If we couldn't find gas, we were told to leave our cars parked and walk/bike/teleport to our lessons. Aside from being majorly confused at what was happening in the world, Sister Burkholder and I were totally fine. A little extra biking never hurt anyone :) By Wednesday, most gas stations had gas again, just less than normal. We have been switching the car every other day with the elders this week (long story) so we were going to be biking anyway. Side note, biking home from district meeting (which is about 2.5 miles) in the rain is SO MUCH FUN! Some of you may have read that sarcastically, but I am being serious. It was the best! We got completely soaked and had a blast. I love biking in the rain!!

The one downside to the gas shortage was that members were less willing/able to go out with us (which we totally understood). So number-wise this week was one of our slowest. But the lessons that we did have were really good! We saw Jarek about 3 times this week and he is making amazing progress! In a week, he has cut his smoking in half or more and is still so excited to get baptized. It is wonderful to see how much he loves the gospel and the light it brings into his life. He has had some bad experiences with religion in the past but tells us every week how much he liked church. He feels so welcome and always feels the Spirit. I love seeing the Atonement work in his life. Sometimes a change is immediately noticeable and other times it is more subtle. Jarek falls into the second category. Over the time we have been here, we have seen him grow his faith and come closer to the Savior. It has not happened overnight and it is a continual process, but he is repenting nonetheless. 

Oh my goodness the Women's Broadcast on Saturday was amazing! I have made it a point the past few sessions of Conference to go with a question. Every time I have done that it hasalways been answered in some way. This time was no exception. I have been studying charity recently and was wondering how I can have more charity. The very first talk was all about charity and I heard lots of things I needed. I love seeing how the Lord inspires the leaders of His church to teach us the things we need to hear. I know that the Spirit teaches us individually and tells us what we specifically need to hear. One of my favorite quotes from the broadcast was from the talk where the story of the girl with bipolar disorder was shared ( I can't remember who gave that talk and I don't have my notes with me. Either way it was a fantastic talk). The girl, in the middle of what was likely one of her darkest moments, told her mother that "you don't need to (do anything to take away her pain), someone already has". I love that! It was such a powerful reminder to me that Christ has already suffered everything for us. Every pain we feel, every loss we suffer, every tear we cry, every ache of loneliness or rejection, every single thing that we experience has been felt by the One who knows you better than you know yourself. He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane so that you don't have to. Any and all burdens you have can be carried by the Savior. You do not have to carry them alone. 

Love y'all

Sister Pyper

Halloween came early this year :)

I discovered completely by accident that I can be a Minion for Halloween :) Now to go find my long-lost family with their overalls and weird voices

Early Halloween pt. 2

​Before the Women's Broadcast on Saturday, we had an eat and greet. The Relief Society President brought these for us. 

Somehow, when we had dinner with a member, all the food ended up at my end of the table. It just happened. I thought it was hilarious to look at the table and realize that all the food was by me. 

Yes, sister missionaries ride bikes too!

It is hard to tell, but this is near the end of our ride in the rain. At this point we are completely soaked but having a blast!

Here we go. This is a good representation of how soaked we were. 

Oh yeah, happy 9 months to me

As I'm writing, there is a thunderstorm going on outside. I love that there are so many storms here! Nothing super important there, just a random side note. Other side note, last Wednesday marked 9 months of being in North Carolina. It is crazy to realize how quickly the time has gone. Good thing I still have 18 months ahead of me :) (No, of course I'm not in denial) 

Things are going really well with our investigators! We taught Jarek about the Word of Wisdom last night in a member's home and he wants to live it! I love teaching families! Seeing Jarek and Corinthia progress together and support each other helps me understand why families are so important. Jarek and Corinthia are holding each other accountable to live the Word of Wisdom and they are both so excited about the gospel. Seeing them strengthen their relationship and try to teach her kids the gospel is incredible. They have been praying every day as a family and are going to start reading the scriptures as a family. It is amazing to see the changes that have happened in Corinthia since I first met her. When I first met her months ago, she hadn't been to church in months and always seemed stressed. Now, she is much happier and is so excited about the gospel! She still has lots to deal with, but she has more ways to find strength and peace. 

Speaking of families, we have been teaching a mom and her 13 year old daughter for a couple weeks. We are still trying to begin teaching the husband, he is rarely home when we are there. The daughter has some struggles but her mom said last time we were there that she has seen changes in her daughter since we have been teaching them. Even though we have only taught them a couple times, I have already seen more light come into her life. There is more light and hope in her eyes than there was the first time we met. I have loved seeing the changes that have happened as she learns more about the restored gospel. I know that the Atonement will help her to repent and overcome her challenges. There is always hope. None of us are beyond repair. Seeing this girl learn that and begin to draw closer to the Savior is the greatest feeling. I love seeing the light in her eyes as we talk about the gospel. I feel like hearing about 'light in peoples eyes' never really made sense until I was a missionary. There is a noticeable difference in how people look when they are learning about the gospel when they feel the Spirit. Christ is the Light of the World and as those we teach come closer to Him, His light is more evident in their eyes. 

Cool experience of the week: meeting Rolando. We went tracting in an apartment complex where a potential investigator lived. He was the first person to answer the door who spoke English and he is awesome! We talked to him for close to an hour on his front step. He had met with missionaries in the past when he lived in NY, but didn't have any interest in joining at that point. He asked us lots of questions about things we believe and things he has wondered about. That conversation was one where I know that what I said was guided by the Spirit. He asked kind of unusual questions, like why Jesus is always portrayed as white, why people say 'Jesus Christ' is His name when it's only Jesus, why we are told to judge a tree by its fruit when we are also told that judgment is reserved for God, things like that. I immediately had answers come to my mind and shared them with him. He was impressed by my answers and kept shaking my hand because of it :) I have no doubt that what I said did not come from me, but that the Spirit brought to my mind things I had heard before. I could not have answered his questions at all, let alone in a way that clicked for him, without the Spirit. I am so incredibly grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost that helps me do what I need to do. 

I pondered a lot about the sacrament yesterday during church. There is a man with some physical disabilities that passes the sacrament. It was incredibly sweet to watch him walk up the aisle, with slow and small steps, to pass the emblems of our Savior's body and blood. There was another man sitting in front of me with some disabilities and watching the first man pass him the sacrament was so sweet. I realized that we are all imperfect but we can all help each other. Both of these men have incredibly sweet spirits, but their bodies are limited right now. But those limitations are not permanent. Through the Atonement of the Savior, all of us will be resurrected and receive perfected bodies. His Atonement also enables us to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father as we live His commandments. I am so thankful that Jesus Christ loved us each enough to suffer and die for us. As I watched the sacrament being passed to the ward, I thought about what it really means. Sometimes I take it for granted that we are able to renew our covenants every single week. That is why we take the sacrament, to renew our commitment to follow the Savior and His teachings. We promise again to follow Him, to serve Him and our fellow men, and to always remember Him. He can never forget us, we are literally engraved onto His hands. We are a permanent part of Him and we should do all we can to make Him a permanent part of us. Remembering is what we are commanded to do. We are promised that as we strive to always keep the Savior in our thoughts, we will have the Holy Ghost with us. What greater blessing can we have than the presence of a member of the Godhead? 

I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only true church. It is the church that Jesus Christ Himself established and that is was restored through Him. I know that this is the only church with His authority, the authority to bind on earth and in heaven. The sealing power that was given to the apostle Peter is on the earth again and is found only in the temples. I know that this church is the only church that has the authority to bind families for time and all eternity. Families are our greatest blessing and they are meant to be eternal. God is not a temporary God. He does not create things that are not meant to last. Our families are created by God and we are able to be families forever through this gospel, and this gospel alone. I am so grateful for the blessings that I have received from this gospel, most importantly my family. The knowledge that I can spend eternity with the people who mean the most to me is worth any sacrifice required. 

Love y'all

Sister Pyper

I have a new favorite place!

​There are members who live on Bagpipe Lane, so of course we just had to go introduce ourselves to them :)

Only in the South

​The bottom line reads "Where the food is anointed and you won't be disappointed" 

I love the South

{Insert clever title here}

I realized that I forgot to send my address last week. Sorry! My new address is 88 Justin Ct, Durham NC 27705. If any of y'all want to write me letters I will be here for the next 4 weeks for sure :)

We have a booklet called Adjusting to Missionary Life that is full of idea to handle the stress of missionary life, in all its various forms. A line we read this morning describes this past week perfectly. It says "not all of life is deeply meaningful or exciting". This past week was pretty boring, actually. I can't really think of anything outstanding that happened, either good or bad. 

This past week (and until Wednesday when we get the car back) was bike week. Partly because we couldn't seem to find members to come out with us, we biked a lot this past week. Counting this morning, we biked about 30 miles over the week. Bike week is great! It has been pretty hot, which isn't fun when you're riding a bike. BUT it means that more people offer to give you water when they see you going past. I have learned to never say no to an offer of water, it usually gives you an opportunity to talk to people that you wouldn't otherwise have. There was one guy who offered us water while we were walking up a hill. He was so nice! He gave us cold water bottles and fixed the water bottle holder on Sister Burkholder's bike! We talked to him about what we do as missionaries and how our missions are done differently than other churches. 

I guess since this week was not very eventful, I will include some little miracles from each day

Monday- While we were tracting after a lesson, we didn't really have a specific place we felt drawn to, so we were just walking trying to find a place that felt right. A few streets over from where we started, we heard a man ask us if we were lost. We told him we weren't lost and told him we were missionaries. It turned out that he was a member of the ward and he pointed us towards his neighbor as someone who might be interested.  

Tuesday- While out with a member, we went to go stop by another (fully active) member of the ward. This woman's husband hasn't been to church in months and usually doesn't say anything to the missionaries. Well, he got home while we were sitting in the living room. After putting his things down, he came back into the living room and had a conversation with us! After we left, the member who had taken us told us that was the first time he had talked to missionaries since he stopped coming to church. 

Wednesday- A family who lived in the Durham 1st ward when I was there moved after I left. They moved in to the Durham 4th ward, which meets in the same building as the Durham 2nd ward. I was able to see them briefly in the evening and it was so fun to see them again!

Thursday- Despite not having really biked in almost two transfers, I wasn't sore at all. 

Friday- Tracted into someone who seems totally ready for the gospel. He told us that he is at a point in his life where he is starting to wonder which religion is true and which one he should join. 

Friday pt 2- This one isn't so much a miracle as it is a funny story. We started talking to this man in a the parking lot of an apartment complex. He knows a Mormon and is good friends with him. We had a good conversation, but he was really interested in hearing more. We asked if we could give him a card with our number on it (in case he was ever interested in learning more about the church) and he said "I already have a girlfriend". Sister Burkholder and I started laughing as soon as we got around the corner. 

Saturday- This was the day we biked the most. It was also probably the hottest day. There was one hill where we both just gave up biking and decided to walk. Two people in a row gave us water bottles (the second one is the one mentioned above)

Sunday- Church. I love being able to go to church every week and take the sacrament. 

I think that's about it. Seriously, not an exciting week. Before I end this though, I want y'all to know how grateful I am to be out here. I had the realization this past week that the only thing I have to do for a year and a half is talk to people about the restored gospel. That's it. I don't have to worry about school, work, politics, or anything outside of my calling. There is nothing better I could be doing and nothing else I want to do right now. I get to spend all of my time talking about something that matters more to me than anything else. I get to tell people very single day that the Creator of the universe knows their name and that there is hope. I know without a doubt that this gospel is true, that the church I represent has been restored by Jesus Christ Himself. He is truly the head of this church. It is not run by mortals, but by the Savior. I do know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet and that he has been called by God to lead the church here on the Earth. Ultimately though, Thomas S. Monson is not the one in charge, Jesus Christ is. I am so grateful to be a part of His restored church and have a greater knowledge of the gospel. I know that the work I am doing is not my own. I am here to bring God's children to a knowledge of Him and help them to return to live in His presence. What more could I ask for? 

Love y'all

Sister Pyper

Durham Pt 2

Yep, I am back in Durham!!! I am so happy to be back! I am in the Durham 2nd ward and my companion is Sister Burkholder. She is from CA and was just in Durham 1/Chapel Hill 2 last transfer. So both of us are new to this ward and are figuring it out together :) This ward is amazing and we have been kept very busy this past week. The sisters had 21 lessons the week before we came and we were able to have 17! Not bad for both of us being new to the area! 

What is equally exciting is the updates I have heard from Durham 1. There are so many people there who are progressing and doing really really well! The husband of a less-active member just got baptized this past weekend and we always expected him to take much longer to accept the gospel. Another family that I worked with is also on track to get baptized. The husband and son of a different less-active member have a baptismal for a couple weeks from now! I am so excited for all these families that are learning the gospel together. 

One of the coolest small world moments happened when I first got here. When I was in Durham 1, we were working with a member named Corinthia. She had been baptized a few years earlier but wasn't very active. Before I left Durham, she had moved to Florida and we lost contact with her. Well, it turns out that she recently moved back to Durham and lives right across the street from our apartment. When the past sisters were walking past, she saw them and asked if they were the missionaries. So they started working with her and she has been coming to church the past few weeks! It is so wonderful to get to see her again! She is so sweet and she really wants to keep learning about the gospel. We are teaching her boyfriend too and he has a baptismal date! 

Sorry this is so short this week, a last-minute thing came up where we need to give the car to the elders so we have to go soon. I will write more next week 

Love y'all

Sister Pyper

Wake Forest's main attraction

Farewell Baptist Seminary. I learned a lot from working with the people here. Sadly for you, it only served to strengthen my testimony of the truth I share. 

Reason #3547664 I love the South

​Yep, that sign does indeed say "Pocomoke Cowboy Church". Above the door it says 'no drama zone' and the Jesus picture reads 'Do you know Him? Will He know you? Let us introduce you'

This tiny little church was on the way to Lynda's and it always made me happy. I love the South so much. 

Only in the South

​Yep, Walmart sells fatback. It is literally just fat. That's it. 

We finally found a museum in NC that is open on Monday!! Our district went to the Life & Science Museum yesterday. Pretty much every other museum is closed on Monday, which is frustrating. 

This magical little girl managed to catch 3 butterflies in the time we were there. Did any of us missionaries catch one? Absolutely not. 

This is Corinthia and her boyfriend Jarek. The two kids are hers. Nate is hiding between me and Jarek :)

"I'll go where you want me to go"

First of all, transfer news!! I am getting transferred! Along with all three other missionaries in the ward..... Crazy, right?!?! We were so shocked when we heard that both elders are leaving too! I have no idea where I am going, the zone leaders won't even tell us which zone we are going to, so I guess I just have to wait. I'm sad to be leaving, this area has been challenging at times but I have loved every day here. I have seen this area grow and seen the work move forward. The Lord definitely helped us leave the area better than we found it. We are going to be leaving lots of notes for the new sisters coming in to help them. Lynda and Jonathan's baptism is scheduled for the 17th of September, so that makes it harder to leave. I am going to miss them, but I know the new sisters will love them just as much as I do. The sisters are coming into a wonderful area and I know miracles will continue here. 

We had a miracle yesterday at church. We walked into the chapel and saw an investigator who we haven't had contact with in about a week. He randomly decided to come to church, although I know it wasn't random at all. He told us that he had felt earlier in the week that he wanted to go to church. He said that, as the week went on, he felt more and more urgency about going to church. He said that we wasn't able to see the church at first, but he really wanted to come so he kept looking for it. It was amazing to see him in church and to hear how the Spirit worked in him. He said that he was impressed by how reverent it was for the entire service. He also told us that he felt spiritually fed and that he was grateful he could attend. OH! A woman who hasn't been to church at all since I have been here (and probably longer than that) came to church too!! I have no idea what prompted her to come, but I am glad she did. 

This past week in district meeting we talked about temples and how the temple is the reason we do missionary work. We are not out here simply to baptize, we are here to help families become eternal. That is only possible through the work done in the temple. I realized that the temple is a physical symbol of hope. Because of the work done in temples, death is not the end of the relationships we treasure most. We have hope that we will see those we love again because of the sacred ordinances available in these holy houses of God. Our district leader gave us each a picture of the temple we received our endowments in, to remind us of how we felt and remind us of our purpose in teaching. I am so incredibly grateful for the temples and the opportunity we have to be sealed to our families for all eternity. 

We got to do lots of service this past week! About a month ago, we contacted a former investigator named Paula. She had met with missionaries for years and never felt like she knew it was true. She told us there was a possibility that she would be moving, so we gave her our card and told her to call us if she needed any help. She called us twice last week and asked if we could come help her pack and clean. Of course we said yes! We went and helped her a little on Monday and then again Wednesday morning. I honestly can't think of a better way we could have spent part of our preparation day. We were able to give her the help that she needed and I felt like we did exactly what the Savior would have done if He was here. I have no doubt that we were doing His work and were put there to bless her in some small way. As King Benjamin said, "when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God". We are able to live our religion more fully when we serve. 

Love y'all, 

Sister Pyper

Lynda and Jonathan

​So excited for these two to get baptized in a few weeks! <333

Culinary adventures

Sister Bobbitt and I made black bean brownies. She was hesitant to try them, but as of today, she has eaten more of them than I have :)

"Love oozes outta y'all like filling from a cake"

Oh my goodness, what a 180 from last week! This week was awesome! 

The title of this week's email came from Lynda. She has been really sick the past week or so and we were finally able to see her on Tuesday. She is feeling so much better and is as excited as ever to get baptized. She knew she wasn't going to be able to get baptized on the 20th, so we had to reschedule. We asked if she would like to be baptized the same day as her son and she just lit up! She said she had been thinking about that and was going to ask us if that was possible. OH! She also got a job this past week!! She has been looking for something for a while and miracles happened this week in her life! She is grateful to have the gospel in her life. Every time we teach her, she just gushed about how much she loves us and how much the church means to her. 

Another highlight of this past week was Nancy's baptism and confirmation. Nancy was taught by the elders, but she likes us too :) She asked us to give the talk on the Holy Ghost at her baptism. Apparently she asked if we could do it together because "she likes both of us and didn't want to pick just one" (awwwwww <3).  Normally we can't go to a baptism unless we have an investigator attending or it is someone we taught getting baptized. Although if you are asked to speak, you have to go :) So we got to go and I am so happy that we did! The Spirit was so strong as she walked into the font and was baptized. For me though, the most beautiful part was the next day when she was confirmed. After her confirmation, she walked past us to go back to her seat. Her face physically looked lighter, like a burden she had been carrying was lifted. It was so sweet to be able to see that change in her and to know that her journey has only just begun. 

  

Something that was said in the other talk at Nancy's baptism has been stuck in my head. The woman who talked about baptism said something about 'the value of a soul'. I don't remember the context because that was what stood out to me. I have been thinking about that and just how valuable each of us truly are. We are worth more than we know. Our souls have tremendous value. Our souls were purchased with the blood of the Son of God. The life of the only perfect person was given for us. Christ Himself willingly gave His life for you. He took upon Himself every pain, every heartache, every hurt. He faced the agony of rejection and sin. For each of us. The true value of a soul is not found in anything visible. Our value is found in the sacrifice of the Savior. There is a song that I have come to love on my mission. It's called Matter by For King & Country. Part of the chorus says "To the One who spoke and set the sun ablaze. To the One who stopped the storm and walked the waves. To the One who took the tree so He could save. You matter" I know that that is true. We are valued so much that the lifeblood of the Son of God was willingly given. 

Something I learned this past week is  one of the purposes of the Book of Mormon. I have been noticing recently how often the word 'remember' is mentioned, especially in connection with the covenants and blessings the Lord has given us. I realized that one of the purposes of the Book of Mormon is to bring to our remembrance the covenants and commandments. The fullness of the gospel, including some commandments and the covenants of the temple, were lost during the Apostasy. The Book of Mormon contains the fullness of the gospel and reminds us of the promises the Lord has made to His children anciently. 

I can't think of much else right now. This is the last week of the transfer. so next week I should have transfer news. Sister Bobbitt is expecting to leave, but who knows? I hope I stay, I love it here, but I know that if I leave I will go where I am needed. 

Love y'all

Sister Pyper

Nancy's baptism

Missionary work is exhausting

Not only is she fully dressed, she fell asleep in about 30 seconds. :)