Week #42 - Imma Be Up There

Holy smokes was this week the best! I feel so incredibly thankful for everything that Heavenly Father has given. God is so good and his blessings are overwhelming. I love being a missionary and serving my Savior. 

This week was super fun for the people we are teaching. This week we taught our home girl named Deborah. Deborah just finished chemo and saw an ad on Facebook so she requested a Book of Mormon! We went and met with her and boy is she the best. We read from the Book of Mormon with her and talked about her life. Halfway through the lesson I just like paused and was like "Deborah, have you ever been baptized?" She responded that she had but thinks she needs a fresh start. She's now praying about a date and calls us her little Jesus boys.  I love being in the South.  Prayers please for Deborah! 

On Thanksgiving, we woke up and just knew it was a holiday. We shook that home feeling and just went out walking. We met someone named Suzanna. While we were walking, she just yelled out "Y'all Mormons???" We answered "Yes ma'am, can we pray with you?" We went and talked with her. Quickly realized that she was "home challenged" and lived a very wild life. We taught her the first lesson on the steps of a Catholic church and gave her a Book of Mormon. She told us she was going to come to church, but we didn't really believe her. Low and behold, guess who showed up to church yesterday!! Suzanna came!!! It was a blessing and she was very excited to see the break-the-fast meal. She's a sweetheart and we will see what happens with her. 

The rest of Thanksgiving was awesome as we went over to a member's house who made us feel like we were part of the family. I love the Southern hospitality and that everyone is family here. 

Friday was District Council and President came to mine! I then went on an exchange with Elder Dennis from New York. He's such a stud. He is being trained with Elder Karren. We went tracting and found a family! Then we taught a group of like 10 high school students that were playing ball outside their apartment. It was fun. We then had dinner at our branch president's house. He calls us his sons and we love him to death. Texas is the best!

I'm so incredibly thankful for this gospel and the light it brings to my life. This week I have just felt overwhelming joy as I've come closer to my Savior. There was a thought given to me by a member yesterday about missionary work. It was "It ain't so bad cause it's true." If that ain't true. I love the gospel. Love y'all and God Bless!!!

Elder Jarrett Pinster

Week #41 - Feeling Thankful

This past week was a great one. I'm on week 3 of dealing with the flu but it's alright because when we're down that's when we see the most miracles. I'm so thankful for my Savior and for him allowing me to be doing his work. 

This week we hit campus hard. Over the 4 weekdays we had up there we spent about 8 hours a day contacting. I felt so worn down and exhausted at the end of every day, but we were led to some amazing people that are prepared to hear the gospel. 

I have a funny miracle that happened this week. A couple weeks ago we met three girls on campus. One of them is from Sweden and comes to get a free lollipop from us everytime she sees us. We always give her one out of our bucket and over time we've gotten her to talk more and more with us. Another one of the girls is actually from Oregon and grew up about 15 minutes from where I'm from. This week we ran into the one from Sweden and told her that her friend and her needed to meet with us this next week. She agreed and said that she would talk to her friend. Almost an hour later her friend texted us and asked if we could meet this week. The funny part about all of this is that they hadn't yet talked to each other when the friend from Oregon texted us. It was awesome to see how the spirit works and guides those around us. 

We also had two people we are teaching walk to church because their ride fell through. They told us after that church is a priority to them and they needed to be there so they can grow closer to our Heavenly father. This is the Lords work. He qualifies and teaches those that are willing to listen to him. 

I have one scripture for y'all this week. It's in Mosiah 24:14 "And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions." Heavenly Father will bear our burdens and help ease them as we go throughout our lives. It may not happen all at once, but it will happen over time as we let Him take them from us. 

I love y'all so very much and wish everyone an amazing Thanksgiving. I'm so thankful for my Heavenly Father, our Savior Jesus Christ, and the opportunity I have to serve them. I'm so grateful to be on a mission and to serve the wonderful people of Texas. Love y'all and God bless. 

Elder Jarrett Pinster

Week #40 - TRAINING, DRIVING & FINDING

HOWDY Y'ALL!!!

Oh man, was this past week an adventure to say the very least. To start off, I received a call from President Peterson on Monday saying that I am now training a new missionary!! I was and still am completely overwhelmed, but it's all good because Heavenly Father always takes care of us. It's a blessed time in Texas. 

The new missionaries come in on Thursdays, so this week for Tuesday and Wednesday I was on an exchange with Elder Karren who is also training. Those were probably the most fun two days of my mission! Elder Karren covers an area about 30 miles from Huntsville so we had two days of constant driving. We both set up lessons before hand so we were bouncing back from area to area both days. It was so much fun. Drove many miles and learned many things! 

We set two dates this week!!! With two girls we are teaching named Jade and Elesia. We sat down to have a lesson with them and asked them what their goals were. They looked at us and said "our goal is to be baptized so we can reach salvation." Elder Karren's and my mouths dropped. We then asked them to get baptized and they more than readily agreed. It's the Lords work not mine absolutely. They even invited their families already!!! 

My new companion's name is Elder Potter!!! He is from a small Idaho town and man do I already love him. He loves rodeo and is a total Idahoan country boy. He is super smart in the gospel and I'm so thankful that I got an amazing trainee.  

One last cool miracle. On Saturday, we were out finding at an apartment complex that I felt super inspired to go to. We knocked and knocked but didn't really find anyone that was interested. We then knocked on a door and a man opened the door. He is from Ghana and told us he was baptized 10 years ago! He invited us in and told us he needed to come back and wants to. His wife and son are not members so he invited us back on Saturday. We are super excited to go see them!!! 

I'm so thankful to be in Texas. Heavenly Father is watching out for me every day and I'm so thankful for Him. The gospel brings hope and light to our lives especially when we are trying our best. Jesus is the Christ. God bless y'all and love y'all! 

Elder Jarrett Pinster

Elder Potter & Elder Pinster (Trainer)

Greenies & their Trainers - Day 1

MY DISTRICT!

Week #39 - Fill Up My Cup

Oh man.  This past week was one that filled my cup over. I absolutely love being a missionary and seeing the progression of those around me and myself. I am so extremely happy to have the opportunity to serve the great people here in Texas. 

I'll start with the part that was not so fun. I got the flu and it was badddd. From Tuesday to Friday I felt like I was gonna die. By Friday, I was ready to get out and work again so we did! The funny thing was that pretty much everyone in the district except my companion got sick and he is for sure not shy in telling me that. 

NOW ON TO THE GREAT NEWS!!! This weekend was full of baptisms and I feel so happy. First off, Adrian from College Station was baptized and man was my heart made full. I had been working with him pretty much my whole mission and he is now baptized!! He said something at the end of his service that made being a missionary so worth it. He said "never give up on an investigator because God never gave up on me." I love that guy so much and am so proud of him. 

We also had four baptisms in Huntsville this weekend!!! The first two are named Khory and Katana. They are the cutest little siblings. We had been contacted by their dad that he wanted his kids in a church so after going and teaching them they were baptized! They are the cutest little things. Children really are special. Teaching them and hearing the gospel from them really made me appreciate the truthfulness of the gospel. 

Lastly, Dylan and Fernando were baptized also!!! They are studs. I met Dylan my first day in Huntsville and he's just the man. He has grown so much from the first time we met him and it was so cool to see him take off. We always used the Peter stepping out of the boat to walk on water to Jesus with Dylan to help teach him. Yesterday after the baptism he said "look at me I'm outta the boat and His hand is in front of me." Heart is full. Seeing Fernando get baptized was so cool as he's been meeting with missionaries for 3 months. I absolutely love baptisms. The feeling of joy is almost overwhelming. My cup is so full. 

Elder Morgan is being transferred tomorrow so I will be getting a new companion! I'm sad to see him leave so soon. I've really come to love him and he's a great missionary. I will miss working with him. 

We also got to go to the temple this past week. Man, I love that place so much. So much peace and happiness comes from there. 

I love being a missionary so much. Texas is turning into home. Always remember to read and pray daily. Strength can come from coming closer to Jesus Christ. I know that as we come closer to him, He will come closer to us. Love y'all and God Bless!! 

Elder Jarrett Pinster

Week #38 - No, I'm not lucky, I'm blessed.

HELLO ALL!!! 

This week was so amazing!!! Another blessed week to be part of the Lord's work in Texas!!!

Here are some cool miracle stories from this week:

On campus we hand out dum dum suckers to students as they walk by. Every day there is always one girl that will get the dum dum but will always somehow manage to never stop and talk to us. Well, on Tuesday Elder Morgan and I were feeling sick, but we powered through and went up on campus to find people! We set a goal of three people to find that day and as soon as we sat down, sucker girl came over with two friends. We finally got to talk to her and her friends!! One of her friends is even from Portland and is playing soccer at Sam so we bonded over trees and clean water. The Lord blessed us and we are super excited to see where they head!

Another cool miracle story was yesterday we had 6 people come to church and three of them were able to be interviewed for baptism next week!  I felt so much relief as they all are now ready to take that next step! I also got to talk in church yesterday about the Book of Mormon and what it has done for me. As I talked, I just felt this overwhelming feeling of joy that comes from that great book. 

Lastly, a cool miracle we had was last night. We had a member refer his niece that goes to Sam to us to start teaching. She had been kind of stand-offish the first two lessons, but said she was feeling something different. Yesterday we had dinner with her and her family that is in the ward. It was so cool to see her family teach her gospel truths she had never heard and she even admitted to feeling the spirit. It's a blessed work out here y'all that is made for families. Also after teaching the plan of Salvation it really made me think about how much the plan is all about love. We come to earth to Find Joy and to Learn. Heavenly father has given us a plan to do so. 

One quote I heard this week that stood out to me is to "Be mindful even if your mind is full."  I love it. For me it really teaches what it means to be Christlike. To always be mindful of those around you and serve them. I love it. 

We are working with some absolutely stellar people. I love being a missionary in Huntsville. On Saturday we had the ward trunk or treat and I love the people here so much. I feel so blessed to be a missionary here. 

I read in Mosiah 4:20 which talks about the spirit bringing joy to our hearts and if that is ever so true. When we put ourselves in the places to feel the spirit, we can feel overwhelming joy.  I feel so much joy. Praying for y'all daily and love you all so much! God bless!!! 

Happy Halloween Week!

Elder Jarrett Pinster

Week #37 - God Don't Make No Junk

Howdy!!!!! This past week was a blessed week in Huntsville Texas. I love being a missionary. Sam Houston is such a fun place to serve. 

On Tuesday we had a lesson with a person who is progressing and loves the lessons, but we ran into a problem with his eligibility for baptism.  We addressed it a little but we didn't feel like it sat well with him. So, on Thursday had another lesson with him and the focus was overcoming these issues he has. 

At the beginning of the lesson, he was not very interested and it seemed like he was losing hope. We said so many silent prayers! But half way through the lesson, we talked about his vision and what his goal is. His eyes became brighter and he told us why he was still taking the lessons and why he wants to be baptized and about his vision in life! We talked about ways we have overcome hard things in our life and the conversation ended up being about prayer and fasting. 

We testified of prayer and fasting and explained to him how to fast, and we left the lesson feeling really good! Later on Sunday he told us that he wants to change and that he is ready to let go of these issues he has. On Sunday he came up to us and told us he was fasting for the first time to help him be ready for baptism!!!! It was such a tender mercy. 

We were knocking an apartment complex close to our curfew on Saturday and we talked to so many amazing people. On the way back to our bikes, we felt like we needed to keep going so we did.  As we were walking to another building, a guy yelled at us from the second floor. He was like “Hey! You Jesus people?”  We went up and talked to him and he told us to come into his apartment. We looked at each other and nodded as we walked in. His name is Oso! He is a super hilarious barber, he looked at us and was like “Yeah I cut you for $15”... You could say we have a hook up in the hood now.  God blesses up. 

Sunday night I had the opportunity to go out to a small town called Madisonville in order to help interview someone for baptism! We loaded in the truck and took out on our safari. After starting on a freeway, we headed to a two-lane country road, then to a gravel road, which was followed by a dirt path, and finally we ended up driving through a grass field. After the fun driving adventure, we met up with the women and the interview went great. All of God's children need the gospel, no matter if they live on the edge of the world. 

God is so good. He blesses me daily and helps comfort me and make me better. I'm so blessed for all that Heavenly Father gives me. 

Love y'all and God bless. 

Elder Jarrett Pinster 

Week #36 - Wayyyyyyy Up, I feel Blessed!

Man ... THIS WEEK WAS FLAT OUT AWESOME. We saw so many miracles and I can't even explain the joy that I feel as a missionary.  When I think about a mission all I can think about is love.  Love the people and love the Lord.  Being a missionary in Texas is my favorite thing. 

So to start off this week we had a Tri-Mission Conference with all the Houston missions! There were over 300 missionaries in one stake center! OH AND TO TOP IT OFF ELDER HOLLAND WAS THE GUEST SPEAKER! 

As many of you know, Elder Holland is quite possibly my favorite individual in the world. We got to greet him personally and wow was it an experience. As I shook his hand he smiled at me and said that he was proud of me. Words cannot describe how I felt at that moment. It felt so personal and yet he knew nothing about me really. He then made a comment on my sunburnt cheeks and told me to keep working in the sun everyday. It was something I will never forget. After greeting he then counseled the missionaries on how to be more converted because that will lead to the miracles ahead. The power that he has is immeasurable. Friday was a day I will never forget to say the least. 

Huntsville is turning into funville as a missionary. Elder Morgan and I set three baptismal dates this past week and have some amazing people we are teaching. It's amazing to see the Lord guiding us to where we should go to find people and what to teach them. We pray for miracles daily and everyday it seems that he gives us one. The ward and YSA branch have some of the sweetest people ever.  After being in just a YSA for 6 months, I absolutely love being taken care of by all the sweet old ladies in Huntsville. They love missionaries and make some dang good dinners let me tell you.  I feel so blessed. 

This past week I have been thinking more and more about how to "become." I think that when we choose who we want to become and set a goal to react it, that is when we grow the most. A thought that was given yesterday in Sacrament Meeting was about how we can become.  It was something along the lines of "until you master the fundamentals how can you expect to master the game?" It really made me think about what we can do to master the fundamentals of the gospel, primarily reading, praying, and attending church. If we want to be successful, we have to master the fundamentals!!!

I feel so overwhelmingly blessed to be in Texas at this time. God is so so good. His gospel is so pure and full of love. Everyone needs peace in their lives and the gospel can bring it as we live the principles. 

I love y'all so much and know Heavenly Father loves you even more. God bless!!! 

Elder Jarrett Pinster 

 

Got to see my first MTC comp Elder Haugen again -- Love that guy!

Rain Day with Elder Morgan

Chef Pinster

TEXAS THUNDERSTORM

Week #35 - BELIEVE, LOVE, DO

Hello!!!! This past week was an awesome week for sure. Huntsville is slowly starting to feel more and more like home. The Texas heat is slowly starting to leave, and boy am I excited for some cool weather once again!  I am so blessed to be spreading the word of God to the people here. 

This week we set three baptismal dates with some awesome people. Two of them are siblings named Cory and Katana. They are just the cutest little 9 and 10 year olds ever. They love to hear about Jesus and tell us all the bible stories they know. 

The other baptismal date was with a guy named Dylan that we found on Sam Houston's campus.  He has a friend on a mission and his friend always said he should meet with missionaries and finally he ran into us on campus and we set up a time to meet!  He is super chill and just a great guy.  We are super excited for him to progress more and more in the gospel. 

General Conference was the past two days and man do I feel edified. I loved the counsel that was given. Throughout all the meetings, I just felt hope and love. I absolutely love how inspiring conference is and motivates us to just become better.  I am so thankful for a prophet and apostles that truly bring us closer to Christ. 

This week I learned a valuable lesson to lean on the Savior in all that you do. Sometimes you may feel lost and alone but keep on.  Life is so hard sometimes but with faith and looking to the future you can see little daily miracles.  Always keep trying to become your best self and in the words of President Eyring "Try, try, try." 

I love y'all so much and am praying for you. God bless. 

Elder Jarrett Pinster

Buc-ees run on our way home in Madisonville

Studies with Elder Morgan

Campus life (future album cover) 

My Fav District 

Twin Day with Elder Pacheco