Week #16 - Memorial Day/Birthday Week Celebrations

Week #15 - Transfer Week/GOODBYE & HELLO TO COLLEGE STATION

Last night I found out that tomorrow I will be moving to a new area and Elder Troy will be staying here in College Station. We were pretty shook because Troy has been here for 6 months. I am excited to try a new place and meet new people!

On Saturday, Rudy was baptized. My heart was so full during the program. Rudy is a miracle. Two months ago Sister Missionaries knocked on his door, but his wife told them they weren't interested.  Three days later a member referred him to us after he had been having lots of depression over his sister's recent death. He then agreed to meet with missionaries and Heavenly Father really wanted him to meet us.  When he met the sisters, his wife asked if he could meet with Elders instead.  A week later Elder Troy and I took over the area and were able to meet with Rudy.  God wanted him to meet us and put us in his path. 

Rudy has seen so many miracles between then and his baptism, and we are so blessed to be a part of it.  He now glows and has so much light in his life. He told us last night that since his baptism he has felt like a new person and that his depression has left him.  Christ heals.  Baptism gives us a new step.  God is soooo real y'all. 

We got to go to the recently rededicated Houston Temple this week.  I felt so refreshed after we went.  I was able to take a family name I had found and do all the work for him.  My heart was full.  I felt like I was in the perfect place to be.  The temple is such an amazing place and a place that brings us so much closer to Christ.  I am so thankful for it. 

Being a missionary is tough. When someone asks "What's it like being a missionary?" I laugh because it is like getting left on "read" by 15 people in a row that you text.  Everything is work and nothing is easy.  I am so happy to be doing this work though.  There is always something we can do to work harder and be better.  Missions make you stretch but stretching creates growth. 

I was reading 3 Nephi 13:21 which says, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  Wherever we find our treasure to be is where we will also be.  I challenge all of y'all to find out what your treasure is and to have it bring you closer to Christ.  If Christ is our treasure, our heart will then follow and we will be able to become as He is.

I am so thankful to be in Texas.  The people here make the heat not so bad.  I love having my Savior walk with me daily guiding me along my path. 

Love y'all and God bless. 

Elder Jarrett Pinster 

1) Elder Troy and I (a member celebrated my birthday with us because he knew I would be transferred when it was actually my birthday)

2) Houston Temple 

3) Rudy's Baptism

Week #14 - HUMILITY AND OSTRICHES

This week flew by! I can't believe I only have one more week of training and then transfers.  College Station is a great place to be and the people here are the best!

Rudy is getting baptized on Saturday!  I am so excited.  This week we talked to him about coffee and he said that it has been a struggle for him.  We read Alma 32:27 which invites us to experiment on the word of God.  He told us he would go without coffee and would replace it with a morning prayer.  He has been so solid and we love him to death.  I thank Heavenly Father for puttng him in my life. 

This week we decided to go finding in a trailer park shanty town out in the middle of no where.  When we first got there I got a terrible feeling, but we decided to go ahead and try to find some people.  The trailers were sketchy but the people were amazing.  Everyone we talked to loved Christ. They clearly had made some poor decisions but did not let that stop them from believing.  It stood out to me because I need to be more humble.  I have so many blessings in my life but fail to be grateful for them a lot of the time and that needs to change. 

For P-day today we went to a drive-through safari. Best 15 bucks I have ever spent!  We saw so many animals and they were so cute.  We are also moving, so no more weird smells that come from a green substance anymore!  God really is blessing me constantly.

Tomorrow I get the opportunity to go to the temple and I am so excited.  I love the temple.  The spirit and the feelings that are felt there are like no other in the world.  It really is the House of the Lord. 

Texas is an amazing place.  I love being here and seeing lives change.  I always told myself that if I could see one person come unto Christ while I was here, I would love it. I am seeing several already and Heavenly Father is pouring out blessings. 

Love y'all and God bless. 

Elder Jarrett Pinster

MOTHER'S DAY PHONE CALL - Best 35 minutes ever!

Week #13 - GROW UP QUICK

This week was amazing. I'm officially 3 months in and 1/8 of the way through my mission. Time is flying by. I love being in Texas and can feel God guiding me along the way everyday. 

We started doing service for an elderly widow in our ward named Sister Kuttler. She is the absolute most sweetest woman I have ever met. She lives on 12 acres and has lots of projects we help her with. She cooks us lunch and then sits and talks with us on the porch. We love it. She has lived such a crazy life such as living in Kenya and Colombia and has so many stories about it that she loves to tell us. She works in the temple every week and just makes our Wednesdays a light in the week. She truly brings light into our lives. 

One of our investagators named Morgan is working on Prayer. We have been teaching her for as long as I have been in College Station. She is so sweet and loves having us over. This week we invited her to pray out loud with us for the first time ever. She has never felt comfortable enough to do it but finally did this week. The prayer was short and simple but the spirit was there like no other. I love how Heavenly Father loves when we pray or communicate with Him. Prayers are the way for us to talk to our Father.  We challenged her to pray more and to always talk with Heavenly Father and He will answer you. 

On Tuesday, we had an appointment bail on us. We were unsure which apartment the appointment was at so we decided to knock all the letter doors with the letter that he gave us. After knocking we found no one but were walking back to the car and saw a man. We ran up to him and he started talking to us. He told us he was in a dark place and his mom told him that God was going to be sending help. And that night we showed up. 

After talking with him we quickly realized that he had some serious life issues that he had been struggling to put behind him. We prayed with him and made a goal to help him. We even went and dumped out all the bottles that had been causing his issue. We stop by every night and pray with him and try to help him fight the addiction he has. It has made me grow up quick. This is a real child of our Heavenly Father and we were sent to help him. Sometimes I have no idea how to help him but I just try to bring Christ into his life. It is a process but through Christ I know his life can be made whole again. I feel like a little kid who hasn't experienced the world sometimes out here, but I can tell that I'm supposed to be helping the people I met. It for sure is maturing me fast. 

In stake conference this past week the stake president told us that we must get eye to eye with everyone we try to help. We need to see their issues with their eyes. The Savior saw people that way and we have to do that too to help them along. I have really tried to do that more with our investagator and have found way more love for him. As I look eye to eye with everyone I can feel the pains and sorrows they feel, but the good news is that we share a message to help fix those through the Savior. 

This week I have started reading the New Testament more. I love reading about the Savior and the example He gave to us. He was the perfect being who can always pick us up when we need it. I am so thankful for all that my Savior did and does for me daily. 

One quote I heard this week at stake conference was "Be grateful in the good times, be faithful in the bad times, be joyful always."  We can all use this in our lives no matter what point we are at. I pray we can always draw closer to our Father and be grateful, faithful, and joyous in our lives. Lives are changing in College Station Texas, especially my own life. 

Love y'all and God Bless. 

Elder Jarrett Pinster 

We found kittens while tracting but Elder Troy wouldn't let me keep them.  Kinda bummed . . .  :)

Week #12 - ATTITUDE DETERMINES ALTITUDE

This week was a blessed week to be a missionary in the Houston Texas Mission. I learned so much and came so much closer to my Savior this week. 

This week was 8 week! 8 week is when all the missionaries who have been out for 8 weeks get together with President and work on becoming better teachers. It was super fun to get to see all my MTC buddies again and talk about their missions so far. We really focused on teaching the Restoration. I learned so much and when I repeated the First Vision slower and with meaning, the spirit was so strong.  It is so amazing that we have the true restored gospel of Jesus Christ today.  Such a major blessing. 

We also had a mission conference on Friday with Elder Pearson of the Quorum of the Seventy!  He is such an amazing Christ-like man. He taught us that we can always be better missionaries. Some of the quotes he said that stuck out to me were: "Work to be a flower to everyone you meet, not a Weed" and "Attitude determines Altitude" - which I loved. How often does our attitude really determine what we become? With positive thinking, we really can choose how high we go and what we can become. I left his meeting feeling inspired and ready to be a better tool in the Lord's hand. 

Our investagator Rudy is progressing sooo well. He told us the Book of Mormon gives him enlightenment and brings the spirit. His date is May 19th and he is going to do baptisms at the temple at on the 25th!!!! Sooooo many blessings are coming to him, and he even said that meeting with us brings light to his life. That is probably one of the best compliments I have ever gotten. 

This week was a growth week. After a hard week last week, Elder Troy and I decided to make this week a good one and we did.  We tracted with a purpose and found 5 new investagators to help bring closer to Christ.  Our teaching pool is starting to overflow and so our the blessings.  God always does provide. 

I feel so happy and blessed to be in Texas.  I love the people here and feel God in my life daily. 

My scripture for this week is a conference talk given by Elder Holland in October 2017 titled: "Be Ye Therefore Perfect, Eventually." I would invite all of y'all to read it this week and continue to always take one step closer to our Heavenly Father.  Blessings will come as we turn around and come to Christ. 

I love y'all and love hearing from you.  God Bless! 

Elder Jarrett Pinster

WALLER COUNTY LINE BBQ ... SERV'N GREAT TEXAS BBQ

8 WEEK (REUNION WITH ELDER COOPER FROM MTC ZONE!)

Week #11 - TRIALS AFTER TRIALS

This week has for sure been a tough one.  It started out rough and has definitely forced me to put my trust in the Lord. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to continue through this mission and look for ways to find joy everyday. 

This week we set a baptismal date with the investagator that came to church last week.  We had a lesson and we prayed so hard that he would want to know more.  He texted us to meet, and we taught him how through reptenance and baptism we can receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  He loved the idea about having the comfort from the Holy Ghost constantly. We promised him blessings and as I spoke, I felt like I wasn't the one even talking.  The Spirit took over and it was an amazing experience. 

This week we worked our tails off while finding.  We found 6 new investagators and have made 3 of them progressing.  Heavenly Father has blessed us even though we are going through hard times.  It's amazing to see Him provide for us daily.  

We also played street football with some 10 year olds, and man they are quick! Texas for real has some athletes.  I was humbled quick, but in my defense I was in a shirt and tie ...

This week was tough.  God gives us trials to grow from them.  I'm thankful for Heavenly Father in helping me along the way.  

I hope you all have a great week. God bless and love y'all. 

Elder Jarrett Pinster 

P-DAY FRISBEE
ELDERS TROY, PINSTER, HILL and HAUGEN

DINNER WITH THE GEDDIES (favorite family ever!)

Week #10 - MIRACLES

This week was probably one of the busiest rollercoaster week I've had on my mission. I have never had to rely so strong on Heavenly Father's will before and just trust Him with all I do. The good news is that when we do that He will provide. 

Early this week I found that I was just not in the right mindset or focused that much. It really started to kinda bug me. I was reading in the Book of Mormon and it made me think of Alma 32:15 where it says "Yea, he that truly humbleth himself, and repenteth of his sins, and endureth to the end, the same shall be blessed." I then realized that all I was thinking about was myself. I took a step back and went to say a prayer. I knelt down and started to pray to Heavenly Father that He would help me think of others more and that I could feel more happiness. I immediately felt happy. I don't know how it really happened but as soon as I let Heavenly Father take over He fixed me. That is a blessing. I really understand what it means to "let go and let God lead." It just gave me faith to try and fix any situation with the help of God. 

We have an investigator named Morgan who had a baptismal date for her and her son. She unfortunately didn't feel like she was ready to do it this past Saturday. We went over to talk to her and it was sad to see one of our most solid investigators start to question all we had taught. It felt like we were losing her while we were teaching. We asked if we could re-set a baptismal date and she told us wasn't ready. That was hard. We then had a prompting to share our testimony about the Book of Mormon. Elder Troy and I sat and bore our hearts out that this Gospel is true. The spirit was so strong and we could feel God's hand in what we were saying. When we finished she said "I'm not ready yet but tonight y'all reminded me why I wanted this in the first place." Although we took a step back, I think we are on the right path but that is all because of the spirit speaking to her and her family. We love them so much and just want what is best for them which now helps me understand how Heavenly Father must always feel with us. 

At 9:45 on Saturday night we had a miracle! One of our investigators named Rudy, who we hadn't heard from in nearly two weeks, randomly texted us and said that he was depressed and needed our prayers. We then invited him to church and he accepted. We had an amazing day. The entire ward said hi to him (I literally mean everyone that saw him said hi) and he loved the openness of the church. In Priesthood Elders Quorum, the spirit was so strong. I have a for sure testimony of the new changes made to the quorums. The older men and younger men sharing their thoughts made the spirit strong and the lesson went so good. 

We talked about Priesthood blessings in Gospel Principles and Rudy then asked for one so we offered to give him one after church. When I started the blessing the first thing I said was to bless him with peace. It was one of the strongest spiritual moments in my life. Elder Troy, the Ward member with us and myself were all very teary eyed after it. Rudy told us that when he left the house that morning he asked for a way to have peace. I know that the spirit and Heavenly Father promoted me to bless him with peace and it was not my own thoughts. Rudy told us that he knew there was something different. I know Heavenly Father is guiding his path. 

We gained like 4 new investigators this week and I am confident that when you show people love and light on the doorstep they can see there is something different we have. DeAndre from last week unfortunately never got back to us but we are still determined to share the gospel with him. 

My scripture this week is D&C 11:21, "Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men."  I have found that the more I study and become in tune with the spirit the better of a missionary and person I am. I love that if you put in the work your tongue will be loosed, that is so true. It can apply to everyone! 

I love being in Texas. College Station is an amazing town with amazing people. Everyday we choose to leave and have a great day. Every day we get better and better. I'm so thankful for the light and happiness of the gospel. 

Love y'all and God Bless. 

Elder Jarrett Pinster 

-District Meetings

-Exchanges with Elder Haugen (MTC Comp)

-Hammock time on P-day 

DISTRICT MEETING
ELDERS TROY, HAUGEN, HILL, PINSTER & THE SISTERS

EXCHANGES WITH ELDER HAUGEN (MY MTC COMP)

HAMMOCK TIME ON P-DAY

Week #9 - TX A&M FOOTBALL

This week was an amazing week. We tracted so much and found so much success. I love being in this small college town and the people here are the best! 

One thing we love to do here is find animals. This week we found a dead Turtle named Rock because he never moves. We took pictures with Rock and see him every day when we walk through a park close by to our house. 

I got to go on campus twice this week on exchanges! Once was for an entire day and once was for about 2 hours. It's always super cool to be around people the same age as myself and talk to them. A&M has an amazing campus too so we love to just walk around it and contact while looking at its history. 

This week we met DeAndre. He is a football cornerback at A&M and an amazing guy. He lost his sister last weekend out of no where and was struggling to cope with it. On Wednesday I had a feeling to go tract the complex he lives in. We knocked about 20 doors and didn't get a single answer. On our last door we knocked before we had to go to another appointment, DeAndre answered and said that he had been crying and asking for some kind of help. He said that us showing up at his doorstep was an answer to prayers. He is so funny and we've already became best friends. I have never connected with someone so fast before. We have since been texting him everyday and we have an appointment set up for when he gets back from his hometown. It felt so cool to see Heavenly Father use me as an instrument to help him out. We are meeting back with him and send him a scripture every day. I'm so excited to see him find peace and progress!

This week we also had some Oregon cold and rainy weather. I loved it. It was like 45 and cloudy with rain. 

We got asked to help someone in our ward build a deck and we went to help and I had a blast. It's supposed to be 87 on Thursday, so the cold definitely won't last. 

I find myself more happy and content every day. I was reading Alma 29:9 and it says "This is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy." I feel that daily.  Heavenly Father has given me the chance to be his instrument. My favorite thing to see is someone feel the spirit and have that companionship when we teach them. Seeing someone realize what peace can feel like is something I will cherish forever. I am so thankful for my Heavenly Father and for Jesus Christ. Joy comes from not thinking of yourself, but instead thinking about how we can help others. 

I love y'all and God Bless.

Elder Jarrett Pinster 

THE NANA FAMILY WHO IS BEING BAPTIZED THIS MONTH!  Cute kids!!!

ROCK - THE DEAD TURTLE!!!

FIRST TIME ON A MISSION BIKE!

Week #8 - HAPPY EASTER!

This week was a blessing and a heartbreaker as well. Being a missionary is always a rollercoaster of emotions. 

This week we met an extremely loving and nice investagator named Debbie. She calls us her "babies" and gives us groceries. She is so kind hearted and even showed us all her weaves which was an experience to say the least. We are trying to get back in and teach her but she said she already knows God but loves having us over so we will see. Hopefully the spirit will touch her heart and we will get to teach her. 

I really got to see and feel some Texas rain this past week. It was crazy. We were outside for maybe 5 minutes and it looked like I had jumped into a swimming pool. My pants were sopping wet and it was fun. It made me miss Oregon even more. I love the rain and having a rainy day was the best!

I hope all of y'all were able to watch conference!!!! I love conference and am so thankful that we have a prophet to help lead us. My favorite talk was Elder Eyring's talk on the spirit. The spirit really is our best tool that we have. I'm so thankful for the spirit and the guidance we have from it. The announcements and temple announcements were so awesome too! This really is a time of revelation and growth for all of us in the gospel! 

Missions are so fun and so hard. It's like there's times where I can't wait to go home and times where I never want to leave. 

This week was hard because we had 6 new investigators drop us and left us with only one family left to teach. I've never felt so heart broken than when I saw people feel the spirit and then have time away from it and lose it so they decided not to invite us back. That's hard. Also there's times where I want to smack my comp but that is natural. No matter how hard and sad I get, Heavenly Father takes care of me. 

We didn't have anyone invite us over for conference or even for Easter dinner.  I don't know why but that made me super sad. The good news is that Heavenly Father lead us to a person who offered us steaks for our dinner on Easter. Didn't invite us back, but gave us groceries to have a great dinner ourselves. Heavenly Father takes care of me. 

The perspective you take influences how you see things. If I have a positive happy look when we knock, time goes fast and we meet nice people. If I have a negative look, then I have a negative experience. Try and force yourself to have a positive look on life. It will bless you. 

This week my scripture for y'all is John 14:18 "I will not leave you comfortless:  I will come to you." There is so much power and strength in that. Heavenly Father won't leave us comfortless and He will come to us when we need Him. I'm so thankful for that and for this gospel. 

I hope everyone had the opportunity to have an amazing Easter and to remember our Savior, because of Him we can have all things. I'm so thankful and happy to know I have someone I can always count on and save me. I truly love my Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Have a great week and God Bless. 

Elder Jarrett Pinster

LOVE THE TEXAS RAIN!

The nice friendly Easter bunny/chicken we found ...

ELDER HILL AND I WITH OUR MATCHING GLASSES

Week #7 - JOY

This week has been probably one of the best and happiest weeks of my entire life. I have never felt so full and happy. I cannot describe how much joy I have felt this week. 

This week started out with my best P-day yet. I got to go bass fishing in a pond that some members in one of our wards own. We caught 4 bass in about 2 hours of fishing and the owner made fun of us because two Northwesters caught more fish than the southerners he's had out there caught. It was a great day and I even got some sun since its 85 here everyday. Fishing was the perfect way to relax and start my week. I also fish and say y'all now so I guess I'm getting pretty southern. My old Kentucky accent is beginning to reflurish as well which is fun for me. 

I am finally getting the hang of tracting. In Preach my Gospel there are 13 questions of the soul to ask people with references in the Book of Mormon. The questions are like "where did we come from" and "where can I find peace." I decided to memorize those questions and have began to start asking them on doorsteps. Now I don't worry about what I am going to say and am able to share my testimony of the Book Of Mormon with everyone I meet. My first day trying that technique allowed for almost 5 new investigators in 8 doors that we knocked on.  That is crazy considering we usually get 1 with every 30. I now love tracting because we get to meet so many people and share truth with them and I also found the more I smile the nicer they are to me. 

The Book of Mormon is true. There is power that comes along with the Book. I have began to fall in love with it. I read every day and the more I try to pull from it the more power and love I feel. I challenge everyone here to read it more and study it daily and blessings will come in your life.

  

I also learned the best thing you can be to someone is an example. I desperately wish I could go back to high school and be a better missionary to those around me. My biggest regret is not looking for people to help share Christ with. As missionaries, we love to hear people on doorsteps tell us about great Mormons they know. Faithful members are one of our strongest tools we have as missionaries just because of their example. I thank anyone who leaves a positive example with others about the church.

The Nana family we are teaching is becoming more and more like Christ daily. This week we got to set a temple date for them to do baptisms once they are baptised (April 14) and also a temple date for their family to be sealed. I cannot explain how strong the spirit was there when we were able to tell Morgan that she could be sealed to her 4 children and husband forever. We all were overcome with happiness. She immediately invited us to the sealing and my heart was made full. So on April 20, 2019 a family will be sealed forever. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it and knowing that I was able to have a part in that.

  

This week was also Zone Conference which was super fun. We received our smartphones.... even though the one I brought which I was told to bring won't work for 6 months (but that's a different story).... 

The conference was great. We focused on how to keep our converts and take them to the temple and how the Book of Mormon will help us do so. It was so uplifting to be around so many other missionaries and to feel the spirit. I was asked by president to share my favorite scripture (2 Nephi 22:2) with everyone. I loved it. It is my absolutely favorite scripture ever and speaks to my soul. It was a great day to be a missionary.

On Friday I got the opportunity to go on exchanges with Elder Hill. He graduated the same year as me and has been out about 7 months. He has friends that I knew at BYUI so it was super fun to connect that way. He is really funny and a great missionary.  We spent the whole night laughing and knocking doors. That was the night we found 5 new investigators. It was a blast getting to switch things up and go to work. 

I got the opportunity to speak in church on Sunday. I shared Nephi 7:4-5 which tells of the 4 steps to missionary work. (Gain Favor, Speak, Let the Lord soften hearts, and Invite.) I invite all of y'all to read it and think of ways to use the four steps in your life.

This week brought so much joy into my life. I love being a missionary. My heart is continually full and every day I feel my Savior' s love for me. I'm so thankful to get to serve Him. I know He will bless us in all we do if we love Him first. 

Love y'all and God bless. 

Elder Jarrett Pinster

FISHING!!!

Y'ALL HUNGRY?

A pic with our artist investigator named Jackie

Week #6 - "Is this the Mormonaries?"

This week was not as exciting as the other weeks unfortunately.  The hardest part about being in a college town during spring break is that there's no one in town all week but we still managed to have a great week. 

TEXAS SKY AFTER A RAINSTORM

After 18 years of fighting it, I'm now officially on Facebook.  Our mission uses it to help us connect with ward members as well as communicate with investigators.  Anyone can add me and become friends with me however!  So feel free to add me!  Once we are friends with someone we have to unfollow them, so you will be able to see my posts but I will not be able to see yours.  I think it is a great way to help expose the church in an easy and fun way.  I will be posting uplifting messages and pictures over time.

This week while tracking we ran into some college students.  We began to talk to them and they said they weren't really interested in joining the "Latter Day Saint movement" but appreciated us.  It made me laugh but then I realized how lucky I am to be in a part of the world that values religion, especially anyone who is part of Christianity so much.  While being in Texas, I've mostly seen people who love the Lord and love others who do too even if its through a different religion.  Although I know we have the full gospel of Jesus Christ, it stands out to me how Christ-like and genuine people can be.  Texas has really made me appreciate people more and learn to love them in a way that Heavenly Father sees us.

This week since the town was empty we did a lot of service.  We did our weekly food bank service and also helped people paint, move, landscape, and really anything else they needed.  Service is such a fun tool that we have.  It's hard to be selfish and unhappy when you are helping someone else improve their lives.  Also, most people have dogs here so service means getting to play with dogs so it's a win-win situation!

This week while doing service at the food bank a pastor shared a thought on prayer.  He said, "when praises go up, blessings come down."  It really stood out to me cause how true is that.  When we pray and are thankful we can receive and get blessings in our lives.  It made me think about praising my Heavenly Father and to thank him more often for all that I have. 

This week was a fun week that even included a Phone call from someone asking if this was the "mormonaries." When we replied yes, they hung up.  No idea who it was and no answer when we called back but at least they have our number if they need us. Lol. 

I'm so thankful that I have the opportunity to serve and be around the great people of Texas.  I love being here even if it is hard sometimes.  As I praise him daily, I can feel the blessings coming down. Love y'all and God bless. 

Alma 7:11-13

Week #5 - GROWTH THROUGH FAITH

This week has been a fun but crazy week.  Every day I learn more and more about my Savior and how we can draw closer to Him. 

On Tuesday I got the opportunity to go on exchanges with an Elder from Forest Grove, Oregon named Elder Hitchcock! Crazy right?  He and I did service at a Baptist church that runs through the Houston Food Bank.  We got to load cars with groceries for the week and it was super fun being around such thankful people.  One of the ladies that is in charge of the food distribution even knows my brother-in-law Tristin from when he served in College Station as a missionary two years ago.  It was a really cool experience.

After doing service I got the opportunity to go on the Texas A&M campus with Elder Hitchcock from FG.  We have this big sign that says "If you could ask God a question, what would it be?" and then we just stop students and ask them to write their question on a piece of paper.  We then pin the question to the board and get to talk to them a little bit more.  At a Southern mostly-Christian school, we get a lot of people who stop to help answer the question and only a few people who try and Bible bash. It's really cool to see people who have such strong faith in Christ, and then we try to help them know more. 

College Station, Texas has four family wards.  My companion and I cover two of them (1st and 3rd).  The First Ward is a southern adventure but great people.  The Third Ward is the most stable and supportive ward I've ever seen.  I love the people of both wards and getting to see them help us with any work we have. 

This week we met with a less active named Shonda.  She is a 50-year-old African American lady with a huge heart.  She told us how God has saved her and that with faith she trusts in the Lord's plan.  She recently had a stroke and that's why she hasn't been at church.  We read the Book of Mormon with her and then asked what we could do for her.  She said that she wants to go to the Temple and be sealed.  She's saving up so she can go to the Salt Lake one.  She has a huge heart and then said she can see Christ in us when we visited.  It made my week especially because we decided to stop by there because the spirit told me she needed to see us, but really I needed to see her. 

My companion and I also went tracking in a super nice neighborhood this past week.  While knocking someone answered and said that they already knew God and were going to Heaven.  We then read 2 Corinthians 12:2 which talks about a third Heaven (aka the Celestial Kingdom) and asked them if that was the Heaven they wanted to go to.  They shrugged and told us to have a good night.  It is crazy to me how by studying the Bible more we can understand more that this is Christ's true church and that we fall directly in line with him and it makes me thankful for the Plan of Salvation. 

Sometimes the days get long and it feels hard to see the full purpose here, but then I realize why I'm here.  Every day Heavenly Father gives me some kind of miracle or something in my day that makes me understand why I'm here.  Whether it is meeting someone like Shonda or having someone smile while they close the door on you, God helps us see mini miracles if we try to find them.  I'm so lucky to have Heavenly Father looking out for me daily.  I also found that having the spirit is the best way to feel happiness but in order to have it, we have to act in a way to get it.  Whether that be by repentance or by simply going out of our way to say Hi to someone, we can be blessed by having His spirit with us.  I know God loves us and wants us to be as happy as possible!! 

My scripture for y'all for this week is Ether 12 where it talks about faith. It really helped me understand what it means to trust in the Lord! 

Love you all and God bless. 

TEXAS BBQ - YUMMY!!!

TRACTING

Elder Troy and I doing arts and crafts to help with an object lesson

Week #4 - SUP TEXAS!

First off, whoever told me it was good that I was staying state-side lied to me! I feel like I'm in a foreign country with incredibly nice strangers! I can already feel love for Texas people. Everyone smiles and says hello to you, even if it's as they are slamming the door on you. I feel like I am on sensory overload with everything here. It's so spread out and just big!

My trainer's name is Elder Troy from Longview Washington. He is a scripture genius and is teaching me so much. He's super obedient and helps me be the best missionary I can be. He has helped me by looking for ways to help ease whatever burdens I am feeling.  

ELDER PINSTER AND ELDER TROY

I'm in College Station, Texas, home of TEXAS A&M. We are covering two family wards that haven't had Elders in 2ish years. Our apartment is ghetto, but I like that cause then we have fun neighbors and like today we got to use a toilet plunger to declog our sink. #blessed. 

We have lots of work to do and kinda don't even know where to start. We have two baptisms set already for the end of March and have 4 other people with dates. The work is moving fast. We have around 400 members and 60 less active members to help with, but like all things worth anything, you have to work to get results. 

The mission isn't easy but neither is salvation. One miracle we do have is a car (which is a miracle considering it is 87 degrees today and our area is around 20 square miles). 

While I've been here I've been trying to rely completely on my Savior. Every time I feel like I can't go on I try and focus on what He did for us to help me get through it. I pray to get lost in the work and to lose myself. 

My funny story for this week is that we found pepper spray in our apartment but didn't know if it worked or not so we decided to find out..... Elder Troy and I then sprayed the electric pole and then went up to find out if it worked. After walking up to the pole after we sprayed it and accidentally getting it on our face, we realized that it did in fact work .... Safety First!! 

Missions are hard but so is the ability to find happiness. I thank God everyday for the opportunity to be serving Him. On Saturday, we decided to get to know the ward members better so we went around and did service for anyone who needed it. We pulled weeds, took down Christmas lights, and really did anything they needed. Best way to serve is to serve. No other way to find that joy. I pray every night that I can become more like my Savior. 

Love you all and God bless!!!

THE HOUSTON TEXAS TEMPLE IS BEAUTIFUL