Week #48 - H O L A

HOWDY Y'ALL. Man o man, was it another blessed week in the great state of Texas! Words cannot describe the joy that comes from serving others around you. 

This week was a ton of finding and searching. We have one more week until all the college kids come back and we are so excited. We prayed about some neighborhoods to visit and let's just say it was an adventure for sure. The neighborhoods taught me Spanish, how to stop dogs from coming at you, that to always lock your bikes, and to never judge anyone you see. The cool part about Huntsville is there are so many humble areas. I absolutely love being around the humble people and they are so receptive to the gospel. Knocking has slowly become one of my favorite things to do. 

On Thursday, we were heading back to our apartment when we both decided to run a new Come Follow Me study book to a person that had been formerly taught. As we went over, we saw a man leaving his apartment. I called out that I liked his jacket and he immediately warmed up to us. He invited us back and we are so excited to start teaching him. We also have the opportunity to teach a recent convert's family who has four girls that are all between 11-7. They love the gospel and it is so amazing to see how excited they get about learning truths. I love this gospel. 

Saturday was probably one of my rougher days as a missionary. I woke up with a cold, then as we went out we didn't find too much success. After that, we had a lesson with a guy who in the middle of it he called the "Secret Service" and we still have no idea why. Needless to say, we kindly excused ourselves and got out of the wacky house. 

Then we biked across town to visit someone who wasn't interested anymore and on the way back to our bikes, I stepped into a huge clay/mud puddle and got it all over my clothes. It just felt like nothing could go right that day. Then Elder Potter taught me a great life lesson. He said, "There's no such thing as a bad day until the day is over." With that comment, we decided to knock the complexes close by. No one was really interested but the day got better. The spirit came as we worked and I felt more happier and at peace. 

Heavenly Father is always there. He loves us all. He cares for each and every single one of us. The gospel is truth and brings peace. I'm so incredibly thankful for what it has done to my life. God bless and I love y'all. 

Elder Jarrett Pinster

in Huntsville, Texas

Week #47 - Miracle SZN (New Years Eve)

Life is too good to me y'all. God is a loving Heavenly Father who loves each of us dearly. I feel overwhelmingly blessed. 

This week we found some awesome people to start teaching. I love Huntsville. It is the most country, ghetto, artsy and fun town in the state. It's easy to say that it is one of my favorite places. 

We had a cool miracle happen yesterday at church. A man who had been previously taught by missionaries came randomly to church. He had left for around 10 years and finally came back. We quickly grabbed him and started talking with him. He told us he knew this was the true church and that he wanted to join. His scruffy and kinda awkward personality made him seem a little confused. We decided to talk with him and find out more about him. As we talking we sat and he started balling his eyes out. He told us he just wants to feel like God accepts him and loves him. As I sat there looking at him eye to eye I could see him in a new light. I wanted nothing but the absolute best for him. We prayed with him and gave him some commitments to keep. God loves all his children. Our man James is going to be a blessing to many lives. 

I have been thinking a lot about the Character of Christ and what it means to us. I've come to understand that the more we understand Christ the more we understand the nature and attributes of our Heavenly Father. If we want to understand who God is, all we have to do is study the attributes of Christ. I'm thankful for a merciful Father and a loving Savior. 

Christmas was pretty cool. We ate Nigerian food with a family we are working with and called our parents. Pretty rad Christmas. 

We also had someone that we are teaching go home to Washington state for break. Shout out to my family for taking her to church and fellowshipping her. It's a family affair and the gospel is so good. 

If you ever feel like you need some love, pray. God is and always will be there for you. I can't even begin to express how thankful I am to be a missionary and to share God's light. It's not always easy, but it is always true. 

Love y'all and God bless. 

Elder Jarrett Pinster

Week #46 - Christmas Eve JOY

HELLO to all of my dearest loved ones!!! This past week has been full of miracles and joy that I hope I can explain it fairly well. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

So this week Elder Potter and I really focused on what we can do to be more and fully consecrated. We decided to start with our schedule. We made a schedule of out by 10 and tracting until 3. Then we come home and have dinner/companion study and then back out until 9! I have never worked as much and been so exhausted in my entire life. We were so incredibly blessed.

We would pick a neighborhood and talk to everyone and knock on every door. We met so many fun people and found 15 new people!!! It was a miracle to see Heavenly Father provide for us. There are like two neighborhoods that we have been working. They are definitely low class but we love it. We've made so many friends and yesterday when we went by to see some people all the neighbors we had met invited us in and we built relationships with several families. I just love being a missionary. 

We also started teaching some new referrals that we had given to us! One of them is named John. We taught him about the apostasy and what the Holy Ghost felt like. We then opened up the Book of Mormon and he read the very first verse. He looked up at us after and goes "Guys, I feel it. It's warm and I can't explain it."  HOLY MIRACLE.  He is now reading and thriving.  We are so excited. 

I'm so extremely excited for Christmas tomorrow. I love the season that is filled with the spirit. I'm so thankful for the Savior and cannot fully explain how much gratitude I have for him. My mission has changed my entire relationship with Him and I can honestly say He is my best friend. I am so thankful and full of joy. I love the mission and everything about it. Have a merry Christmas and I love y'all. God bless. 

Elder Jarrett Pinster 

- Happy

- Trailer park knocking

- Helping someone move

- The Zone

HAPPY

TRAILER PARK KNOCKING

MISSIONARY "MOVERS"

THE ZONE

THE DISTRICT with Christmas treats from Oregon!

Week #45 - KNOCK, KNOCK

This week was a straight up blessing. Elder Potter and I made a commitment to each other that we would be 100% in the week and boy did it pay off. We tracted almost everyday from 1-9 (which is way new to me due to the fact that I've only done campus finding the past 9 months) and Heavenly Father rewarded us with people to teach as well as the spiritual satisfaction that comes from doing the Lord's work. I'm so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father. 

All of our progressing people unfortunately went home for Christmas so we have been having tons of video calls and lessons to help them keep progressing. They are all doing awesome and it is making me soooooo anxiously excited for January. I think the mission has given me some kind of hyperactive trait now because I can't even sit down for more than 5 minutes without feeling a need to get up and go and I'm always just excited. 

This week as a district we all committed to improve our spiritual side of our conversion. Every night when we got home we took 15 minutes to read from the Book of Mormon, our patriarchal blessings, the Bible and any other resource really and just focus on feeling the spirit and growing. It did wonders. When we take time to sit down and read,ponder, and pray revelation and comfort will come to us in our daily lives. 

On Friday I was on an exchange with Elder Olsen who serves in Madisonville. He came down to my area and we decided to just go find. We tracted a ton and then ran into our old friend OSO who is a barber from Chicago. He told us to come on Monday (today) and he would hook us up with a free cut. To say I'm excited is an understatement because I was more than ready for a free cut by my man Oso. 

Another funny tracting story was we were talking to a woman on her door kinda late Thursday night and her three week old brown lab puppy came waddling over. He was the cutest thing. She picked him up and we continued our conversation. We had her read from the Book of Mormon and could see her feeling the spirit when the dog just decided to throw up out of no where. Then me, seeing the dog throw up made me start gagging so it was just a mess of a situation. She closed the door to clean the mess and never opened it back up. Needless to say, I've never been so excited to start teaching someone then felt on the brink of sickness, which then ended in sad despair as she closed the door. I love tracting so much. You'll never know what you'll see or experience. 

We also had a mission Christmas conference which was the best on Tuesday. We focused a lot on Christ and how a humble Christmas makes for the best Christmas. I truly felt the spirit of Christ there and heard the saying, "The Christmas spirit is the Christ spirit." I'm overwhelmed with joy and loved seeing all my friends there too. 

I'm incredibly thankful to be serving my Savior in the place that I am. Huntsville is really beginning to be my home away from home. The gospel can make everyone family. I'm so thankful for my Savior and the love Heavenly Father shows to me. Merry Christmas and I love you all. God bless. 

Elder Jarrett Pinster

Week #44 - "It ain't bad cause I know it's true"

This week was just a hoot!!!! I'm so thankful that I get to be a missionary and serve my Savior daily. The gospel brings joy and boy does it fill myself up. 

This week was really good. Campus ended on Wednesday so we have had to switch gears and go back to our knocking doors mentality. Tracting is one of the best and hardest things to do as a missionary. Its never really easy but somehow its always worth it and is always fun. We did a ton of it this week and saw some cool miracles from it. Yesterday, for instance, I had a dream about finding. (Yeah it's weird, you even dream about being a missionary now) but I woke up and an apartment complex popped into my head from my dream. As soon as church was over we rushed over to it and started finding. After some doors we found Connor. He is a super awesome guy and took a Book of Mormon and is going to start reading. Heavenly Father works in some fun ways. 

Since everyone left for Christmas here, we've also been having a lot of lessons of Facetime. I'm so thankful for the technology that we have to keep in contact. This week we Facetimed someone we are teaching and after 2 weeks she's already read half of the Book of Mormon and committed herself to get baptized. She just wants to have the gospel. She came to church and loved all of it. She even read about the Word of Wisdom and stopped drinking tea before we even told her about it (which is a huge deal in the south, they love their sweet tea). 

I also got to go up to Crockett, Texas this week on an exchange. My older sister served in that branch while she was on her mission so it was really fun to meet members that knew who she was. I even got to drive the Truck they have, which is a blessing after being on a bike for the past 9 months. I love how Heavenly Father has put me in places that just prove to me that He cares about me.

This week was just a good week and has left me wanting to be even better. I'm so thankful for my Savior and for this Christmas season. I absolutely love being a missionary and spreading his gospel. I'm thankful for all He has done for me and can do for you. We can always grow thanks to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Love y'all and God bless!!

Ps: Elder Potter and I are doing Christmas cards so if any of y'all want one, please email me your address so I can send you one! 

Elder Jarrett Pinster

Week #43 - "I ain't ever wanna come down"

HOWDY!!! This week was such a blessing to be a missionary. I love being a missionary and helping others turn closer to Christ. I love the Christmas season and turning closer to our Savior. 

On Friday, we got to go to the Temple with Dylan to do baptisms for the first time. I love the temple so much and the spirit that is there. Dylan loves learning more and he told us he knows he isn't a typical member which is funny because there's no such thing as that. The church welcomes all and there is a place for everyone. I also got to see my two favorite people there, Jeston and Adrian. They will always be my boys. 

On Saturday night we got to participate in Journey through Bethlehem which is this huge walk-through town where they recreate Bethlehem. We played the publicans and got to greet people as they came in. We used all the biblical language and I must say we play the part very well. People from all over came to it and it was really good for the community to see that we are Christian (a common topic of discussion here).  It made me so thankful for my Savior and for the Christmas season. 

NOW for the amazing part of the week ... Jade and Elisia were baptized!!!! We have been teaching them for about 5 weeks. They are the sweetest people ever and we could see their eyes light up as we taught them. They are just two beams of light and love the gospel. The sweet spirit that was at the baptism will be something I will always take with me. I feel so incredibly happy for them. 

Jesus saves and the gospel brings joy. Look to Him especially during Christmas and you will find a new kind of happiness. I love this gospel and sharing it with others. God bless and love y'all. 

Elder Jarrett Pinster 

- Zone Conference 

- Temple 

- Baptisms 

- Journey through Bethlehem 

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