Week #63 - OH LORD MY GOD

My oh my. My heart is full and the Savior's grace is real. I cannot even comprehend and explain how I have felt and grown this week. I have learned more and come to feel my Savior more than ever in my mission. I feel so blessed. 

I can really only try to explain my week in a story that I heard this past week. It goes: 

A man passed away, was resurrected, and was waiting in a room to be interviewed. Another man was ahead of him. The door opened, the first man entered, and the door closed. The man on the outside could hear the conversation on the other side of the door. The interviewer began: "I would like you to tell me what you think about Jesus Christ." 

"Well, he was born of a virgin in Bethlehem. He lived 33 years or so, spending the last three in His ministry organizing His church, choosing His apostles to direct it, giving the Gospel to direct our lives."

The interviewer stopped him and said, "Yes, that is all true, but I want you to tell me what you think of Christ." 

"Well, He was tortured and crucified that we might have eternal life. Three days later He was resurrected that we might return to our Heavenly Father." 

"Yes, that us true, but tell me what you think of Jesus Christ." 

The man paused, a little perplexed now, and then continued: "Well, He restored the gospel in its fullness to the earth through Joseph Smith. He reorganized His church, gave us temples wherein we might do work to redeem our dead. He gave us family prayer and family home evening where we might unite with our families. He gave us the priesthood to heal the sick and personal ordinances for our salvation and exaltation." 

The interviewer again stopped him and said, "Thank you. All of what you said to me is true." 

The man was then invited to leave the room. After he left, the door opened and the second man entered. As he approached the interviewer, his eyes opened wide. He fell upon his knees and cried, "My Lord, My God." 

I saw and felt my Savior more than I ever have this past week. I can feel Him helping and walking with me daily. I'm am so grateful for this past Easter season and the feelings of gratitude, love, and compassion that I have experienced. God is too good. 

We had the opportunity to go to the temple this past week. It really is the house of the Lord. The power and spirit I felt while inside was overwhelming. It was truly amazing to be in the Lord's house and feel His presence. 

There were miracles flowing all week. From finding a new family of 5 from Iran that wants to learn more this week to having sincere prayers that have changed my life; this week was a blessing. I am eternally grateful for this divine opportunity I have to serve. It truly has blessed me in ways I didn't know were possible. God is at the helm and is blessing me continually. 

Jesus is the Christ. His gospel inspires and uplifts. We just have to keep trying and let Him take the lead. I'm overwhelmed with His grace. I know He lives. I know He can heal. I love Him because He loves me. I worship Him because I want to be like Him. I love this work. 

I love you all and am praying for your success. God bless and make this week a great one!!

Elder Jarrett Pinster 

PINSTER & SMEDLEY

CLARK & PINSTER

Week #62 - UP UP AND AWAY

HOWDY!!! Jesus really is the Christ. He really does live and strengthen each and every single one of us. His love is there for all of us and His healing power can save anyone that calls to Him. I'm so extremely grateful for the Savior and what He did/does for me. 

This week had yet even more miracles. The thing I love about a mission is that you can really find out that God cares and loves each and every single one of us. He cares about us and our well being. Here are some cool miracles from this past week: 

One night Elder Clark and I were out finding. We had prayed about where to be exactly and just felt like the street we were at wasn't right. We prayed again and both had a prompting to go to the exact same place. When we both decided that it was the right decision, we hopped on our bikes and got to the place. When we got there we were able to connect with a member that was struggling super hard. We talked with him and then asked if we could give him a blessing. We did and the spirit was so strong during it. We had no idea why we needed to be somewhere different but we followed the spirit and were able to minister to someone who needed it. The spirit really does guide this work. 

Another cool miracle was when we decide on where to go finding, we pray constantly. When we showed up to the street we had picked out, we really only had time to do the left or the right side. We said a prayer, looked at each other, and both decided at the same time to try the left side. 7 doors in, we were able to meet a family and they invited us in. It was a miracle. We shared the Book of Mormon with them and cannot wait to follow up with them! 

I feel so happy. It is amazing to feel the love of a Heavenly Father when we are doing what He asks us to do. Happiness really does come from and is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

There are countless miracles happening all around us and it proves that God is in the work. I feel so incredibly blessed to be doing the work that I am doing for my Lord. As Easter is approaching, I have been studying more and more of Christ's final events. My appreciation and love for what He did is growing evermore. I am forever grateful for the sacrifice He made for us to be cleansed, redeemed, and forgiven. He is the Savior and He is my best friend. 

I love being a missionary and sharing His light. Heavenly Father is so gracious and His love is always there. I'm thankful for this opportunity I have. The Lord is in the work and His grace can reach us all. 

I love y'all and God bless!!!

Elder Jarrett Pinster

Week #61 - LORD KNOWS

Happy April!!! God is the single greatest thing in my life. I am so absolutely blessed to have Him here leading and guiding me closer to my best self. It was a great week full of growth, miracles, and learning. I'm so grateful to be able to share His gospel and represent Him everyday. 

This week we had a crazy awesome miracle. I was with Elder Hitchcock on an exchange. We were going to go with the Assistants later that evening for another exchange. While waiting for them to come, we decided to go knock an apartment complex. We were able to meet and get in with a family of three! Shortly after, the assistants were waiting in their car and a kid came up to them and asked if they could teach their family. The kid just knew they were missionaries and knew his family needed them. The Assistants went and were able to have a lesson with a family who has been dealing with so many obstacles. Both of the families that were found and taught in that complex happened at the same exact time. God's timing is perfect. He is in the details. Within 5 minutes of each other we were able to find 2 families which consisted of 8 people. The Lord guides the work. He knows the people that need His gospel. 

This week we also had the opportunity to have Zone Conference which is always good. I always feel so motivated and full of love after Zone Conference. We talked a lot about receiving personal revelation and how we can truly receive knowledge for ourselves from Heavenly Father. 

General Conference was the past two days and I feel very edified. The spirit was strong and the words were inspirational. We watched it with our friend Eduardo and he loved it. He told us that he felt like some of the talks were directly for him. He just felt like God was speaking to him. It's crazy how personal and individual Heavenly Father is. He is in the details and He cares about all the little things in our lives. 

Everyday I've been trying to improve. The Lord definitely shows myself where I can improve and how I can be better; What a blessing it is. My mission is changing the nature of who I am. I love this work and feel so incredibly blessed to be a part of it. We have a loving God who wants the best for you. Trust in Him and He will guide you through. I love y'all and am praying for you. God bless. 

"Be still, and know that I am God..." 

Psalms 46:10

Elder Jarrett Pinster

PINSTER & SMEDLEY

COOPER, HITCHCOCK, OWENS, PINSTER, PACHECO, CLARK

Week #60 - MARCH GLADNESS

Howdy friends!!!! Yet again it was such a blessed week to be serving my Savior in the great state of Texas. This week included a ton of learning, growth, patience and leaning on my Savior. The mission is going so well and I love being able to serve here. 

Last week we found a high school kid who was out shooting hoops in his driveway. We went over and I played him in horse. We ended with a spiritual thought and he told us he felt something different aka the spirit. We asked if we could come back and he said for sure. Fast forward to this week and we saw him three times and he is doing so good. We gave him a Book of Mormon which he is reading through so fast. He just loves the feelings of the spirit that he is having. It's a miracle. Heavenly Father was able to guide us to Eduardo and now we get to help him find God. God is good. 

The family we are teaching is doing great. The 14 year old went to youth conference this past week and even bore his testimony. They keep coming to church and have read more than we thought they had. We are so thankful for them and any prayers going their way would be much appreciated!! 

We also went out tracting this past week and met a guy who had just moved here from New York. He said that he had been thinking about finding out more in Christianity and then we showed up. God guides my friends. We had a great talk with him and he invited us back. I feel so blessed to have Heavenly Father looking out for me and guiding me daily. 

We also had the opportunity to go do serve for the Houston Health Clinic this past week. It was so much fun. We basically helped teach kids to brush and floss their teeth. I loved it lol. I even got to see the Houston skyline for the first time in my mission. It's such a pretty city and made me miss Portland a little bit. Suburb life is a pretty plain life to say the least lol. 

I also got to go back on campus this week on an exchange!! I went to Prairie View A&M which is such an awesome school. It was really fun talking to college kids again and kinds bittersweet because my sister served in that area when she was in Texas for her mission. I guess Texas is part of our heritage now :) 

Anyways Texas is a good place to be. The gospel still continues to heal and Jesus is always the Christ. Life is moving fast and I'm so thankful for everything my Savior has done for me. I feel a magnitude of love from Him daily. The spirit guides and fills. I love you all and am so thankful for everything a loving Heavenly Father has given me. Prayers from Texas and God bless. 

Luke 1:37 "For with God nothing shall be impossible." 

Elder Jarrett Pinster

THE CITY OF HOUSTON SKYLINE

Elder Pinster and Elder Karren

Week #59 - LOVE YOURZ

Howdy to my dearest friends and family!

This week was a great week to say the least. We knocked many doors, biked too many miles, and served our Savior. I love being a missionary and sharing the good news that is the gospel. I'm slowly starting to feel more at home in Cypress and I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for the constant guidance He gives me. 

Here are some cool miracles for y'all this week:

On Thursday night we were out finding. We pulled up to an apartment complex and I felt like we needed to go to building 1. As we got out to that building, we saw the apartment management so we quickly hurried to the side of the building because they'd kick us out if they saw us. BUT as we came to the side, we saw a woman walking so we went and said hi. She told us that she was going to buy a lottery ticket. I asked what her lucky number was and she said "1." We talked with her and shared some scriptures. At the end we said a prayer and she invited us back the next day. God guides us all. It only takes "1."

Another cool miracle we had was we were able to get in with a family we've been trying to work with. We were able to go over and share a message about Jesus Christ and the Atonement. The parents both had tears in their eyes after we had finished because the spirit was just so strong. I love feeling the spirit as a missionary in lessons. It just makes life better. 

Lastly, I played a kid in horse this week while we were out tracting. When we finished the game, we asked if we could share a video with him. He watched it and afterwards said he felt something that was just different. It was the fist time he'd ever felt the spirit. We could see that he was feeling it. It was amazing as I had felt prompted to just go shoot with him and it turned into a gospel experience. I'm so grateful for the opportunities Heavenly Father gives us and for the fact that I haven't completely lost my jump shot :) 

On Sunday night, we also got to go to a "WHY I BELIEVE" fireside and I was able to see my Huntsville people again. It made my heart full to see all my friends. Chukwudi (who Elder Potter and I found) even came up to me to invite me to his baptism next week. My heart was made full beyond all fullness. I feel so loved. 

I feel happy. The gospel is true and the Savior loves us all. He lives and is here for us whenever we need him. The healing and cleansing power of our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ is real. He leads and guides us daily. I feel overwhelmed with His grace. 

I love y'all and God bless!! 

Elder Jarrett Pinster 

Food Bank Fail

. . . We still knocked!

On exchanges with Elder Owens

President and Sister Peterson came to say hi on Friday at district council 

Week #58 - GROWTH SZN

Howdy y'all  This past week has been awesome. I got transferred to Cypress Texas! It's a huge suburb of Houston and I cover two family wards here. The bike life has continued unfortunately, but all is well still. 

My new companion is named Elder Clark! He is from Arizona and has been out almost 17 months. I knew him when I served up in College Station, so it has been fun getting back around him. Also Elder Hitchcock from Forest Grove back home is my new Zone Leader companion. I'm way excited about this transfer! 

Let's just say Cypress is a completely different ball game than anywhere else I've served lol. They have these huge gated communities here and the houses are huge. The people are very nice and the members are amazing. I've never really served in an area like this so it will be an adventure for sure! 

We are teaching a family here! They are super amazing and I already love them. They recently moved into the area and were looking for a church. We were able to stop by and get to know them this past week and I'm so excited about them. They even came to church yesterday and loved it. 

This week I have been really working on connecting and relying more and more on the Savior. I have needed him by my side constantly. I loved reading in Mark 4 this past week about Jesus calming the storm. We all have storms going in our lives but Jesus can and will calm them for us. He can tell them to be at peace and help us through it. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. He won't take them away completely, but He will ease the burden we are carrying. I'm so thankful for my Savior and the healing power He possesses. 

It's growth season down here in Texas. I love my Savior and I love the power He gives to me. I know that He is mindful of all of us and loves us each individually. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve and to become better. This gospel is so great and really can calm the troubled soul. 

I love y'all and God Bless! 

Elder Jarrett Pinster

Goodbye Sam Houston

Goodbye Elder Potter

A Texas earthworm???

Goodbye Rebekah!

Week #57 - BYE HVILLE!

Well this week was a week. I will be getting transferred from Huntsville tomorrow and it'll be a bittersweet moment. I loved my time in Huntsville. I grew, struggled, laughed, and really found out who my Savior is. I am so grateful for the people I got to teach and work with. I am full of gratitude and love for everything I have. 

This week we had some fun times as well. We had MLC on Tuesday which I loved because I got to see a ton of my mission friends again. On Wednesday, I got to go on an exchange with Elder Smedley (former comp from CSTAT). Boy was that a blast! It was like we never left each other. We got to teach some of our friends in Huntsville and go finding. I loved it. The people we are teaching are doing great. 

This week I finished reading the Book of Mormon that I started right before Christmas. The Book of Mormon is true. When I knelt down and read it, I felt the same spirit that I felt when I first found out it was true. The sweet spirit that came from it will be something I can never forget. The book is true. I'm so grateful for the truth that comes from the Book of Mormon. 

I also have been studying love and how we can love more like our Heavenly Father. I have come to know that in order to love more like God, we have to love God more. When we love God more, we come to love others more. The world always needs a little bit more love. So as we strive to do that, I'd invite you to love God a little more. 

These past six months have been a great time for growth. I feel the Savior's love. I'm so thankful to have been able to serve in Huntsville and had Elder Potter as my companion. I love being a missionary and am excited for what the future holds!! 

Love y'all and God bless!!! 

Elder Jarrett Pinster

A "Last Supper" in Huntsville TX

Found another native Oregonian ... far from home!

FUN TABLE SELFIE with Pinster, Potter, Smedley & Dennis

Campus Fun with Smedley, Pinster, Potter & Dennis

SMILE!!!

Smedley & Pinster

Week #56 - PRAISES GO UP

WOW. This week was probably one of my craziest weeks on my mission. God is good, The Lord is my light and the spirit guides. SO BLESSED. 

So, here are some miracle stories for y'all:

This week a woman we found tracting a couple weeks ago asked to get baptized!! Her name is Carolyn and she is the best. She is a single mother and calls us her boys. She has progressed so much. There is just a light that people gain when they become invested in the gospel. She has that light now. Carolyn has such a great heart. We taught her the Word of Wisdom this week and she goes "Can we fast to help with it?" WOW. SHE'S THE BEST. So any prayers for Carolyn will be appreciated :) 

Another amazing miracle happened. Saturday we were out doing some visits to people that our ward council gave us. Everyone we stopped by did not want to see us, even got told that we could be shot at due to the sketchy neighborhood. Lol I love Huntsville. Anyways we were feeling kind of useless but we had a prompting to stop by an active older couple that's in our ward. As we pulled in the man came out to greet us. He told us that him and his wife had split up two days earlier and he just felt shattered. We gave him a blessing and the spirit poured itself out into his heart. He told us we were an answer to his prayers. The spirit has healing him. I felt so much love as God used us as instruments in his hands. 

We also had a member bring a friend to church last week, she loved it, and is now taking the lessons! Plus!!! A family in our ward has a wife and two kids that haven't been baptized yet and we were able to have dinner with them last night and are going back to teach them!!!! GOD IS SO GOOD. Sometimes I feel like he blesses me even when I don't feel like I deserve it. He is just love. 

Elder Potter and I are growing even more than I ever thought possible. There is so much truth I've beheld to know that this gospel is true. It is changing lives all over Huntsville. I just feel love from my Heavenly Father. This church is true and I feel so blessed. God is always there. Love you all and God bless!!!

Elder Jarrett Pinster