Hey-O! How is Germany going? shout out to the Dragmanns, Love ya! I hope you guys have a bomb couple of weeks together. This week here in Tennessee has been CRAZY!
To start off the week, Elder Struthers and I had a companionship study with one of the companion ships in our zone. We started talking with them about "how we could help?". They told us about an investigator that they we're teaching and having some trouble with. We ended up Role playing a lesson plan for them and then asked the other Elders to give it a shot. One of them said; " couldn't we just do an exchange and one of you come down and do it? I don't want to mess it up." Struthers and I did like a little pump up talk with them. We told them that they would be able to receive more revelation for their investigator than we ever could and that they would be able to reach people that Elder Struthers and I might not ever be able too. The spirit was really strong, And we told them that there is no doubt in our minds, That if they will work hard and do all that they can to have the spirit with them that they WILL baptize, Because the Lord promised it in the scriptures. Our District set a goal of 8 baptisms this month (which is huge considering that our zone only had 3 the last month.) But I really felt that it was going to happen. And all of us are so pumped for our district.
So then on p-day, we all decided to go up to Bristol to play some ball with a group of Elders. After an hour or two of playing a game, Elder Struthers and Drysdale went into the hall because the phone rang. A couple seconds later they popped their heads in the door and their faces look like something bad had just happened! They Whispered my name and signaled for me to hurry over there. As soon as I got in the hall Drysdale said "Dude we're all getting emergency transferred! I'm going to Rotherwood to serve as a Zone Leader with Struthers and Your going to Knoxville to serve as a Zone Leader With Elder Phippen!"... WHAT? WHEN!?... President said he is going to pick us up in a couple hours and so we need to leave now to pack!
talk about unexpected, it came from behind! We had to stay to do and baptismal interview and we still had an hour until that so we decided to hurry and go get some lunch. I guess Struthers didn't know how to take this "big change" so he decided to break the word of wisdom... ;) haha.. just kiddin strut (He ordered a peach drink and after he took a sip he realized it was tea lol... we gave him a lot of crap for it) But Any ways.. We rushed home and canceled our appointments for the night and started to pack. (I don't like packing at all.) (And I think I left a lot there.. oh well) President Irion showed up around 10:30 11 ish and threw me the keys to drive us up to k-town. just one problem....President was still new to the mission, and I had never served anywhere in the Knoxville zone. It was dark and my GPS was packed away. and neither of us knew how to really get there. It was cool to spend some one on one time with President for a couple hours. He told me the low down of why there had to be an emergency transfer. There were a lot of missionaries That were being really disobedient, that just were hanging out all day and all night and not really doing any work. and a couple other things like sleepovers and watching movies.... But we ended up getting lost and showed up to the apartment a little after 2 in the morning. Elder Phippen and I threw on our sheets, called it a night and went to bed.
When we woke up, neither of us knew at all where we were or what was going on in the area. We cleaned up the mess in the apartment and called our ward mission leaders, and set up an appointment with them. (We found out that we cover 2 wards, the Knoxville 1st ward and the YSA branch for the University of Tennessee!! WOOT WOOT COLLEGE haha.) luckily enough they both made the time out of their days to come over and help us out a bit. In the mean time, Elder Phippen and went through the area book and found that it hadn't been updated in a long while... After our meeting with our mission leaders, we could tell that they were really excited to have us here.
Later Elder Phippen and I went out and started to try and work and find some people to start teaching. After a long day I felt really over whelmed. It was fo sho one of those time where I wondered, "Is this to much for me?... Can I really do this?.. Why do I have to suffer for this carp that others did?" I didn't think that I could do it... It was really hard to leave my last area... I was really frustrated about a lot of things. I was upset that I was just starting to feel like a really good zone leader and connected with a lot of the zone.... I was upset that I was going to be whitewashing and going to an area that I knew nothing about, where anything was, or who anybody is... I was upset to be leaving where we had just been getting a lot more involved in the ward... I didn't want to leave my friends that I had in that area, and a companion that I loved to serve with... I was heartbroken that I was going to miss Victoria's baptism, after months of seeing her grow...
But I am thankful...For the chance that I now have to grow.
I'm so grateful for the chance that I HAVE to rely on the Lord, to even know how to make it back to my home at night. Its a chance that I have to really grow into the person He knows that I can be. Even tho I have to do a lot things I don't want to do, I know that its all for my good, and that he loved me enough to give me this chance.
At times in life we are feel that we are nothing and can't face what lies ahead. We sometime feel that what we are going through isn't fair.. It might not be.. But that is when we grow. And I'm thankful for those times.
I am excited to be here in this Area. I really believe that a lot of good will happen, just as soon as we can finish cleaning some of the crap up. ROMANS 5:2-5
We went to a district meeting, where there were a lot of the missionaries that were in trouble. We could tell right off the back that they weren't happy to have us of the mission president there.. There is still a lot of disobedience that we need to fix. And I know the Lord will prepare a way. But I think that that will be there hardest part of this area. not the people, but the disobedience in some of the missionaries.
Its really cool having UT in our area. College students are a ton of fun to teach. They love to hear and try knew things and aren't set in their ways. We cant take one of our ward mission leaders there because he gets to easily distracted by all the chicas haha ( I didn't think I would ever meet someone more girl crazy than matt, but our main man Dino takes the cake.) Yesterday he drove us around the campus because we had to get to institute. He asked us to tell him about our day but it went something like this... "Our day was pretty good, we met this legit guy and taught him the Restoration and" *OH SONNNN!!!! Dino yelled (we had stopped at a stop light and this blond girl was dancing to the music in the car next to us) "Hey! DIno!" We yelled. *yeah yeah im still listen, what did she think about the lesson?* "Her? dude it was a guy! He.." *OH YEAH GIRL!!, YOU MOVE IT. I SEE YOU DANCIN* "yo DINO!!" *yeah yeah man* Then his friend in the other front seat yelled at him, "Dino you best be listen to these blue brothers, I don't even think you heard what they said!" Dino started back up *keep on going, you said he was bobbin his head* "Dino man, no one was bobbin their head except that girl next to us! haha (That latest for about 45 min over and over trying to get out of down town haha)
not sure if that made any sense but they are a lot of fun to have around.
Well time is up. As I said, I don't really know a lot of things. I don't know really where I am.... I don't know where to go.. And I'm not sure what lies ahead. BUT I DO KNOW that the Church is true. I know our lives are blessed each time we go. So go. I know that the Book Of Mormon is the word of God. And I do know that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet of God that restored the church in these last days. Always make time to have the scriptures in your life daily. Your Heavenly Father wept when you left his presence, and he wants you to make it back home. I love you all so much. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. And I hope to hear from you soon.
Peace out, K-Town. Elder Pearson =D
