Miracles and Blessings!

April 27, 2015

People I love!

It's hard to believe this transfer will come to a close this week! I have learned so much from the ward and from Sister Brimley this transfer! She has been in this area for 6 months so we are both pretty sure she'll be leaving this next week. I have been trying to cram as much information about this area as possible into my head while I still have Sister Brimley here! It has been a wonderful and crazy week needless to say! 

Sis Brimley and I at the Cracker Barrell with the M family

We had MANY miracles and blessings this week. I'm not sure if I've mentioned our investigator A. before, but she is an incredible woman who has been SO prepared for the gospel! We haven't been able to see her for a long long time, but this week we were blessed to be able to teach her twice! We weren't sure what her concern was...why she wasn't progressing. But we were able to see the Spirit work in us this week and were able to resolve her concerns!

Revelation through District Meeting is a real thing. Elder Fa (DL) did a training about invitations to church. We answered two questions: How do I feel about sacrament meeting, and how do your investigators feel about sacrament meeting? Then we came up with a plan to help that investigator feel the importance of sacrament meeting. It turns out that both Sister Brimley and I had written, "A. feels like church is a hassle." We came up with a lesson with A. so she would realize that church is more than just another place to go, it's a place we receive revelation and renew our covenants for the week. Sure enough, the next time we sat down with A., one of the FIRST things she said was, "Guys, I feel like getting to church is just a hassle." I was amazed, yet again, of how all-knowing our Heavenly Father is, to show us exactly what A. was feeling and needing! WOW. We were able to talk and share what we had prepared. Then, on Sunday, we were able to watch her walk into church for the first time, with her daughter, smiling and beautiful! The Lord's hand is in this work!

It was such a blessing to have 4 of our investigators come to church this week! Especially J. S., an almost 80-year-old wonderful man, who at first told the sisters he would never change, never come to church! But the spirit was working hard this week, because he committed to be baptized on June 6th, and showed up to church for the first time.

We got an unexpected call on Tuesday! Our mission is going to be having a last-minute mission conference in Charleston, MO, and Elder Ulisses Soares, of the Presidency of the Seventy; Bishop Gary E. Stevenson, Presiding Bishop of the Church; and Elder Quentin L Cook, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will be in attendance! We are soooooooo excited! The best (or worst :0) part is that our district will be performing the musical number we did last Sunday for our mission president! Ohhhh boy we are nervous. Pray for us!

I love this area, I love my mission! The gospel is true! I know it, and God will reveal that truth to anyone who asks about it :) (Moroni 10:4-5)

20 min after we cleaned our car HA!

Oh, and I just think it's great that I drive a RED Toyota Corolla!

We got excited about the "Restoration" part

Easter Miracles!

April 20, 2015

Hello all you people I love!

Wow, what a wonderful week. I am loving this area so so much. I feel like I learn from these wonderful people every day!

A highlight of this week was an Easter fireside we hosted in the Centralia ward...President and Sister Morgan came and spoke! The spirit was incredible. They both spoke about our responsibility as members. We are not only to be active in the church, we need to be active in the GOSPEL! There is a big difference! Sister Morgan did a little object lesson...she had an empty pitcher that represented a person's life. She gradually filled it with water--representing the way we choose to fill our life. She started with things like work, school, hobbies, entertainment, and when the water was nearly at the top, she started mentioning Christ, and the gospel. By that time, there was no room left in the pitcher, and it quickly overflowed! When the gospel is not our priority, sometimes adding it on top of everything else we do overfills our pitcher. What are our priorities? Christ should be the CENTER of our lives, then we will find happiness and peace. 

Easter Fireside with the Morgans

Our missionary district did a musical number, and that is when I felt the spirit the strongest! I was on the piano, but I felt close to the Lord as we all testified through music, "I Know that My Redeemer Lives!" The last verse, our district leader sang a solo, and started crying! I looked out at the ward and realized that EVERYONE was crying!! The heartfelt testimony in that song brought the spirit like nothing else! There was a unique spirit of unity that night...Christ was with us! It was so wonderful to see one of the returning less-actives we are working with, along with her granddaughter, who we are teaching, there at that fireside! Also one family was so touched, they stopped to help a random lady carry a mattress on the way home from the fireside. They invited her to church, and referred her to us that night! I was amazed at the miracles we see when Christ is with us.

Right now we are helping our investigator, A., discover who Christ is. She bared her heart to us this week when we taught her. She is struggling with several things, as we all do, and she doesn't know where to turn! We were able to help her realize that Christ is the way, and will be her light! She had so much hope when we left, and she prayed for strength to come to church and read the Book of Mormon so she could find Christ. It's so simple...Christ is the answer!

I love you all. Come unto Christ!

Sister Petrie

Me and Sister Brimley

We are loved!

April 16, 2015

Hello my beautiful family!

I hope you know I love you all!

Welcome Spring with joy!!

This week was FULL. Both of trials and miracles. 

I want to share when I felt closest to my Savior this week. We had a former investigator, D., call us up this week. He is going through such difficult trials. He had dug himself in a hole so to speak with his choices...and his call to us was a humble cry for help. When we met with him on Saturday, he seemed empty, we could tell he felt hopeless. He expressed to us that he felt lost, too far gone for any rescue. My heart hurt for him! But as we talked, we began to testify of the most important truth...the infinite saving power of the Atonement. We were FILLED with the spirit as we promised him that his burdens could be lifted through the Savior. That there are NO lost causes. That there is always hope! We felt impressed to share the scripture, Moroni 7:41, "And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the POWER of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise." Christ is all-powerful! Though his choices may always be remembered by men, and he may have to deal with those consequences the remainder of his life, as we learned in conference, there are no spiritual scars! Christ's sacrifice can leave us clean. New! We can change. As we left, he said he DID have a hope after speaking with us. He had a flicker of faith! He committed to be baptized at the end of June. I KNOW that there are no lost causes. You are not a lost cause! There is hope! Remember to cry out to the Savior. He is here!

We were led by the spirit so much this week! On Thursday, we were in an appointment with our investigator, T., and it was time to leave to make it to our meeting with Bishop Waggonner on time. However, we felt prompted to stay a little longer. So we took our time, finished up with T., and were running about 15 minutes late to our meeting. Just as we pulled up to the church, a young man approached us. He had walked to the church from the High school and had just arrived there when we had pulled up. His name was N., and we started talking to him. He said he had come to the church to feel peace...he felt a lot of conflict inside, and wanted to feel close to God. We gave him a Book of Mormon, brought him into the church, and the elders gave him a blessing and began teaching him. The timing of it just blew me away! The church is almost ALWAYS empty, but the Lord guided him and us to meet at the right time. Now he has a baptismal date for mid-may!

I hope these miracles I've shared help you feel how much God loves his children. He is constantly guiding and planning for us, whether we recognize it or not. I know this to be true! Things always work out. 

Sister Brimley is the greatest!

Have a wonderful week everyone! You are loved!

I milked a cow this week.  No really!

Hello From Centralia!

Sister Brimley is great!

April 6, 2015

Hello From Centralia!

Oh I just love this place already. Sister Brimley and I have so much fun! I look up to her so much. She is very strong and works hard for the spirit. Such a beautiful soul!

Wasn't conference just incredible? I LOVE THE PROPHETS! I hope you all, like myself, had incredible answers to prayer.


I felt so much love for my Savior this week. And so much love from him as well! If any of you have not yet seen the "Because He Lives" video, please take time to watch! We have been showing it to every possible person this week...and it has changed my life! Ponder the question: What is different about my life because he lives?" I promise you will find that the Savior has worked miracles in your life. When the Savior touches us, we change. He changes our very nature so that we desire to follow him!

Our 9-year-old investigator, S., was an example to me this week of following the Savior. His mom, R., is a member and has such a desire to return to church and become active. They read the Book of Mormon together every night! We asked S. after showing him the "Because He Lives" video, "Will you follow the example of the Savior and be baptized?" He said yes! We asked, "What does it mean to be baptized?" His answer just filled up my heart!! "I don't really know the answer to that question, but I want to follow Jesus!" Such a faith-filled boy! I love him. I want to have as much faith as S. Like Sister Wixom said in conference, we don't have to see the whole path in order to take steps on it. Press forward in faith!

We had zone conference this week in Frontenac! (St Louis) It was wonderful!! I can't express my love for President and Sister Morgan. They are always always reaching out to help others. They only want success and happiness for their missionaries and to serve the Lord.

There have been so many Nauvoo throwbacks for me lately! A family in the ward, the M's, got accepted to be in the gold cast this summer! We have been talking about it so much! Also, I ran into Sister L. at zone conference. She was related to/knew the B's in our cast! And they were in the yellow cast! Also, we got a referral of a sweet lady who is interested in the church because she attended the pageant. Oh, and a couple in the ward, the M's, goes to the pageant yearly, and knows ALL the YPM's there! So we had a chat about the P's (from AZ) of course :) Fun connections!

I wish I had time to talk about all our wonderful investigators. We teach a lot here! I love them all so so much. Just know I am doing well and my testimony is stronger than ever of the truth of this gospel!

S. Family and our awesome Elders!

General Conference!

March 30, 2015

Hello my lovely wonderful family.

What an incredible women's conference that was on Saturday! It made me so grateful for my family, immediate and extended, and for the support I receive from all of you! Thank you thank you thank you. I love you all so so much!

General Conference is this upcoming weekend! What a blessing that is! Prophets speak for GOD! I feel so blessed to live in a dispensation with a living church. He LIVES!

Centralia is so great. The work here is exploding! We teach so many people, and it is because of the involvement of the members! If any of you want to help the missionaries, find friends who are prepared for the gospel! Pray to be led to those who are prepared. I have a lot of faith that this transfer will be excellent!

Selfie in the Car

Sister Brimley is awesome. She has been out a transfer less than I have, which means I have to drive the car! Let's just say I am slowly gaining back my driving skills... Hopefully I can send a picture of us! I love her, I love this area. The ward members are lovely to us! I miss Danville a lot, but I am grateful to be here.

This week was great! I am so excited about a family we just started teaching...A. and S. They are wonderful. They have been so prepared to hear the gospel! S. told us he wasn't sure if there really was even a God. So we talked about faith, and read to him the inspired words of Alma in chapter 32 v. 26-27. We told him if he even had a particle of faith, just a desire, he could KNOW there was a God. We asked him if he had that desire. His answer was so humble. "Yes. I want to believe." He committed to pray that night, for the first time probably in years. People I love, I hope you KNOW that God is so merciful! He wants to give us the knowledge and the answers, but it does take faith. Ask, and ye shall receive. We may wish we had knowledge from God, but how many times do we actually ASK. I have an ever-strengthening testimony of our Father's willingness to give us all our righteous desires if we but ask!

I LOVE this work! I am so happy to be trusted to be a missionary. I love you all! Thanks for all your support again.

Love! 

Sister Petrie