Blessed to be in Centralia!

May 25, 2015

Family!

We've had such an amazing week it's unreal. We feel very, VERY blessed!

Have I told you about the P's yet?

Sister P. is a member of the ward, recently moved in, and we just started teaching her husband, R.! I love R. He was ready to be baptized when we met him! He told us on Sunday after church, "I think I'm finding the thing that was missing in my life." Golden. God is truly leading us to prepared people! We were able to teach the Restoration to him this week, and it was one of the most powerful lessons I've been in! When we shared Joseph Smith's testimony of the First Vision, more than one of the people in the room were crying! It's so wonderful to see Sister P. so happy because she gets to share the truth with someone she loves so much. We love love teaching him.

Saturday was incredible! We had a mission "finding" day where the entire mission prayed to be led to those who were prepared for the gospel. We set a goal to find 2 new investigators that day, and were able to find 3! One of them was the father of a part-member family, the S's! We've been teaching his two teenage daughters, and we've been trying to teach him, but every time we would start a lesson he would disappear, even though we invited him to listen. But this time, between us praying our hearts out and the spirit working on him, something made him want to listen! It was perfect--The message we shared was about families being together forever through God's plan of happiness. When we were explaining the missionary work that happens in the spirit world, you could tell he felt something. He asked us about one of his dear friends who had recently passed away, who had not been baptized or taken the time to learn about Christ. We were able to testify that yes--he was now learning about the gospel in the spirit world, and he would be given the chance to accept it! I love the plain and precious truths of this gospel. They are what bring the joy to missionary work!

I'm out of time for now, got to go on exchanges with Sister Sperry!

Next Monday I won't be emailing either, P day is moved to Tuesday because of another mission conference we are having! I can hardly believe it, but Elder D Todd Christofferson is coming to the mission! We are seriously thrilled to have 2 apostles coming to the mission within just a couple months!


Sister Petrie

Also, J. from Danville got baptized this week.
There are no words to express how much I love them!

Hello!

Our district had a cook-off this week and we wore flowers!!

May 18, 2015

People I love,

I definitely have an ever-increasing testimony of being in the right place at the right time, if we let the spirit lead us! I've always believed that God gives us help when we ask for it. But I'm coming to feel that He is a micro-manager, He is in EVERY detail, His timing is perfect. If the Spirit leads us, we can begin to see that in our own lives!

When I look back at the companions I've had, I'm realizing that each companion and their different personalities were exactly what I needed at the time! I can already see so many reasons Sister Schow and I are together, at this time, in this area. She has helped me more than she knows, and the people here need her at this time in their lives!

There are so many times that I've seen God's hand in the details this week! Once was an afternoon when multiple appointments fell through and we had a couple hours of empty space...we kept working. We put a whole bunch of people we needed to visit in the GPS, and did our best to see them in an order best fit to their needs and our miles haha...We both had a lot of faith that we'd end up in the right place at the right time. Specifically, there was a woman we have been trying to get a hold of for AGES, but she had never answered her door, there had never been any sign that she wanted to talk to us at all! But we still felt inspired to plug in her address. She was the 3rd or 4th house we visited. As we pulled up to her house and got ready to get out of the car, we saw her walking outside, making a trip to the recycle bin to throw away a soda can! I don't think anyone could explain how on earth we caught her at the very minute she was outside, throwing away a soda can, but that's just how God works! We were able to talk to her, and she warmed up to us, and gave us her phone number so we could reach her and see her again!

Last night was another miracle! Again we had an appointment fall through, and we had an hour or so before we had to be in. We said a prayer, and specifically asked that we would be able to see someone that needed to see us that night! We had a name come to mind, and were on the way to see the family when I had the distinct impression to turn down a specific street to knock on the house of a potential investigator who we had tried dozens of times before. I followed the prompting, and I think scared Sister Schow a bit when I crossed 3 or 4 lanes of traffic all of a sudden to make the turn haha.... We knocked on the house, and a couple from Kenya, Africa (not our potential investigator) answered the door, let us in, and we were able to teach them about the Book of Mormon!

It's been an incredible week, we've been able to find 7 new investigators! That is an incredible blessing, since we've also had a lot of investigators drop us recently. I know the Lord works and blesses us according to our faith!

I hope these stories help you know how much God loves us, and how TRUE this gospel is! There are so many being prepared.

I love you all so much!

Sister Petrie

I ate 2 crickets this week at a member's house.
Apparently its a rite of passage or something?  Blech.

That's a cricket. :)  I ate it.

We are that we might have joy!!

Sister Petrie and Sister Schow

May 11, 2015

Dear people I love,

It was so so SO good to talk to you all yesterday. You helped me renew my excitement for the work, and helped me remember to smile and be happy!

This week has been crazy, but I have learned a lot. I love love Sister Schow SO much. It was definitely inspired for us to be companions. I've already have seen her insights and way of working bless my life. She is a terrific missionary.

This week I've felt so strongly that I need to learn to be happy. I've received that message from so many different sources this week, I know that Heavenly Father is trying to teach me something. I've realized that on my mission I've been spending most of my time stressed, running to appointments, worrying before lessons, doubting myself during lessons, being sad when things don't go as planned, and wishing things or myself was better/different, with a few moments each day feeling the joy of the gospel. But the Lord says, "Men are that they might have joy." -2 Nephi 2: 25. If we can't learn to be happy on this earth, despite trials, how can we expect to know how to feel perfect joy in heaven? I read through the blessings I was promised when I was set apart to be a missionary, and one of them was that despite some dark days, my mission would be one of JOY and laughter! It's normal to be sad, stressed, and disappointed sometimes. But to spend the majority of our time in that category is not part of Heavenly Father's plan for us!

Life is a pattern of ups and downs, but the very purpose and promise of the gospel is to find profound peace, no matter what happens. Only in this way can we truly love our lives, our missions, and ourselves. The Savior is the one who can take these burdens and help us feel the love and joy that he has. He is the light and life of the world. He loves us so much!

On Saturday, our investigator A. H. texted us and told us she didn't think the church was right for her family. She asked us not to come over anymore. That was one of the hardest things to happen on my mission so far! A. was going to be baptized in June, and she had felt the power of the spirit change her life. She KNEW this gospel was good! I love her so so SO much. But as I poured my heart out to Heavenly Father, asking for her to find the gospel again in the future, I felt that promised peace. Only the Savior could have brought that to my heart! I'm amazed at how I was able to move on and still feel that peace. I know God will work on her and her family although we as missionaries can't right now. They are in His hands.

I do love my mission, and I am ready to find more joy in this work. Thank you all for being such incredible examples to me! Remember to be happy and to find joy, despite hard things. God never did expect us to be perfect on this earth. He expects us to turn to Him.

Love you all SOOOO much. Thanks for the wonderful cheering team you all are!

Sister Petrie 

Reunited with Sister Biddle! And we matched!!! :)

Transfers are here!

ALL the sisters in the mission! It is probably the most awkward picture I've ever seen...
but I hope you feel the love we have for each other! :)

May 4, 2015

Hello hello hello, people I love!

This week has been one of the best in my mission. I don't have time to share all the incredible miracles and blessings we've seen, but I'll touch on a few!

First was mission conference on Saturday. What a blessing it was to be there with the ENTIRE mission, all in one room! I felt the spirit of missionary work so powerfully. Elder Quentin L Cook of the quorum of the twelve was there with us! The very first thing he did when he walked into the chapel was to line all of us up so he'd be able to shake all of our hands, one by one! Oh, I have so much love for that man!

Of course there were so many things I learned from him, but I think the highlight was hearing his special witness of the Savior. As he stood there and testified, the spirit bore witness to our hearts that He is our Savior. And that there are apostles and prophets that once again are on the earth, to guide and bless our lives. I can't express the depth to which I know this to be true!! Something that Elder Ulisses S Soares said really stuck with me as well. He encouraged us to meet our Savior while we were on our missions, to allow him to make an impression on our souls, never to be removed! I realized, looking back, that I have truly begun to meet the Savior on my mission. He has been walking beside me every day. He has never left my side. He has changed those I've taught, and He has changed me. I KNOW he lives. As one of the members, Sister Darnell, says, "You ask me how I know He lives; He lives within my heart!"

Transfer calls were later that day! I am staying here and getting Sister Schow! I'll miss Sister Brimley, but I met Sister Schow at mission conference and she seems amazing. We will have a great transfer!

I have to go now, not much time today! But I want to share this miracle quickly. Yesterday after church, we had a space in our schedule where we planned to contact investigators and others we desperately needed to see. But every person we tried to see wasn't home/we couldn't contact them! We knew that we needed to be somewhere else, and God did open doors! We felt really good about contacting a less-active woman, and neither of us knew who she was! They immediately let us in, and we were able to meet her husband and daughters, all non-members. She had a wonderful experience with missionaries before, and both her daughters want to learn about the gospel! I was amazed at Heavenly Father's hand...he placed us directly in the path of people who were prepared by Him. We are so excited to teach them!

I can't wait to call you guys on Mother's day! I have no details about that, so I'll have to have a member let you know what's going on.... :)

Love you all so much.

SIster Petrie