Understanding the Atonement Brings a Desire to Share the Gospel

Hello! Sister Peavler here!

I'm excited to share some highlights! It feels like its been a while since I have!! Anyways....

1.) Zone p-day! My zone which is about ten sisters and ten elders went to this monument called Death March. we all piled into 1 jeepney...it was quite the squeeze but we are alive so all is well! We mostly just took tons of pictures there! It was really fun! It's so great making so many friends here! We also walked over this hanging bridge! I will send pictures of that day!

2.) General conference! General confernece was great like always! I wish I could go on the computer every day to review the talks! One of my friends here told me that her companion once told her "Heavenly Father makes her feel like an only child."  It's so true! Through those talks, I learned so much and felt things directed to me. It's amazing how special we are to Heavenly Father even though we are just a speck of His creations. After general conference a member took us to SM. It's the big mall here! Anyways we had pizza hut! It was oh so delicious! a nice break from rice fish and vegetables!!:)

3.) Agency. I've learned a lot about agency here on the mission. We have so much freedom to choose. Heavenly Father gave us a plan to follow in this life (which is all in the Book of Mormon:). He gave us everything we need. Yet sometimes we still choose the wrong thing. The natural man really bothers me sometimes! Every action has a consequence. Because God loves us so much He wants us to experience joy and we don't know joy if we don't experience sorrow!

4.) One by one...the Lord helps us one by one. Individually. It truly amazes me. I already spoke of this but He just knows us so well. I dont understand but am grateful to really see this. I love visiting less actives. I always feel my Saviors love for them. I feel His desire for them to come back. Things happen in life, hard things, but we can't forget how we've gotten this far already. Doctrine and Covenants chapter 6 is one of my favorites because it talks about this. Don't forget the confirming witness you've gotten before. Don't forget your testimony. Strengthen it everyday. It's a living thing that can  grow or die, so fast!

5.) Michael...I'd like to share a little about Michael one of our new investigators. He's so great! From our first leson with him, I really felt his special spirit. Anyways he was in a bad accident in japan a few years ago. He is now blind in one eye. He's gotten closer to Heavenly Father since His accident. and I really feel he has been prepared for the message of the restored gospel! He asks such pure questions it's hard to explain but it just makes me so happy! We were teaching the first lesson to him and we were at the apostasy part and we said that there was no longer the true church on the earth during the apostasy. Then he jumped in and said in english "So what is the true church now" and I just smiled so big and kind of laughed becuase he was so intently listening and it just made me so excited! My companion and I said that during the rest of the lesson he'll find out! It's just so exciting to meet people who search and wonder then you get to tell them about Christ's church. There's nothing really else like that feeling. Now he is really searching for an answer! He prays and reads and asks Heavenly Father. We were talking about the Holy Ghost the other day and He said " So how do I know its the Holy ghost?" may seem like a simple question...and maybe I get too excited over little things haha...but i just love being able to teach people about this gospel!!!! especially when they have such a desire like Michael! He's just great and will hopefully get baptized in November!!

6.) 11 week! It's week 11 here in Lapaz for me! Craziness!!! I lead the area this week and my trainer follows me. I'm kind of nervous! but excited too! Then transfers are in a couple of weeks and we will see if we get transferred! I hope I stay here in Lapaz! but I'll be happy wherever:)

7.) Nonmembers.....I really hope people who are not members of this Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are reading my letters. This isn't just a church. It isn't the "Mormons"church. It is literally Jesus Christ's church. and you can know this! Life will still be hard when you come to know the truth for yourself and satan will try even harder for you to get away from the true church in all kinds of ways. But Heavenly Father loves you, He knows you, and is stronger than Satan. If you want peace of mind, hope, and to feel that your life has purpose, talk to the missionaries, or a member friend, or go online and contact missionaries. Funny story I was on a jeepney and a lady asked me if we were Mormons and I said yes. Well we were talking and I brought up the Book of Mormon. I was saying how beautiful it was and she said "well of course your going to say that cuz obviously its your church its what you tell people " and it isn't that. It's so much more. I don't share these things because I'm a missionary. because I'm a mormon. I'm a mormon and a missionary because i love sharing these things! I don't have to say these words. I don't have to be here in the Philippines! but when you understand the atonement of Jesus Christ you have a greater desire to share it with others. And thats exactly why I'm here! Heavenly Father has a plan for us and Jeus Christ is the center. It's that simple!

DEAR ELDER!!!! Okay so just like every other missionary...I love getting mail....!!!!! And it is difficult for a letter to get here right? Well if you go on dear elder.com and go to Philippines Angeles mission you can type me a message and it will be directly sent to me in letter form! It's so fun! So if you feel like making a missionaries day.....go to dearelder.com! haha(my add for the day)

Well hope all is well back home! thank you for your prayers! they strengthen me every day!!

love sister Peavler

Pizza Hut!!!

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"Conversion is a principle of action"

Hello to all who read this! :) I am happy to tell about week 8 in the mission field! Week 8, can you believe it? i can't! It's almost time for me to leave the nest... away from my trainer...but we actually think we will both stay here in La paz next transfer as well! If so, i will be with her until she goes home! It's kind of strange being with someone who is about to go home! We are at totally opposite places but I'm learning everything from how to cook Filipino foods, to how to get people into the waters of baptism! If my clothes are wet from rain, she tells me to change my clothes so I don't get sick. I love the rain so I don't like to use my umbrella! She says "do you love your work?" and i say yes, then she says, "then use your umbrella so you don't get sick!" haha anyways I'll tell you about some of our adventures :) 

1.) Something I forgot last week! So our branch had family day and we ate some interesting stuff! Well there was all these chicken parts. Basically all the insides! Well there was something that looked like a brain...so one of the elders and I tried it....it was weird.... but then someone told us it was a chicken ovary. I'm not sure what is worse a brain or an ovary... but it was an experience to eat it! 

2.) Tagalog...I'm starting to understand the people well! its a miracle! it makes me excited to know that I'm progressing! The people understand me pretty well I just have a hard time putting sentences together...but it's improving which is great!

3.) Conference....we don't get to watch it until next week unfortunately ;( but I'm really excited! The Internet or something wasn't working so we only got to watch 10 minutes of the women's conference. It was the last part of Uchtdorf's talk! I love his talks! Something I notice he emphasizes in most of his talks is the love Heavenly Father has for us. I am finding that out for myself here in the mission too.Every lesson we give relates back to the love of Heavenly Father. Something that Uchtdorf said is that he loves us now and he always will. It's easy to get discouraged no matter where you are, but like Uchtdorf always points out, the most glorious being who created all knows us individually. How comforting! 

4.) Patience....I'm learning lots of patience. When I see people and their potential in the true church, it breaks my heart when they don't see it. I guess that's how Heavenly Father feels with us sometimes. We have so much potential but don't take the action. Faith requires action and when you act, you become converted. I was listening to a talk this week and it said "conversion is a principle of action" A testimony is so fragile. We have to constantly nourish it! The little things that you hear all the time since you are in primary...yeah those things make or break your testimony. Prayer,scripture study,church,faith,repentance. If you don't do them you wont fall but if you just start slipping up on one of them it leads to more! It all comes down to agency! Which kinda scares me because I choose everything I do! it would be easier if Heavenly Father did! but then we wouldn't grow. Through the atonement of Jesus Christ we can have the power to choose correctly. This is a truth I am learning in my everyday life. the enabling power of the atonement is the key to everything! If you want some spiritual upliftment, study about the atonement! 

5.) The people here are so kind! I walked into the market the other day at like 5:30 in the morning and was greeted with good morning beautiful! ha ha!! Speaking of the market! It's quite the experience! I wish i could take pictures of it! They sell meat like its clothing! They hang it up and lay it out then everyone picks it up looks at it then if they like it they buy it. It is not a good place for people who are germaphobes! but its a fun experience! i eat mostly vegetables! They're always fresh of course! Usually all my meals are some sort of meat, vegetables, and rice....then for snacks I eat stuff with peanut butter.....like bananas! they have like 50 different types of bananas! its a banana lovers dream!! the food is delicious but i miss other foods.....like milk and cheese!!! and chocolate! and of course Mexican food.....but I'm healthy and well here! :) 

anyways I don't have too much to report this week but hope you enjoyed! and I'll send some pics! :)

Domingo family and elders in our district

Giri Family with Investigator Dongsky

Young women in the branch I serve in. 

My trainer received her departure letter, that's why we look sad!