We definitely have quantity... Monday, May 23, 2016

This week has been CRAZY!!!! So many miracles happening and many many great experiences. First of all, I think I mentioned last week that I would be getting transferred, now I am in an area called "BYU East". Get this, we cover the 2nd most wards/stakes in the WORLD!!! At least as far as we know. The only two other missionaries that cover more than us are the Assistants. But... we cover 91 wards. 8 stakes. It is crazy... talk about weird right? I thought 2 stakes was weird!!

SO yes. We are very reliant upon our members here because how else are we supposed to get anything done here? Haha. 

We speak in church about every Sunday. We spoke in the Married Student 1st ward this week. Oh, of our 8 stakes, we cover 5 YSA stakes, 2 Married Student stakes, and 1 family stake. So very unusual. SO! we cover the following stakes:

Oak Hills Stake (Uncle Bill you live in that stake!!!)

Provo Utah Married Student 1st Stake

Provo Utah Married Student 3rd Stake

Provo Utah YSA 2nd Stake

Provo Utah YSA 5th Stake

Provo Utah YSA 7th Stake

Provo Utah YSA 16th Stake

Provo Utah YSA 17th Stake

crazy right? And yes, I do know a few people that live in these Stakes. Friends going to BYU or family here :) So that is super cool. Hopefully you can find us some people to teach

On Wednesday, my first day in the area, we found a new investigator. It was his first week in the United States and he is from Nigeria. His name is K. He is so amazing, I don't know if I have met anyone with as much faith as he has! We knocked on his door... and he didnt answer. So we waited a while and knocked again. He did answer and he looked like he had just woken up. He told us he had a dream where two people knocked on his door and that God told him to get up and go answer it because we had something for him!!! So, amazing start to the week. We taught him about the Restoration of the Gospel and he loved everything! Except when we got to the Book of Mormon. He said in Africa they believe in the bible and that it is very unusual to believe other stuff. Essentially he was very hesitant about it. We read Moroni 10:3-5 with him and he sat for a minute pondered it, read it again a time or two. Then he said, "This is inspiring! I want to find out if this book is the word of god!" 

It was so amazing! Then, unexpectedly Elder D invited him to be baptized on May 28thTHIS SATURDAY! WOW. He said if he finds out the BoM is true, then for sure he will be baptized. So we are really going to work hard this week.

I just realized I did not really introduce my new companion. Elder D. He has been serving 21 months. He is from Pasco Wasshington and he is awesome. Ironically, he was my zone leader when I entered the mission field 9 whole months ago. We both recognize how weird it is that we are companions but we are happy to be serving together. We both get along really well, we have a strong desire to be obedient and we know how to have fun. He goes home in two transfers so we are expecting to be serving together for the duration of his mission. He said to me, "Elder Pierce, you realize that my next companion is going to be my wife right?" and we laughed a bit. So we are gonna do great things here!

There have been many more miracles, but I am short on time. So I want each of you to know that I love you and thank you for being a part of my life!! Have a great week!

- Elder Pierce

Photos from Elder Pierce 5-16-16

His Zone:

"Bowling today, almost did super well. (I was trying to beat the weekly high score of 192...)"


 "the district. I'm gonna miss them..."

Time to pack my bags.... Monday, May 16, 2016

Helllllooooo everyone! 

Woke up this morning, did our normal routine and THEN, while Elder C and I were arguing about whether or not president would call us today, our phone started ringing with President H on the line. 

To keep things brief, President called to tell us that I would be transferred. He asked if I would accept the call to be a Zone Leader and to serve in the BYU east area (on campus basically). Of course I told him I would. 

My companion is going to be Elder D, and for those of whom don't remember, he was my zone leader for the first couple months of my mission. 

First of all, I'm super sad to be leaving this area but more so the district. I loved them all so much... But I will be on to bigger and better things I guess. The lord needs me to serve in this new area, and I know that for sure. So I will go there in confidence that it is where I am supposed to be! 

In other news. Our week went pretty well. We set up a baptism that is going to happen for a 14 year old kid named N. And I won't even be able to go to it :(. Oh well! At least the ordinance will take place, that is what is important! He did ask me to confirm him and give him the gift of the Holy Ghost... So maybe I'll be allowed to come back for that, who knows. 

Our other Investigator S is doing great. He finally came back into town. Fortunately he remembers the stuff we taught him. However, due to certain personal issues he won't be able to be baptized for at least 3 more months... BUT! He will get baptized! :) so that's good! 

The other families and people we are teaching are doing well. I think there is a lot of potential here. I hope and pray Elder C will be able to take over this area... I don't know if I did the best job teaching him or not. But hopefully whomever replaces me will be a strong person and be able to help the best that he can. 

That's about it for exciting news! I am probably forgetting stuff, but oh well :). 

I love each of you and hope you have a wonderful week! Thank you 

-Elder Pierce

Photos from Elder Pierce 5-9-16

Celebrating a birthday with bowling and cupcakes

Two of many missionaries on bicycles, but one of them is mine.

Monday, May 9, 2016 Happy Mother's Day!

This week has been pretty good, miracles, got to see my family. A
whole bunch of good stuff.

Last week, we went bowling as a district for Sister A's
birthday!! It was awesome. And it turned out my old buddy Elder S
and some other elders were there too. So we had a great time. (Bowled
167 first day back at it :) haha). That was awesome and I think
everyone had a good time. I made cupcakes for everyone which turned
out well! The sisters definitely appreciated that. Girls and
chocolate, you can't go wrong. Hahaha

I don't remember which night it was... Either Tuesday or Wednesday.
Someone fed us Taco soup. Which tasted REALLY good. But ever since,
Elder C and myself have been feeling sick to our stomachs all the
time. It's pretty annoying and definitely difficult to work through.
Besides all that, for whatever reason I have had a lot of trouble
falling asleep lately. So working through the day gets difficult at
times. But it is always worth it!!

I'd say we have had a couple of miracles this week.
One of the people we are teaching, named W is 11 and isn't
baptized. His family is less active except for his grandmother. And
lately they've been having a huge change of heart!! They can totally
tell that we care for them and their salvation and not just being
friends. So we had a lesson where we had a heart to heart about
W being baptized, because he wasn't ready in our opinion. We set
expectations and goals. And they have been following through with them
so far!!! Which is truly exciting to watch in a family. I am excited
for them :) because W will probably get baptized sometime in
June. :)
Another miracle is that we had a less active member named R
contact us and she really wants to come back to church. She has had a
really hard life. And Sister S from church is the one who invited
her to meet with us. :). She is amazing and I'm sure she will begin to
do what she needs to in order to be in full fellowship with the
church.

Final miracle that I can remember this week. We were walking down the
road and saw Brother H (someone we helped move in about 2 months
ago) and some other people working on a car. So we went over and
talked to him. And eventually asked if he knew anyone we should teach
and he gestured to the other men (who were obviously Hispanic) and
asked "well do you speak Spanish?"
We said "no not really..." And waited for a while. Then he asked JC (one of the men) a question and so it got his attention. By the
way Brother H doesn't speak Spanish. But with his attention, I
started talking to him in Spanish!!! I don't even know how I
remembered all the words and conjugations and everything that I did.
God was obviously helping me. But I told him that we are missionaries
and there are other missionaries that teach in Spanish. So we set it
up with him and he said it would be okay for missionaries to come over
and teach him. We called the Spanish sisters and they came a little
later that evening and talked to him and his fiancé. Apparently he has
already been going to church and wants to be baptized as soon as he is
married in July!!!
So that was a super solid referral. I'm just happy I had the
confidence to speak Spanish because otherwise we would have had no
idea!

Yesterday I got to skype with my family! So that was awesome. I know
they are all doing well.

I hope I'm not forgetting anything super important. But.. It's just
super hard to remember the details of things. Time is starting to fly
by and this transfer is already almost over!! I doubt E C or I will
get transferred though. I'm curious how the district will fare. But I
doubt there will be a lot of changes this time. We will see and I'll
let you all know next Monday.

I love being on my mission, I sure have learned more here than I ever
could have at school or at home or wherever else I could be right now.
This is the best thing for me and I'm grateful to have the opportunity
to serve my Lord my God for 2 years and beyond.

Thank you for all the support you offer me, I love all of you so much!!

-Elder Pierce

Sunday, May 8, 2016 Mother's Day phone call

Mother's Day phone call with Elder Pierce

Photos from Elder Pierce 5-2-16

1.) Here's  a pic from when we went to conference in April.

I might've sent it before can't remember.

2.) Elder B and Elder N admiring the art at the museum

3.) ...this is art. A stack of blankets

4.) Elder S and myself posing like the piece of art

5.) District picture after our DTM on Thursday :)

I look weird, but that's the only one we took.