"Endure It Well"

 I don't know if this is sac-religious or anything, but every time someone rejects us, we have been shaking off the dust off our feet. Like, literally taking off our shoes and hitting it against the wall. I'm pretty sure Jesus told his Disciples to do this because it is a stress reliever, and quite funny. (Refer to Luke 9:5) Anyways, if I had a 20 dollar Jamaican coin for everytime someone ran away from us, denied us, or ignored our phone calls, I would be the richest person in Jamaica. Well, besides Usain Bolt and Bob Marely's offspring. It's all part of the work, I suppose. We are going through a particularly hard patch.

I'm about to be slightly melodramatic, but I think it's appropriate to tell you the following; I fasted this last week. I prayed harder than I ever had before. I was in the bathroom, kneeling and whispering a prayer, with tears streaming down my face. I literally was at the point where I was thinking, "I cannot do this anymore..." I was feeling like the spirit wasn't guiding me, I felt like I was lost. The night before, I was up for at least an hour or two just laying there thinking terrible things about myself and how awful of a missionary I am. Even after getting a blessing from Elder Vance, and feeling all good about that... I guess Satan was really attacking me this time. Not only Satan, but my own self doubts and insecurities. I guess it might have been due to hormones, but argh, I don't know what it was. I felt a huge weight. Anyways, there I was in the bathroom, on the floor, and I whispered, "In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen..." As soon as I said Amen, Sister Llewellyn put on some music in the other room. The song, "Be Still my Soul," began to play. No miracles have happened, no manifestations of the spirit, no voices from Heaven, but that simple song playing right when I said "Amen," is the only answer I needed. But, the answers didn't stop there. We went to District Meeting the following day, and the subject we talked about was having hope and faith in difficult times. (Okay, basically, I knew that was for me). I guess we all expect wonderful answers from Heaven, but sometimes we just get a little comfort in our times of need. Even Joseph Smith, in the pits of despair, cried out to God saying, "Oh God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?" The reassurance he received was so simply, "endure it well..." I'm guess I just need to endure it well, and then God will exalt me and I will triumph over all my foes. Even my biggest foe, myself. 

I guess a weird tender mercy is that our tire popped right next to a tire repair shop. Super convenient. Hehe

As for investigators, dropped mostly everyone, diligently seeking out more souls. As for less actives, still not coming to church. As for members, well, they need lots of help too. BUT, this Gospel is true. This church is the Lord's Kingdom. No unhallowed hand shall stop the work from progressing. Maybe there is a reason for this all. Heavenly Father, I don't know the lesson you are trying to teach me, but let's hurry this up a little bit, please?! haha I only have 7 months left...  I guess I've just got to work harder, and harder, and harder than I ever have before. I have to love more fervently, teach more powerfully, and obey more exactly. It's exhausting, but God will help me.

I love this work. I love this Gospel. It is the hardest thing I have done in my life, so far, but it is so worth it. 

Love you all, 

Sister Pitt

P.S. Sister Llewellyn is teaching me more patios. I sound like an idiot trying to say it, but hey, at least I'm trying.

Erica Braided My Hair!

Bob Marley Everywhere!

My Future Ride!

Saying Goodbye To Sister Collier!

Sister Llewellyn And I!

Saying Goodbye To Sister Ramstad!

Snuggly Cats! So Cute!

Happy Belated Valentines Day!

Happy Belated Valentines Day! The only thing that kept me warm on Friday night was my testimony of the Gospel. ;) Haha, I've been waiting to type that for a few days now. I'm so hilarious...

Whenever I say every week something different or crazy happens, I am not telling a lie. 

For example:

-We got a microwave! (Okay, not crazy, but I might have hugged it. I'm just stoked about it, okay? Geez).

-Met a kid named John Walker. He confessed to killing people. This kid is only 18, and he said he did that when he was like 12-14. He is crazy and needs to be put in an asylum. Anyways, he did come to church though. Why is it that we can only get mentally unstable people to church? Sigh.

-I ran over a dog. I broke it's leg. It started to pee blood a few days later. I assume that is a bad sign... The owners are not mad because everyone saw the dog run right into the truck. Dumb dog. I wanted to cry when it happened though. Sister Llewellyn keeps messing with me and saying stuff like, "I'm pretty sure you just hit a bird." or "Watch out for that person." haha

-Met a kid named Sean. When I asked Sean what he likes to do for fun he said, "I like to party." I was so tempted to say, "I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT YOU DON'T PARTY!" (Hot Rod reference).

Oh man, Sister Llewellyn, my new companion is awesome. She is hilarious. She speaks proper English, but man, when she throws down the patios, I can't even understand her. It's crazy how they can just turn it off and on. She has a powerful testimony and she is super bold. She understands these people and their thoughts, so it makes the work easier, instead of me pretending like I know what is going through their head. She always is making jokes and doing something crazy, so it makes it really fun. We stayed up for a while on Saturday night just talking about the mission and the Gospel. She sometimes says things that I have been thinking my entire life, but I just haven't thought about saying it out loud. She is a great missionary. She makes me laugh so much. Last night she ate a bunch of these cheese puffs things and she was saying, "Ah my liver hurts sooooo bad. My kidney." (You had to be there, but it was great). I am excited for the next 5 weeks. 

I read this quote in an Ensign a few days ago that says, "Your success may seem tiny to you, and they may go unnoticed by others, but God notices them and they are not small to Him." (-Elder Uchtdorf.) Oh, this gave me great comfort. I don't know why I get into little spells of disappointment and depression, but I do. Sometimes in life we feel like we are doing everything we can and we feel like we can't go anymore. Moments like these, we need to stop and realize that they Lord is pleased with any effort we put forth to do good. Heavenly Father loves each of us, he KNOWS the intentions of our hearts, he knows our shortcomings. If we have any doubt that we are not doing everything we can, we need to realize that 1. It is because we could be doing more or 2. Satan is the author of any self-doubt. In order to find out which option it is, we need to pray and ask Heavenly Father if it is either 1 or 2. I got a blessing this last week, because I was feeling really down about the lack of success here. When I got my blessing, I was told that God is pleased with my efforts and encourages me to be patient, then I will see success. Even at this time in my life, where I am closest to the Savior and our Father in Heaven, I still am facing hardships each day. Just because you are close to them, doesn't mean hard times won't come. In fact, I think they will be more frequent, because we are proving ourselves true. We are preparing to be like Him. How can we be like Him, if our life was just easy peasy? Seems simple enough, right? But there is so much more too it. 

Parents, not to impress you, but I do the dishes all the time now... What? Who is this girl and what has she done with Caressa? Oh yes, this is Sister Pitt! A changed woman who does dishes and ties her own shoes and everything. (Just kidding, like every night I still wish I was coming home to mommy and daddy and a warm dinner... hehe) But, I really feel changed. Not only my outward actions, but my soul is changing. I know it is. I am becoming more converted to the Gospel each day. I hunger for more knowledge. I am not trying to toot my own horn or anything, but I really do feel different. Sometimes I think of what I was like before the mission, and I just laugh. I was so silly.

Also, is that song Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus like famous or something, because I have heard it 100 times this last week blasting from random places. Annoyingggggggg. hehe

Anyways LOVE YOU ALL!

-Sister Pitt <3

Mandeville Zone Meeting!

THRIVE IN THE AWKWARD!

The moto of my mission, "THRIVE IN THE AWKWARD."

Everyday something awkward happens. I think this motto can apply to any missionary, anywhere. We get put in awkward situations. My favorite is when you ask someone if they would like to learn more, and they just stand there. You may even here crickets chirping in the background. Then you try to break the silence by saying something like, "No pressure..." Anddd, then they still don't say anything. More awkward stuff that happens is when you teach people about no sex before marriage, and then they start explaining to you all the dirty details. Or when someone is arguing about why Saturday is the Sabbath and they are telling you that you are a sinner. So, we face this each day, but I stand here and proudly say, "THRIVE IN THE AWKWARD!"

Transfer calls came. Sister Collier and Sister Rampersad are both shipping out to the Bahamas. I am staying here and receiving Sister Lewellyn (I have no idea how to spell her name). Anyways, she has been out for about 6 months, and she is Jamaican, from Ocho Rios. So, that is what will be going on for the next 6 weeks. This shall be an adventure. Time to work hard and do our best. Sister Lewellyn is a hard worker. Let's get this party started! Anytime transfer calls come I always think in my head, "I'll go where you want me to go dear Lord..." But, in this case it will be, "I'll stay where you want me to stay, dear Lord..." haha

Lot's of fun things happened this last week. We shelled gungu peas. It was fun. We sat there and sang some gospel songs, and talked with Sister Hudson. She is an amazing woman, whom I love very much. She does not have much, but she always wants to share with us. Her daughter is currently serving a mission, here in Jamaica. Her daughter was the first to join the church a few years back, and she is stellar. Because she joined, half her family has joined. They still have lots of struggles, but life is a struggle. A beautiful, wonderful struggle. We go through hard times to make us tougher. How do we expect to become like God, if life was just a walk in the park? 

This week I learned that our "In the moment prayers," are way more important than our scheduled morning and night prayers. The in the moment prayers are when we turn to Heavenly Father in our time of need, for Him to lead us and help us. These prayers prove to Heavenly Father that we completely rely on Him. These prayers can express desperation, gratitude, humility, frustration, happiness, and so much more. These "in the moment prayers," keeps us connected with the most majestic being in the universe. Yes, saying our morning and night prayers are essential, but we must pray always, so that we can escape the temptations of the devil. We must pray always, to keep us on the straight and narrow. 

We are teaching a girl a girl named Tamara. She is great. She honestly just seems like she needs a friend. She is going through so much. She is 18, pregnant, with no baby father. She is getting a hard time from her family, so she is living with some members in our branch. They bring her to church, and the lessons we have had with her are going well. We are going to commit her to baptism this week, so hopefully she will accept. Fingers crossed! Lots of prayers! We are also teaching 19 year old kid named Jesse Rose. He is AWESOME. I just love him. He is mission age, really cool, and hopefully ready for the Gospel. He is a security guard at Munro College, so we teach him there. He understands everything we teach, so now he has to put forth his effort. He seems to accept what we teach, so we are going to just have to pray and have the spirit teach him. 

I finished the Book of Mormon, again, this last week. I can't get enough of it. So much stood out to me this time around. I especially loved the book of Moroni this time. I just love Moroni. He is a boss. But I love what he says,

 "For behold, their wars are exceedingly fierce among themselves; and because of their hatred they put to death every Nephite that will not deny the Christ... And I, Moroni, will not deny the Christ..."

Can we stand and say, "I, (Insert your name), will not deny the Christ." There are lots of ways we can deny Christ. Are we breaking small or large commandments? Are you thinking impure thoughts? Are we not living up to our real potential in the Gopsel? If we are doing those things, we are denying Christ. If we want to be able to prove to Heavenly Father that we love Him and His Son, we must always live in such a way that proves that we testify of Christ. I want to be better in my life about always being an example of the believers, just as how Moroni was. Moroni never denied Christ, ever. And I can imagine he has a pretty awesome place reserved in Heaven. It is my prayer that we will all look forward to our mansions on high, and NEVER, EVER, deny the Christ.

Anyways, love you all.

RESPECT MON

-Sister Pitt

Beautiful Little Girl!

Another Day In Jamaica!

Cute!

DI BUSS! Yayyyy

Hershey Minis!

I See These Everywhere!

Jesus The Christ!

Larry With A Machete

Martha And I

My Rasta Drawing

Frying Chicken Jamaican Style!

Super Focused

Tashana And Kelsee

These Are NOT Missionary Shoes!

THE TRI

What I Look Like When I Am Sick

Up And Down

This week was up and down and around and to the side and the other side and reverse and forward and up and down again. 

The fun part of the week was getting a tour of an all boys school. I kept thinking about how much I would have loved to be at an all boys school as a teenager... Anyways, this lady who is our investigator, showed us all around campus. We got a lot of potential investigators out of the visit, because we talked to a lot of the adults that work there. She also showed us the boys dorms, and I was like, "Are we allowed to be in here?" Then I remembered that it's not BYU... Awks. I think my favorite person we met is Jesse Rose. He is a security guard at the school. He is about 19 years old, and that means, POTENTIAL MISSIONARY AGE. He seems really cool, and interested in the message, hopefully it works out. But, I've been saying that about everyone lately. haha 

I've been trying to follow spiritual promptings lately. It's so hard. But, as I was driving, I glanced and saw this older man raking his yard. I looked at him and thought, "I should stop the car." I let the thought fly away, until Sister Rampersad was like, "We should turn around and talk to that guy." I smiled and turned the car around. Sister Collier, Sister Rampersad and I went and stopped the car outside his yard, and to not be awkward, I asked him for directions. Haha, but it turned out good, he wanted to talk to us and seemed willing to learn more. He even talked about how he knows that the Bible has been altered and changed by men who were not inspired by God. I don't know if this man will progress, but the spirit prompted us to talk to him, even if it was to plant a simple seed. I heard something in Zone Meeting which said, "Sometimes the Lord tells you to talk to unprepared people to see if you will follow the prompting to talk to the prepared ones." I guess just anytime I feel like I need to talk to someone, I have to do it, even if it may or may not go anywhere. 

Side note, during personal study someone in our complex was listening to Ben Howard (A musical artist I really like) and I got extremely nostalgic. I guess sometimes you just get tired of listening to only church songs. haha

Another side note, a kid at church told me I look like an old lady. Good thing I don't get offended easily. At least I haven't been called fat since I left Linstead. haha

Oh, I was sick this last week. Lost my voice and ended up sounding like a man, again. I'm getting over it now, just coughing and stuff. I took a butt-ton of vitamin C and drank lots of water. Didn't get any rest, because we have been busy, but so it goes. 

Family, friends, I really do know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the TRUE church. I know that Joseph Smith is the prophet that restored Christ's church to the earth. I know that questions may come up and that there is always room for doubt, but I can live with those things. I cannot live without the Gospel. I cannot live without the Priesthood. I cannot live without the happiness and joy that the atonement of Jesus Christ brings me in my life. If I didn't have all of this, I would be miserable. My life would have no meaning and no purpose. 

Family, I love you all so much. I pray for all of you. I think of you often, and your prayers keep me going through the hard times. 

Love always and forever,

Sister Pitt