Peace in the Storm

WOW WHAT A WEEK! 

I am part of the meek and lowly of immune system group haha. I had a feeling it was coming and I was right. Because I have asthma and the coronavirus is really getting bad in California, they decided to send me -  along with 28 other missionaries - home yesterday. But what a ride I have had! 

Thursday we found out that the whole state of California was going to be put in isolation and we as well had to be in isolation-ALL WEEK! Yes, that's right; no knocking doors - no going outside to talk to people - no Zone Conference - no District Council - no exchanges. It was a long week of sitting and trying to be effective. 

The last day we could be outside we weren't allowed to knock doors, so the sisters and us decided to go boothing, which is setting up a table with information. But since no one was outside, we pretty much stood on the side of a road with a sign that said "Peace in the Storm" and danced around and got some cars to honk at us. It was fun - haha. 

In November, I made the goal to read the entire Book of Mormon in Spanish by April 8th, the day I was scheduled to leave. I was ahead on my reading and I finished it this past Friday. A few hours later, I got the call I was going home a few weeks sooner than expected. I knew that finishing the Book of Mormon was not a coincidence and that the Lord was aware of when I was going home. 

Throughout all the craziness of these past few days, I took a step back and realized how much the Lord wanted me to personally know that this was His will. Yes, I am bummed to be heading home 2 weeks early, but I know I have progressed so much, especially during my time here in Lompoc. I will miss the members and the people and the missionaries, but I am so grateful for technology and that I was able to call everyone I love before leaving. It has been the best 18 months of my life! I don't regret one bit of it. I love that I can say I left my mission with no regrets.

This truly is God's work. Jesus Christ is at the head of this church. What a blessing it has been to meet so many people and see the atonement work in their lives. As I have seen this, I can't help but realize how much the atonement has worked in my life these past 18 months. I am not the same person I was when I came out to the mission. Christ has helped me grow and has changed me. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet and saw our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Once I knew that was true, and I was able to look someone in the eyes and say I know Joesph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ, I could finally feel the power and strength behind my words. This is the Church of Jesus Christ. Through the teachings of Christ we gain so much hapiness. I think back to my mission call, in it is says, "More happiness awaits you than you have ever experienced as you labor among His children." The joy I have come experienced from serving a mission is an enduring joy, a peace that comes from the Spirit. What a time it has been to have the Spirit as such a close companion to me. l know the Book of Mormon is true. It is through the Book of Mormon we know the plan God has for us, what we need to do here on Earth and how we can return to live with Him one day. The Book of Mormon softens hearts, it has softened mine. I love the Book of Mormon and know with all my heart it brings us closer to Christ. How grateful I am to have had this time to come to know my Savior better. It truly has changed my life. 

I think of how Ammon felt after the end if his mission, and I can't help but think and feel the same. In Alma 26:37 it says: 

"Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen." 

How thankful I am to have had this experience! The Lord truly is and has been so merciful to me. Thank you to everyone who has read these and has been so supportive of this choice I made to come and serve a mission. I am so grateful to each one of my companions and to all the missionaries I have served around. They have become some of my closest friends. 

Well I guess this is it! I will continue to implement all that I have learned and look forward to 14 days in isolation (hahaha) and then on to a new chapter of my life. But just know I love this gospel and my Savior so much.

I am excited to start a new week in Michigan! 

***A NOTE FROM HER PARENTS
We can't thank you all enough for your support and prayers on her behalf. We are thrilled to have our wonderful daughter home and are thankful for all of the experiences she has had. We are so proud of her!

God Always Gives Me Strength

Wow this really was really a crazy week!

With the Corona virus, we found out this week that no one would be able to attend General Conference and then we found out that church services in the whole world would be canceled. We went to a members house when we heard all about the Corona and we went to visit her and she said "Girls it's a chocolate kind of day."

Here is a picture of Hermana Eardley and I treating ourselves with some ice cream in this craziness!

And we've stocked up in case we are quarantined.

We had a conference call as a whole mission and business is as usual here. We are continuing to tract as normal and teach lessons. We just can't touch anyone, including members and missionsaires and our companions. 

It was difficult for me to focus this week, but we made a goal to focus on the work and give it 100% and God blessed us so much! We found 3 people through 3 different member referrals which was awesome! We have been going crazy giving out pamphlets and Book of Mormons.

 We had interviews with our mission President. They went really well. We were supposed to go to Santa Barbara for our Stake Conference Saturday and Sunday but since that got canceled we knocked doors for a long time. It was raining a ton but I am so glad to be with Hermana Eardley because she makes the work really fun. 

I also went on an exchange this week with Hermana Wright and we had such a fun time! We had what is probably going to be our last District exercise with the sisters.

One of our members went to go stay with her daughter in L.A so I got to say goodbye to her before I leave.

We had a mission conference call and we are going to continue to work and knock doors, and we also got permission to have a sacrament meeting with just the missionaries in our area, so on Sunday 10 of us missionaries had sacrament meeting. The Elders passed the sacrament and we had a great lesson on Come Follow Me. It was an amazing experience to look around at all of us 18-20 year olds being able to have a church service together. It was definitely a faith building experience.

A scripture that we read really stuck out to me. It is about a prophet Jacob who was called to have a lot of responsibility and how scared he was to preach the gospel and how he didn't want to be bold or tell people that they need to change and follow God. In the scriptures, it tells how God comforts him:

 "For behold, as I inquired of the Lord, thus came the word unto me, saying: Jacob, get thou up into the temple on the morrow, and declare the word which I shall give thee unto this people."

As Jacob asked God for help, God gave him a solution of what he needed to do and told him he would give him strength. I can definitely relate to Jacob. There have been so many times that I have been afraid or unsure if I could magnify my calling as a missionary, but every time, God always gives me strength to help me do my best. 

I love my mission and I am so grateful to be serving here at this time. I am excited for another week here in Lompoc! 

**A Note from her Mom - Please pray for her safety as she travels by bike and car and for her health and the health of the other missionaries she serves with.

She loves getting emails. This is her address:

Email: lily.pita@missionary.org (Don't reply to this blog - it is a public site)

Her mailing address is:

Hermana Lily Pita

California Ventura Mission

3301 W Gonzales Road

Oxnard, CA  93036

This is the direct link to her blog

In the Service of God

Wow this week was a very busy and long week! A lot happened! 

Tuesday was MLC. It is a missionary leadership council. It was the first time I ever went to one and it was good. I learned a lot and got to see some missionaries I haven't seen in a long time so it was really fun! I learned about how to help the sisters and hermanas who I serve with. 

Thursday I got to go on an exchange with Hermana Proenca. We had such a blast and I learned so much from her! It was the first time I had to lead out an exchange and I was super nervous but the Lord helped me so much to be calm and to be able to help her and take something out of it to apply to her area. 

Friday we had combined district council and it was great. We went to Solvang.

We decided to stay there because the Hermanas in Solvang both came in new a few weeks ago and we went so that we could tract more streets and start growing their teaching pool. 

Saturday the English ward had a party and invited the Spanish branch and it was so fun! 

Sunday I was asked to give a talk in church. Presidente of the Branch had called me a few days earlier and said he was looking at the calendar and since we will be having Stake Conference, then Fast Sunday, then General Conference, he said that this is my last Sunday in the Branch and wanted me to speak about service.

 

It was a great topic and I really learned so much as I studied about it. There is a quote by Ezra Taft Benson that I love about service. He said, 

“Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life." 

I have seen that every single one of those blessings have come since I have come out to a mission. 

Even though they all didn't come at once, they eventually came. I am loving my mission and am so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve. 

I am excited for another week here in Lompoc! 

**A Note from her Mom - Please pray for her safety as she travels by bike and car and for her health and the health of the other missionaries she serves with.

She loves getting emails. This is her address:

Email: lily.pita@missionary.org (Don't reply to this blog - it is a public site)

Her mailing address is:

Hermana Lily Pita

California Ventura Mission

3301 W Gonzales Road

Oxnard, CA  93036

This is the direct link to her blog. 

Charity Never Faileth

Wow week one of this last transfer was a GREAT WEEK! 

Monday night Hermana Giddings said goodbye to a lot of the members. Tuesday we went up to Santa Maria and I got my new companion. Her name is Hermana Eardley and she is AMAZING!

 We met a lot of the people we are teaching and she blew me away with her Spanish and honestly just with everything! She is awesome and I love doing the work with her. On her second day here, the English ward was having a party at the church and one of the members called us and said someone was at the church wanting to have a lesson. We rushed over there and then got a member from the English congregation to sit in with us and the man we were teaching explained how he almost died and how he saw God. We translated for the member sitting in with us and the member asked, "Wow, how did you almost die?" and the man being taught said la brujería and the member looked and us and said "What did he say?!" We were so shocked and said to the member, "He said witchcraft". We all looked at each other awkwardly. The man being taught continued to talk and we all felt pretty weird. We taught him the restoration, but he wasn't super interested so we decided to quickly end the lesson. We told the man that we were teaching that he is always welcome to come to church services so we will see if he comes to church. It was a funny welcome to Lompoc for Hermana Eardley but we have had such a blast. 

We got new bikes so we have been back on two wheels!

Our mission wants to make sure we have breathing masks in case we need them. I already had some for the wildfires so here we are trying them on.

We've started teaching a family of 4 which was such a miracle. We are really seeing so many miracles here in Lompoc. This week has been a very busy week and I had the opportunity to study about charity. In 1 Corinthians 13 is says:

"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth."  

Speaking of charity, Hermana Eardley had never had elote (street corn) before so we got some and the lady who was selling them gave them to us for free!

I have been able to see the importance of having charity on my mission, not just for the people we are teaching, but for the members, people I serve around and my companions. This past week I was feeling like wow we have a lot to do; with the people we are teaching, helping this branch grow and helping the sisters in this district. Here's a picture of my entire District.

I felt like there is no way we can do all of this, but as I read that scripture I realized that as long as I try my best to help those around me and show charity to them, there is no way we can fail. It was a great reminder to me of the importance of charity and how the Lord truly is the one doing the work here. 

I am loving Lompoc and being with Hermana Eardley. I am excited for another week here in Lompoc!

**A Note from her Mom - Please pray for her safety as she travels by bike and car!

She loves getting emails. This is her address:

Email: lily.pita@missionary.org (Don't reply to this blog - it is a public site)

Her mailing address is:

Hermana Lily Pita

California Ventura Mission

3301 W Gonzales Road

Oxnard, CA  93036

This is the direct link to her blog. 

Hope - The Anchor of My Soul

Wow! This week was a good week. 

We knocked lots of doors and taught some lessons. One person we met asked us to refill her water jug so we did.

This past week was my companions 20th birthday! 

We had a great day! 

We also had the opportunity to go to Solvang and do a "flood", which is where all the missionaries in the area go to an area and help a companionship find more people to teach. I got the opportunity to be with Sister Lee and we had a great time! 

We worked really hard this week because Sunday was our Branch Conference. We were really trying to get less actives to come and the Lord blessed us so much! We had almost 60 people at church. The Stake Relief Society President taught the lesson and asked me to translate into Spanish for her which was a wonderful blessing for me. That night we had a family home evening and 20 people came so we are super thrilled about the Branch. It is growing! 

This was the last week of the transfer and looking back I have seen so many miracles here in Lompoc. The Lord has opened the hearts of so many people and has provided so many miracles. Probably the biggest miracle has been the growth of the Banch. I found out that I will be staying in Lompoc with Hermana Eardly and I am very excited. It is crazy to me because this is my last transfer here in my mission. I can not believe it! 

This past week I had the opportunity to study about hope. There is a scripture I love! It is in 2 Nephi 31:20:

"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life"

I have learned so much, not just this transfer, but all of my mission, about hope. I have learned that as I put my trust in God, I recieve more strength and hope to overcome all difficulties I face. Hope truly has been the anchor of my soul. I have seen how the teachings of Jesus Christ have given so much hope to others and how much it has given me hope as well. 

I am excited for this upcoming transfer and another week in Lompoc! 

**A Note from her Mom - Please pray for her safety as she travels by car!

She loves getting emails. This is her address:

Email: lily.pita@missionary.org (Don't reply to this blog - it is a public site)

Her mailing address is:

Hermana Lily Pita

California Ventura Mission

3301 W Gonzales Road

Oxnard, CA  93036

This is the direct link to her blog. 

Finding New Understanding

This week suprisingly seemed like a long week. A lot happened. 

Monday, Teresa and Junior called and she just could not find a job so she left to Bakersfield so we were pretty bummed. We tracted a lot this week which was good. We found some new streets that we had never knocked so it was fun. We met a man who had these beautiful orange trees. I was admiring them and he invited me to pick some which was so kind and they were so delicious!

Wednesday was Zone Conference. It was really fun. They talked a lot about Preach My Gospel and how we can apply it in our missionary work which was good. It was really fun to see a lot of my friends there! 

The Elders and us have been thinking of ways to grow the Branch and we decided to throw a thank you party to the Branch saying thank you for everything they have done for us. 

We were expecting 10-15 people there at the most and 30 people came with 10 less active people who have not come to church in a very long time. We were so excited! The Lord has really been blessing us in our efforts to strengthen the Branch. 

Sunday, a family we are teaching came to church and we were very excited that they came! 

Sister Lee and I were on splits in Solvang.

Some other sisters gave our car a "heart attack" which is where they surprise us with putting cute, uplifting notes on our car.

This past week I really learned a lot about the will of the Lord. I was reading about the Liahona and it says,

" And there was also written upon them a new writing, which was plain to be read, which did give us understanding concerning the ways of the Lord; and it was written and changed from time to time, according to the faith and diligence which we gave unto it. And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things."

I read my patriarchal blessing this past week and it gave me a new understanding and helped me understand the ways of the Lord, and his plan that he has for me and that he has had for me on my mission. I feel like I have been able to find my purpose better as a missionary and what the Lord wants me to do. 

I am loving this time I have to serve the Lord and help others. This is the last week of the transfer and I am excited for another week here in Lompoc! 

**A Note from her Mom - Please pray for her safety as she travels by car!

She loves getting emails. This is her address:

Email: lily.pita@missionary.org (Don't reply to this blog - it is a public site)

Her mailing address is:

Hermana Lily Pita

California Ventura Mission

3301 W Gonzales Road

Oxnard, CA  93036

This is the direct link to her blog. 

Thou Hast with Unwearyingness Declared the Word

This week was definitely a crazy week. 

We went over to visit our friend who is on date to be baptized on the 22nd and she said, "Hermanas, I want to let you know why I wasn't at church." She told us that the lady she lived with told her she was going to move and that she would have to pay all the rent. Our friend said she needed to go look for a new job and somewhere where the cost of living is cheaper, so she was going to leave to go to a city outside of our mission in 4 hours. We were so sad. We asked her if she would like a blessing and she agreed. The Elders came and gave her one and we said goodbye. 

We went to have interviews with our mission President a few days later and on the way home we called Teresa. She had moved and told us she put in some job applications. She said "Hermanas I really dont like it up here so I am coming back to Lompoc tonight!" We were so excited. We met with her the next day and she is really doing well. So we are excited for the 22nd. 

This past week we went to go stop by some of our other friends, Rocio and Sergio. They had a baptismal date as well. A little bit ago, we knocked on their door and the person they lived with answered. He said that Serigio and his daughter Rocio left a note and said they had to leave. So they left Lompoc very suddenly. We were pretty bummed but we know that wherever they are they will find missionaries. 

I passed my 16 month mark! Time is flying by.

We helped a friend make some enchiladas.

We have been really trying hard to help this Branch grow in numbers and unity. We have been doing a family home evening every other week. When we first started there were about 9 people and yesterday we had 18 so we are really happy and are seeing progress. 

I was reading in my scriptures this week and a scripture really stuck out to me. This is in Helaman, when the Lord gave council to some people preaching the gospel.

"Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments.And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will."

Nephi was an amazing missionary and I have been trying to apply what he did in my life. I have felt the Lord bless me so much individually and the people here in Lompoc. I am so grateful for this oportunity to serve a mission and to see the Lord pave the way for the people we are teaching and preparing Lompoc. 

I love Lompoc so much and the opportunity I have to be here with Hermana Giddings.

I am excited for another week here in Lompoc! 

**A Note from her Mom - Please pray for her safety as she travels by car!
She loves getting emails. This is her address:

Email: lily.pita@missionary.org (Don't reply to this blog - it is a public site)

Her mailing address is:

Hermana Lily Pita

California Ventura Mission

3301 W Gonzales Road

Oxnard, CA  93036

This is the direct link to her blog.