Enduring

Wow! The weeks are just flying by!

Tuesday was Zone Conference and I learned a lot. My companion and I won the Cleanest Apartment Award. Our prize was some cleaning supplies including Clorox wipes. Here is a picture of me with the other Polynesian Missionaries in my Zone.

Next month our mission is going to read the Book of Mormon in 6 days which I am really excited for. 

We will be reading from 9 am to 4 pm every day for 6 days straight 

which should be pretty cool. They encouraged us to really use scriptures more and this week I have seen how scriptures really are more powerful than anything that I could say. 

Wednesday and Thursday, nothing too special happened. I did go on splits with Sister Pace.

We knocked a door that we have not been able to contact for a while. They opened the door and we were able to teach them. They were super interested in the Book of Mormon which was great. 

Next week is the last week of the transfer which has just flown by! We have been teaching a lot of people about the importance of enduring to the end. It is so important that we have consistancy in our lives and follow God's plan for us, even when we don't want to. There is a great scripture in the Book of Mormon that talks about enduring to the end:

 And moreover, "I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

On my mission there have been a lot of hard times but also good times. For me, it is during the difficult times that I don't feel as motivated to read the scriptures or pray, but I have truly been even more blessed when I do those things even when I don't want to. 

There have been so many miracles so far on my mission, and it always seems like the most miracles come on week 6 of a transfer. I am excited for this next and last week of the transfer! 

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. 

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Immerse Yourself in the Scriptures

This week was such a busy week. 

Tuesday we had interviews with the Mission President and then exchanges. I got to be with Sister Pace. It was fun. We served around each other when I was down south. 

We met some cool people. At the end of the night we decided to stop by this one house of a family who just moved here from Mexico about a month ago. They said "Come on in" and we got to teach them the whole restoration and they loved it. It was such a miracle. 

Thursday we had exchanges again. I got to be with Sister Jacobson. We went back to visit this family and they had read the pamphlet we gave them and they also said they have been reading the Book of Mormon every night as a family and they were pretty far into 1 Nephi. I got to drive on that exchange. It's been a while and I somehow managed to get a huge branch stuck to our car.

Finally I got to be back with my companion. We had just met up again when a person we used to teach, Aurelio, called us and said "Hermanas, I will be at your church in 15 mins." So we got the Elders to come along with us. He said he had been so depressed and sad since he stopped meeting with us and he said he has cleared up his schedule to meet with us regularly and come to church. He also accepted to be baptized August 24 which was amazing so it was a week full of miracles. 

Here I am playing basketball on our Preparation Day!

I have been reading the Book Of Mormon again and have been studying along with the seminary manual. It has given me a lot of different perspectives. One quote that I loved about the promise of reading the scriptures was from President Spencer W. Kimball. He taught: “I find that when I get casual in my relationships with divinity and when it seems that no divine ear is listening and no divine voice is speaking, that I am far, far away, if I immerse myself in the scriptures the distance narrows and the spirituality returns." This is so true. Wherever our spirituality is - when we read the scriptures our connection with God becomes a lot closer. 

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. 

Happy 4th of July

Wow this has been a crazy busy week! 

We had exchanges this past Tuesday and I got to be with a YSA sister here in Morro. We saw so many miracles. We walked and knocked this one door and the lady told us to come in. We got to talk to her for a bit. She was interested and had previously talked with missionaries and she really loves talking with missionaries. We also got to spend time with our Bishop's daughter, who we love!

We taught 3 lessons and that was a miracle too. We sat outside of someone's house in some chairs and people from the house kept coming out and wanting to hear. 

The fourth of July was super fun. We left our apartment in Cayucos and there were thousands of people in the little downtown for a big parade.

 All the streets were closed down and the members we live with brought us some chairs to sit with them at the parade. After the parade, we tracted for a bit but we had to be back home early. We got to watch the fireworks at the place we live at. It was a great day. 

We had another exchange the next day and I got to be with a sister who just came in the mission and it was fun to be with her. A huge miracle was we were walking and this lady came up to us and we started talking. Then she goes "Are you busy right now? I would love to go to the park with you and talk about your journeys and testomonies.".

So we went to the park (it was really close to the church) and walked and talked for about an hour with her. She really enjoyed it and she asked to go for a walk on Sunday so we were super excited. She is a Young Single Adult so we brought the YSA sisters with us for the walk and it was beautiful! She was SO prepared and I am so grateful the Lord put her in our path.

Sunday we fasted and I bore my testimony in our Ward and in the Spanish Branch. It was the first time I went up on my own free will. It was really scary but I did it. Life is good I love this area and my companion. 

I am excited for the next week. 

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. 

The Surfing Analogy

Wow-week 2 of this transfer is already done!

We went over to a member's house and had a great visit with them. One thing that Hermana Raban and I have shared with members is the analogy we have of surfing, since we are so close to the ocean. You get your board and swim out with the purpose of catching a wave. In order to catch the wave, you have to turn your back and trust that the wave is there and that you will ride it. The currents start to pull you back, but this is where we need to swim the hardest against the current. 

You give it one final stroke and catch the wave. Once you catch the wave, you don't stop there - you stand up. 

We can relate this to the gospel and how there are a lot of times where we have to put our trust in God and when the hard times come we need to swim even harder. It is okay to wipe out and miss a wave. The failure is when we swim back into shore and give up. As long as we are trying our best and giving it our all we will reach the goal of eternal life. 


Wednesday was my birthday. It was honestly one of the best birthdays I've ever had.

It was an Elder's (who serves in the same ward) birthday too so we woke up and went tot he church to play basketball and decorated their car. When we got home, I took a shower and I got out and Hermana Raban had decorated the whole apartment with streamers and balloons and had made me breakfast. It was so sweet. I opened some packages from friends and family which were GREAT! Then Hermana Raban gave me a bag. I opened it and it was a shirt from a surf shop. She planned a split with the other sisters so that she could make it a surprise and have the Elders pick it up so that it could be a surprise. It was so nice. 

We tracted and met lots of people and have a few return appointments. A miracle this week was a member told us about a street we should go try out. We knocked the first door and a lady opened the door. She spoke Spanish and let us in and we taught her a lesson. We are going back soon so that was a miracle. 

Oh, and also a member had us over Sunday and asked if I wanted my ears pierced. I kind of thought she was joking but she wasn't Haha. She bought some earrings and I was like "Well, I can't back out now". She pierced my ears on my birthday haha! I never thought I would pierce my ears but I guess that's one way to build member trust Haha.

Today we went on a little hike and this was the view. 

I am so blesseed to be in such a beautiful area!

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.