Hey Loved Ones,
First email!
I was among the very last set of missionaries to only spend two weeks in the MTC. Less than that...11 1/2 days! It was amazing. I had a blast. It was like Hogwarts and Disneyworld all in one, only instead of roller coasters and magic you're learning about the Doctrine of Christ. I had about as much fun as I've EVER had in my life, and my companion Sister Forseth and I and I grew to be a close as sisters in that short time! The Lord seriously answered every single prayer that I had regarding a companion before my mission with Sister Forseth. That was what I was most nervous about, but I tried to be optimistic. I was the first person in the classroom on my arrival day and my teachers Sister Greer and Brother Hanson asked what I was nervous about. I said having a companion all the time, but I also said that I wanted to look at it as having a built in best friend. Then in walks Sister Forseth and my prayer was answered! I know the Lord hand picked her for me.
My teachers were also amazing. As well as being the last missionaries to have the shortest MTC time in history, I was also in the district that was Brother Hanson's last class to teach before they are making him "retire." And I know that there was no coincidence why my report date was so soon. I needed to meet him, This was a cool experience--
We did a lot of role acting, where we practice how to give a lesson. Brother Hanson always was acting the role of the same person, "Andre." A person he had baptized on his mission. We knew it was meaningful to him. The very last day he said, "I'm going to show you who Andre is, and why every time we practice I'm always Andre, trying to say the things that Andre would say." He pulled up a picture of a guy standing next to a sister missionary. We all said, "Andre looks like you!" but then we realized it WAS him, and that the Sister was "Andre" (Audrey), who had been on a mission after she was baptized. But here's the craziest part. I knew her. We had mutual friends, and those friends had shared an article she had written about being a missionary on Facebook. I had read it, and that article made me realize that although I had always wanted to go on a mission, the time was NOW. That's when I left school, got two jobs, and really put the petal to the metal and worked on myself. I would have waited who knows how long to come a mission if it hadn't been for her article, and now I was in the MTC, in the last class for me and my teacher, who was the guy who converted that girl who wrote that article. Too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence. If I didn't already know I was meant to be on a mission RIGHT NOW, (heck yes I do!) I am thoroughly convinced now.
The mission field has been amazing. President Cleveland and his wife are so warm and loving. President Cleveland was a basketball coach for BYU and a team here in Indy so it feels like i have a personal life coach. I've been assigned to a town on about 20,000 called Franklin!
My companion is awesome. Sister Gregerson. Once again, the Lord answered just about every prayer I had for a companion. It has been awesome! A lot of people including investigators have told us that they just know that the Lord put us together for a reason, and that we can accomplish the work we have to do. We have a LOT of work. In Indiana, there are more churches per capita than anywhere else in America, probably anywhere else in the world. Everyone wants to have that love of God, everyone wants to know Jesus better. And that is the message that we have! The fullness of the Gospel, every single thing that man has ever been told by God is in this church today! The fullness of God and the fullness of that relationship is achieved in this Chruch.
And the craziest thing about Franklin is that tracting WORKS! I'm amazed. My first time tracting, 5 out of 6 people listened to our message and invited us back. And it hasn't stopped there. I feel like my jaw could hit the floor half the time. The Lord has prepared this people and the field is white to harvest!
We had an investigator come to church this week with us, Terrie and her 6 year old Mikayla. She was found tracting by Sister Gregerson and her companion. They actually weren't even tracting. They just were driving home and happened to see them on the front lawn. They immediately did a u-turn to go talk to her, and she invited them back! She hadn't contacted them back in the weeks before I got there though, which seemed odd as she had been previously interested. We went to see her again. I had no idea what she might be like or her testimony. We had no idea what to teach her. But Sister Gregerson and I turned to each other and said we should read from the Book of Mormon. At the EXACT same time we both said, "Second Nephi 31&32?" So you can imagine what we read! Halfway through the chapter I felt impressed to ask her to be baptized, and tell her the soonest date I could think of, on the 23rd of April. She had never even been to church, but said yes.
A big pivotal point for her was coming to church. She has MS, and she can hardly walk. Some days are worse than others. And her daughter had never been to church, and she said she had behavioral issues. I could tell her daughter and how much she liked church would make or break. But she agreed if she felt ok she would come, and her daughter kind of reluctantly agreed. At church her daughter was very eager to get out of sacrament. very verbal in her dislike for it (haha!) and I could tell Terrie was nervous about leaving her daughter in Sunday School. But by the end, Mikayla was saying she wanted to come to church every single day! It was really one of those miracles.
Love you all. Thinking and praying about you all the time. God loves you and will answer your prayers, no matter how small. The field is ripe to harvest. I love you!
Sister Pugmire
