5/28/12

Hello,

This week has been amazing!! It has been so spiritual and we have met so many amazing people. The first miracle is about a lady named Julie. We went to an appointment and when we got to the lady's house she asked if we could come back another time. So the night before when we were planning we decided that some of our back up plans were going to be that we were going to do some finding. So that's what we did. We were walking down the road and we saw this little random street of houses so we decided to go up and knock those doors. On our way up we saw a little family so we stopped and talked to them. It was a lady named Julie with her three kids. We just started to talk to her about her beliefs and she started to tell us that she has been praying to know what church to go to because the churchs she has been going to just haven't felt quite right. I that she has been feeling guilty because she hasn't been going. So we then started to teach her about Joseph Smith and the restoration. Sister Binnie quoted the first vision and during that she just started to cry. She said that she was feeling something so powerful and it was something that she has never felt so strongly before. It was so amazing! The spirit just took right over and touched her heart. She told us that there was something different about us that was contagious and she wanted to know more and that she never wanted to lose touch with us. She gave us all of her details and just kept saying how amazing she felt. It was such a spiritual experience and Heavenly Father has been preparing her and led us to that road that day. The message that we share is so powerful and it truly touches peoples hearts and changes them! It was such a shame tho because she is going out of town for 2 weeks for her son's sports and school so we don't even get to start teaching her for a while. But I have faith that we will be able to and that she is one of the elect. President, it was seriously one of the most amazing moments in my life.

The second miracle is about one of our baptismal dates named Vivaldo. He is pure amazing as well. We have been teaching him for quite a while and he believes everything and everytime that we meet with him he just says how much he wants to follow God and Jesus Christ and he is so ready to change his life. He has been praying about babtism for a long time and he said that he just feels like he isn't ready. We taught him about fasting on saturday afternoon and how that would help him receive an answer as well and that when you fast with a prayer that you can come closer to God. He was really worried about not eating. We committed him to fast with us on Sunday for him and to fast specifically about his baptism. After church we were talking with him and asking him about how church was and to see how his fast was going. He told us that he wasn't hungry at all because God was feeding him spiritually and he was really feeling the spirit. The bishop got up and talked for a few minutes about testimonies and how powerful they are and about his mission. Vivaldo said that he felt like the bishop was talking specifically to him and that he feels like he needs to do that as well. Later that night he called us with his answer to his prayers and fasting. He told us that he was definitley going to be baptized he just wasn't sure when. He told us to prepare everything and he would keep praying! So he is going to be baptized and both me and sister Binnie have faith that he is ready and will feel ready this week!

Elder Jones,  Sister Nelson  and Sister Pitcher

A huge bug we found in our flat! it was soooooo sick and had a huge stinger

I was just thinking about bear lake and camping today haha i really am gonna miss that. this whole week has been scorching hot haha it was wonderful I even got a little tan! :) we just switched weather i guess. :)

I started laughing when i saw the frond door. even tho it isn't that funny it's sad. is it going to be expensive to replace? i can just hear you and dad yelling at him. i miss you all so much! not a day goes by that i don't think about you or miss you. so much. i talk about all of you all the time but no one understands how amazing you all are.

love you so much and i will write some more this week if i have time! :)

love syd

5/21/12

Yesterday at church it was awesome! I met an american couple that were on vacation and the lady was from Newton!! so we were talking and she saw that my last name was Pitcher and she asked if I was related to Mike Pitcher and I was like yes that is my dad!!! she said she went to school with him! so ask him if he remembers a Maxine Christiansen? it was awesome!

London was so AMAZING!! I loved it even tho we didn't really get to stay that long. It is huge and ah Ijust loved it. I can't wait til you guys come and we can tour. We only had a little bit of time there but we were able to go and see Buckingham Palace, so that was really awesome! it's huge and there were tons of people there. We were only there for about five minutes but it was really awesome. so next time we go back for our appt. we are going to go to a different sight :)

This week was cool! we taugh a different bus driver named Mani and he was way cool and our lesson was really spiritual! he is just really busy so we just hope that we will be able to see him regularly!

Another guy we see is Vivaldo and he always brings his friends for us to teach. the most recent guy he brought is named Olgario and he is really interested!! so we are hoping that we will be able to start teaching. he has already come to church and everything.

Also yesterday the olympic torch was going thru Exeter and we totally got to see it!! haha now i can say that i have seen it in Utah and England! It was pretty awesome!!

I don't really have anymore cool stories for this week!! but i love and miss you all!! you are all amazing!! also you should all send me your favorite scriptures so that i can read them when i miss you haha. love you!!

love syd

Trip to London!!!

The streets of London!

Buckingham Palace

Sydney at Buchingham Palace!!

Pictures from Exeter, England

London Temple

Stone Hedge

Exeter Cathedral

District with the district flag.

Sydney and Sister Binney

Guards when the Queen was in town. Pictures of the Queen later.

Sister Binney & Sister Pitcher

May 7, 2012

Nathans pictures are great!! He looks so cute!! I really miss him, and I got your dear elder letter. Mission conference was really good and really spiritual as well. My favorite part was the end when all of the missionaries that were going home bore their testimonies. It was amazing and was kind of a turning point for me so that was good. I am still adjusting and getting used to mission life but at the end of the day I couldn't be any happier. On Wednesday it was the BYU singers so we were up on campus for basically the whole day. Me and sister binnie were on a workover so that is when we have another companionship stay with us and I go with a different sister for the day. That was really good for me. I was with a Sister that I was at the MTC with and I realized that I can answer peoples questions on my own and I don't need to freak myself out about it.

 

Also before we went to the campus we were in town and guess what?!?! I GOT TO SEE THE QUEEN!!! It was amazing!! I got a video and everything that I will send home. I am so sorry but I forgot my camera today so I can't send it. :( but it was awesome and short lived haha. Anyway back to BYU.. We went to the concert and it was so spiritual and so amazing. We had 3 investigators there so that was just perfect, and a huge step for Phil and Tessa! They are what we call eternal investigators because they love having the missionaries but just won't commit to baptism. But a week before this we committed Phil. It was a miracle. Also his wife Tessa has a fear of going outside and being surrounded by a lot of people and she came to the concert. It was so great. The next day she also committed to be baptized.

 

There are so many people here that we are teaching that I get really overwhelmed but it is such a good problem to have I am told. I just need to figure out how to organize it better. I am becoming more and more confident in my teaching and learning how to follow the spirit. I  seriously have never been happier, except for the fact that you guys arent here with me. That would just make everything so much better. Last night we did a FHE at the bishops home with some of their non-member friends which was a lot of fun!! It was really cool because now we are teaching one of their friends at the bishops house on Friday. The members are essential because they help in fellowshipping and helping the investigators feel welcomed and comfortable, so this lady is going to be golden. It's so crazy because here the main focus of the ward is missionary work and that is what they teach in classes, It's so different because at home obviously we talk about missionary work but it isn't our focus. Also the bus driver guy I told you about was a no show to his appiontment and then we called and called and could never get a hold of him. Such a shame but I guess we have others we need to teach.

 I really worry about all of you haha. I try not to but I can't help it. This transfer is over next week. I can't believe it,  so my pday will be on Wed instead of Monday!! I will be able to skype with you guys on Sunday for 45 minutes. We are going to a members home I don't know what time it will be. I will get to call you on Saturday night for a few minutes just to organize the time and everything so that will be good. I can't even wait to talk to you all. Will you all be there for me to talk to? Also I am sending you a mothersday package and it will have some chocolate in it. Not very much and I hope it doesn't get smashed.  It will also have a letter for Cheryl, Grandma and Steve and lLinda and then another!! So I hope you like what I sent. I miss the cotton. I miss everything about home but I will live. Also since it's transfers next week I might not even be in Exeter anymore but more than likely I will stay! Anyway I love and miss you all so much and can't wait to talk to you!!

love syd

April 30, 2012

hi

I am glad that you had fun in California and that is sick about the beds!! I can't believe you slept in that crap. You should have taken pictures of the room, and yes i loved Nathans talk. Very cute. I am glad that I have a good influence on his life. He is so cute and i miss him. Did he stay home alone the entire time you were gone? I am glad Nathans baseball is going good!! Makes me happy I pray for all of you all the time. Apparently we can only write on pdays so I hardly have any time so that's hard.  I will send pictures next week because I don't have like any right now and we have to hurry cause we are having a zone pday because we have mission conference tomorrow.

 Also the BYU singers are coming on Wednesday and we get to usher it so that will be cool, also the Queen will be here and so I might get to see her haha. Pray that I will see her haha.

 Also mothers day we get to skype so keep the entire day open because I don't know when I can call and I want to talk to all of you. Is it Sunday the 13th? I can't even wait. I will probably just cry the whole time. This mission has turned me into the biggest baby. hahah

Well some things that happened this week are.. well we were walking down the street just talking to people and we talked to this guy as he walked past us and when we started talking he was like " sorry I sacrifice chickens in the name of the devil".. hahaha I couldn't help but laugh.. and then he kept walking. I don't think he saw me laugh. Also I made hamburgers the other night. I was pretty proud of myself. They were pretty good too.

We have a lot of dinner appointments and we went to this members house called Sister Drummens and she fed us. We had chicken, stuffing, potatoes, veggies. anyway I was so full because she wouldn't let us say no. So we had 3 chicken breasts each plus everything else. She then brought out cheesecake. We each had a small slice and then she was like you guys have to eat more I only want a little bit. And we tried to politely say no but she wouldn't let us. WE HAD TO EAT THE WHOLE CHEESECAKE. oh my heavens I have never felt so sick in my life. I seriously probably didn't need to eat for like three days. It's a good thing I liked everything that she made or else I would have thrown up. She is so sweet tho and her voice is adorable.

I can't believe I have already been here for 2 and a half weeks. It's crazy and is going so fast already!. I got a letter from Bonnie, Kammie, and Jacie so that was fun. and no i haven't got the package I think they will bring the package to the conference tomorrow. I can't wait to get it. I am also doing a lot better. Not as homesick and worried as I was. Just tell me every little detail so that I don't worry haha. anyway I love you all so much and I miss you like crazy!!

love syd