doing a dance...all over cheyenne!

hey all!

well just wanted to say thanks to all those who sent me something for Christmas and a thanks to anyone who thought about me. just a couple important people to mention

Doug and Ary (quick story with this one): so on new years eve i gave my last 4 starbursts to a member who is semi active and whos son is getting baptized on saturday. it was a joke/promise kinda thing. anyways, i was blessed for keeping my promise with 2 massive packages of starbursts. that was awesome. oh and a picture of a married couple. as a reminder that i am not? ..thanks jk!

Sister Ricker: for keeping me humble. i love you!

Hannah: for sending an email. made my day :)

and like i said earlier thanks to anyone who is sending or sent or thought about me. i really do appreciate it.

So things that happened that were cool:

Well, we talked with a family, the Nations, who are less to semi active in the church. we shared a quick spiritual thought with them and were about to leave. Brother Nation had been silent all night, as if he didnt really want us there. As we were leaving he just opened his mouth. He told us a story about how at the end of his mission he got sent to an area that had been closed (without missionaries) for over a year and a half. he really didnt want to go but he was determined to finish his mission working. The branch in his area had only a couple active members who really werent solid themselves. and no investigators. they decided to start strengthening those members. as they did, they got investigators. after 3 1/2 months of hard work, the night before he went home, they had 7 baptisms. he then shared his testimony. it was an amazing experience. too bad he is too lazy to come to church. we have decided to reverse the situation. he has become one of those members who arent very solid and just needs strengthening. it was like he was telling us, verbally, exactly what his needs are.

There is a former investigator who lives in a trailer park on the south side of cheyenne. we drove past the other day and noticed that her pipes had burst. well being winter the water froze. her entire driveway and all down her street was one massive block of ice. well we spent an hour in 20 degree weather with the wind blowing 30 plus miles an hour wind, chipping at ice, with no gloves. it sucked but very rewarding. we have an appointment with her on tuesday.

May favorite moment:
We have a list of people who at sometime talked with missionaries in the area. one of those names is Ruby and James (i forgot their last name.) we knocked on their door cause we had nothing better to do and their son came walking out of the garage as we knocked. we went over and talked with him. oh, important note, he is black. he told us his name was dennis and that his parents were in texas. everytime i hear the word texas my ears get excited. i told him i was from texas and asked what part. he told me abilene (lame) but i told him i was from houston. the following is a direct quote from 1 of 3 black men in cheyenne. "well, we can be hommies then!" you have never seen a more excited me, ever. thats all i could think about for like a day. not because i havent heard that before, but cheyenne is lacking in diversity and all diverse interactions make me happy.

well, we had an amazing christmas as far as teaching goes. we had are most amount of lessons in a week, this week with 33. which doesnt sound like alot, but is. i hope all are doing well, be good and remember, Santa's watching :)

--Elder Courtright

--
Penny Freeman
Gratitude is the essence of joy.

From: Elder Andrey Pearce Dated: December 29, 2008

Dear Family

i am so thankful that i got a great while to talk to my family. It was a great experiance trying to remember English. Wean i got going i could remeber it just fine.
It sounds like all is well and evryone is groing. I cant belive how much has changed.
Well the lord blessed us trumendously this week. THe members had a little welcome party for us. WEll sharing testimony and thanking that we were there to work harder. It Gave me a desire to work harder and give all that i have. THe members told us we came in like a huracane and started to pout things together. THe lord has had his mericle waiting for this little town of Mateares. Before we came it was falling apart and the members were scared that it was going to fall all apart. THe asistence (attendance) at church was going down it came down to 14. As we got there we changed the room how it looked pout some pictures up of christ cleande all the rooms well. Organized our gospel library called a librarian and went to work to make all looke well. Last week the asistence (attendance) went up to 31. THis week we got up as usual 5:00 in the morning to get to work walking our missionary team (or the members that help us out) we left to envite all we could to church. The members of Mateares set a record of 52 people coming to church. WE didnt have inof seats to sit down. I had the lovely time prisiding and anouncing the meating. It went realy well we had a lovely spirit. We had talks about reading scriptures, Praying and going to church. My companion gave a talk about seting goals as we finished the last song. YOU could feal and hear the spirit and the change in the way that the last hymn was song. 10 of the poeple that came to church were envestigating the church so we have alot of work to do. The lord has given me a great apertunity to grow and stretch. Then we split for clases. My companion taught the yung men and i gave the gospel doctrin class. I gave about the plan of salvation. It went very well we had great questions and i had the chance of explaning well that we can become Gods. Its a subject a little harder to explain Here to members and invetstigatores. The spirit was present and they captured it well. The secratary from Nagarote came to see how all is going. Gave us the great news that the Branch President will be coming next week. I had apertunity to give a interview for a yung man to recive the rank of a priest. I am over whelmed how much the lord has blesed me to learn. We as members and missionarys worked realy hard this week. I feal tired but ready to rise and give all again this week. I have come to love this poeple here. In not a very long time. I feal like i have so much to learn and over come i hope i can give all i can. I love my Heavenly Father and his beloved Son Jesus Christ. I cant belive how fast the time is flying by. I love you all. I hope to here from all of you how your doing. From Amy, Lydia, Emily, andrea, Dan those are the ones that told me they will write. Thank you mom for your lovely talk. Thank you dad for your letters each week. Well its almsot time to get back to work. Love Elder Pearce

Feliz Navidad 2008.....Transferred

From: Elder Andrey Pearce Dated: December 22, 2008

Dear Family
Feliz Navidad
i am sorry i didnt wirte to last week i had changes. I have bin given a great apertunity that the lord has called me to serve in mateares. Its a place were the church is starting out this week we had atendance of 31. I am so exited to work here. I was a bit nervous to preside this meating and was greatful for the help of my comanion. Hes name is ELder Oscal and he has 5 months on his mission. I had the apertunity to give a talk this sunday i have it about my life and navidad that the lord has blessed us to have Jesus CHrist in our lives. Whos birth we selibrate in this great time. I then had a chance to give the class and not knowing that i was going to give. As missonary we are always prepared to teach something. So i taught about the 2 Great Problems that we have in our lives. The Sin and Death and that the lord was born that he was chosen and he humbly came to this wold to solve this two problems in our lives. I taught that the gospel of Jesus christ is that He Was Chosen before this world. That he Came here on earth Paid for our sins and that he resurected and that he lives and loves us. It was a great lesson. Then after church we had all the men meet together and we talked about presthood and what it means to have pristhood it went well. Then at 3:00 we had a meating with the sisters of our ward as we talked about unity and planed a activity in wich we are together going to give christmas to a family here in this part of the world. I am so tired but i love wokring here. I have bin working hard studying and given my all to help here. I have one week here and have a geat love for this poelpe here. I have come to know them. Well i love you all and wish you the greatest christmas and i am thankfull to the lord all that he has done for me. I am thankful for this time in wich we can give and feel the same love that the savior felt. I am thankfull for his example in my life.
Mom happy birthday i am sorry i am a little late. I love you and thankfull for the time that you have spent helping me understand my life and my perpose here on earth how greatly i love you. Mom and Dad thank you for the packedge and the mony will be pout to great use. Mom i still havent got the packedge in wich are the garments or the chip for the camera. Happy Christmas i looke forward to talking with you i have lost a little of english and i have an acent will see how it goes. If you could call me on 25 december you can choose the houre it would be best at 12:00 or at 5:00 nic houre 930-1628. Mom if you could do me a huge favor and envite willy to this call i feal that i need to talk to him a little bit. I love you all and looke forward to the call that i will be resiving. Loves

Baptizing two new families

From: Elder Andrey Pearce Dated: December 8, 2008

Dear Family
My hart is swelled with all the love that i have recived from my family and from my loved ones. Heavenly Father has blessed me so so much this week. I feal so joyful i feal like crying with joy. ( i am in cyber so i wont) This week the greatest news is that we had 5 baptizims. Familia Sanches and Family Sevilla. What a week saturday we had a baptizim pland for 11 in the morming as it fell through we saved it to do at 5. We got to there house 4 and started to see how we can help them get ready and how there were with evrything. We got there and Pedro wasent there so we were woried we saw him come home with his son whos a pastor or a preacher for another church. We talked with pacions and peace and they got ready ate and we went of to the stake center to baptize. The greatest part of this day that the members of Nindiri saported us in all our strugles as they changed there plans to be there 5pm. The baptizim went well the maria has 53 years and husband Pedro 62. Then we helped them get on transpertation for there house and we tooke a taxi to 21 for The family Sanches. We got there and the family was ready. As we were walking to there friends who were going to give them a ride who came from managua. Lisa told us she didnt want to get baptized she had some chalenges. So we started to talk to her. She reminds me of Lydia alot. She has 14 years old. We talked and i let her know that she will have the chanse to talk to the zone leader who will interview her again if she wanted. So we got to the chapel it was 7 y 30 then we helped her to meat with the zone leader as he talk to her. The family got dressed ready to take pictures. She got back and sat down saying no. so we as companionship desided to talk to her one more time. It was a very spiritual lesson that we gave her that i will remember good part of my life. As she told us she will get baptized. She asked if she could make a call she made the call got dreased and the whole family got baptized. What a mericle that the lord gave ua. Albin who is her step dad thanked us for helping her. What a bryte happy family they are. The part that they live there isent many members so they will be one of the first family there i know they will help the work move along. Love the mission and all the work that my Heavenly Father has helped me to be part of. I hope that i have a chance to serve him all my life. Well my thoughts are not all together i am a bit tired from last week but realy happy. Another great thing hapend we went to the christmas devotional as the stake president pout his arm around me and told me that he was very thankfull for all the work that we are doing in Nindiri and for teaching his poeple. I could feal a great spirit with the stake president. I am thankful to the lord and my mom and dad for all that they have tought me. i am so blessed in my life. Hope to honer my Heavenly Father in this life work hard to do all the good that i can. Thank you for all your letters i love you all. I cant belive that i am 21 i feal a little old. I love my sister carissa and the great example that she has given me in my life and the apertunity that i had to share the same day with her. I know that she is happy. I thank my Savior Jesus Christ for all that he did for me. Love you all have a great week.
mom & dad i havent goten any of the packedges i think they are waiting to give them all for christmas. Thank you for all that you do for me