PETERSEN'S IN ST GEORGE

Julie Petersen said: "We just saw Summer Allen at the St George temple visitors center. We were bending our knees so as not to be giants next to her. She took us on a tour and she is a great little missionary"

No more facebook

Sister Allen just informed me that her mission president asked all the missionaries in the mission to deactivate their Facebook accounts. Sure enough I checked it out and it's gone. I'm sad she had to deactivate it but I'm very proud that she has learned obedience. Wow! You can't put a price on this one.

June 24, 2014

Hi, hows it going??

Ok so I have like zip, no time. Sorry mom I took too much time writing individual people :/

We did get 2 investigators on date this week, Kim and Austin!!!!!!

Kim is just golden and ready! She is on date for August 2nd. We tried sooner but thats when her family will be here.

 

Austin is on date for July 19th. Hopefully this date wont be pushed back as it has twice before.

Teancum was so close to being baptized today. He met with someone from the Quorum of the Seventy and got clearance and then clearance from the First Presidency but he cant get a hold of his mom out in Colorado City so he will have to wait until he is 18 in January. Bummer but the Lords timing is always right, so we just gotta trust.

Funny moment: Sister Garcia asked someone this week: "How come you have a beer?" When she really meant beard hahaha I guess you had to be there. But it was good. (English is her 3rd language)

Well we are continuing to see miracles and blessings each and every day. We just need to look for them!

I hope you all are doing well. Be happy :) It's the only way to be!

~Sister Allen

107 S 1470 E STE 304

St George, UT 84790

June 17, 2014- Have miracles ceased?

Hi, hows it going??

So remember last week I talked a lot about having more specific, fervent prayers? Well Sister Garcia and I had the neatest experience! It was Friday afternoon and 2 of our 3 appointments cancelled. :( But we had people to contact so it was alright. Well we could not find anyone home. We finally pulled over and decided that we needed to plead with Heavenly Father to help us find a new family to teach that was ready for the gospel. Well we continued to knock doors and still no luck, no one was answering! We then had dinner, a lesson, and then back out to find this family! It was now about 8:30 and I felt impressed to turn down this one street where I knew a lessactive family was that one of our Bishops told us to go visit. We knocked, no answer. It was getting late and we figured we could probably head home and just call some people but as we were walking back to the car I felt such a strong feeling to go knock this door a few doors down. I ignored it at first thinking of myself.. I was tried, I was disappointed, no was was answering all day. Again the thought came to me to go knock that door so I tell Sister Garcia and we head down there. A lady answered! Ahhh! She lets us in, gets her husband and baby and we sit. Shes a member, active primary teacher.. We figured he was an active member as well but we kept talking, getting to know them and she then tells us "My husband is not a member" Ahhhh we were freaking out inside. So they just moved here from Arkansas, where he is from but they are currently living with her active parents. He had met with missionaries a little bit before but was willing to meet with us! We had an appointment Sunday but unfortunately their house was a mad house with a bunch of people there for Fathers Day so our first official lesson will be Thursday. We are stoked beyond stoked! I am so grateful that we listened to the spirit. I'm grateful that Sister Garcia and I were able to keep pushing forward. We had been working hard all day and it was 8:40 when we knocked on Brianna and James door and could have easily gone home but we didn't. We were so determined to find a family and we did but all thanks to our Heavenly Father. I know that we are here as representatives of Heavenly Father and Christ. We are here doing their work. If we align our will to His we will see the blessings. 

So I think I mentioned last week about a new investigator, Kim. Well she had cancelled last week but we were finally able to see her last night! So Kim had met with the missionaries before and even been on date in a different area. She is married to a member and her 2 sons even got baptized last year, along with her dad. She has lots of questions but as we went through the Restoration we were able to resolve her concerns. Then this morning we got a text from her "Hi sisters- I just wanted to let you know that after you left last night I felt such a great sense of peace that I haven't felt in a long time- maybe it was the spirit- but I just wanted to thank you for bringing that gift to me. Have a wonderful day. -Sister Hall." Ahhh we were freaking out! We are so excited for our next lesson and we are going to put her on date, no doubt!!!! She is so prepared!!!!!!!

Ok update on Harry- We have had some really powerful lessons with him but he is being so stubborn to the spirit. We are thinking we need to do a do or die lesson. So hard but we shall see..

Thats all I can think of for now, plus I am running out of time. I hope you are all doing great, and always trusting in the Lord. Miracles happen when you do. Love you all! :)

Mormon Message for the week: Earthly Father, Heavenly Father I hope you dads had a great Fathers Day!

~Sister Allen

107 S 1470 E STE 304

St George, UT 84790

June 12, 2014- Not missionary work but missionary fun :)

Hey, how's it going??

Oh it seems like its been forever since I have emailed... but to us 9 days is forever! So much has happened, so lets pray I will remember all that is important ;)

Well since last time we have had a Zone Meeting and Zone Conference. Our Zone Conference was yesterday and it was just so amazing!! Well they both were really amazing actually! 

In our Zone Meeting they talked a lot about what kind of missionary we want to be. They had us really think about why we are here and what we hope to become and accomplish during this time. It's really made me think as time has just been going by so fast!!!! We were reminded that we need to serve how the Lord wants us too. We need to "counsel with the Lord in all thy doings" (Alma 37:37). 

Zone Conference was similar with remembering our true purpose here. Elder Wade, our area 70, started off the Zone Conference with talking about putting our heart in to the work. And really teaching people with the things in our heart instead of our minds. (Helaman 13:3-5) President Center talked about truly pleading with the Lord to bless us. We can not expect miracles to happen without pleading for them. We need to plead in prayer for our area and investigators. We need to be specific in our prayers also. Its okay to tell God we want a golden family of 5 to teach but then we need to work. We need to do our part. Oh it just totally pumped us up! The talks given be the assistants were so great too. They talked about having faith that our area can be prosperous; that our areas can be "the promised land" where every missionary will want to one day serve. But we need to be confident in everything.. Confident in ourselves, companions, the spirit, the Lord! Sister Garcia and I are so pumped! And we truly do see the Lord blessing us already, just the 3 weeks we have been here and he's going to bless us even more! We are working hard and holding Him accountable to it!

We found 3 new investigators this week! Woohoo! One of them we met at church in the gospel principles class. Her name is Kim and she has met with missionaries before. Her husband, 2 boys and dad are all members! She just moved into this ward from another stake here in St George. One of the other sisters in the Visitors Center said she was even on date for last September. We are seeing her tomorrow for our first lesson so we are excited! The other 2 new investigators are the Boyds. And we were actually on exchanges that day so I have not met them yet but I do know that Brother Boyd has already been reading the Book of Mormon and is in 3rd Nephi! Ya hello huge blessing! They sounds super prepared!

Things have been going well with Harry! We had a lesson with him the day before last and it was on the Plan of Salvation. It went really well and thank goodness we have 2 really good fellowshipping couples! The lesson before this one we had asked him to pray and he wouldnt but this time we asked him and he didn't even hesitate! Ah huge blessing!

Another miracle- Teancum is meeting with our Mission President this Sunday for a baptism interview!!!! We all fasted for him Sunday that he would receive his answers and he called us that night and said he was ready to meet with him! Eeekkkk so excited! No we await the process because he comes from polygamist background but still so happy!

This week had been so good at the Visitors Center as well. Amazing tours and prepared people coming in from all over. I love that we get to keep in contact with them after they leave too!

I am just so grateful for this time to serve the Lord. We are his servants at this time and the blessings are just amazing! I'm so grateful to be serving here in Bloomington and with Sister Garcia. I know this is exactly where the Lord needs us at this time!

Just in case you haven't watched this video "Because of Him" in a while. Watch it again! I watch it almost everyday because I just love it! This work of Christ is so great! I love it! I love this time serving Him!

~Sister Allen
107 S 1470 E STE 304
St George, UT 84790

June 3, 2014

Hi, how's it going??

Wow this week has been crazy! But does that surprise me? No, thats the mission :) 

Sister Diaz and I traveled down in the transfer van to St George Tuesday night. Right as I get there I had to run to a meeting with our Stake President and then Coordination meeting with my new companions. Oh more formal introductions: Sister Arnold is from Germany, 22 years old, beautiful singing voice, and gives great German tours at the VC. Sister Garcia is from Quebec Canada, 23 years old, hil-ar-i-ous, and gives great French tours at the VC. Unfortunately Sister Arnold is headed to the airport right now to board her plane home. (Hence the craziness of this week) But this week had been one that I will never forget on my mission. We really learned to all love each other in these 6 days. We were just getting used to the trio life. We had so much fun, and even got a bunk bed :) Felt like the MTC again! We know that we were all placed together for a reason. Sister Arnold showed us the area and people as much as we could in that split time with the VC. So it's like Sister Garcia and aI are now "white-washing" but it will be good. We see how much potential there is here in the Bloomington stake. The Stake President is so awesome. He has really caught the fire and feel for member missionary work! We are so excited to see what the Lord has in store for us here!!!!!

We already picked up 1 new investigator too! His name is Harry- approximate age:80. I am so excited! I'm not sure why but I have wanted to baptized someone really old! Anyways, it was awesome. One of our ward mission leaders actually set it up for us. So Harrys wife, Mary, is a convert. Got baptized when they were kinda newly-weds maybe within the first 10 years of marriage. Anyways, we taught the Restoration and he has some very valid questions but the spirit was there nonetheless. He has been an extremely stubborn man over the last decades but he has really opened up now. We can tell that he has been being prepared this whole time. The timing just needed to be right and now that he is getting older I think he is seeing why he needs the gospel. Eekkkk we are excited to keep working with them! Prays for Harry por favor!

We found a new less-active, Alice, to start teaching too. Thanks to the bishop! Ah the people here are awesome! We have received so many referrals already! Anyways, Alive is a convert of 11 years. Her husband was born into the church but he passed away just like 3-4 weeks ago. Before he passed he told her that she needed to become more active. She just doesn't have much knowledge of the gospel. We taught her the Restoration yesterday and watched the Restoration DVD. It was powerful. There is such a spirit with media. I love it! Which is why I am called to the VC again. It has such power!

We have an investigator, "T". He is living with the Mayor of St George who is in our area. He is from Colorado City but has been living with the Pikes now for about 1 year I think. He is only 17 but the Pikes have brought him into their home with such great love. We have had 2 lessons with T since we got here and oh he is so ready. He is nervous to meet with out mission president but we know that he can be ready. We had a very powerful lesson with T and the Pikes last night at the VC and the spirit was amazing! We talked about recognizing the Holy Ghost and Temples as well. He wants to go into the Temple so badly and wants it for his family as well.

The temple is just such an amazing place and I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve the Lord and especially in this mission and right by the temple. I love that you can literally see it anyway in St George! 

Here is a Mormon Message I wanted to share with yall today!!! Please watch, I love it!

Anyways, running out of time. But know that I love you all! And so does our Heavenly Father!!!

PS Had some visitors at the VC this week. Cassie, Karlee and Julianna from Kanab came in and I about died! Ekk missed my Kanab friends!!!!

~Sister Allen

107 S 1470 E STE 304

St George, UT 84790