Week #34 - Spreading Christmas Cheer for All to Hear

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Texas!

So this week was so wonderful!  We have had so much fun caroling with our District and Zone leaders!  And we had lots of opportunities to share "A Savior is Born!"

This week we had a really cool experience.  We had some finding time on our hands so we silently sat and pondered where the Lord would send us. I keep seeing the word "Meadows" in my head and Sister Bates said, "There aren't any streets with the name meadow that I know of, but let's check the GPS ..."  The nearest street with anything named "Meadow" was 32 miles away.  So we started driving ... and driving ... and then we decided to turn into a certain subdivision.  We turned into it and the third street we saw was named ... Sunlight Meadows Lane .... !!!!  It was awesome ...

We started down the street and no one was home, but we did find a lady who was standing in her front yard.  We approached her and asked if we could sing a Christmas Carol to her, but she replied, "I don't celebrate Christmas..."  We said, "That's okay!  Can we still sing to you anyway?!" She said sure.  We sang "Away in A Manger" and she totally opened up to us.  She explained how she believes in Christ but doesn't celebrate Christmas because the world has made it too commercialized.  We testified to her that the True meaning of Christmas IS Jesus Christ and that we had a message we knew she'd love.  She had to leave to go somewhere, but we gave her a Christmas.mormon.org card and she said she would watch it. 

She also asked if she could take our picture to post on her social media sites because she was so blown away that Caroling still exists (and she said she has several friends who are  Mormon and she wanted them to see us.  Haha  We made sure our name tags were clearly visible and let her post away. :)  It was an amazing experience and miracle!

This week was also Mission Conference!  It was sooooo much fun!  Sister Bates and I actually sang for the wholeeeee mission!  We sang "Away in a Manger!"  The spirit was so powerful and "The best way to share Christmas cheer is singing loud for ALL to hear!"

Christmas was great because I was able to Skype my cute family!  It was wonderful seeing all of their wonderful faces!  It feels like just yesterday that we were together and I didn't realize it, but I will hit my half way mark next month...SCARY!  Time is going by waaaay to fast for me.

SKYPING WITH PARENTS AND LITTLE BROTHER ...

. . . PLUS AUNT AND UNCLES

Being a missionary is so much fun and I'm so glad I have this time to dedicate to the Lord because He has truly given us everything. This season has been great and full of service and love.  We just need to remember to keep the Spirit of Christ with us always! :)

Thanks everyone for the wonderful examples you are to me and everyone else!  I love the gospel and being able to share it 24/7 is such a blessing!

Love you all and stay safe!

Soooo here are some pics! :)

Happy Holidays!

Love,
Sister Pinster

Christmas Eve and matching PJs!

Week #33 - New Comp and New District - BACK IN HOUSTON

Hey Y'all!

So I had a big email typed up but then my iPad shut off and it didn't save...sad.

But my new area is amazing!  I love it so much!  And my new comp, SISTER BATES, is the bomb! Seriously we have waaaay too much fun! She's my bff and I love this area as well! We are serving in Bear Creek! It's the best! The Ward is so great and I love being so close to the city as well! It's bittersweet to leave the country but mission life is just so amazing! 

We took sooooo many pics together, so get ready... :) 

I never have enough time to write, but I will be better next week! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS and watch #ASaviorisBorn this season and share it with friends!

Oh, and my new address is:

Sister Taylor Pinster

15903 Yorktown Crossing Pkwy

Apt. 1316

Houston, TX 77084

Love you all!

❤️

Love,

Sister Pinster

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE BEAR CREEK SISTERS!
SISTER BATES AND SISTER PINSTER

I FOUND THIS B OF M AT A THRIFT STORE ... IT IS OVER 50 YEARS OLD!
 FEELING LUCKY!!!!

Taylor's New Address:

Sister Taylor Pinster
15903 Yorktown Crossing Parkway, Apt. 1316
Houston, TX  77084

Week #32 - Temple 2X and Transfers. Goodbye Caldwell!

Hey Everyone!

So this week has been one of the best weeks of my whole mission.  No joke.  So many miracles and wonderful things are happening in these two branches!

First off, I am getting transferred tomorrow. It's so bittersweet leaving here, but I know there is more for me to do, and other people to share the gospel with!

We were able to go to the Temple as a district on Wednesday and WOW.  The Temple truly is the House of the Lord.  What a blessing to have the Houston Temple in my mission and so close. :)

So Friday was the Hearne Branch's Christmas party and the Caldwell Branch's was on Saturday.  We had lots of non-members there!  It was so much fun to see everyone and this time of year truly is the best because everyone is in the Christmas spirit!

On Sunday, President Mortensen (our Mission President) came to Hearne Branch's sacrament meeting to speak and we had about 25 people! Seriously--it was awesome! And on top of that, our investigator Susan (who was first interested in just Family History but now is getting the lessons) came to church for the first time and committed to be baptized on Jan 16!!!!!!!  She already has a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon and has been praying for God to send her more knowledge. She has been through so much and she's the sweetest lady ever. We are so excited for her!

After church, it was Potluck Sunday and talk about yummy food ... anyways after that we were able to go to the Temple Tours with Susan, her granddaughter, and Brother Floyd Hafley! What an experience! Seriously! :)

It's so bittersweet to leave this area, but I'm just so excited to see what the future holds!

Everyone have a great week and holiday season!  Thanks!

Love,

Sister Pinster

AFTER PIC AT COLLEGE STATION ZONE MEETING -- LOVE THESE MISSIONARIES!

TEMPLE TRIP WITH THE DISTRICT

TEMPLE TOUR WITH SISTER HOLTSCLAW, SUSAN AND HER GRANDDAUGHTER,
BRO. FLOYD HAFLEY & SISTER PINSTER

GOODBYE CALDWELL, TEXAS
(Taylor--where did you get the black hat and boots?)

Misc Pictures

TEMPLE TOUR WITH PEOPLE FROM HEARNE

OUR MISSION PRESIDENT MEETS OUR INVESTIGATOR

Week #31 - December is here!

Hello Everyone!

Okay where do I even start ...This week has been full of miracles and blessings! Let me just give y'all a run down ...

So, Saturday was Bryson's baptism!!!!! The Spirit is so strong at baptisms and his non-member family was there! He is such a bright kid! His mom, Erin, was officially reactivated on Sunday! And her daughter, 8 months, was blessed for her baby blessing! Talk about a family gathering...we had almost 30 people in sacrament! The typical Sunday is about 12 in Hearne!

Also on Sunday, Brother Floyd Hafley received the Priesthood! Wow! What an amazing feeling it is to know I was part of his conversion. He's so amazing and my grandpa. I have officially adopted him.  :)

This week we have been sharing the new video the Church put out, "A Savior is Born" with EVERYONE!  Not kidding, everyone. It's only 2 minutes and people normally have time for it! I would love to challenge everyone to share this video on Facebook or anyway you can so others can discover why we have and need a Savior! :)

Sister Ramos and her family came to church and the Branch has adopted her as well!

I love this season because everyone is so open to hearing more about the Savior. So many miracles have already happened and I know there are many to come!

I hope everyone is staying warm and remembers to put more of Christ into Christmas this year. :)

Love,
Sister Pinster

AT BRYSON'S BAPTISM

LOOK WHO I FOUND AT ZONE CONFERENCE THIS WEEK.  MY FAVORITE LITTLE SISTER!!!
(Sister Selee with an injured/broken? finger from playing volleyball - Ouch!)

OH, AND A TEXAS SANTA!  HO HO HO MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Week #30 - Happy Rooster Day!

Hello Everyone!

Well this week has been so crazy! It was Thanksgiving and we had two dinner appointments! One on Wednesday with some members from Caldwell and Mary Cromo.  It was so good!  We had roosters that Brother Smith had in his yard and they were yummy!  We also had ham as he killed a pig as well!

Country living ... let me tell you.  Everything is authentic here.  And everyone basically lives on some kind of farm, it's the best!

Then on Thursday, we had Thanksgiving in Hearne with the Evans family and some investigators came as well! It was so much fun!  I love both of the areas I am able to serve in.

And on Thursday, guess what?  More car trouble!  Haha. Our car wouldn't go into park or reverse. Weird, right?  We got done eating and were going tracting, and once we got to the street, the car wouldn't go into park or reverse.  So Friday morning we had to take it in and we were "carless" all weekend.

But ... great news!!!!  THE SENIOR COUPLE ARE FINALLY HERE!  They rescued us and drove us to our appointments and came to church.  We are so so excited they are here! There is soooo much to do in these two branches and we are so excited to work with Elder and Sister Larsen. (They remind me of my Grandpa & Grandma Bluth).  We have been praying for them and they are awesome! They have served 3 other missions, all outside of the country. Then, they got called to Houston Texas!  Haha.  (Actually, sometimes this part of Texas seems foreign!)  It's because the Lord knows they are needed here.  :)

Oh, and we are getting a BRAND NEW car this month! MERRY CHRISTMAS TO US! :)

Okay so...

One of the Part-Members families we have been working with, the Ramos, came to church on Sunday! :)  yay!  It was so great!  And Bryson is getting baptized on Saturday!

Brother Floyd Hafley is getting the Priesthood, and we are trying to get him and Mary Cromo to the Temple Grounds Tour before the end of the year! :)  Now that the couple missionaries is here, we are going to have a lot more time finding new families and people. We are so excited!  Tracting is so much fun, and I love doing it every day! 

When there are so few members, tracting is where the miracles happen!  This past week, we found 7 new investigators!  A family and some others!

Thanksgiving was amazing and mission life is the best!

Hope everyone had a great turkey/rooster/ham Thanksgiving!

Love y'all!

Sister Pinster

JUST SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
(Looks like Taylor needs a new umbrella after the hurricane rains!)

MY AMAZING COUSINS SENT US A CHOCOLATE PIE! YUM!!!
SHOUT OUT TO KARIN AND CORY BRITTON -- GRACIAS!

THANKSGIVING DINNER WITH THE EVANS!

SISTER HOLTSCLAW, SISTER PINSTER AND ELDER AND SISTER LARSEN
WE ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR THEM AND LOVE THEM ALREADY!

Week #29 - More Pictures ... HAPPY TURKEY WEEK!!!

Okay I'm sorry--no time to write--but hope y'all have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Eat lots of good food and enjoy the pics!

Love y'all!

Sister Pinster

HE MADE US A PUZZLE PICTURE - WISHING FOR SOME SNOW!
(Love the Red Boots TayTays!)

JUST PICKING SOME COTTON IN THE FIELDS!
(aka Texas Snow)

Dreamin' of a White Christmas!

I FOUND THE CAR AGAIN!  HA HA - YAY FOR GHETTO AREAS!!!

TEXANS LOVE THEIR FLAG!

Week #27 - Six Months Down and a New Companion!

Hi Y'all!

I hit my official 6 month mark this week!  Crazy!  This week has been super crazy and fun! 

I got a new companion and she is amazing! Her name is Sister Holtsclaw and she's from California.  Transfers are always fun and I am excited for this next transfer.  We have been so busy with trying to meet with our investigators and new members this week while finding time to find some new people to teach.  The miracles just keep coming! :)

SISTER PINSTER AND SISTER HOLTSCLAW

My new comp just came from a Suburb of Houston, and I am trying to help her get in the swing of things here out in the country with our two branches.  We figured out that our area, Caldwell and Hearne, covers over 1/8 of the whole entire Texas Houston Mission!!! No wonder we spend a lot of time in the car!  Haha Good thing we have cd's and a cell phone! :)

Lots of wonderful things are happening here and I can't wait!  We have been working with a part-member family, the Rodriquez family, and the son is planning on getting baptized in the next couple of weeks!  Yay!  I can't say much more because we are continually finding new people who are ready for the gospel!

Sorry I don't have much time today to write a long email, but I am so grateful to be serving the Lord on a mission and extremely grateful to be in such a humble area. 

I love you all and I love this Gospel! 

Have a wonderful week! 

Love, 

Sister Pinster

Week #26 - Time Flies When You're Having FUN!

Hey y'all!

Well, it's weird to say that I have been a missionary for 6 months now. So weird. I feel like I just got here! Being a missionary is so much fun! And this week was definitely one I will always remember!

This week, Brother Floyd T. Hafley got baptized and was confirmed a member of the church! It's been a great journey with him and we are so excited to see him continue to progress! The spirit was so strong at his baptism and it was just an amazing experience.  

We have had a couple other miracles, but the one I wanted to share was with Erin! She came up to us while on exchanges and asked if we were the missionaries.  She's a member but hasn't been to church in a year. She wants to come back and didn't even realize there was a branch in Hearne!  She has three kids, 11 year old, 7, and 6 month, and her husband is a nonmember who has taken the lessons before.  She came to church yesterday with her family!  We are teaching them tonight and she is so great.  She has a testimony and she even shared it yesterday at the meeting. Teaching and preparing families is the best!  

I know this church is true and being in two of the best branches has taught me so much! The members all have such strong testimonies and it is exciting to see them becoming more comfortable with sharing the gospel! 

I love the scriptures.  They teach us so so much!  If you haven't read Mosiah 2-5 recently, you definitely should! It's the general conference of the Book of Mormon and it's great! Also, D&C 18:10!

Mission life is the best, Sister Selee is being transferred and it's time to start another new adventure with a new companion! :)  Also, the weather here is crazy!  There were three tornados in the Caldwell area and it was storming all week! But good thing for cowgirl boots. :)

OUR GREAT ZONE!

Here are a couple pics from this week--Yes, we were Anna and Elsa for Halloween and the kids loved it.  Haha love you all!  Hope everyone had a great Halloween!

ANNA & ELSA @ TRUNK-N-TREAT

A TEXAS TURTLE ... SAVED FROM BEING RUN OVER

Love,

Sister Pinster

Week #25 - Happy Fall Y'all!

Hey!

I just love Texas!  Especially the small towns I am currently serving in--Caldwell and Hearne.  The two branches are amazing and the members are so strong and getting motivated to do missionary work!  It's been such a change in the culture from the beginning of us opening this area and now!  I just feel so blessed to be a part of this!  I was able to go on exchanges this week with the YSA sisters covering Texas A&M.  Wow, what a difference.  Being on campus is a lot different than the small towns. I definitely live in A&M country! I loved being on campus and it was such a great experience!  I also got to ride a bike the whole time and WOW--I was not prepared for that.  Haha, but it was super fun!

We have started teaching the Mayor of Hearne!  Let me just say we are truly trying to convert the whole town!  Hahaha  His name is Ruben and his wife is Kathy.  They are progressing and wow, when we taught them the Restoration, they were so humble and accepting!  After the First Vision lesson, both of them said, "Wow" and we sat in silence and let the spirit take over.  When we invited them to be baptized, both of them said "Yes" with no hesitation or concerns.  That never happens!  Miracles!  We were just suppose to meet them, and I literally got emotional when they said yes.

The message we share is true.  Everyone needs to hear it and it's our turn to share it! The Restoration is such a powerful message!  Ruben and Kathy were so ready to read the Book of Mormon, it was inspiring.  Kathy even asked if there was a Bible Study she could go to and Ruben said, "You got one right here with these wonderful ladies!" It's crazy to think there really are people who have been waiting for this gospel.

Brother Love was our member who came with us, and he is a convert from the Baptist church, and Kathy was a Baptist as well!  Connection!  The best part was when Brother Love was explaining how his glass felt half full with the Baptist religion and when he found the Book of Mormon and the LDS Church, his cup is now overflowing.  Members are so amazing and if any of you have the chance, please go out with the missionaries! :)

So yeah, last week on P-day we went to a Safari that is in our area, super fun!  And yesterday at church it was suppose to be the primary program, but half of the branch was stuck at home because of the flooding from the hurricane, so they called us up to speak like two minutes before the meeting started.  Relying on the spirit was all we could do and it was a great experience!  I love giving talks now and being prepared is truly a blessing.  We also taught Relief Society so we hope no one was too tired of us talking :)

Oh and ... Brother Floyd Hafley is getting baptized on Sunday!  We moved his baptism date up because he is so ready and prepared! :)

There is just so much to do here!  We found 9 new investigators last week and we even had to teach a lesson this morning on P-Day to fit everything in! :)  The Lord is blessing us in so many ways and I can't thank Him enough.

I love being out here and I love this gospel so much!  It truly changes lives and brings so much happiness!

I hope everyone has a "blessed" week!

Love,

Sister Pinster

Misc Pictures from Taylor

P-DAY ADVENTURE AT A TEXAS DRIVE-THRU SAFARI

(ALMOST AS GOOD AS OREGON'S WILDLIFE SAFARI)

LOTS OF RECENT CAR ISSUES (FLAT TIRE & DEER DAMAGE):

"All of a sudden, there was a deer running beside our car . . . and then it ran into us ... BUMP, BUMP!"

CAR DAMAGE FROM HITTING A DEER
(. . . NOT AT THE SAFARI)

MARY'S FIRST TIME AT THE HOUSTON TEMPLE TOUR