Fear

Lately, I’ve been feeling a lot of fear. 

I often ask myself questions like:

1. Am I following God’s plan for me?
2. Why does everyone else’s life look so happy on social media? Why can’t my life be like that?
3. Should I have picked a different career path? Would I have been more happy?
4. Am I living in the right location? Should I move?

For me, fear can be immobilizing. However, I have found comfort in Christ’s words: “My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” 

Over the last month I have found three ideals that have helped me find peace in a fearful world.

1. Friends:

Surrounding myself with supportive, positive friendships takes effort. Although genuine relationships aren’t fostered overnight, they have helped me my darkest of times.

2. Preparation:

My patriarchal blessing states, “With preparation, you will not fear.” As I have prepared and organized myself daily for work and projects, I have felt a calm, peaceful confidence.

3. Build Where You Stand:

It is easy to think the grass is greener on the other side. Perhaps it is, however, often it is not. Regardless, you don’t have to be Mother Theresa to change the world. Look up! Look out! The opportunities to make a difference in the people’s lives right around you are endless. You often don’t need to go anywhere, you just need to realize where you are.

I’ve often thought there is a perfect path in life that I’m supposed to follow. A perfect girl to date, a perfect job to find, some perfect plan that God has for me that I need to find: my destiny. However, I’ve come to realize that destiny is less about finding the perfect path God has mysteriously laid out for me and more about co-creating it with God. 

“God is much less a divine dictator who demands perfect compliance to a predetermined plan for our individual lives and much more a co-creator with us of the lives we want to live.” - Ariel Szuch

Peace is the anedote of fear and Jesus Christ is the literal Prince of Peace. Look to Him and we will find a destiny we are creating with Him.

Last Week! 

I love this. I love every second of this. I love missionary work. I love being able to wear our Savior's name on my chest. I love talking to people. I love teaching people. I love studying the scriptures. I love questions. I love feeling the spirit everyday. I love seeing other people changed by the spirit. I love helping them begin a testimony. 

I love the missionary schedule. I love how much purpose I have found on my mission. I love every single one of my areas. Right now, I love so so so so much this dear Singapore 2nd Ward. I love these youth. I love them all. I love seeing and helping them become missionaries. I love trying to impart 2 years of knowledge on them in a few short weeks so they won't have to make the same mistakes I made as a young missionary.

I love seeing people enter the waters of baptism. I love enduring to the end. I love the happiness that the gospel brings. I love my weaknesses that God may make me humble. And oh He humbles me. 

I love Chinese. I love China. I love Malaysia. I love Singapore. I love speaking Chinese. I never want to speak English. And I never do :) 

I love training missionaries. I love helping members. I love the members. I love these members. They sacrifice so much. Their faith is unbelievable. 

But most importantly I love my Savior. I love Him. I can feel him. I don't know how to describe it. But I love him. And I love how he is always there. And He will make me more of myself than I could ever make of myself. 

I am so sad to leave everything I have loved and worked and sweat and fought for here in Malaysia and Singapore for the past two years but it is time for a new phase of life. 

I love this. 

Love, 

Elder Pierce

平长老

"Trying to do the most good for the least credit." 

P.S. We did a visa run to Indonesia this week! See the pictures below! 

Week #104....One more week to go! Leaving it all out on the table!

2 years goes by fast. I think sooner than not I am going to be in the grave. Better cherish every moment you got. 

This week was amazing like usual. 

We went to Marina Bay Sands on Monday! Singapore is amazing! (see pictures!) 

We are going to be having baptisms for the next 3 weeks straight! We are way excited for this area! It is amazing! I love China so much. I love Chinese. I love it all. The members are so amazing. 

In our ward we are doing a mission prep class. I am getting to train 5 future missionaries which is amazing. They are going to be the greatest 5 missionaries ever. 

I gave them 3 challenges in order to graduate. You all are free to try this as well. 

1. Get one person's phone number who is interested in learning more about the gospel. 

2. Invite someone to be baptized in a lesson with missionaries. 

3. Plan out a part of a day with the missionaries and then go and do your plan! 

It has been so much fun to work with them! 

I love this so much! Have a blessed day! 

and a blessed day! Mom and Dad! See you in a week! :) 

Love,

Elder Pierce 

平长老

week #103...I love this.

I only have two weeks left. 

I love this so much. I love being a missionary. I love representing the person I love. My Savior and Redeemer.

These next two weeks are going to be crazy. Our area is exploding right now. We had 10 investigators at church last week. And taught a lot of member present lessons. 

I literally feel like I am serving in China. And that is obviously against the law but we spend a lot of time in Chinatown. We do language study there and literally it feels like I serve in China. This is probably one of the most unique areas in the world. I feel so blessed. I am able to serve in a ward from China and yet not be in China because that is against the law. This area is unbelievable. The members are unbelievable. 

Recent converts are the best. Thank you for all the gifts that I have been getting lately :) (see picture below) 

We have a state champion runner in our house. He is giving us some sweet running workouts in the morning :) 

Miracles are real. That is all I can say. Some things I just cannot deny. And that is that miracles are real. 

I gave a 20 minute talk this week in Chinese in Sacrament meeting. It felt way smooth. Never could have done that at the beginning of my mission. 

Also this week started a mission prep class. We have some awesome youth in our ward. Teaching them how to talk to people :) it is awesome. 

Love you all 

Elder Pierce 

平长老