Email dated Feb 27, 2012 at 10:29 AM

Subject: first weeks in Grand Prairie

I am glad that you received my first letter and package.  I was kinda frustrated last week not being able to email because I had a lot that I wanted to tell y'all as soon as I could, but hopefully the letter covered most of it.  This last week has been pretty busy, and the library doesn't give us much time to be on the computers, so hopefully I can get through the most important things.

On Thursday we had a Zone Conference and our speaker was Elder Duncan of the Quorum of the Seventy.  It was pretty awesome! He talked about seeing a "vision" of how our mission will be in the future (temples, stakes...) and doing our best as missionaries to help the TDM achieve the potential that the Lord has for it. The Lord will show us want he wants to happen and who has been prepared if we will but ask.  The conference was also awesome because we got to catch up with our MTC Elders. Sister Cole and I talked to them every moment we could and got to see how everyone is doing.  They are all great, though we all are kinda sad because we obviously don't see each other as often as we did in the MTC.  Elder Azure is still here on the mission which is so great!!  When I was talking to him he told me that I am the reason and the inspiration for him staying.  Elder Azure said it was thanks to me that he made it out here on a mission.  He says that even though I may not feel like Dallas is the best place and time for me, he knows that I was sent here at the right time and the right place so that I could influence him to keep serving his mission. so cool!! I really didn't feel like I had helped him out that much because he already has such a strong testimony and just needed to see it, but I was grateful that I maybe played a small part in helping him because that was a big focus of what i did at the MTC.  I am so glad he is still here and I know we will be best friends forever.  Elder Azure is Native American, so he totally promised to give me an Indian name when he becomes a grandpa and gets the right to!! haha- it will be the best!

Saturday we had our first baptism!! Super awesome. Her name is Zubeeda Holman and she is from Trinidad. The baptism was great and so full of the spirit.  It was a lot more simple than any of the baptisms we have ever had in the family, but I think that made it even better. She got confirmed with the Holy Ghost yesterday, which was also a great experience. I feel so grateful to have been a part of her teaching and baptism, especially so early in my mission because it makes me even more excited to do more and spread the gospel.

The work in Grand Prairie is going pretty well.  We have a few investigators and are hoping this week to find a bunch more to increase our teaching pool and find those that have truly been prepared instead of just those who are inviting us back again to be nice or even to try and get us off of their doorstep.

I am loving both of my companions. Sister Heaton is a great trainer and good at giving advice on what I can improve on and fix. she is great at working through problems and helping resolve issues whether in our companionship or with investigators. Sister Cole is doing great at becoming more comfortable with talking to everyone, which is awesome to see. She is also great because she keeps us all happy and getting along. She is the sense of humor in our companionship. I love them both and we get along pretty much all of the time!

Everything seems to be going well. I love just having time set aside everyday to really study and learn more about Christ and his true Gospel.  It is such a great blessing to be serving the Lord 24/7 and be focused only on that. I love being a missionary so much now and know that feeling will only increase as I continue to serve and love the people of the TDM! It is great being a missionary and the time is already going by so so fast! crazy.  It has barely been a month!!

I love getting all of your letters. I got one from Aunt Shauna a couple of days ago, a wedding announcement from Brooke Hammer, and a letter from Dad all in this past week. Thank you all so much. I will try to write back any letter I get, but never have much time even on Preparation Days.

I love you all and hope that everything is going okay back at home. Thanks for everything especially all of the support and love!!!

-Sister Peck