"whatsoever thing he shall ask in faith, believing ye shall receive, ye shall receive it"

Hello everyone!

Happy February!! :) This week was one of those weeks where I feel like
so much happened but at the same time like nothing did. A lot of
people were sick this week so we had to get creative with our time. :)

My first fun story comes from going on exchanges! We were up in
Sewell, NJ for a day. We've been trying to really help these sisters
because the work in their area has been slow lately. That morning I
said a prayer asking Heavenly Father that I would be able to do
something to help these sisters see that there is success in their
area. One thing my mission president has stressed is that "there's no
such thing as a dead area" and I was determined to help the sister I
was with see that! At first nothing we tried seemed to be successful
and I could tell the sister I was with was having a hard time. I
noticed a cute older couple sitting down the hall from where we were
and I ran over and started talking with them. Soon enough they were
asking about our church and we were telling them about the sacrament
and the restoration! They were both so excited to learn more and to
read a Book of Mormon! As we walked away I was so grateful to know
that Heavenly Father answered my prayer. I still get so nervous going
out of my way to talk to new people but Heavenly Father truly helped
me be courageous enough to open my mouth and I know that He can do the
same for all of you. :)

This week we were also able to meet a new man named Vincent. We've
taught Vincent's wife a couple of times and we finally got to teach
him! Is church is actually closing and he's looking for a new place to
go. We told him about our church and gave him a brief overview of the
restoration and he looked so excited! It's amazing to see how the
simple truths of the restoration truly do touch the heart. We, again,
just have to open our mouths and be ready and excited to share this
message!

I read a scripture this week that really hit me and I wanted to share
it with all of you. :) It's Romans 8:38-39. " For I am persuaded, that
neither death, nor life, nor Angels, nor principalities, nor powers,
nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any
other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." HOW AMAZING IS THAT?!? There is
NOTHING that can separate us from the love of God. No matter how hard
things get, no matter how many mistakes we make, our Heavenly Father
still loves us just the same. I know that that's true. And I'm so
grateful for that knowledge. :)

I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love,
Sister Rachel Petrick
#TheChurchIsTrue

Our cute family picture. :)

Snow!

Dear friends and family,

This week we were hit with LOTS of snow. Apparently it was known as
the "blizzard of 2016." Or at least that's what I'm told. For the
first time in my life(at least that I remember), church was cancelled.
So my companion and I were able to spend our morning helping people
shovel themselves out of the snow. Even though it was less than
freezing, it still really warmed my heart. :) And to make a fun memory
even better, after we returned home the members we live with surprised
us with a mini sacrament meeting! They got permission to administer
the sacrament and then we watched President Nelson's recently young
adult address "Becoming True Millenials." As I listened to him speak
the thing that hit me most powerfully is that we truly do live in a
fallen world. There are wars, disease, pain, and all sorts of
temptations. Many often say that the world is in the worst condition
it has ever been in. But that's all in opposition to the fact that we
also live in the dispensation of the fullness of times. We might have
some of the worst things happening around us, but that's simple
because we are also blessed with the BEST. We are blessed to live in a
time where we can inherit all of the blessings that our Heavenly
Father has to give to His children. I'm very grateful for that
knowledge. I'm grateful to know that in 1820 the heavens were reopened
and that Heavenly Father and Christ set their work in motion. The
restoration of the gospel began and we are now all taking part in His
great work today.

I also wanted to give everyone an update on our investigator, Lillie.
This week were were able to go visit her with our Bishop and he gave
her a blessing for her surgery. When we went and visited her in the
hospital two days later she was overcome with gratitude and told us of
how well she was healing. I will never forget the smile on her face
when she said "it's because of bishop cook's blessing." She's doing so
well and is already ahead on her healing schedule! This week we read 2
Nephi 31 with her at the hospital. This woman constantly amazes me
with how much faith she has! As we read about baptism and explained
its importance she just looked at us, again with a smile on her face,
and said "I know." She's so excited to heal and come to church and be
a part of God's kingdom. She's already expressing how much she loves
her new "church family." I am so grateful for her and the example she
sets for me. She is so willing to do whatever the Lord tells her. She
really does hold such a special place in my heart.

Thank you for all of your love and support! I love you all!
Sister Rachel Petrick

It finally Snowed!

Hello everyone!

I am really just so excited to tell you a little bit about the simply
MIRACULOUS week that Sister LeFevre and I had. There were so many
times when we walked away from situations and look at each other and
said "Did that really just happen? Heavenly Father is SO GOOD."

The first miracle was such a tender mercy for a us both. Tuesday was a
long day full of administration work we had to finish so we didn't
have as much time as we like to outside. With the couple hours that we
had we decided to go contact a referral named Joseph who had requested
a bible. And it turns out that Joseph and his house full of people are
from West Africa! We started teaching him and a few of the other
people there about the Book of Mormon and after I shared a verse one
of the men said "Is that from Nephi?" We were shocked! He knew about
the Book of Mormon! And they knew all about the temple! They also had
a lot of questions so we scheduled a time to come back later, but we
left feeling so refreshed by the spirit. What a tender mercy. :)

We also got to go on two exchanges this week and I can testify that
exchanges bring miracles! I was with a sister named Sister Eckman and
I was blown away by the boldness of her teaching! Our first exciting
adventure together was delivering a bible for another referral. We
were also able to teach her about the Book of Mormon and she was so
excited to read it! We left and when we were almost to our car we
heard her calling after us and she came and asked us if we would bring
more copies of the Book of Mormon for her SEVEN KIDS so they could all
sit in with us and learn!

And just yesterday Sister LeFevre and I were delivering yet another
bible referral to a man named Gary. Gary invited us in immediately and
as we were handing him his bible he said that he meant to order a Book
of Mormon! Of course we happily gave it to him, told him a little bit
about it, and he asked if we would be willing to come back and teach
him about the doctrine of our church!

Heavenly Father is truly preparing people to hear the message of
Christ's restored gospel. I know that that is true. These experiences,
along with many other miracles from this week, really taught me that.
They also taught me how important it is to open our mouths and make
our message known. We could have easily just dropped off the bibles
and left, but because we mentioned the Book of Mormon and testified of
its truth the spirit was able to touch the hearts of these people and
they are letting us come back to share the gospel with them. Our
Heavenly Father gives us all incredible miracles each and every day,
we just need to follow his guidance so that we are where he needs us
at the right time. I know that Heavenly Father is so aware of us all.
I know that he loves us and that as we look for it we will see His
hand in our lives everyday. I know that this is his work and that it's
only through the sacrifice of his son, Jesus Christ, that we will be
able to enter into his presence. I'm so grateful to be a missionary!

I love you all!! I hope you have a great week!

Love,
Sister Rachel Petrick

January 11, 2016

Good morning!!

I'm still alive and it's another beautiful sunny day in south jersey!
The temperatures are dropping but we still haven't seen any snow, so
there are blessings everywhere! I hope everyone had a great start to
2016 because I know it did! This past week was our transfers and I
got a new companion! Her name is Sister LeFevre and she is from
Tropic, Ut, which I've learned is right next to Bryce Canyon National
Park, which happens to be one of the most beautiful places I've ever
been. She also just came from the ward that neighbors my first area
and so we've been able to talk about a lot of the people that I taught
which has been a little tender mercy. And I really love being with
Sister LeFevre!  She is such wonderful missionary and I love hearing
her testimony. We work really well together. :)

We were able to have a lot of fun experiences together this week. The
first person I want to mention is James. I've met with James a couple
of times and he's a funny guy, and he really believes that there's
more scripture than the bible. So naturally we left him with a Book of
Mormon. So this week we went back to follow up to see if he's read.
When we asked he said "I  read it, I like it, but I just have one
concern. It doesn't mention anything about Jesus Christ." And
immediately I felt the spirit in me tell me he's wrong. The more we
talked to him the more we realized he was coming up with excuses, but
I'm really grateful for the feelings I had at his original comment.
While I do have a testimony of the Book of Mormon, in that moment I so
clearly felt the spirit witness to me that EVERYTHING in the Book of
Mormon is related to Jesus Christ. And as I've read since then I've
been so much more aware everything He is mentioned. I want to testify
that the Book of Mormon is a testament of Jesus Christ, as is says on
the cover, and that we will draw nearer to the Savior as we read,
study, and ponder its teachings.

Another miracle we were a part of was teaching a woman named Lillie.
Lillie requested a bible from us a few weeks ago and this week was the
second time we were able to meet with her. We had previously taught
her about the Book of Mormon and as we talked about her reading when
we saw her she showed us verses she had read that addressed specific
concerns that she had at that time. The spirit was so strong as we
testified to her of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and the
Restoration and invited her to be baptized. And she said yes!! The
first time we met with Lillie we had brought a member of the ward with
us who was able to share her conversion story. Lillie said that after
we left she prayed and felt that her meeting us and hearing this
member's story was God's way of Showing her where she needed to be.
She said that after we had left "her flesh wanted to leave the church
she was attending." As she shared this with us I again felt the spirit
so strongly. Lillie is an incredible example of faith and obedience.
All she wants is to do the will of the father and her example is
teaching me so much. Please keep Lillie in your prayers and she
continues to learn and read the Book of Mormon.

I am just so excited about this next handful of weeks! I have a
feeling that they will be great for us all as we work our hardest to
serve our Heavenly Father. I have come to have such a strong testimony
of this gospel. I know that "there is no other way nor means whereby
salvation can come unto the children of men." I know that the Savior
lives and that his infinite atonement can strengthen us in ways that
we can't even imagine. It's just up to us to let him in.

I love you all! Thank you for all the prayers in my behalf, they're
felt and appreciated!

January 5, 2016

Rachel didn't send out a group email yesterday, she must have been too busy.  I got a short letter from her though.  It is transfer week.  She is staying put, but her companion is going home.  So, yesterday was spent getting her all packed and ready to go.  Rachel said she would pick up her new companion today.  Hopefully we will get a big letter next week!

This picture was posted yesterday.  It is from there Christmas meeting they had.

Philly North, Cherry Hill North, Cherry Hill South, Wilmington zone Christmas Conference 12-23

December 28, 2015

Hello everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I sure did! It was 70
degrees here in New Jersey and I was able to spend the day with many
people who I've come to really love. :) The highlight was spending
Christmas Eve with the members who we live with, the Terasevichs. They
had three of their kids and their families over as well and they made
me feel like I was at home. This couple served a mission in Poland and
they've implemented a lot of polish customs and traditions to their
celebrations to make sure that everyone's thoughts are centered on the
Savior. I'm so grateful for the Christmas season because of the
special spirit that just fills the air. I know that as we all make
more of an effort to focus on the savior throughout this next year we
will be able to have that spirit with us all year!

Other than the Christmas festivities this week has been spent with us
meeting lots of new people! We received a lot of referrals this week,
meaning that a lot of people requested a Book of Mormon or bible or
missionary visit, and we've been trying to meet them all! I don't know
if I've ever explained my area, but it's HUGE.  I'll include a picture
of the ward so you can get a general idea, but we had people to meet
in all parts of our area! I've been really impressed by the faith of
those we've met this week. One referral was a woman named Ephesia,
named after the book of Ephesians in the bible, and when we asked if
we could come teach her she got a big grin on her face and said "If
it's about the Lord, I'll do anything!" That is just such an admirable
attitude to have! I've been really trying harder to apply that mindset
this week. One of "if it's from or for the Lord, I'll do it!" Another
we met was a man named Sam. Sam is such a sweetheart. As we gave him
the books he requested his face lit up and he told us that he was
looking for a church to join. The next day he walked in and sat next
to me during sacrament meeting and said that he'd come back! These
things might be seemingly small, but as it says in Alma 37 "by small
and simple things are great things brought to pass." One step at a
time these people are changing their lives and I'm so grateful to be a
part of it!

With the new year coming I want to encourage everyone to read or
listen to the talk "Put Your Trust in the Lord" by Elder Ballard and
do as he counsels and pray about ways that you and your family can
bring someone into the fold of God.

I love being a missionary! I know that this is his work and I am just
so grateful for all of the things that I'm learning and experiencing.
:) I love you all!

---------------------------------
Sister Rachel Petrick

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!!

I just LOVE the Christmas season! It is by far the best time to be a
missionary. It's really incredible and humbling to be able to see the
way that people's hearts change this time of year. It seems a little
odd at first, but it happens because everyone tends to think a little
bit more about Jesus Christ and, as we hear every week at church, when
we "always remember him we will have his spirit to be with us." As we
think of Jesus Christ we can't help but be happier! We can't help but
feel joy! :) These lives, and ESPECIALLY the Christmas season, are
meant for us to have joy. :) So the moral of the story is, use your
free moments to think of the Savior and you'll be happier! :)

We were able to see a lot of Christmas miracles this week. Because of
the #ASaviorIsBorn initiative we've been receiving a lot of referrals,
meaning people have seen the video or the website and have requested
items or visits from the missionaries, and us going to see one is the
first miracle I want to share. We set up an appointment with a man who
asked for a bible. When we came he wasn't there. At first I was a
little bit sad but the thought came to mind to ask them if they wanted
to watch our video, and they invited us in! Both women there had met
missionaries before but they had never met sisters before, which made
them excited! It was also an African American family so it was like I
was back in Philly right in my element. The words came easy as we
talked with them. Soon they called all of their kids downstairs and we
had about ten kids sitting at our feet as we shared the video. They
loved it and invited us back! As I talked with these women I couldn't
help but smile just because of the honest love I already was feeling
for them. As I was giving them a Book of Mormon and telling them about
what we do as missionaries one of the women stopped me and said
"you're doing Christ's work. You have a light , I can see it in your
face." She accepted the Book of Mormon and asked us to come back! It
was one of the sweetest moments I've had in a while and it really
taught me that I have every reason in the world to be happy! I'm
standing in the place of Jesus Christ, spreading his gospel to those
who haven't heard it yet. And we don't need a name tag to have that
light with us. Matthew 5:16 says "Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works, and glorify you Father which is in
heaven." We all have a light that we can share with those around us!

Basically this entire year I've had a theme of studying light. And
I've really learned a lot and was so thrilled when that was the focus
of Elder Bednar's Christmas address, he really helped me click some
pieces together of things which I've been learning. Jesus Christ truly
is the light of the world. In Helaman and 3 Nephi 1 we learn that the
signs of his birth were "a day and a night and a day, as if it were
one day and there were no light" and "a new star shall arise." As I
studied it really hit me that these signs are both different forms of
light because Jesus Christ literally brought light into the world.
Likewise, in 3 Nephi 8:20-23, when Christ died there were three days
and three nights of complete and utter darkness. Between the time of
Christ's death and the resurrection light was missing because Christ
was gone. Jesus Christ literally brings light into our lives. He is
the light.

This week I got to go to Gospel Doctrine and it went right along with
this light theme. We were learning about the first part of the book of
Revelations. In the first chapter John writes about candlesticks. Our
discussion led to the finalized thought that Jesus Christ is that
light. He is the Light and the Life of the world. We, as his
followers, are the candlestick. We bring the light of Christ to those
who are struggling to find it themselves. Last night we were able to
witness this ourselves. The youth had a caroling activity and they let
us tag along for part of it and we visited some of the people we work
with. I have never seen so many hearts touched in such a short period
of time. Each time we went to a door and sang I thought about the
challenges that these people were going through. Their heartaches,
their feelings of inadequacy or the feelings of being forgotten. And I
watched as tears came to their eyes because this group of youth was
standing in the Savior's place. They were showing these lost sheep
that they are not forgotten. We have so many opportunities to serve
those around us. And as these youth taught me last night, it doesn't
have to be fancy, it doesn't have to take a lot of time, you don't
even have to sing on key! It's the simple acts of kindness that just
show that we are thinking of our fellow men that mean the most.

Sorry this was a little bit longer this week. My heart has just been
so full of the Christmas spirit that's been in the air! I hope you are
all having a wonderful holiday and that Heavenly Father is leading you
to those whose hearts you can touch this year.

I love you all! Merry Christmas!!

---------------------------------
Sister Rachel Petrick