Another week in Minnesota . . and this week has been the best of all!

Finally, Ryan had a somewhat normal week of missionary work.  Not only is he feeling so much better, he is just thrilled to be out working and seeing the Lord's hand in his life.  He shared so much with us in various letters that I will try and piece some of them together so that everyone can get the full story.

Hey Mom!  So I will try to answer a lot of your questions, but there were a lot!  I am doing so much better even from last week!  I am able to eat without any issues now and am able to have started working out again, and mainly just function as a normal person and that has been so nice.  It was definitely something I wouldn't have minded never having to experience, but hey, like so many people here at the mission know me now as the kid that almost died the first week, and I am better now.

We visit a fair amount of people and teach quite a few lessons throughout the week, whether on a doorstep or actually being let in.  We do a decent amount of tracting, but it is hard trying to find the Hispanics to be able to tract.  They are everywhere here, it is just finding where they are at, and then more often than not, trying to get into apartments,  which is always an adventure.  The members do help us, and as we grow closer to them and they begin to trust us more and more they feel more comfortable to share. I absolutely love the members here.

Our service we do is mainly just at a veterans home and its just pure service, we aren't allowed to tract, but it is so fun and all the old guys just are a crack up and have a blast when we come every week.  They tell you all of their stories and its just a good time.  

Also if we tract into a Somalian family, we just ask to do service because they are Muslim and we aren't allowed to teach them at all, and there are so many of them here!  

The language is slowly coming,  it is harder to understand some people more than others, but it is getting there and the Lord has helped with that a lot. Me and my companion have had a great time, we get a lot of work done. All over the city we just find things to laugh about and it is so crazy here so we find plenty of things everyday that just give us a laugh and its been a good time with him.  

So with Facebook we can use messenger and use the actual status and whatnot however we feel directed to spread good messages and the gospel in one way or another.  So we will see how we will use it and how it goes in teaching people all over, here and back home.  

Also a little more info on my area.  So we are Minneapolis central kinda, but it is whatever is Minneapolis south of downtown.  It is big, but the Hispanics clump together so it works out.  The ward is a decent size, nothing like Utah, but it is not bad at all, and like I said, the ward is amazing.  And I think a lot of them are from Mexico, but there are some from all over as well.  We meet a good variety of people here, it is such a diverse place here it amazes me.  

So this week has been good, crazy, but good!  We did my first real finding and whatnot, and it went well!  We got a lot of return appointments, I got us into my first door I knocked, and we have retaught them a couple times!  We just got lucky getting into this really hard apartment, and we got in multiple times when no one has been able to before, and we expounded the work there and it was a very good faith building experience.  Also my companion was having me give out my first Book of Mormon, and was just going to do it with whoever first for practice, and got yelled at, so woot woot, great first attempt.  We had some great progress with a less active family though!!  We went and gave her husband a blessing, he was in the hospital on life support. And I anointed the oil, my first time in Spanish!!  And we gave the blessing, and the spirit was so strong, then we just told the wife, since the guy was in a  coma, that she is welcome to the ward, and they are like a family.  So through the week, her husband made so much progress health wise and it is looking like he is going to be completely okay!!! Miracles!!  And then at church guess who shows up?  The wife and son show up when they haven't in a long time, so that was a blessing this week. 

I miss you guys a lot, but it will all work out I know that for sure.  I am supposed to be here, and then I will be able to see you all again after my time here, and then at some point show you guys the people I taught, and members that let us in and treated us as family.   I love you!!!

Group Email:

Another week by here in Minnesota, and this week has been best of all.  I have been running back on full health for the most part of the week, and I want to thank you all for your concerns and the many prayers from you all, I appreciate them and know they aided me in my recovery this week.

So since I have been able to get back to health, this week we went full steam on the missionary work, and had a lot of success in the work we did.  We stopped by this one hard to get into apartment building that no other missionary has been able to get into as of yet.  And we decided we would go there and try to see what we could do. So we get there and prayers were answered, the door was propped open by a garbage can, and we were able to get in and tract there.  We knocked every door on every floor and had a lot of success!  There were a lot of different people who showed interest in learning more about the mysterious book we gave them, and how our message will help their families, God knew when we needed to get into this building, and hopefully we can continue to visit and teach those people.  And every time we have gone back to the apartment, we have had no problem at all getting in, blessings are real.  

Other than that, some crazy things that happened.  Me and my companion got stuck out walking in the rain at one point and we were completely soaked head to toe and that sure was an adventure, it was just sprinkling at first and we figured we would be able to make it.  Also the people here are just crazy, from riding really tall bikes, to dressing like Luige, we have things that we are able to laugh about every single day here in Minneapolis. Also people here will steal the front tire off of peoples bikes, we have seen probably 4 or 5 bikes this week where someone stole just the front tire, isn't that just terrible??  And yes, one of those pictures attached on the email is a triceratops head in the front yard of someone, that about sums up the people here.  

Well thanks again for all the prayers for my health, I know prayers are answered, and God will do anything He can to answer prayers and give blessings to His children. He loves everyone of you and knows you perfectly, all you have to do is ask and he will bless you in numerous ways!

-Elder Pickering

First Real Week of Work!!

We finally got good news!  After over a week of Ryan being down in bed, not able to eat anything, or do any kind of missionary work,  he is finally on his feet again.  He is slowly easing back into it but we are thrilled that he was finally able get out and do what he was sent to do.

His area is Minneapolis.  It is a big city and he is still unsure how much of it they actually cover.  But true to most big cities, it provides constant entertainment and crazy stories.  Normally it is a biking area but because he is still not at %100 the Mission President assigned them to use a car for awhile.  His trainer and companion is Elder Millecam from Smithfield Utah.  They are doing well together and Ryan is excited to learn from him.

They are assigned to the Twin Cities 1st ward.  He said the members of the ward are excellent and so faithful and kind.  They seem to love the missionaries and have already fed them wonderful meals.  It looks like he is going to be well taken care of there in Minnesota.

Here is his group email:

So I have had the chance this week to not be in a hospital, and let me tell you it is much easier to do missionary work outside of a hospital bed! This week started out pretty chill because we had a zone conference one of my first days out here.  So we got to all get together and learn more and overall grow as missionaries.  We had the opportunity to teach a few lessons this week as my body has recovered, and I am currently in a trio for that, and they decided to have me invite in my very first lesson the guy to be baptized.  It was a very cool experience, and even if he hasn't accepted the baptismal date just yet, it was good to learn by fire and have the chance to invite him in my very first lesson as a missionary. 

We also have this one investigator right now who has had a crazy story.  He and his family lived down in Mexico and some bad people got involved with them and ended up shooting at them while they were all in the car.  3 out of the 4 of them ended up with bullets in them and the fact that they are alive is a miracle in and of itself!  They are able to recognize that it is only because of God that they were able to receive that blessing and keep on their lives.  So now we are just trying to turn that recognition into the desire to do more and put in the effort back to God. 

So it was a good first week of work and leading up to church was great.  And then came church time where you just wait for your investigators to show up and hope they have that desire to come.  Sadly we waited and waited to no avail, this week none of our people decided to show up, and that was hard, but it just means we have some work to do this week.  As I keep feeling better and better I will have the opportunity to do more for the people and I am so excited for that.  The blessings of being a missionary are amazing, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be out here and serve!

-Elder Pickering

 

 

Did you know you can get salmonella from chicken, but you can't get chickenmonella from salmon?

So, Ryan's first week in the mission field didn't go exactly as planned or expected.  Whatever does, right?  I will include his email and as well as a follow up email from his Dad.  This should give you a good idea of what has been going on.  Don't let the craziness fool you though.  It was a really rough week.  Ryan's sickness is very serious.  It has taken a toll on him physically, mentally and emotionally.  We are so grateful for prayers offered in his behalf as well as the amazing Mission President and his wife for their concern, care and love for Ryan.  It is hard to be a mother and feel so helpless to care for and comfort your son.  These people have been my saving grace and for this I am forever grateful.

Group Email:

So the first week in the field definitely wasn't all I imagined it to be.  So the day before I left the ccm I ended up contacting something and it made me way sick. So for the entire day of travel I was entirely sick. And then the next few days began consisting of ER trips and feeling awful. It turns out I got a bad case of salmonella. So sorry for those I wasn't able to respond to today, I am currently in the hospital as well.  So for the past days, no food, 6 and a half liters of liquids and 3 hospital trips thus far and that's my mission experience here in the beginning. But God does everything for a reason, so it'll work out. If I didn't get sick and go to the hospital, all those sick down in the ccm wouldn't have had the knowledge of what they needed to treat, so everything works out and every Trial will strengthen us! Well look for real missionary work in next week's email. 

-Elder Pickering

Follow up from Dad:

Let Dad step in and add a little color to it all.  I hope you will permit me a little creative license here. :)  Let me give a few more details for those just begging for more information.

So we knew he was sick from his brief call home from the airport, so I emailed the mission home and told them what was going on and they would be coming in hot, so to speak.  They were ready for him.  Let me just say we are so fortunate to have President and Sister Barney as his mission president and mom.  They are outstanding, just so loving and caring.  Could not be any better for Ryan.  They could tell he was in bad shape.  President Barney called us that night to let us know that they got him to the mission home, gave him a blessing, gave him fluids and sent them straight to bed.

He was doing worse the next morning, so they took him to the ER to get fluids.  Over the next few days, he bounced between the mission home and the ER, getting fluids and trying to get him stable.  We have been called a few times between President and Sister Barney and they have let us talk to him twice.  He is weak but remains positive.  Sister Barney says he has been such a kind and gracious young man facing the pain he has. 

Yesterday we got the call from Sister Barney that the stool sample testing was in and that it was salmonella.  I had been texting my friend Jason (who is very high up in the missionary dept.) about it and he said they were thinking it was a norovirus that was taking all of these missionaries down.  Once I told him it was salmonella, he started emailing the Mexico City MTC directors and presidency, general authorities over it all, as well as mission presidents with sick missionaries from the MTC.  He was grateful that now they knew what they were dealing with.  I have told Ryan via email that he and his poo are true heroes in this story, saving a lot of missionaries a lot of pain.  I might have even compared him and his poo to Finn from the cinematic classic Sharknado, only instead of Finn fending off the Sharknado with an awesome chainsaw, it was Elder Pickering fending off a Poonado from harming other missionaries.  Quite the visual I might add.

Got another call from Sister Barney this morning that things had gotten worse for Ryan, though.  He was in a ton of pain last night and his sodium levels continue to drop.  He is back in the hospital but has been admitted this time.  They have him on a sodium drip and more fluids as well as a lot of antibiotics.  We will hear more from them later, I am sure.

It is hard to know your child is going through so much pain, but we are grateful for so many things.  We are grateful that we have both served missions, so we have faith in the system, in the process.  We know he is being cared for, and we also know his mission is the medical center of the universe with the Mayo Clinic just a few miles away.  We are so grateful for President and Sister Barney and the love and care he is getting there.  We are grateful that we have been able to talk to him a couple of times and hear his voice.  It is weak, but there is a laugh still there ready.  Sister Barney said he is amazingly positive there.  We are grateful for the blessings he has received, to know he has a work to do there, that he will be healed and recover and serve an honorable mission.  He and we just need to be patient and continue in faith.

So there you have it.  Less than a week in the field but already a great big story for the journal. It will be another week or two to get him back on his feet, but hopefully it will come soon and he can regain his strength and not forget the Spanish he learned in the MTC.

Hope that was enjoyed by all and OK'd by Elder Pickering.

Dad

And here is one of the updates from the Mission President:

Thanks for your note, Brother Pickering.  Elder Pickering is doing a bit better today.  I have been here in the hospital with him today and I am glad they admitted him.  He just wasn’t improving, but he seems more alert today and feeling a little stronger.

He has such a positive, kind attitude, despite his physical ailments.  He is an inspiration to us.

Love,

Pres and Sister Barney

Minnesota Here He comes!

Ryan left today for Minnesota.  I am sure he was excited to get on his journey.  We were excited because hopefully he would be able to call us from Atlanta.

Well call he did and it was not what we were excepting.  Sometime in the middle of the night he got extremely ill.  He was flying and just felt awful.  When he talked to me briefly he could barely speak or stand up.  He was very worried about getting to his connecting flight.  We weren't able to discuss anything really about his experience thus far.  We said goodbye and it left me feeling very uneasy.

Ryan rarely gets sick so this was something significant.  Here is an interchange of emails that passed between us and the Mission President.

Hello Minneapolis Minnesota mission!

Our son Elder Pickering is in route to you right now and we are excited for him to get there.  We just wanted to give you a heads up that he is very sick.  He called home for a few minutes from the airport and was dizzy, feeling terrible and not sure what to do.  He said it had started about 4am at the Mexico City MTC.   We hope he is able to navigate the rest of way there.  My wife is very concerned at this point, but he is a capable traveler.  Just know that he is incoming but not very well at this time.

Regards,

Roger Pickering

Thank you for your note, Brother Pickering.  We will do everything we can to assist him as soon as he arrives here.  Fortunately, he is not traveling alone, so I do not anticipate difficulties getting him here safely.  We will keep you closely advised as to his health situation when he gets here.

Best personal regards,

Pres. Barney

Carey S. Barney

Minnesota Minneapolis Mission

I know that our missionaries coming from Mexico City basically have to get up in the middle of the night on the day of their departure, so I am sure he didn’t get much sleep either.  We will be tracking his flight on the Atlanta leg and will be there to meet him and his two traveling companions.

Thank you so very much President.  We have every faith in you and have heard such wonderful things about you and your wife and the mission as a whole.  Ryan almost never gets sick and I cannot remember him taking a sick day in high school at all, so we know he isn't feeling great.  Of course with the nerves and everything else, who knows.  Thank you for replying.

Roger

Well we knew Ryan would be in good hands.  That evening we actually got a call from the Barneys letting us know that Ryan made it safely.  We would learn later that this was one of the longest and hardest days of his life.  He had a fever and felt awful and so they gave him Gatorade and a Priesthood blessing and then sent him to bed.  They told us they would keep us apprised of any further complications.  We assumed that would be the end of the communication and that Ryan would be up in a day or two after kicking whatever bug was ailing him.  We had no idea what was yet to come.

A Final Farewell to a Friend

The day Ryan left the CCM, I received one last picture from Esteban and a sweet message.  Ryan truly did his best to speak the language and become friends with this great individual down in Mexico.  A mission brings so many blessings in so many forms.

For those that don't understand Spanish, here is the gist of Esteban's message:

He said that yesterday they said goodbye.  He was in the kitchen the whole time an unable to leave to see the missionaries off when he thought of Elder Pickering.  Well, Elder Pickering came looking for him in the kitchen and it gave him great joy to hug him and be able to say goodbye.  He also wants to be friends with Ryan on Facebook.  :)

Final CCM Email

First Mission Accomplished  . . . catch a parrot

Ryan's last email from the CCM was a little brief.  I know that he is ready to go on and begin the next phase of his mission.  He has not shared a lot of the hardship he has dealt with in the MTC to avoid the negative.  But I can attest that he has had to learn patience, love, compassion and trust in God to stick with some of the things he was handed.  But I admire him and how well he has handled himself and the situation.  His testimony has grown and his conviction for going as well.  Great things are yet to come.

Here is also a small snippet of an email he sent his Grandfather:

"Something that our gospel that really puts it out, is that personal revelation!  So many people are out there right now living thinking that they don't have a way to hear God or see him in their lives, and that is so sad!  We are lucky to know that God is watching out for us everyday and has given us the means of talking to him whenever we may need, as well as seeing an answer to our prayers and concerns!  I am so excited to bring that enlightening news to people in my rough Spanish, it is coming along, but I still have much more work to do.  With the language and the gospel.  I am so excited to get out there and share this gospel of pure joy and happiness!"

Group Email:

Well its official, the time has come to move on from the ccm and that is crazy! The days here can be some of the longest, but the time comes and the weeks just melt by, and in just 6 weeks you can accomplish so much! So here is some stats you can all enjoy of the 6 weeks here.

*Toaster has been on fire 4 times
*1 bird caught, and 0 loros :(
*30+ lessons taught
*Hundreds of prayers
*2 songs sung in English
*3 prayers offered in English
*Murdoch companions =6
*Volleyball win rate 100%
*Ping Pong win rate 100%
*Pushup increase amount 300%
*District hospital visits =2
*Number of missionaries that believe we are going to Japan = 10
*Earthquake drills =3 Real alarms =1
*Times water got cut off =2

Yeah so basically you can live out a life in 6 weeks and it will fly by like its nothing. It is crazy, but I am ready to get out and further the work. The next email you will receive will have been after some time in the field so hopefully I will actually have new pictures and real stories that don't just repeat weekly. So moral of this email, is don't waste your time, it will never stop moving by, so you can either savor every second, or let it get passed you. And if you are serving God, or others, you are not wasting that time one bit. Two years can seem like a long time, but if put to the best use, you can live that time out like it was much longer. And the amount of blessings and happiness you can bring to people in 2 years is infinite, so don't waste a second of your time with something that you will come back and regret later. When in doubt, do something to make someone smile, you will never regret it.

Well until the next exciting email
-Elder Pickering