Thanks for the emails!! And YAY!!! I got accepted into George Mason!!! :D I also got an email that I was accepted into BYU-Idaho, we're just waiting on BYU and the art program now. I am so grateful to have so many options. Thank you SO much for all the work you did to get those applications finished and everything! I'm so excited too! :) And kind of scared, haha!
I hope Dad's interview went well! It's so crazy to see the pictures of the freezing weather... brr! I'm so proud of Dexter! It sounds like he's working so hard. It was really awesome to hear about the lady that got baptized, and confirmed on that freezing Sunday. That sounds like a really amazing experience. :) I love hearing about Isaac and Jacob and Adam and Peter and all their goofy jokes, haha. Hannah's hair has gotten so long! She looks beautiful! That's so awesome Jacob gave a Book of Mormon to his friend, too!! Has he ever invited him to church or anything? :)
So as for us, we have had an INCREDIBLE week. I honestly feel so humbled, because we have been blessed with so much success this week! It has been incredible!
So first of all, thanks so much for asking about R! He is an amazing man. We taught him this week, and he was smoking marijuana. And he still has some things he needs to work through... so we're pushing his baptism off for now. He's still reading the Book of Mormon though, and he remembers so much of it, and knows that it's true. He's been out of town all weekend, and he just got a job where he'll be gone every weekend for a while. So his progression has kind of stopped for now. :P But thank you so much for praying for him. We'll let you know how he's doing as time goes on.
We had a really fun p day last week! Our district got together and made pizzas :) Elder J, my DL, is from UT, and he worked at papa murphys too! So we had fun making pizzas and talking about the different kinds we used to make. It was really fun to spend time with the district! Today we are having a BBQ as a zone for p day. I'm really excited. :)
We have quite a few really solid people we're teaching. First of all, S is doing amazing! We taught her about the BOM this week, and then she came to a baptism. A whole family got baptized that the elders were teaching. She came, and she was just so happy, she was just crying. Afterwards we had a little lesson with her, and she had a hard time focusing because she kept saying "I'm sorry sisters, I'm still back at the baptism! It was so wonderful!" She is looking forward to her baptism - she is so excited!! And she wants to move it sooner! She has felt the Spirit so strongly and just knows it's true. I have loved teaching her so much. She is the cutest lady! She's probably about 55, and her husband passed away a year ago. She lives across the street from our boundaries, we were just teaching her because her member family lives in our ward so we taught her at their house. But this Sunday we passed her off to her new ward, her family went with her to her actual ward, and it sounds like she had an awesome experience - commenting in class and making friends. I'm so happy for her. :) It is the greatest thing in the world, to see the change and the light that comes into people when they accept the gospel, and discover it for themselves. She is so happy!!! She'll probably be baptized on March 7th, and we'll be able to go. :)
We also saw D this week!! He's S and R's friend's son. We had the most powerful and heartbreaking lesson with him. He told us about his home situation, and it was the saddest thing I have ever, ever heard. It was so, so sad. His mom's boyfriend is extremely abusive, and the cops and CPS don't do anything to help them. The boyfriend just runs away when the police come, and then his mom just lets the boyfriend come right back. It was so, so heartbreaking to hear his experiences. I can't even describe it. Because D is SUCH an incredible kid!!! He loves reading, he loves books. He is so smart. But because of his family circumstances, he's had a really rough start in life. But he wants to build a better life for himself. He told us that when he's at home, his escape is putting in his headphones and reading the Book of Mormon. He reads it to his little siblings when they get scared. And he also told us that ever since he came to church, he's made changes in his life - he stopped stealing, he stopped drinking, and he's working on quitting smoking. He's down to half as many as he used to use! It's incredible!!! We didn't even invite him to do those things yet, he wants to change and embrace the gospel all on his own. He is such an incredible kid. He's about 17. He's hoping to move out on his own, and start putting his life together. He considers himself a member and wants to be baptized, but the only time we can see him is when he visits S and R on the weekends. He doesn't want missionaries to come to his house because it's so bad there, and his parents would just chase them off. It is so, so heartbreaking, but it also amazes me how incredible D is. I'm seriously going to pray for him probably every day for the rest of my life. I just want him to be happy and to have the gospel, and build a good life for himself. He is such an incredible young man, and he is also so golden. He loves the gospel, he loves the Book of Mormon, and he wants to do what's right! He is such a powerful example to me. It makes me want to grow up and do something to help people - to help youth like him.
We have also been teaching a man named W. He is so awesome!! He's probably about 50 too. His son came home from a mission in Peru. W has been in and out of jail, but he sees the light and happiness in his son's face, and in members, and he wants to change so he can have that. It amazes me how dedicated he is in wanting to have the gospel in his life. We taught him about the Book of Mormon this week, and he told us that he has such a hard time reading, but he said that he was going to give the Book of Mormon everything he had. It just makes me want to cry thinking about it, because he has that pure, simple desire to follow Christ, and he's willing to do anything to have that, even with the challenges he faces. He came to church this Sunday, so that was awesome. :)
I love the people here so much!! I love, love, love South Phoenix. I love W, D, S, Y, R.... I love being a missionary. We're teaching a young woman named Y too, and she is so fun! Her stepmom is super less active. Y wants to be baptized, she comes to church and mutual every week. We found her about a month or so ago. But she just has to ask her mom and dad for permission. So hopefully that will work out! S is getting baptized on March 7th, and W is getting baptized on March 28th. (my birthday!!! :) ) N J is also doing well! She is a funny one haha. She may or may not be slightly crazy, bless her heart. The Bishop was a little worried about her being baptized, because she came in for welfare (which in itself isn't a problem - in this area that's a ton of people) but he was just a little worried about her sincerity. But Bro T, his counselor who I LOVE, him and his wife are so awesome haha, told us that if she's reading and praying, and she has a testimony, then it's okay for her to be baptized. We're just really working with the Bishop and him to make sure we work in unity with the ward. N is a character, but we do believe she is sincere. She's been reading the Book of Mormon - she's in chapter 20, she's read almost the entire gospel principles book, and she told us she wants to be baptized to be cleansed from her sins. She also understands the apostasy and restoration SUPER well. She also keeps asking us, sisters, when am I getting baptized??? She really, really wants it! So she will probably be baptized on March 7th as well. We'll talk with the Bishop to make sure he feels good about it, but we think everything will go okay! We also had to help her quit smoking. The mission has this program we use, where they go through a series of steps and drink grapefruit juice and stuff, and we got her the supplies and everything on Wednesday. She's quit smoking and didn't have a cigarette since then, as of Sunday! So we figure if she is overcoming that addiction to be baptized, she must be pretty sincere. Because that is a tough thing to overcome, it takes alot of sacrifice and will power. It really is a test of faith I think, and it shows she's willing to live the commandments. So, yeah! That is N J! I wish you could meet her, haha. I really love her. :) She also has a heartbreaking story. She grew up in the ghettos in south phoenix and didn't really have a childhood. We've heard alot of really heavy stories this week. I'm so grateful for the gospel, and how it can help people change and heal.
We had the funniest moments this week!! HAha oh man! So every Wednesday we have dinner with Bishop A and Sis A and the elders. So Elder J sends out a text to his investigators every day. Well, this week he accidentally sent it to bishop. At dinner, Bishop said "Elder, I didn't get the scripture you sent..." Elder J said "It's one of my favorites! It totally talks about how we feel the Spirit." Bishop just said, Huh? I don't understand. And Elder J said, okay, I'll share it as the spiritual thought! So at the end of dinner, Elder J asked Bishop, Bishop, will you read the scripture I sent you? And Bishop pulled it out, started reading it, and it said.... (John 4:18)
18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
Hahaha, isn't that hilarious?!? We laughed so hard!!! No wonder Bishop was so confused! Hahaha, it was soooo funny. Turns out Elder J meant John 18:4 or something like that. It was hilarious :D
We also got to make papoosas this week! Sister S always has us for lunch on Tuesdays. This week she had us make papoosas. Basically you take this cornmeal dough, roll it in a ball, make a hole, put in meat, roll it in a ball again, make another hole, put in cheese, make it in a ball again, ect. until all the ingredients you want are in there. They are so delicious!!! Elder M, Elder J's companion, comes from a spanish speaking home and ward, so he taught us all how to make them. It was really fun! Sister S and I are also having so much fun! I feel like I've finally learned how to laugh this transfer. :) She described it perfectly - my whole mission I feel like i've been wound up really tight, like a coil of wire. I feel like I'm finally learning how to loosen up, and still be obedient and work hard, but also have fun and enjoy the journey. It's been such a huge blessing, and really it's been the best transfer of my mission! We have had SO many incredible experiences, so many incredible people who I love with all my heart, I love this gospel and this work with all my heart, and we have fun while doing it! We have a chihuahua challenge, where we take pictures of every chihuahua we see when we're walking around hahahha. That has been fun :D And we've also been doing the gallon challenge! Drink one gallon of water every day! I feel so healthy and my skin is clearing up! So that's been awesome, too!!
It's been such a fantastic week. I LOVE my mission. I love this area, and I love my companion. I couldn't be happier. I love the people. And I love this gospel. I know it's true, with all my heart. Oh, other miracle - we taught C - the kid in Scotland -about the Word of wisdom and invited him to live it for a day! He did!!! And he told us he's been having dreams about becoming a member. We told him oh cool! How do you feel about that?? And he said, well, if it's the Lord's path for me, I want to join! So he is considering being baptized!! We testified to him and had the most powerful lesson, and he wants to go to church next Sunday!! He and T have also started meeting with missionaries where they live :D Yay!!!! The work is definitely hastening!!! We are so blessed!!!
Well I love this gospel! I love you guys!!! :) Have an awesome week!! And I'll be praying for everyone!
love you!
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