Mission Interview Photos – January 2014

This picture was found on the Arizona Scottsdale Mission website.  The post that accompanies this photo can be found here.

New transfer, new week!

Hi Everyone!

So this week has been pretty interesting. My new companion and I have been working really really really hard! We had a really good experience at District meeting this last week. We decided that we needed to be more unified as a district, so we set some district goals. One of the goals was to offer service to everyone that we come in contact with, which is really hard up here because everyone is so self-sufficient. So, we helped one family clean their kitchen and prep for their son's birthday party that evening. It turned out really well because it was a part-member family and the husband actually let us teach him the first lesson and we invited him to read the Book of Mormon and he agreed! They even invited us back over for dinner that evening! (Manicotti, it was yummy!) We then went and cleaned some blinds and ceiling fans and learned how to split wood!! Yep, everyone here chops their own wood for their fires and everyone has a wood-burning stove up here, so it only made sense that we would learn how to split wood! I mean, that would make us more "service marketable" or something like that. Anyway, it was fun and VERY stress relieving. I now know why guys go out and split wood if they're angry. There's something cathartic about it. Anyway, I attached a pic, and yes, my eyes may be closed, but that's because I'm glorying in the work and the service :)

The 40-day fast that our stake has done has had some incredible results. people that weren't willing to listen to the missionaries in the past are now letting us in and listening to our message. People have questions and they are actually ASKING!! And the members are really throwing themselves into the work. We've gotten so many referrals that we're stunned. The work is really taking off and it's really amazing what fasting and prayer can do.

In other news, the Gilbert Temple dedication is on Sunday and we get to attend the broadcast! And then a few days later, they're allowing the missionaries to go to the temple! I'm so excited because I haven't been able to go in so long! Take advantage of the fact that the temples are nearby and that you have the opportunity to attend on a regular basis. That's something I miss the most, but I'm helping others get to the temple, and that's just as gratifying. Anyway, I love you all and I pray for you constantly, so be good, stay in school, wash behind your ears, and don't do anything I wouldn't do! haha

Love,

Sister Stephanie Lee

Oh, the picture with the truck is actually in a junkyard. One of our less-actives lives in the junkyard and I wanted to get a memento. (Yes, they live in a house in the junkyard)

Crazy crazy stuff

Everyone,

So, I have something that I need to tell you all.

I'M SORRY I DIDN'T WRITE ON MONDAY :(

This week was transfer week (which I neglected to say last week and have called myself to repentance and will give advance warning in the future). So, on transfer week, if your companion is transferred, you have p-day on Wednesday; today. Sister Andrus was transferred back to the valley after spending 6 months (1/3 of her mission) up here in Eager. I got a new companion, Sister Goodwin, who was actually my day trainer the first day that I spent in the Scottsdale mission! Cool stuff, huh?

Anyway, we found out the transfer news on Saturday and our carpool to the valley was leaving Sunday at noon because Hermana Sanchez was finishing her mission and going home to Spain, so they had to be in Scottsdale by 5pm on Sunday to do their interview and farewell dinner. Sister Andrus and I just tagged along and we got to spend the night in the mission home. Initially, we were going to fend for ourselves for dinner, but Sister Sweeney had prepared for two extra spots for dinner, so we ate with the missionaries that were leaving. The Lord definitely blesses his missionaries because we had STEAK for dinner! And, dad would be so proud, I ate my steak medium rare! I smothered it in a brown mushroom sauce so I wouldn't see the pink meat, but I ate it! Afterwards, Sister Andrus and I cleaned up the kitchen and did the dishes so that Sister Sweeney wouldn't have to. She walked in while we were cleaning and said that we were such sweet kitchen aids.

The next day, she asked for some help with a power-point presentation for the missionaries so we spent a few hours putting one together for her while she and President went and picked up the new missionaries. I absolutely LOVED helping out in the mission home and having that extra time to read my scriptures and "contemplate the eternities". That, and it was nice and warm in Scottsdale. On Tuesday, Sister Sweeney asked if we would help her out with the power-point presentation and so I got to do that as well! I got my new companion and they had us switch cars. Buma, our jeep, apparently needed a bit more culture so they sent him to the Apache Reservation and we got a brand new car with only 200 miles on it. I like the car, but it'll be interesting to use it on some of the roads up here. It's like off-roading sometimes.

Last week we were able to teach the 1st lesson to our investigator Tammi and she just drank it all in. It's crazy to see how the Lord prepares people. The Lord prepares people and the Lord does HIS work. We are just the tools that he uses to plant the seeds and to bring in the harvest. Once in a while, he'll draft us in to help pull weeds, but the work can't be stopped because it's HIS work. I can feel so inadequate, but we are promised that when we study his word, we will open our mouths and they will be filled because he will work through us! I love the work up here so much! Sure, sometimes it's terrifying, but it's so rewarding at the same time.

I love you all so much and I pray for you every day! And I know that you'll be blessed in so many ways when you follow Christ and his teachings. Sometimes we'll be blessed through our trials, and sometimes we'll be healed through tears, but it's all for a purpose and it's all for our progression. Keep our head up and don't let anyone bring you down! You're children of God and he loves you more than I do and I love you all SO STINKIN' MUCH!!! haha Have a great week and go be awesome member missionaries!

Love,

Steph

The week of Snow and blessings

Hi everyone!

So this week was pretty cool (haha mum, I made a pun just for you). Literally, cool. We got bunch of snow on Tuesday that actually stuck to the ground until Thursday, so I felt like I was back home! Anyway, on Monday it was P-day and Sister Andrus and I popped over to the Bakers (the senior couple in the area) for some help with my focusing issues. Quick background, my hands have to be busy when I'm studying and I felt like I was distracting Sister Andrus with my tape, cutting paper, and making a bit of noise during study. So, we went over to Sister Baker's and she taught me how to crochet. It's much quieter and my study has become 10Xs more effective. Monday night we had a big dinner with the Stake Presidency and the other missionaries in the area and, lo and behold, the mission president and his wife show up!! They were up in the area for interviews (which we had with them on Wednesday) and they just dropped by. It was by far, one of the coolest family home-evenings that I've ever been to. We ate dinner (posse stew) and then we sang a few songs while we waited for the other Sisters to arrive. Apparently there's a tradition up here that if you're new to the area, they have you solo a song. Thank heaven I wasn't the only newbie, so I had some company when they asked me to sing a Child's Prayer.

Tuesday we had exchanges and it was really fun! We had a tripanionship one of the Sister Training Leaders and so we got to go to her appointments as well as ours. Which was cool, because she's an Hermana (spanish speaking sister with spanish speaking appointments). It was really cool and they used the members a lot for rides and for member-present lessons. A lesson where a member is present is so much more effective than just a regular lesson! That, and the Spirit is just that much stronger. Hence, you should all volunteer to be at a lesson when you can :)

Wednesday was the snowy day. We did our studies and proselyted for a little bit before we had District Meeting at 1pm and our meetings with the mission president. Those meetings lasted clear until we had dinner so we didn't get a ton of proselyting done, but we had our appointments in the evening to make up for it. That, and our cars were inspected and Sister Andrus and I got to keep our "Gold Plates" (the license plate covers given to the cleanest car). Our evening appointments went really well and one of them actually came to church on Sunday! He'd brought his girlfriend last week, but she wasn't thereon Sunday, but he came all by himself!! Seriously, Sunday is like a missionaries pay-day. Especially when quite a few of the less-actives that you're working with come to church! Especially if they bring a friend who wants the lessons! Yep, that happened this Sunday!!

On Saturday, we actually had a lesson with a referral and she was so READY to learn about the Gospel. She has some LDS friends and she had gone into the LDS bookstore to buy a Book of Mormon because she wanted to read it! When we met her, she had so many questions and she was just drinking it all in! The Lord definitely prepares people. The seed may have been planted years ago, but when people are ready, they are ready.

Anyway, I hope everything at home is going well. I want you all to know that I pray for you constantly and that I know everything will turn our well!

Love,

Sister Lee

PS here are some sunrise pictures of what the snow looked like on Thursdaywhen we woke up!

Another week!

Hey everyone!

Another week has gone by and it's been a pretty great week! Last Monday we had a zone activity for the Sister missionaries in St. Johns and it was  really fun getting to know all of the Sisters in my zone and getting to see the Snowflake sisters. We did a lot of activities, one of which was playing charades by acting out scenes from the Book of Mormon. Sister Andrus and I got "Lehi receiving the Liahona" and "Nephi kills Laban". For the Liahona,S ister Andrus crawled under my legs (pretending to be Lehi coming out of his tent)  and  we used the circulating sprinkler (from the yard) and used it as the Liahona. I jammed my finger in spinny mechanism, so it was pretty swollen for the rest of the day.

On Tuesday we were finally able to visit some of our less-actives that we've been trying to get a hold of for weeks and it was a really good experience. We had an appointment with an investigator at 2pm, but she ended up cancelling because of an emergency at work. But, looking on the bright side, the member that had offered to come DID show up and I got about 30 minutes of piano practice (hymns of course!) while we waited. One of our less-actives that we've been teaching the lessons to, Jeff, is progressing really well and he's come to church 3 weeks in a row!! He doesn't stay after Sacrament Meeting, but the point is that he's coming again after 20-some odd years of inactivity! We also had a whole slew of investigators that came to Sacrament meetingon Sunday and some even stayed for Sunday School AND Relief Society! It's been a fantastic week and I can really see the difference that the fasting up here has done.

The entire stake is doing a 40-day fast for missionary work up here and it's truly amazing what has been happening. Jeff was originally a "do not contact" and some of the other investigators and less-actives that we've been seeing have been having miraculous experiences that have pointed them back to church and the members have been so helpful! We've gotten so many referrals because members are just talking to their friends and ASKING them if they want to hear about forever families, or if they want to know what makes Mormons different. It doesn't hurt to ask and it doesn't affect their friendships.

This weekend, I got to go to the Open House for the Gilbert Temple. It was absolutely INCREDIBLE! Not only was the experience great (despite the 10 hour commute to get down and back), but one of our less-actives who has the goal of making it to the temple this year was able to bring his son and go through the temple with us. The temple itself is beautiful. I HIGHLY recommend going through it if anyone is ever in Arizona because it's so breathtaking. That trip was also fantastic because it reminded me of what I'm preparing our less-actives and investigators for. They DESERVE to have the blessings that this gospel and those temple ordinances can give. I know that I've been so blessed because of the temple and it's hard to not drop everything and run to the temple once a week to have that reminder and that peace. You are all so lucky that there is a temple nearby that you can visit often. That's what I miss the most. But, right now, my work is for the living. The missionary work that we do now, gives others the opportunity to have that peace and those blessing in their lives. I know that the temple is vital for families to be together forever. I love you all, and I'm so grateful for the knowledge I have that wherever we are, and whatever happens, we will be together again.

Keep smiling and keep writing! I love the letters!

oh, and one of the pics in the previous email is what the canyon looked like on the way down to the valley. We actually hit a snowstorm on the way back to Eager from the Gilbert Temple!