Another Inspiring week

Dear everyone,

Sorry this email is coming a bit later than usual. We were able to go to the temple in Snowflake today (3hr drive total) and it was amazing! We saw the new video and I LOVE being in the temple. I wish I could just live there because I felt so much peace. This week was really great and really sad at the same time. We'll start with the sad news first so that we can end on a happy note. Sad news: we had 5 baptisms scheduled for this weekend and they all fell through. 4 of them moved to Mesa (it was a single mom with 3 kids that were over 8) and the 5th decided that she wanted to get married before her baptism, but her cohabitant isn't divorced yet, so that makes things a little... tricky.

Now for the good news: WE LEAVE FOR TREK THIS WEEK!!!!! We leave Friday morning and won't get back until Monday around 1pm (somewhere in there we're beheading a chicken). Right after we get back we're showering and then driving down to the valley to drop Sister Goodwin off at the airport and then she'll be off to Brazil! I'm so excited for her and I love my new companion! We'll get along splendidly. Anyway, in prepping for trek we've been hiking Flat Top every morning (except Sunday) to get in shape and to help us break in our hiking boots. The hiking boots are a story in and of themselves, but suffice it to say that some members took pity on us and gifted them to us. I know, I'm still completely blown away. The people up here have honestly become family to me. I love helping them progress towards Christ and I honestly think that people move to Eagar to be converted. We just keep having the windows of heaven open up and shower us with blessings.

For instance, we found a family this last week and they were at church on Sunday and are progressing towards baptism. We had a lesson with an investigator that was incredible because He follows the Native American traditions (yep can anyone tell me WHO the Book of Mormon is about and WHERE it came from?) so we shared Alma chapter 18 where Ammon talks about the Great Spirit with King Lamoni and how the Great Spirit is actually God. That lesson went from him doubting our message to telling us about near-death experiences that he'd had where he'd heard promptings from the Holy Ghost. Yeah, it was pretty bomb-diggity.

We had another lesson this week with one of our less-active recent converts. First of all, can I just tell you all how much being an EXAMPLE means to people?! The recent convert that we taught this week grew up with his best friends being members and they always invited him to activities. We are supposed to be examples of the believers! And, honestly, it doesn't hurt anything to invite someone to a family home evening or to a family event where they can be exposed to how much the Gospel blesses families. This recent convert SAW the difference between his family and the family of his friends. THAT is what started his conversion. Sure, he wasn't baptized until last year, but his heart began changing and shifting it's priorities to the Gospel when he was younger. So, again, BE AN EXAMPLE of the believers and INVITE them to stuff with your families. Of course, invite the missionaries as well. They appreciate a good dinner and a potential investigator :D haha.

I love you all so much and I'm so grateful that I get to be here, sharing the Gospel with my Brothers and Sisters. I can honestly say that I love them all so much more than I'd expected and I know that it's the love of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ manifesting itself through me. I never thought that I could feel this much love for people that I don't know. It is just one more thing that proves that this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that his Gospel has been restored again, in its fullness to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It's proof that we have a loving Heavenly Father who has given us temples so that we can be sealed together, as a family, for ETERNITY. It proves that we receive latter-day revelation from a prophet, Thomas S. Monson, on the earth today. And it PROVES beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. That it was HIS blood and HIS sacrifice that enables us to return to live with our Father in Heaven again. And it's his Atonement that can cleanse us from years of sin. He wants us to come back. He wants us to return to his fold. He wants us to have the blessings that this Gospel brings. Who are we to deny our Brothers and Sisters the opportunity of partaking of those blessings?

I'm so grateful for you all and I'm glad that we can be together forever, because it wouldn't be heaven without you crazies! :)

Love,
Sister Lee

PS. camera was dead and I forgot to charge it... so, no pics this week

Transfer #4 Week 1

Hi everyone!

So, big news of the week: I'm in a trio!!! And I have to say that it is, by far, one of the craziest, funnest, and most spiritual things I've ever been involved with. Sister Heap is our new companion, she's from Montana (Bozeman?) and she was down in Phoenix for 14 MONTHS!!!! crazy! Apparently she was so excited to be back in the country that she ran around our house barefoot when she got out of the car. I'm sorry I missed it, because it would have been hilarious! So we now have 6 Sisters living in our house; which actually isn't too bad because we got bunk beds! (yep they gave us a bunk bed).

The work has been... interesting this week. We've had a lot of drama. One of our investigators (with 5 kids) got evicted from her house and then she got kicked out of her friend's house where she was staying and was barely able to get a motel room for her and her kids for 2 nights. We were finally able to get a hold of her and there are people up here that have been so kind to help out while she figures out what to do. It just shows you how hard Satan will work to prevent people from finding the Gospel and from getting baptized. It just reminds me of how hard it was for me in the weeks leading up to going through the temple, but Satan has just slammed her with just about everything that he can, but she'll make it through because she still has her faith. She's such an example to me.

Another one of our investigators is preparing for baptism this weekend, but we were worried that she might not be able to because of her living situation. Thankfully, they decided to get married. Do you want to know the best part? WE WERE THERE WHEN HE PROPOSED!!!! She wants to be baptized so badly and so we're going to have a "waptism". So, basically, they're going to get married, she'll go and change into her jumpsuit and get baptized, and then we'll have a little "mingling" reception afterwards. Yep, crazy stuff.

I love the work up here and I know that I'm incredibly blessed to be up here in Eagar. It's here that you can definitely see the work progressing and what the efforts of  the members and the missionaries combined can do. Honestly, they say Eagar is 90% LDS already, but the members up here are rooting out that 10% for us to teach. It really is incredible.

Another side note: besides trek, President Sweeney also gave permission (the Stake YW president actually asked him) for us to go.... TO GIRL'S CAMP! I may or may not be here for that amazing event, but it's really cool how much President trusts us. I guess it's because we're so obedient (or trying to be). You know what they say, "Exact Obedience Bring Blessings."

Anyway, I love you all so much and I'm so excited for everything that's going on in Germany, Ohio, and at home! Jen, just keep reading your scriptures, praying and going to church and you'll be able to do just about anything! Allison, you lucky dog! That's so exciting that you get to help with the mural in the temple!! To everyone else that I love SO STINKIN' MUCH: I love you :) Keep the Faith and be disciples of Jesus Christ. He never said it would be easy, only that it would be worth it.

Love,
Sister Lee

pics: we all happened to be coordinating at the evening session of Stake Conference, so we took a picture with President and Sister Sweeney and the other one was when we hiked flat top (taking the really really hard short cut) and the next one is one of the cute engagement pics for our investigator and her fiancee

note: that green corvet that I sent a pic of? That's one of our new potential investigator's cars (a pic I'm now sending as a reminder of what it looks like)

Mother's Day week

Hello everyone!

 So, first of all, the Mother's day call was great! I'm so glad that I got to see you all and hear about things that are going on every day. It's great! The best part about it was that I didn't get homesick at all! I just felt like I was at college again and that I'd talk to you again soon. Which was right because here I am, emailing, just a couple days later! Fun stuff! I think I don't feel homesick because I prayed that Heavenly Father would help me be a more consecrated missionary... who knows? Anyway, the week leading up to Mother's day was fantastic! We did SO MUCH SERVICE this week! We started the week by helping a sister in one of the Elders' wards dig up what she called "pokers" and separated them. We ended up returning to their house just 2 days ago to help paint a fence and to trim hedges.

The hedges were WAY overgrown, so one side looked a little... gaping when we'd trimmed it back to it's original border. But the rest looked fine! We then had a service project on Saturday where we helped a sister in our ward move wood and wood chippings into burn piles. She's an amazing person. I learn so much from her. On Thursday I officially graduated from counseling (BOOYAH!) and on our way out of the counseling office, there were some elders from st johns in the waiting area, so I'm not the only one having issues. I know that probably shouldn't comfort me, but it does :) I know I've probably said this before, but my companion finally got her visa to Brazil!! I'm so excited for her! I'm also excited for the new companion that we picked up from the Valley yesterday. She's really sweet and she absolutely loves it up here already! She's been in Phoenix for 14 months, so Eagar is definitely a change, but she says that "this is my place! I'm so happy!" so that makes me excited. The cool thing is that she's gluten intolerant, so I know how to cook for her! Remember when mom and Allison couldn't have wheat? Yep, I'm going to be making stir-fry, rice and rice flour pancakes! It's weird that I'm so excited, but I am!

Anyway, back to the work itself. We have 5 baptisms scheduled for the 24th!!! We're hoping and praying that everything works out for all of them, but they are all on track! We are worried about Courtney (she's the single mom with the 5 kids). This week she got an eviction notice, so the bishopric is working with her to help her find a place in the ward. The ward has been absolutely amazing with her family! I have a theory that the Lord will give us those that he's prepared 1)  when they're ready. 2) When the missionaries are obedient and listening to the Spirit; and 3) When the ward is strong enough to receive them into the fold. Cool theory, right? I think it makes sense :)

Other than that, our schedules have been completely full most of the days of the week! Sure, we have some cancellations, but that just means that we'll see them again later or that they aren't quite ready or prepared for the message yet, so I don't despair. Sunday was amazing! Not only was it Mother's Day (they gave us lotion and chocolate in our wards), not only did I get to skype you all, and not only did I get to fast and feel the Spirit help me through the day, but one of the people I fasted for made it to church!!!! AND (drumroll please)

SHE'S GOING ON  TREK!

There are, seriously, so many blessings from being obedient and praying and fasting for people. I know that sometimes it doesn't give us immediate results and that it may take years, but the prayers and the fasting work! We are currently teaching or have baptized people that have had family members fasting and praying and sending missionaries to them for YEARS! Don't give up on them! The Gospel has so much light and truth that the light of Christ that resides in them will be drawn to it. It may take years, it may not happen in this life, but we should NEVER give up. That's what I've learned up here. NEVER GIVE UP!

I love you all so much and I hope that you all continue to be healthy and happy. I encourage and invite you to study to signs of the second coming. And don't freak out about it because as long as we are keeping the covenants that we made at baptism and in the temple, we have nothing to fear :) This Gospel is amazing. It's brought so much light into my life when there was only darkness and it's brought me so much hope when I've only felt despair. I KNOW this church is true. I know that Joseph Smith was the prophet that our Heavenly Father called to preach his Gospel and to restore the Church of Jesus Christ in our day. I know that families can be eternal and that we can all be together forever. I don't just believe this, I KNOW it. I know these things through the power and gift of the Holy Ghost. How can I know it and not share it? 

Love,

Steph

April Showers bring May Flowers

Hi everyone!!

This past week was pretty insane! On monday we had exchanges, so I didn't get to learn how to milk a cow (service project!) but the exchange itself was so much fun! We've discovered that service is absolutely amazing at getting people to open up to us! Of course, everyone up here is pretty self-sufficient, so we normally have to be very specific in our service requests. We've brushed horses, cleaned kitchens, stacked wood, milked cows (I wasn't there for that... sadness), helped till a garden, split wood, etc. What can I say, you do what you've got to do to show your love for the people. And if you don't feel like you love them, serve them! It works pretty well.

Anyway, Tuesday we went around to all of the Spanish families (I was in the other area) and I really wanted to kick myself for not practicing my Spanish more when I was in high school. namely because I could only understand every other or every three words that they spoke. Sso I've decided that I'm going to study the Book of Mormon in Spanish AND English. End of story!

 But it was really cool and the dinner that we had with one of the members was amazing because she made Cafe Rio. Let me say this again: she made HOME-MADE PORK BARBACOA CAFE RIO AMAZINGNESS!!!! Yep, if you can't tell, I've missed having my favorite restaurants just 5 minutes away. I think the nearest Cafe Rio is in Phoenix or Albuquerque. And the nearest Panda Express is supposedly in Snowflake, but I've never seen it. This is what happens when they send you to the boonies, but I absolutely LOVE it here! On Wednesday, we had interviews with President Sweeney and sister Goodwin and I had a very specific question for him. His answer stunned, surprised, amazed, (whatever word you can use in this context to describe jaw-dropping). Anyway, the short story is..... drumroll please....



WE GET TO GO ON TREK!!!!!

Yep. We got permission to go on trek because of all of the non-members that will be going (including some of our investigators) and because it's a very unique teaching opportunity. So we're madly trying to get everything together for it, but the ward members are being super helpful. So, could you possibly send my blue pioneer skirt, bonnet, and my steel-toe boots? If not, I'm sure I'll be able to scrounge something up :)


Friday was very special because it was my birthday! I woke up to a bed covered in balloons with one floating over my face (which scared me to death!) and we opened presents (no worries, I re-opened both of the packages you sent). Then, one of our members took us to breakfast! After that, we drove up to Alpine to help look after a 90+ year old woman. We stayed up there for lunch, visited a few people, then came back home and finished our lunch-time with a nap. I love naps, they are amazing things; especially if you don't get to take them very often. After our nap, we tried to visit a few people and then went to a service project. We are currently helping one of the women in our ward with a quilt. She's HAND-QUILTING a 1500+ piece quilt, so we offered our services so that she can get it done faster. We then had a lesson with one of our investigators on the Law of Chastity (the topic that all missionaries love to teach) and we got her on date for baptism for the 24th of this month! She came to church this week and even is participating in the stake choir for stake conference with one of our other investigators! It's pretty amazing! Later that evening we went and got shakes before our next lesson and we ran into a few less-actives at DQ. What can I say, the Lord inspired us to get milkshakes :) That, and we gave the 1st vision in 3 different languages (Spanish, English and Portuguese) as our message for our members. I know, it's pretty legit.

Fast Sunday was pretty fantastic as well. We finally got a ride to church for one of our investigators and her 5 kids. They were all so excited to come to church and one of her kids (who is 11) got up and bore her testimony!! It was the sweetest, most spiritual experience that I have had on my entire mission! Anyway, in both wards we had a total of 7 investigators at church! The Lord will bless us in so many ways when we sincerely pray and fast for others.

I know that when we pray sincerely, Heavenly Father will answer our prayers. I was reading in Nephi this morning and it was where Lehi is talking about his dream (1nephi8) and he said that AFTER he had prayed, he saw the tree of life. We are told in 2nephi25:23 that it is "by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." I know that as we keep the covenants that we have made at baptism and in the temple, that the windows of heaven will open and that the Lord will pour out a blessing that we won't have room enough to receive it (Malachi 8:10 i think). I have seen so many blessings up here! Not just for me, but in the lives of the people that are sincerely looking for the Gospel and looking for the truth. It is such an amazing privilege to be the tool in the Lord's hands to accomplish his work and I'm so happy that Andrew, Amy and I get to see these blessings unfold. Not just in our lives, but in the lives of others. It truly is a great work and a wonder.

Love,
Steph

The pic is of my bed covered in balloons (we did end up playing balloon baseball later in the day) hopefully I'll have more to send next week.

Speaking of, next week is transfers, so I won't be emailing until Wednesday (I have it on really good authority that I'll be here for at least another transfer, which I am SO GRATEFUL for)