The week of miracles!!!!

Miracles Miracles Miracles!!!!! It's been a wonderful week :)

Miracles are so amazing!

Miracle 1: I got to meet the Craiths this week! They are so amazing and so sweet and they both came to church this week!!! Yep. Miracle

Miracle 2: We had another lesson with Tsahai this week and she's making so much progress with quitting smoking! She's a bit disappointed that she hasn't been able to quit cold turkey, but we just keep telling her that God doesn't expect immediate perfection, just immediate progress.

Miracle 3: (by the way, there are many many other miracles that happened this week, but these are the bigger ones) We got a new investigator!!!! His mom is a returning less-active and she wanted him to be taught the Plan of Salvation. The lesson went extremely well and we are so excited for Joseph!

Miracle 4: We got to go see Meet the Mormons with a less-active. She needed a break from stress, so we went to the Mesa Temple Visitors Center and watched it with her. It was fantastic!

Miracle 5: We went through the temple with a recent convert!!! It was amazing and I loved it so much! However, if there is a recent convert in any of your wards that is going through the temple, please go and support them, even if you don't know them. They really need that support and they appreciate it so much, just knowing that the ward is happy for them and supports them. As we were walking out, he made an appointment to be sealed to his deceased wife and daughter next week! Yep, I was so so so so so so so HAPPY!!

Miracle 6: (last one) We were finally able to get into a house that has been "impenetrable"! We had been going to the front door the past however many times we'd been trying to set up an appointment with this person, but last night, we felt impressed to go to the back door. It reminds of a talk that one of my District Leaders played in District Meeting last transfer. It told the story of a missionary in the same situation as I was. He was leaving the area at the completion of his mission and he felt impressed to try again. He knocked on the front door a few times and no one answered. Finally, he went around to the back door and pounded on it. The lady opened the door and he was able to testify to her and she was later baptized. Well, the lady that we talked to has already been baptized, but we were able to have an amazing visit, share a message, and get a return appointment. Follow the Spirit. It's AMAZING!

I love this gospel so much. It brings so much hope and happiness in a world that has less and less. I'm so grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the knowledge that, no matter what happens, we can be clean if we are sincere in our repentance. I love the opportunity that I have to serve in this area. I'm grateful for the bad days because it makes me appreciate the miracles even more. We can't have the sweet without the bitter, and I've really come to appreciate that even more on my mission. I love you all and I pray for you all every day!

Love,

Steph

pic1: We found Sirius Black's Arizona vacation home. (The address that we were looking for should have been in that vacant spot)

I tried to include some pics from the temple, but this computer is being ridiculous. Never fear! I will send them next week!

Happy "God Loves Everyone" Day!

Hi Everyone!

This week was pretty great. Sister Boss got really sick on Monday and so we were in for 2 days with her being sick sick sick. So, I called people, updated our records, cleaned, watched church movies, and crocheted. Yes, I am crocheting again. Don't judge :)

On Tuesday I was able to go on splits with one of the Sisters in our apartment so we could make it to our appointments that day. We had a really cool meeting with Tsahai, one of the members that we're working with to help her prepare for the temple. We talked about the importance of studying the scriptures daily and we found out that she had paid her tithing! I'm always so happy when people pay their tithing, because it brings so many blessings! Really, it's a huge leap of faith, especially if the person's financial situation isn't super great, but it's so amazing to see the changes in the people that pay their tithing.

The blessings are real, and there will ALWAYS be blessings. The Lord has promised them and he NEVER breaks his promises.

We were also able to help a recent convert start her mission papers this week! We're so excited for her and her family! They are super solid and she comes to church even if she has to come alone. People that are truly converted to the Gospel are so incredibly strong. And I'm not just referring to people that were baptized later in life, but EVERYONE. Everyone can have that strength and that conviction. And we just have to do the simple things. Pray sincerely. Read our scriptures daily. Share our testimonies. Be obedient. It's so easy to be obedient. We're told exactly what we need to do; we just need to do it.

We also had a really good experience with the youth this week. We had a really good activity where we went and "heart attacked" several young women's homes that haven't been to church in a while. It was a really cool experience to see the girls so excited about the activity because it's fantastic preparation for their own missionary work. It's so interesting how everything in the church prepares you to serve a mission. So, (ahem) anyone that's been thinking about serving probably should. It's pretty cool :)

I love you all! You're the best family anyone could ever ask for! Talk to you next week!

Love,

Steph

AND HERE ARE PICTURES!!!! Thanks for the camera, by the way :) These are from Valentine's day and the pic of the other two sisters? They gave us a wonderful cake :)

contacts contacts are so fun! We will talk to everyone!

Hi everyone! 

This week has been pretty great and it's gone by SUPER SUPER FAST!! Honestly, even the days have been flying!

Crazy story of the week? We got to go to a concert. Granted, it was a concert for a school of performing arts, but it was still pretty cool. The guy that owns the studio put and insert in the program about missionaries and then he talked to the audience about us while a number was getting ready to play, so that was pretty cool.

While I was there, I really realized the importance of good, wholesome music. The music didn't affect me like it used to. It was funny because the song that I enjoyed the most was sung by a Gospel choir. It's interesting how when you focus on the Gospel 24/7, the things of the world just don't appeal anymore. I felt like I hit a major milestone when that thought occurred to me.

Other than that, we did a lot of contacting this week and passed out Easter pageant invitations like candy! Consequently, we contacted more that 120 people this week! It was awesome!

I love you all, I pray for you constantly, and I KNOW that God will always answer our prayers! He is our loving Heavenly Father. He will NEVER abandon us!

Love,

Steph

Oh, and I spoke in Sacrament Meeting this week and President Sweeney said that I did really well :)

On to February!

OK. First off. We had a major major MAJOR miracle this week! And guess what happened? Come on guess!

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 Pretty sure that one of you may have guessed that we found a family. CORRECT! But not just ANY family! This particular family has 9 KIDS!!! NINE NINOS!! (picture Sister Lee screaming and running in circles and passing out on the floor for joy) The best part about the whole experience was that after she invited us in, and after we testified of the Restoration (she cried. The Spirit was TOTALLY there!), we asked her if there was a time that we could come back to share a message with her entire family. She said, "wait just a moment" and went and gathered all of her kids and we taught them all the Plan of Salvation! It was so amazing!! The Lord definitely blesses us when we're working hard and following the promptings of the Spirit. 

Other than that, my companion was sick this week, so we spent most of Thursday inside. I tried to catch up on my journal writing, but after a few hours, I needed a break, so I decided to sweep the floor in the kitchen...which turned into cleaning and organizing the pantry. It had been bothering me for days. The next time she gets sick? The Laundry closet is going to get scrubbed and organized :)

Later that evening we were able to go over to the mission office (I live down the street) and we helped President and Sister Sweeney pick the citrus from their fruit trees! Who would've thought that citrus trees would have some pretty crazy thorns on the branches? Not me! And yet, we learn something new every day. I got speared in my fingers a few times and I carry battle scars from the lemon tree on my arms, but it was a super fun experience.

The people here are pretty nice. Seriously, even when they reject us, they are very polite and courteous and just say "no". It's so refreshing. Another example was when we were biking in the rain the other day and, as we passed someone on the street, they yelled "Be careful! Arizona drivers are stupid!" It made me laugh super hard.

Today, I had a thought. I was studying for a lesson with a less-active family and we're talking to them about family history. So I decided to fill out one of those "My Family" booklets and I realized that Grandpa Lee is gone. And we are the only people on this earth that remember anything about him. It's a bit of a scary thought, especially because we are human and we forget things. So, my commitment to the family this week is to go onto familysearch and type in your memories and stories about grandpa Lee. Because, not only do we need to remember him, but our descendants need to be able to learn about him. Honestly, we should be doing this for everyone in our family, but especially for him while the memories are fresh.

 I love family history work so much! I love getting to know more about my ancestors and seeing the work done for them so that they have the opportunity to be sealed to us forever. That's what missionary work is. It's working to make sure that our families can be eternal! It's reaching exaltation versus immortality. It's sharing that joy with everyone! I love this scripture in 1 Nephi 8:12. The Gospel fills our lives with joy and our first reaction to that is to share that joy with our family. Index, research, go to the temple. There are so many that are waiting, patiently waiting for this work to be done in their behalf. I love the temple, I love my family (yep, that's all ya'll) and I love the Gospel and the hope it brings. I hope you all have an amazing week! Talk to you soon!

Love,

Steph