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