From the land without seasons

Hi Everyone!!!

You know you're in Arizona when people tell you the weather for the week and they say, "It should cool down by Friday!" and then when you ask how cool it's going to be, they say, "92 degrees!"... Arizona problems.

So, currently in the frying pan and I'll get to the fire by June. I'm just happy that I won't be in the area for the rest of the summer. I've heard it's brutal... And I totally believe it.

Anyway, we had a lot of miracles this week! We've had several investigators just pop out of the woodwork and we finally have some that are progressing! We even had 3 at church yesterday! I wanted to cry, I was so happy! And our Gospel Principles class was full to the brim! All of the chairs were full! No empty spaces! And one of our recent converts got up and bore her testimony and it was the most amazingly spiritual thing that I've ever heard! She bore her testimony on how we're examples to others and that, even though it may seem like we can't get a break from all of the trials that we face, we can still hold on to the Gospel and we'll be blessed. She said this yesterday and she had just barely lost her job (that she absolutely LOVED) just 3 days earlier. These people are amazing! They are so strong! They truly are the elect of the Lord. He needs them in his kingdom and we all have the privilege of seeking them out. I really almost cried when she was bearing her testimony because I've seen her change her life around completely and I feel so honored to work with her and all of these other amazing people!

Despite being sick again this week, we were very blessed to be able to have some really amazing lessons with Kaitlin. She told us that she's preparing to go to the temple. Wait. Pause. Rewind. Our INVESTIGATOR just straight up told us that she's preparing to go to the temple! Her only hold-up on baptism is church attendance. Seriously, she's amazing! I really feel so blessed to have the opportunity to meet and to teach the people in this area! Really, they are SO amazing! I feel so humbled when I speak with them.

I love it here! Even though it's hot and I sweat all of the time, I've never been more happy in my entire life! The Lord definitely knew that I would be the happiest doing his work. Isn't that when we're all the happiest? The Gospel truly does bring us so much hope, but it's the sharing of it with our heavenly family that brings us joy. I love you all! Talk to you next week!

Love,
Steph 

Well... It's March, it's hot, and the sun is shining. What more could an Arizona missionary ask for?

Hi everyone!

I'm going to start with the funny story of the week. It all starts with District Meeting. Sister MacKillop and I were asked to give a training on companionship unity. The training went well and we committed everyone do do something during the week to serve/work better with their companion. So this week, Sister MacKillop and I practiced the lessons a lot, I made her bed and did her dishes and she made me dinner one night. Doesn't sound too funny or interesting, right? Here's the funny part; that dinner she made me? I got food poisoning haha. It was hilarious when we figured it out! She was fine, I guess my body didn't quite accept the lentils, though.

That was definitely a great addition to a pretty eventful week. We had several miracles happen with some of our investigators this week! Two of our investigators are actually next door neighbors. Which turned out to be a really awesome thing because we were on our way to an appointment with Jayne and we ran into Kaitlin, who we hadn't seen in over a week. Kaitlin invited us in and we had to make that awkward decision of whether to tell her "yes" or "we can't". We compromised. We  said that we had an appointment with her neighbor, but could come over afterwards. She was completely ok with that. Our appointment with Jayne ended up falling through and so we got to meet with Kaitlin and set up a return appointment!! The funny thing was that the same thing happened with Kaitlin. Our appointment with her fell through later this week and we were able to meet with Jayne. It's like everything did a perfect flip flop. It was fantastic!

Also, we discovered that we bike around 10 or more miles every day. I can definitely feel it. But it's fun because we can go where cars can't go. There's something so empowering about seeing a road end and realizing that you can just take the bike path straight through to the other side where it continues on. I feel like a boss every time. Also, apparently I do a pretty accurate impersonation of Smeagul from Lord of the Rings. Yes, I don't do the voice in public. And I thought I sounded like Stitch, but apparently not.

I love the work here. I love the people. It's challenging, but the challenge makes life interesting. It's helping me push myself farther and it's helping me depend on my Savior when my strength and my knowledge are insufficient. I love it here. There isn't anything in this world that can compare with the wonderful satisfaction that the gospel brings to our lives. And I have the wonderful task of dedicating 24 hours a day to this work. It's work, but it's the best kind of work. I'm so grateful to be serving here and I'm so grateful for the continuing support that you have all been to me. I love you all so much and I pray for you every day!

Love,
Steph

Happy Birthday DAD!!! And Uncle Nelson!

This week was pretty amazing! We got 2 new investigators! And the ward is amazing! AND we got kicked out of an apartment complex for tracting! Not really kicked out, but we were politely asked to leave and not come back. It's sad, that Satan can influence the work in that way, but we've got the best back-up ever! The members. Yep, with the help of the members, Satan doesn't stand a chance :)

The 2 new investigators that we got this week were both miraculous experiences. One of them, Veronica, we've been trying to set up an appointment with since I've come here with no success. That all changed this week! We now have 2 appointments set up with her per week and we're super duper excited for it all! Our other new investigator, Jayne, was a referral that we received from Church Headquarters and when we knocked on her door, she opened it up, invited us in, and asked us a whole bunch of questions about the Plan of Salvation! So, we taught her the Plan of Salvation, answered her questions (that's the amazing part about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, it answers all questions!) and as we were leaving, she asked if we could see her on Monday (today). So, we are booked solid for a Monday night... Something that hasn't happened to me in a while. It's amazing how the Lord blesses us when we are faithful, obedient, and WILLING to do his will.

I have the opportunity to read a book called the Inevitable Apostasy (don't worry, I got it approved) and it's so interesting to read about the state of the early church and the personal apostasy that brought on the widespread apostasy that most of the world is still experiencing. Recently, there have been many articles on press releases from the Church. It's saddening to see the doubts replace the faith in the eyes of the people we work with. Something that I've learned is that, if you have a doubt or a question about the validity of the Church, KEEP reading the scriptures. KEEP praying. God can answer all of our questions and can erase all of our doubts. Don't look for answers from the enemies of the Church. God is who we should be looking to for our answers. There is an article in this months Ensign about doubts. I would highly encourage EVERYONE to read it. Don't go into a personal apostasy while you wait for answers. If we want to get answers from God, we need to do the things that he's asked us to do.

I really love the work here. I love the people and there are amazing things that are going to happen in this ward. I love you all and pray for you all constantly! Literally, several times a day. Keep being amazing and I'll see you all when I see you!

Love,
Steph

me and Sis MacKillop outside the temple after our temple trip
Arizona sunrise 6:30am
Jon, guess what was parked in the temple parking lot?! your welcome.

You know you're a missionary when...

This week was the week of service!

We did many much service this week and it was amazing! The first service activity was filling in holes in a Sister's backyard. Sounds completely humdrum doesn't it? Pero espera, ay mas. She has greyhounds. 8 greyhounds. 8 slobbery, huge greyhounds. And she was getting another one the next day. Yeah, it was a bit nuts trying to fill in holes that they'd dug. Once we were done, we ended up trying to run with them and that is, by far, one of the most terrifying experiences that I've ever had! I thought that I could do it because I used to do it with Rosie all of the time, but she's a bit smaller than a greyhound. Seriously, the sound of 8 greyhounds thundering after you is a bit terrifying. But of course, we got it on film, so it will be enjoyed for years to come :)

We also got to help someone reorganize their garage to prep for a garage sell and I discovered an allergy to cats when we helped another member go through some boxes to clean out her storage room. It probably doesn't help that it's allergy season out here, with all of the pollen and flowers and the 80 DEGREE WEATHER. Don't worry, you can be jealous, because karma is going to hit in a few weeks and I'll be jealous of your "under 90 degree" weather. It'll be interesting to be out biking when it's super hot... I might melt if my bike doesn't melt first.

My new companion is pretty awesome! Her name is Sister MacKillop and she's from Dallas, Texas! And she let me teach her how to crochet! Now we are both hopelessly addicted and there will be some pretty awesome Christmas presents that will stem from this addiction. Just kidding. We're not that crazy about it, but it helps us both de-stress. She is also a Spanish sister, so this will be the 5th companion of mine that has spoken another language. 5 out of 10. So, technically, I've been in a "zebra" companionship for more than half of my mission. I figured that this meant that I needed to learn Spanish, so Sister MacKillop is going to teach me Spanish!

I was studying President Bensons talk about the First and Great Commandment this week. I really really loved the part where it said that when we love the Lord, above all else, everything will either fall into place or drop out of our lives. I loved that because, many times, we expect miracles, but the miracles that WE want to happen, when really, God has much better miracles in store for us. I LOVE that. Because, honestly, life isn't going to be sunshine and roses all of the time... Oh wait. It is! Granted, there will be random thorns on every rose and every once in a while a cloud will block the sunlight, but that doesn't mean that the sun will stop shining! Thorns don't lessen the beauty of the rose. If anything, the clouds and the thorns give us greater appreciation for the soft petals and the warm sunshine. God's love never stops shining. His blessings never stop. We may have a hard time recognizing them when it's overcast and we may have a hard time seeing them when we get poked with a thorn, but they are ALWAYS THERE. When we love God and put him above all else, we recognize the beauty of the rose, despite the thorns. We know that, the clouds are a necessary thing in life, but that the sun will always come back.

Look for the beauty in the trial. Look at the darkness with the knowledge that the light is there. It's always there. I'm so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life and for the amazing opportunity that I've been given to serve my Redeemer for this short amount of time. I know that this is his church. I know that God loves us and speaks to us through his prophet today. I pray for and sustain the prophet and apostles. I especially know that families can be together forever and that I've been blessed to be sealed to mine for time and all eternity. That hope is what helps me see the sunshine when I seem to be surrounded by clouds. I love you all and hope that you all have a wonderful week! I pray for you every day and I know that God has been answering my prayers. He always does.

Love,
Steph
pic1: the greyhounds.
pic 2: I really love the sunsets and the "moon-rises" here. They are gorgeous!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!! (yep, I remembered!)

So, It's the beginning of March already! Honestly, the time seems to be flying... probably because we only have 2 seasons here. Warm and hot. If you want to get really specific, we can add a third one which is Hot and rainy (monsoon season). Right now, everything is delightfully warm-ish with the nights getting cool enough that I need a jacket. Honestly, it's no use telling myself that I'm from Utah and that it shouldn't feel cold. It's too late! I've acclimatized.

This week was amazing! We had so many miracles! We got 2 new investigators this week! AND one of our former investigators (Kaitlin) still wants to be baptized! She came to a Family History Fair that our ward put on, and it was amazing! The Spirit of Elijah really works and it works really well! Seriously! She's 21, but is super interested in family history and she was able to find several people in her line and her husband's line at the fair! THEN we were able to go visit her the next morning and help her make dresses for little girls out of pillow cases and she's donating them to an organization that takes them to Africa for the little girls there. She's awesome!

Our new investigators were a miracle as well because we were looking for an address and we decided to knock on a few doors on the way there. Well, one of the doors we knocked on turned into a wonderful opportunity to testify about the Family, a Proclamation to the World. It's amazing how the Gospel works. It is here to bless our families. When we focus on families, we will have doors open that would never have been opened previously. It's so incredible to see it. It really is the hearts of the children turning to their fathers and the hearts of the fathers turning to their children. I have the opportunity to see that scripture come true every day as we search for families to teach. This Gospel is true. It is the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth today.

And it blesses, not only us, but our families. It's incredible.

I love you all a ton and I hope you all have a wonderful week! I know that mine will be!

Love,
Steph

Pics:
1) From the temple with Ricky (also included are his original missionaries)
2) Our apartment last transfer
3) The dress we made with Kaitlin