Summer time!

This week has been crazy. So we decided that we needed to go up to one of the towns that we cover in one of our wards (Nutrioso) and got hopelessly lost before finaly calling our ward mission leader to come lead us to his home. Fun stuff. The area up there is incredibly beautiful and all of the seasonal residents are heading up there for the summer because they can't stand the 120 degree weather in the Valley. Right now I'm feeling a bit jet-lagged because we just finished trek and completed the 4 hour drive down to Scottsdale to drop off Sister Goodwin. Yep, she's going to Brazil! We had about an hour and a half from the time that we got back from trek to shower (we were disgustingly dirty and stinky) and then we were on our way to the Valley! But as for the trek itself, it was one of the most physically challenging things I think I've ever done! We started trekking on Friday and we didn't receive any food the entire day. We got water breaks every so often, but the trail was constantly going straight up and down and we covered around 12 miles. We pulled those handcarts from noon until 10pm with limited water and we didn't receive any food until after 10pm and it was a cup of broth and a roll. Yep, we did the true pioneer diet... ish.

We then set up camp and slept under the stars. The next morning we had blue corn mush (nasty stuff without sugar) for breakfast, but we did only about 3 miles and they gave us a roll and an orange for lunch. Yes, I have been told that I have an odd relationship with food, but that's how I remember things, so deal with it. On saturday, we made it to base camp and then we washed our hair in the creek, made molasses taffy and perafin wax candles, shot black powder rifles at targets (no worries, I just watched because I'm an obedient missionary) and THEN we had the opportunity.... NO. the PRIVELEGE of killing a chicken for our supper. It's actually not as bad as I thought it would be. I kind of want to do it again, except maybe let it's blood drain a bit longer before de-feathering it just so I don't get blood on my clothes... Anyway, we made chicken stew with it and sopapillas so it was a pretty good dinner. On Sunday we had preisthood/relief society and sunday school in the morning and then we were given our lunch (2 bags of beef jerky and an apple) and told to go have our "solo" time for 3 hours until the cannon "rang" for dinner. I realized during this time that I didn't have an incredibly strong testimony of God's will for us. I honestly have had a massive struggle with that for quite some time now and I had been letting that effect me negatively. It's always good to have some quiet time, away from the distractions of the world, to deeply ponder the questions in your heart. The most important lesson that I learned on trek is that God's will trumps ours EVERY TIME. I've been very prideful when it comes to figuring things out on my own without any help from anybody. This trek humbled me. It stripped me of my pride in my physical and spiritual strength. It brought me to the lowest spot I could be physically and mentally and then I was able to see that my pride was my fall. I didn't realize that my pride was hurting me until it was taken away. The hardest thing that I've ever had to do was watch my family struggle up those hills while I had to walk behind because I had been made physically unable to push that cart. God had to show me that pride causes us to fall. Pride in ourselves can cause us to overlook the spiritual needs of others or to ignore the promptings of the Holy Ghost. We are nothing. God has given us our talents, our likes and dislikes. He allows us to cultivate those talents, but they are ultimately his. I had to be compelled to be humble. Thank goodness I was able to recognnize that and to make the necessary changes to begin my spiritual progress again. This trek has changed my perspective and, therefore, has changed my life. Besides the fact that there were countless opportunities to share the Gospel and my testimony, this trek helped me truly love and respect others for how God sees them rather than how I see them. So, like I said, it was life-changing.

Today we finished the trek with ice cold water, watermelon and an air-conditioned drive home. Oh how we get to appreciate the simple things in life after not having them. On a positive note, I believe that my stomach has officially shrunk even more and I've grown a taste and a liking for fresh fruit and fry bread. Yep, they're pretty delicious. Oh! And one of our investigators that was on trek with us bore her testimony in front of the whole camp and wants to be baptized within the next month! And one of our investigators has moved back into town with her 5 kids, 3 of which want to be baptized, and we may still have a waptism coming up! The Lord blesses us when we put our lives in his hands. It may be the absolute scariest thing that we've ever done, but it is definitely worth it.

Love,
Steph

sorry there aren't any pics. I forgot my camera cord :)

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)

The Windows of Heaven

This week has been super crazy!! We've gotten to a point up here where our schedules are actually full of appointments and it takes some serious time-managing skills to get everyone in that we need to see! We had another baptism this weekend, his name is Steven and he has very high-functioning autism. He is the sweetest spirit and he has one of the most brilliant minds that I've ever come across! He already understood most of what we were teaching because he'd sat in on his mom's lessons and he asked so many deep and probing questions that we were super surprised! Anyway, it was an incredible day and I hope I never forget the change in his countenance and the smile on his face.

This week has also been pretty amazing because we've had so many investigators! Sister Goodwin says that it's like they're getting blown out of the trees; which makes sense because (using the vocab of elder Shirley) it's "wind-ing" constantly up here!!! Anyway, we had a lot of lessons with investigators and actually got 3 of them to agree to prepare for baptism on the 10th of May (Mother's day weekend). One of my favorite experiences was with one of our investigators: Nicki. We hadn't been able to meet with her for a few weeks (which causes a bit of worry) and on the day we were supposed to meet, her daughter took her car. So she couldn't drive to the appointment. She said that she had the thought that "someone" (aka Satan) didn't want her to get to the appointment, so she texted us and we changed the meeting place to the church just down the street from her house. Then, her neighbor called her and asked if she wanted a ride to the appointment. She said "yes" and was able to come to the appointment at the member's home. The kicker for me was that she recognized that Satan didn't want her taking the discussions and deciding to move forward anyway. She is going to be such a pillar of strength when she's baptized!

On Sunday (yesterday), we had a birthday party at the Hamblins for one of the Elders. He turned the oh-so-ancient age of 19. I gave Sister Goodwin a little grief because she said, "that's so young!" and she just turned 20 a couple of weeks ago. Yep, that just makes me feel older. especially when it's announced to everyone that I'm turning 22 and that I'm the oldest missionary they have up here (barring Elder and Sister Baker). fun times, fun times.

The work up here is amazing! We've had so many blessings with the members opening up and giving us referrals for their neighbors and family members! It also blows me away (pun intended. aren't you proud, mom?) that so many of them are SO prepared to receive the Gospel. All of those seeds that had been planted all of those years ago are now bearing fruit. And by the sounds of it, the fruit is multiplying. I know that it is extremely important for us to get, not only our converts involved, but those who have strayed from the flock. We don't need to preach or use scare-tactics to get them to come back. We just need to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and LOVE them into the fold. Christ's church is a church of love. It's a church of bettering ourselves so that we can live up to the covenants that we've made with God. And the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is CHRIST'S CHURCH restored again, in it's fullness, to the earth. I'm so grateful for the blessings that I've received from the covenants that I've made with my Heavenly Father through baptism and in the temple. If we keep the temple as our goal, and if we keep it in our sights once we've made those covenants, it will become much easier to live the Gospel because we will have turned our will over to the Father.

I love you all so much and I'm so glad and so grateful that I've been raised around such amazing people. Especially because I know that I will get to live with you all again! There is so much comfort in that knowledge! Anyway, have a wonderful week and I'll talk to you all next week!

Love,

Sister Lee

Here are the pictures of the week! 

1) the baptism (Steven is in the middle, and when they were taking the picture, he wanted to hold Sis. Goodwin's hand. It was so sweet!)

2) The package that DIDN'T say "do not open" that may or may not have included my birthday presents (oops lol) But thanks so much for the CD!! Piano music. ah, you all know me so well!

EAster in EAgar

Hi everyone!!!

I hope you all had an amazing Easter, because I did!!! But first things first: the week. The funny story of the week was that it was Sister Goodwin's birthday this week! That's not super funny, and you're right, it's not. But that's not the funny part. The night before (Monday) the Stake President and his wife threw a birthday party for her and we had cheesecake and fun and stuff. However, the funny part was when the Stake President sang "Happy Birthday". He didn't sing the traditional version that we all sing and harmonize with on someone's birthday. Nope, his version went like this:

(sung very solemnly)

It's your birthday, Happy Birthday

disease and pestilence in the air

people DYING everywhere

On your birthday

Happy birthday

Yep, it was pretty hilarious! But that isn't where it ends. The next day, Sister Goodwin woke up with the 24 hour stomach flu that's been going around, one of the elders went to the hospital for strep and another elder was ill as well. So Sister Goodwin would be sleeping in the bathtub (convenient place when you're sick) and I would be studying in the other room when I would hear her faintly singing "disease and pestilence in the air, people DYING everywhere, on my birthday. Happy birthday." Yeah, we kind of laughed about it all day. It's good to laugh about something when your sick, it lightens the mood!

Anyway, later this week we visited the Apache Reservation and I helped some sisters understand ancestry.com and familysearch a bit better and then we got 2 new investigators and... oh, I almost forgot. WE HAD A BAPTISM!!!!! One of our investigators, after going through many sets of missionaries, made the eternal commitment to take upon him Christ's name and be baptized. The best part was that he got confirmed on Easter Sunday. I almost cried.

So besides that, Easter was pretty busy. We spoke in 3rd ward at 9am (I spoke on the crucifixion) and we had one of our less-active converts attend, then I taught the Signs of the Second Coming in Gospel Principles (that lesson is amazing, I would recommend studying up on the signs because THEY'RE HAPPENING!!) and in our other ward, we had 2 investigators come to Sacrament Meeting and Sister Goodwin taught the Restoration in Young Womens.

But it doesn't end there. After church, we got home and there was a knock on our door. A Sister from the ward had gone around to different ward members to collect food and stuff for us for Easter and then she dropped it off (the previous night, we'd returned home to find 4 Easter baskets for us on the front porch). We then had Easter dinner with a family that hid the eggs before they dyed them and then, after they'd found them all, they dyed them and secret Easter messages would appear and they would have a little lesson with those messages. She then fed us Mongolian Stir fry (I'd been craving chinese all week) and then had a s'mores cake for dessert (I gained a few pounds from that but it was SO WORTH IT!). After that, we ran over to the church building to sing in the Easter Cantata (we got one of our investigators to participate with us) and then we donated our Easter baskets to some of the families that we're working with. All in all, It was an incredible day and I'm so grateful that I was able to spend it in the service of my Savior.

I want you all to know that I miss you all so much and that I'm grateful that I was born into such a wonderful family that raised me in the principles of the Gospel and prepared me to lead the life that the Savior would want me to lead and that I have the opportunity and PRIVILEGE of helping others come unto him and to take upon themselves the covenants and the promises that will enable them to gain eternal life in the kingdom of our Heavenly Father. I know that, as we stick to those covenants, we will be blessed in so many ways and we will recognize those blessings in our lives. Thank you all for being such wonderful influences in my life. I'm truly grateful for you all.

Love,

Steph

The pics are of Josh (our recent convert) and yes, his personality is exactly like you see it in the picture :) and the second pic is of our doorstep when we discovered that the Easter Bunny had left us some gifts

By the way, I believe Sister Hamblin (the stake President's wife) may have sent a pic of me and Sister Goodwin to the home email. (she's super sweet)

The air in Eagar

To the house of Nuts, (and any related by blood or who get this email for kicks),

This week was AMAZING!!! So, I'm pretty sure that I told you all that we had an epic April Fools joke played on us. Yep. It was epic. Anyway, the rest of the week has been CRAZY!! We had an investigator receive a priesthood blessing to help her quit smoking and she's preparing for baptism on the 26th of this month! Amazing blessings! We also have this investigator, Josh, who has gone through a TON of missionaries. I don't know why that was. because when we asked him if he would like to be baptized, he said "yes" right away, so of course we asked him why he hadn't been baptized before and he said that he hadn't liked the previous missionaries........... But we got him to commit to a baptismal date on Easter weekend!! WOHOO!! In my opinion, that's the perfect day because he is becoming re-born and that's the day that we celebrate the Resurrection of our Savior. Yep, Sister Goodwin and I are the boss ;) just kidding (I'm working on becoming more humble if you can tell). So, that happened last night. Now for the previous days.

Conference was INCREDIBLE!!!!! We watched conference at the Stake Center and on Saturday, after the first session, some members invited us to join them for lunch (tortilla soup). The sessions themselves were amazing and I really like Elder Cook's talk on how the hastening of the work doesn't apply JUST to the work for the living; it applies to the work for the dead as well. So, get off your duff and do some Family History work and go to the temple!!! But keep having those missionary experiences, I love hearing about them. I also loved the talk that mentioned that missionary work can start with just a smile or a "hello". It's really not that hard. I don't know why I always thought that it was so difficult before I came on my mission. Oh well; we live, we learn.

This week, President Sweeney asked me to put my Ancestry skills to good use and to train some of the Sisters in Ft Apache on the best way to use the site and the search engine, so Sister Goodwin and I went to the family history center here so that I could get a refresher. Of course, a refresher only works if they haven't terminated your subscription 7 months before they said that they would. No complaints though, it was a free sub anyway. I am, however, having to completely re-learn Family Search because it's been so long since I've been on it. If anyone has any tips or tricks for using it (like tying in to someone else's tree/account) I would greatly appreciate it.

So, in the last email I sent, I said I was eating healthy. That's because it was prescribed. Who would've thought that eating healthy is part of the word of wisdom?! I know, I'm still reeling from the shock. Anyway, I've lost a lot of weight from eating healthy and breaking a sweat for 30 minutes, and I have TONS of energy left over for the rest of the day. SO, eat healthy and break a sweat. It's good for you :) To move on, sorry that I don't have a lot of pictures this week (haha I don't have any) but, because I love you all, I will be sure to send some next week!

Thanks for being so supportive of me! I wouldn't be out here, sharing the Gospel if I didn't know that it's true. When we know that the Gospel is true, it is our duty to share it in whatever way we can. We are all on missions in this life. Our mission is to return to live with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and to help others on their way. We've been asked to live like Christ lived. When we receive that knowledge and that witness of the truthfulness of the restored Gospel, we can't return to our "nets". We can't, because we will have experienced a change of heart: we will never be the same. That change is the greatest change that could ever happen to anyone because we will have aligned our will to God's, and he will bless us in multitudes of ways that we would never have dreamed of. But the first thing we have to do is to give God the only thing that he can't take from us; our agency. When we do that, we experience peace and he will help us grow.

One of my favorite scriptures this week is 2 Nephi 25:23. It says, "For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, AFTER ALL WE CAN DO." God will strengthen us: after all we can do. We will receive our answers: after all we can do. He will always make up the difference for us: AFTER ALL WE CAN DO. That scripture has gotten me through a lot recently because there are many things that we can't do or can't face alone. We do all that we can and then we rely on the Savior and his sacrifice and he will ALWAYS make up the difference. I love you all so much and I pray for you all constantly and I want you all to know that God loves you and he will NEVER give up on you because YOU, INDIVIDUALLY, are so important to him. And to me (hence the prayers). Keep going and keep writing me because I love hearing from all of you!

Love,

Sister Lee

The week of transfers

Hey all!

So, sorry I didn't write on Monday, pretty sure I gave a several week warning that this week was transfer week, but oh well! No harm, no foul :)

Anyway, this week we had the ultimate April Fools joke pulled on us (not really, but it would have been pretty good). So we were told on Saturday that our companionship would become a trio and that we would be training a missionary straight out of the MTC! I was so excited!! So we got everything ready to go and then we went down to Scottsdale on Monday so that we could pick up our new companion on Tuesday (yesterday). Anyway, we get there (I drove), we go to bed, we wake up, eat, get over to the Mission Home before the training meeting and President Sweeney walks up to us and says, "Sister Lee, could I talk with you for a moment?" Of course, I was freaking out a little bit, but I said ok and we went to his office. He then tells me that, because of an emergency, we won't be training because they were sending our trainee to a companionship that had a missionary unexpectedly go home. So, I'm not a trainer :( But he did say that my Family History skills could be used to train some of the Sisters out in Fort Apache (on the Reservation) and so that pretty much lightened my mood. So, basically the best, unintentional, April Fools joke that I have ever had happen to me.

Saturday was Women's Conference and it was PHENOMENAL!!!! We invited one of our investigators who is preparing for baptism and she came! Not only did she come, but we had her come with a question in her mind, and if you hadn't noticed this before, almost the entire conference was on making and keeping our covenants, especially our baptismal covenants. When it was over, she said that it was amazing that her question had been answered because she'd been doubting her initial answer to get baptized, but that solidified that decision and she asked us if we could do the 15-step "quit smoking" program with her, so we started that on Monday and she came to church on Sunday and loved every minute of it!

Speaking of Sunday, we had several investigators come to church in 1st ward! it was so cool to see the fruits of our labors! 3rd ward sacrament meeting was a bit nerve-wracking because, not only was it fast and testimony meeting, but they were having Sister Goodwin and I do our special musical number as the closing song. I wish I could have gotten a recording of it because it was (in a word) AMAZING!!! The Lord definitely blesses his children because I was begging him to help me through that and as soon as I opened my mouth to sing, I felt power surge through me and I sang every note on key and I matched Sister Goodwin's powerful voice as well. It was an experience I will never forget. Especially as I'm hoping for a repeat when we sing in our other ward :)

Other than that, we've been super busy with appointments with the people that we've committed to a baptismal date this month. I've never had so much energy, especially since I've been eating much much much healthier! I've only been eating whole grains, fruits and veggies, nothing processed and I've been breaking a sweat at exercise every morning. I feel great!! It's been helping with my energy levels and my anxiety, so I've been feeling MUCH better.

Oh, by the way, Sister Goodwin says that I need to ask you for stuff for my Birthday. So, here's the list:

Letters

Letters

Letters

Letters

Pictures of the Family

More Pictures of the Family

and a nephew named Stephen.... (just kidding on that one)

and potentially a USB that holds a my memory card from my camera

So the first picture is how Sister Goodwin and I watch our training videos (with our feet soaking in the tub)
Picture 2 is us on the way to transfers (we lost Hermana Carillo-the one doing the funny face)

Zone Conference Doctrine and Photos – March 2014

This picture was posted on the Arizona Scottsdale Mission website.  The accompanying post can be found here.

SPPPPRRRRRRIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG is here!!!!

Hi everyone!

So this week was pretty intense. And when I say intense, I actually mean INTENSE!! We have had so many miracles here, it blows my mind! The work is really hastening. Seriously, we need more servants in the vineyard to harvest the amount of people that are ready for the Gospel! No wonder President Monson has asked that the members be included. There are so many people that have been prepared and are so ready for this message, it blows my mind! For instance, not only do we have 2 people on date for baptism, but we've had several accept a baptismal invitation! We've gotten a new investigator almost every day and we've had over 20 lesson this week! Now, in a normal week, that's pretty incredible. But what makes this amazing is that we were actually out of town on Wednesday for Zone conference (which was phenomenal!) and we were in Snowflake for about half of the day on Friday. So we crammed those lessons into about 3 full days! Can I get a "What WHAT!" hahaha

Anyway, Zone conference was the highlight of my week this week. We got to meet with President and Sister Sweeney and we got some amazing training on being a consecrated missionary and what we will put on the altar of sacrifice (or what weapon of war we want to bury). We also took a color-code personality test and we discovered that Hermana Carillo, Hermana Christensen and I are ALL white-blues while Sister Goodwin is a red-yellow. President Sweeney just looked at us and said "I bet there's never a cross word said in your apartment!" which is basically the truth! I live with some amazing sisters! About mid-way through the training out zone did a special musical number which consisted of 2 elders (1 of them being one of the zone leaders) Hermana Christensen (a sister training leader) and my companion and I (I was the only alto). It went really well. It's just preparing me for the fact that we're singing "How Great Thou Art" in Sacrament Meeting this week in one of our wards. We're also set to sing on the 26th of April as well, so pray for "my poor nerves!"

We've been so blessed this week, not only with investigators, but we didn't set up any dinners and practically everyone that we visited this week sent us home with food! We got tacos, oranges, shrimp pasta, and so many other things! I've also been making my chicken noodle soup from memory (and not all of the ingredients) but it still tastes pretty good! I'm not going to attempt Zupa Toscana from memory. I'd probably kill it and never make it again! Which would be sad for all ya'll. haha Watch out! If I spend much more time here, I'll come back talking with a Southern/hick accent!

So, the lack of pics can be explained in one sentence: I forgot to charge my camera. SO here's a pic of a service that we've been doing the past few weeks. We've been helping HAND-QUILT a quilt that has over 3,000 pieces in it! Let me just say, it's almost as addicting as puzzles! The next pic was taking when we were driving to an appointment and we noticed that the horses were kissing. It was kind of weird and cute, and definitely photo worthy!

Oh, and i would absolutely LOOVE some pictures of the fam! Honestly, I'm starting to forget what you all look like! Just attach them to an email and send 'em my way!

The week that I decided not to attach a term to because I really can't think of anything that would describe it in one word....

Hello All!

So this week was definitely... Something. It was awesome because we were able to get two of our investigators to commit to a baptismal date (April 12th and 26th) and we also were able to help on of our recent converts set a date to go to the temple to do baptisms! oh, AND we had (drum roll please) 5 INVESTIGATORS AT CHURCH YESTERDAY!!!! 4 of which actually stayed for all of the meetings!! Crazy blessings!

On Tuesday this week, we went over to the home of a part-member family to help her make dinner. We have a standing appointment with them every Tuesday for dinner, so we thought that we could show our appreciation by helping her cook. It was also an opportunity to talk about Gospel related stuff, so that was a plus. what can I say, the guys like to play sports with the Elders and the girls like to cook with the Sisters, which I don't have a problem with because I LOOOVE cooking. We weren't able to stay to eat the fruits of our labors (home-made green chili stew and sopapillas) but we were able to go and help our with the enrichment night activity and get a few more referrals from the Sisters in the ward.

We also had a really cool Zone conference this week and we went to a restaurant afterwards called El Camino which served authentic Mexican food. Not only were the portions big and the food delicious, but one of the members in the area actually dropped by while we were eating and paid for our food! I was shocked! That's seriously what happens up here ALL of the TIME. The members up here are so giving and they are constantly striving to serve, it still blows my mind every time they do something like that for us. Thursdaywas uneventful, I got sick Thursday night so I wasn't able to do anything on Friday.

Yesterday the craziness returned with full force. We were waiting in the chapel for Sacrament meeting to start for one of our wards when one of the brethren came up to us and asked if we could do him a favor. Of course, we said yes and then he told us that the speakers in the YSA ward had backed out and asked if we could speak in 45 minutes. Well, we'd said yes and then Sister Goodwin piped up and said that, not only would we speak, but we would do a special musical number as well! My first instinct was to knock her out (I HATE singing in public without a ton of prep) and then my next instinct was to throw up. Despite that, I remained calm and we went and got some of the materials we would use for our talks and then went to the YSA ward. I honestly didn't know why we were there until we sat next to a sister who had said that she was considering a mission but was feeling confused about it. So, not only did we talk to her about a mission, she agreed to come out proselyting with us and also sang the special musical number with us! Cool stuff.

Then (oh, yes. there's a THEN) we were going to Sunday School in one of our other wards and we had the thought that we needed to attend a specific class. It turns out that the teacher wasn't there and they needed a sub. ASK THE MISSIONARIES, THEY CAN HELP YOU!!! haha So we taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the main Sunday School class and read from 2 Nephi 31.

Afterwards (yep, there's an AFTERWARDS as well) we helped out with the Trek fireside and it was SO FUNNY!! I really hope that they post those videos on youtube or facebook or something. "Look up Eagar Arizona trek fireside" or something similar and it will pull up what does the fox say and some other funny vids.

So, All is well, the work is Hastening, and those seeds that were planted years and years ago are not only sprouting, but bearing fruit. Who wants to go harvesting?! Ask the missionaries, they can definitely help! :)

Love,

Sister Lee

PS, sorry no pics this week, but I'll definitely send some next week!

Hello from the (still-blowing) city of Eagar Arizona!!!

So, some crazy stuff has happened this week. First of all... drumroll please... WE GOT TO GO TO THE TEMPLE!!!!!!!! Yep, we got to go do a session in the Snowflake temple. I just want to say how amazing it is that we have temples on the earth today. And we are so INCREDIBLY blessed to have temples nearby that we can go to whenever we are able. It's just been reaffirmed to me how lucky we are because I no longer am able to go to the temple as often as I'd like, so take advantage of the proximity! The work of Salvation isn't just missionary work for the living, it's for those that have passed on as well.

Anyway, this week we did a lot of service. Sister Goodwin and I have discovered that we both really enjoy brushing horses. It's just too bad that we can't ride them, but exact obedience brings blessings! And we've been blessed in so many ways. Sister Goodwin was really sick for a few days and finally requested a priesthood blessing. While she was receiving the blessing, she was told that by her faith, she could be healed. When she heard that, she described herself as having the thought "Well, why not?! I'm going to be healed!" and she seriously jumped right up out of the chair after her blessing and we went back to work without any complications or discomfort. I KNOW that God's power has been restored to the earth and that there are so many worthy men out there that have that power. I know that the priesthood power heals those with the faith to utilize it  and I KNOW that because of that, we are truly blessed.

This week has also been pretty amazing because one of our investigators is GOLDEN. She is so ready to hear the Gospel and she is so studious as well! We gave her one of the new pamphlets that they have us using and in the back there is a section for "Additional Study" where it lists some additional scriptures and has some questions that you can answer. NO ONE actually does the additional study (that I've heard of) but she certainly did!! She drinks a cup of coffee and has a cigarette every morning, but the morning that she did the study, she didn't even have the urge! I just wanted to jump up and dance around the room singing the most exuberant hymn I could think of and just run out the door and shout my happiness to the world! Of course I didn't do that, it may have freaked a few people out, but I was so excited for her! And she requested that we meet with her at the same time every single week! And the member/friend that was there with us actually called us later to find out what we'd be teaching her next so that she could study that lesson in her Preach My Gospel. I was (and still am) seriously stunned! It's been such an amazing experience and I can't wait for it to continue! That, and I realized that as of the 18th, I will have been out for 3 months! Time really flies when you're having fun! (Preaching the Gospel of course)

Love,

Sister Lee

Ok, the pics are of the temple and sister Goodwin and I, A funny sign that I found in the store (funny because I'm trying to quit eating so much chocolate) and the results of my focus session while I'm studying! I have crocheted a blanket. Which I actually am in the process of unraveling and redoing because I didn't like how it turned out :)

Service, Investigators and Appointments up the WAHZOO!!

Hey everyone!

It's crazy how fast the weeks are starting to fly up here! So you know how in elementary school they say that March roars like a lion and April showers bring May flowers? Well, it's definitely roaring up here; in more ways than one. First of all, the wind never ceases! It's great! It reminds me of when we used to run in the back yard with the wind and we felt like we could fly! Apparently, we really could fly up here just by lifting up our jackets (gale/hurricane force winds), so I'll be attempting that on p-day. Seriously, with faith, trust, and the wind in eager, we can all fly!! Haha probably not. Anyway, the work up here is fantastic! We've been working with a part-member family that is quitting smoking and the husband wants to be baptized, so we're re-capping the lessons for him and supporting him as he quits smoking. They are the sweetest family on the face of the earth! They had us over for dinner and sent us home with tons of left-overs and then invited us over for lunch the next day! When we were out of salt, she went into her food-storage shed (it's seriously mind-blowing) and brought out salt and pepper for us and then dropped by the next day with some shakers! The people up here are so open and so ready for the Gospel and they will literally give you the shirt off of your back. It's really kind of hit home for me on what being Christ-like truly is and what I need to work on.

We've also been working with several investigators this week. There is a home here where the owners will let people live with them until they can get back on their feet. In the meantime, they use it as a teaching opportunity and so we've been meeting with several people that live there that want to know more because of the great example the home-owners are of how we live what we believe. We also got a new investigator this week whose son joined the church up at college and she wanted to know more about what he believed, especially after he received the priesthood! The first lesson we had was so amazing and it was so great to have a member there! Members are able to connect with the people in a way that missionaries can only attempt, because eventually we will leave, but the members are there to stay and to help them adjust and answer their questions. In Preach My Gospel it tells us that we have been called by a prophet of God to share what we know and we know our message is true. The best part about being a member missionary is that you just share what you know, and you answer their questions. We've been taught these principals over and over again, we KNOW. And even if we can't answer their question immediately, we KNOW where we can find the answer.

To tie into that a little bit, in our companionship study, Sister Goodwin and I came across an interesting verse in Jacob chapter 5. That chapter is all about the vineyard and nourishing the vineyard, but at the end of the parable, the last time the Master of the Vineyard sends his servant out; the servant doesn't ask for more time (like he's done before), he brings in other servants to help him nourish the vineyard ONE LAST TIME (verse 70). If you'll notice, missionary work has been all about "more time", until recently. The age change flooded the world with MORE missionaries. The prophet's focus has been on MEMBER MISSIONARY WORK. The servant has called in more servants to nourish the vineyard. Yep, take that how you will.

I love you all and you are CONSTANTLY in my prayers, so ya'll better be doing what you should! (what can I say, I get more southern the longer I'm up here haha)

Pray as often as you need to because God listens and he answers our prayers in the most miraculous ways!

Love,

Sister Lee

okay so the pics of the window are of the truly MASSIVE cobwebb that I discovered while cleaning our room, then the others are of a sign that just makes me happy, the horses we brushed as a service activity, my first bite of clam chowder (not bad), and the Eager sign

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