Arizona Gilbert Mission: The Real Hunger Games

This week was also super rad. I got to go on exchanges with Sister Sprousie. It was so much fun being with my MTC companion!

Sister Burton and I were knocking on a door of a group home, and we met a super skinny black guy named Anthony. He told us "You may have heard of me. My nickname is Gucci. I'm big on Itunes and youtube." He also asked me to give him a shout out. So here's my shoutout to Gucci.

He told us he wants to get his life back in order and find Christ so that he can get his daughter back, and so that he can start making a Christian album. So we're going back on Tuesday to talk to him. Our goal is to help him with his new album. Gucci ft. the Sista Missionaries.

On Saturday, Sister Burton and I got to go to a temple sealing for one of her less actives in her first area. It was the most amazing experience that I've ever had. I have never felt the spirit so strongly before. It really built my testimony up on temple marriages and the power the temple ordinances have.

While we were biking some crazy lady pulled us over..it was Sister Reed from my first area! She was just driving back to Queen Creek from visiting her mom! It's crazy things like that that make the week so much better :)

To pass the time while we bike..Sister B and I tell eachother about movies that we've never seen. Last week she told me about Day and Night. This week I've told her about Titanic, and now we're on the Notebook.

This is what my mom had to say about it: "It makes me think of the Hunger Games.

You are serving time in different districts because you volunteered for our family to go out for 18 months. You're locked in a bunker together and out recruiting more soldiers for your battle, armed with your messenger bag and scriptures. The grueling heat, naked men answering doors, and illnesses are your obstacles. But you keep fighting through all the while telling each other about movies you've never seen."

I hope everyone has an amazing week! Stay Golden and remember that we are all made in God's image and that He has an undying perfect love for us! 1 John 5:2 "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments."

 

1. Sister Sprouse and I tried to play darts...guess which dart is mine?2. Sister Reed and I 3. Before splits4. Sister Burton and I have a temporary house guest, Christian. We found him when the irrigation came in. He's staying until he grows legs.

 

Blood, sweat, and tears.

So this week was pretty rad. Tuesday started off with a blood drive. I wish I could say that I was hard core while giving blood, but I definitely let out a scream when he up the needle into my arm. I also fell asleep when I was giving blood. haha

Tuesday night Sister Kranc came with me on exchanges. We were sitting on the beds and we look up and there was a huge cockroach. While she was trying to catch it in a jar a spider the size of my palm came out from behind the curtains! It's safe to say that she and I freaked out and definitely slept in the living room that night.

Thursday night Sister Wheeler, the Mission President's wife, came out with us on splits. She is the cutest thing ever! She went tracting with us and was so embarrassed when a 70 year old man came to the door shirtless. What she doesn't realize is that happens way more often than it should.

On Friday our whole zone went to the Gilbert Temple. I loved it so much. It's definitely what I needed to make it through this next 3 weeks. So this beautiful picture of the sunset isn't really a sunset. Sister Burton and I stopped to take a picture of it, and realized that it was a dust storm! We biked as fast as we could to the Tui'one's house. Good thing we ended up there for a while..she filled me full of cheesecake. Let's see how big I can get on my mission. Yesterday we were visiting a new family in the ward and I felt kind of sick. I went to their bathroom and threw up all over. I don't think my body agrees with the heat. I hope everyone has an amazing week. Remember to go hard or go home! But don't really go home. Stay golden.
If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest of times in life can be a blessing. In all conditions, we can choose the right with the guidance of the Spirit. We have the gospel of Jesus Christ to shape and guide our lives if we choose it. We never need feel that we are alone or unloved in the Lord's service because we never are.
 

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-01-003-mountains-to-climb?lang=eng

1. Giving blood..I don't think I'll do that again.

2. Sister Kranc and I

3. The dust storm "sunset"

4. rad picture of the Gilbert Temple during the lightning storm

5. It's safe to say that Sister Kranc and I got really scared. Also we'd do great in a horror movie

 

 

"Water anyone..water...juice...water?"

So this week was way better than last week! Sister Burton and I have met so many amazing people in our areas. It's hard to whitewash, but this is honestly my favorite area so far. This week we had interviews with our mission president, President Wheeler. I love that man and his wife with all of my heart! He is definitely called of God. Elder Kapua also left the same day we had interviews. He had 5 months left when I came into the mission, and he was my first zone leader. He bore his testimony and I balled my eyes out. It's so sad that this will be me in a year. Leaving to go home. It makes me want to strive to do my very best every single day, to go that one further, to push a little further in my area and with the people in it.

I went on exchanges with Sister Sabey this week. She's crazy and I love her so much! It felt so good to be in Desert Ridge for one day. It's amazing to see her growth from being out just one transfer.

Hunter, Tatum, and Paige got baptized this past Saturday! They were in Desert Ridge. I went back because for some strange reason they thought it'd be a good idea to have me speak at their baptism. I got so emotional. I cried my eyes out when they were baptized. It makes me feel so good that people do listen to this message that we have to share. Because they made this decision..their lives will be forever changed.

I never thought that I would have a diversity of people, and to be honest I was upset that I was teaching in English. Well..so far I've taught 3 people who each 90% of the time spoke Portuguese or Tagalog. So bless my companion and I. This will be a struggle, but the best kind of struggle.

So one day this week it was super hot - well all of the days were super hot, but this one day especially. Sister Burton and I were trying to find a member's home to go to because I was feeling sick. We knock on a member's door, and right as she opens it I throw up all over her porch. Great image of a missionary, right? AND I had heat exhaustion. What a wonderful day. but hey, at least I made it 5 months before it happened.

Yesterday was pioneer day, as most Mormons know, and I got to dress up and help out in primary. Best Sunday ever! :)

Today Sister Burton and I are going to hang out with the old couple we live behind and watch Meet the Mormons. They got so excited when we told them we wanted to watch the movie with them! They went out and got us snacks. They're the cutest couple ever.

Well I hope everyone has an amazing week! Stay Golden and remember that Jesus loves you!

1. Baby Sabey and I

2. Picture of Sister Gasu and I

3. Picture from Hunter, Tatum, and Paige's baptism!

4. Pioneer Day

5. Arizona sunset

 

4 Transfers. 4 companions. 3 areas. 1 whitewash

Well. I got transferred again. I'm in the Highland Zone. My companion and I cover the Constellation, Morrison Ranch, and Highland Park wards. We're white washing..which means they took elders out of the area and dropped us in pretty much blindly. We live behind the cutest old couple in a 1 bedroom house. Missionaries have lived in this place for over 37 years. haha It's pretty gross, but the elders left us little "surprises" around the house. They hid 7 golf balls in the most weird spots, wookie mask, and other disgusting things.

So I hit my 5 month mark!! I'm almost officially not a greenie anymore. Which makes me so happy. Last tuesday night we were eating dinner with Sister Esparza. She was asking us if we had any guys back at home. I told her the only guy in my heart was Jesus. Without missing a beat she said "Oh you like latino men? My son's name is Jesus. I can hook you up!" Sister Gasu and I literally cried we were laughing so hard! She's about the funniest lady I've ever met.

Tuesday morning I stepped on a baby scorpion and it wasn't even that bad, but I'm definitely not going to go look for scorpions to step on. 

The good news about my apartment is that elders stuck those glow in the dark stars on the ceiling, and at night when I look at the ceiling..it makes me feel like I'm at home camping...because there are also crickets in our house.

There's nothing really exciting that happened this week. Hopefully I'll have more next week. Have a wonderful week everyone and STAY GOLDEN!

Remember to always look on the bright side of things. Everything happens for a reason.

1. The Esparza's

2. The Anderson's

3. The Buchholzer's

4. The Mahler's

5. golf balls.. we found one in the air vent

6. my companion, Sister Burton, and I (This is for you daddy!)

7. again

Peace out D-Ridge. It's been real.

So the poopy thing about this week is that I got 6 weekend. That means I was only in this area for 1 transfer. I'm super bummed about about it because I LOVE Desert Ridge. It feels like I'm leaving home, but I know it's okay. Heavenly Father knows what He's doing :) I've never grown so much in my life, and as much as I hate to admit it..Sister Gasu is amazing. I have learned so much from her, and I've never had so much fun before!

So enough of the gushy.. This Monday was 4th of July - obviously- and it was kind of stinky not being at home. We got together as a zone Monday night and played games with the Elders. And let me tell you..it's not fun playing apples to apples with a bunch of 18 year old boys who have no attention span! We ate lunch with Sister Christensen. She's an old lady from Baton Rouge, LA and she knows a lot of the Blalocks back home! She's the funniest old lady that I've ever met. She roped us into checking on her insane dog while she's out of town for the next 3 weeks. 

On Wednesday we had zone conference with our new mission president - who is absolutely AMAZING by the way! We definitely got some kind of lucky with him. The elders played human knots and we had to tell them how to get out of the knot. It was the funniest thing I've seen since I've been out. 

On Thursday I went on exchanges with my STL, Sister Burton. It was super fun, but I had no idea where I was going..so we walked around in one neighborhood trying to figure everything out for about 3 hours straight.

Bad news: we didn't get into one house. Good news: my foot tan looks even more rad now. We ate dinner at the Adam's house. Sister Adams mother was there, and I swear I've seen her before but She's from Brasil and only speaks Portuguese.  She sat by me at dinner and spoke to me the whole entire time. All I could do was laugh my head off because I had no clue what she was saying to me! Then she started tearing up when she was talking to me. Her daughter told me that she said that we "share the same saints", that I'm her lost daughter that she was meant to find here on earth. It's crazy how language isn't a barrier, and how much you can feel connected to someone. 

So last night Sister G and I ran into some of our potentials out walking around. We asked what they were doing and they were playing the new Pokemon game! That's about the smartest game I've seen. So the little girl let me catch a Pokemon. I feel super legit now. 

"I also learned by my own experience that spiritual light rarely comes to those who merely sit in darkness, waiting for someone to flip a switch. It takes an act of faith to open our eyes to the light of Christ. Twenty years later, I still don't know everything. But I now know who I am. I know who God is. And I know that God's light it real."

If you have time today or in your week watch this video. It's my favorite Mormon Message. It's about finding hope and not giving up on yourself..which is what we all need from time to time. Getting answers to prayers will only come if we act. Acting is key to building our faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. 

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-07-006-the-hope-of-gods-light?lang=eng#p3s:361220&p3e:389020 

1. 4th of July In-N-Out shake and fries

2. Another basic scorpion picture. Ps I was crying while I took this

3. Sister Christensen tried to take our picture 

4. Sister C's insane dog

5. Rad foot tan

6. ANOTHER zone selfie (R.I.P. Elder Shively and Bailey)

7. The Fleming's kids 

Conquering one fear at a time

So this week wasn't so eventful, but Sister Gasu and I always seem to find super interesting things. I saw naked man #2 this week. Public announcement: if you're not dressed...DON'T OPEN THE DOOR. Please and thank you. 

We picked up a new investigator Emily! She is so amazing and spunky. We taught her about the restoration and read 3 Nephi 11 with her. She teared up and told us how profound and wonderful that chapter was. Needless to say, we have a return appointment with her this weekend, and I am beyond excited! We also picked up another investigator, Javier! He's super super awesome and Hispanic. I love the Mexicans, but they always feed us so much food. Even if we're just over for a visit..always feeding us. 

We met our new mission president this past Wednesday, and we had FHA (family home afternoon). Our new mission president is pretty cool. He's from Ephraim, Utah. We played games at FHA as a zone and it was so much fun! I've never had this much fun with missionaries before..is that sad to say?

This morning we cleaned the temple, and it was so amazing and spiritual. You wouldn't think that you could feel the spirit while you cleaned the temple, but you definitely could. 

Today our pday is stinky. We have pday until 2, then we work from 2-5, then we have to be in by 6. So..ENJOY THE 4TH OF JULY FOR  ME! 

We were at a members house and they told me this super "funny" joke: "If you marry someone in Mississippi, and divorce him in California..is he still your brother?" 

Have an amazing week everyone! Remember "there is nothing good unless you do it." 

1,2,&3. So what no one really knows is that I'm DEATHLY afraid of birds, and what better place to conquer your fears than on your mission. 

4&5. What happens when you give your camera to the ZL's to take a zone selfie. 

6. Sister Gasu, Sister Sabey, Sister Sprouse, and myself 

7. A surprise selfie I found

When we're bored

Sometimes when we're bored we fill up plastic baggies with air and hit ourselves as hard as we can to see if they pop.