Week 8

What a crazy week! I hope I can remember everything that happened. I guess I'll just go over each day. 

Tuesday was a good day. I got to go see Donna. She is an eternal investigator, but we still go see her because she is so sweet. She has ms and got some not so good news, but we go over twice a week to read the scriptures with her. We also went over to Rachel's, our most recent convert. We got to do some family history to help her find names to take to the temple. Then we had an early birthday party for sister Gadd because it was her birthday this week. They got a cake and everything it was super cute. 

Wednesday was zone conference! We carpooled with sister Hammond and Sister Johnson. It was good. It was pretty much just a bunch of directions on how to use Facebook. So if you didn't already see, I do get to use Facebook now. You might hear from me more. But the main thing it's used for is messenger. It's pretty cool actually because we can have lessons we people over fb. Either messaging or video chat. It makes it way easier to get a hold of people because it's a way more casual and comfortable way to talk. I can get messages from anyone, however unless it's an investigator I still can't respond till p day. 

Then on Wednesday night I went on my first exchange! So I spent the night in Marana. Marana is awesome! I loved it! I was with sister Kennach, one of my STL's and she is actually from Tacoma WA so that's kinda cool. They actually live in a member's garage. They set it up all nice and cozy, but it's still a garage.. lots of cockroaches! I kept finding them everywhere, and they wouldn't die. So we would just sweep them all up and dump them outside. They'd crawl back up if you flushed them. So my Thursday was spent in Marana which is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. The people were crazy and it was so much fun. We knocked on some pretty sketchy doors but it was good because we found 3 new investigators that day! I also got to invite a lady to be baptized, they call her the tree house lady because she was legit living in a treehouse when they met her. But now she lives in an old abandoned camper. It's impossible to find! You drive out in the middle of nowhere, and then have to go back into this tiny grove of trees and then you have to get out and walk to the camper. But she was awesome! Such a sweet spirit, and a good sense of humor. Also got to meet with this other couple that the sisters have been trying for a long long time to get in with. And then they told us all about how We couldn't come over before because their drug dealer was trying to kill them... yeah we kinda joked about it after because boy did they open up right away! Telling us all about their life on meth. As sad as it was, they were so funny! But it was a good day and I learned a ton from sister Kennach! 

Then I got to go home that night and party it up with sister Gadd! It was her birthday and because I didn't spend the day with her we stayed up talking and I gave her the birthday present I'd been hiding all week. I'm surprised that it worked! She like actually had no idea that I got her anything. And that's really hard to do when you always have to be within sight and sound. So I was pretty proud of myself! 

Friday was planning day and we got a ton finished but nothing to exciting to talk about! We did go out to pass out BoM's.

Saturday was a bit crazy to say the least. Women's conference was great! But afterwards was not great. We went out contacting some potentials and ran into a scary situation. First gun pulled on me. Kinda, don't worry we weren't ever held at gunpoint but he was a drunk.. Then we ended up driving into a cactus and that sucked too! So not the best night but one I will never forget that's for sure. I'm doing alright, I'm safe and that's what really matters!  

Sunday was great, our investigator Chuck came to church! He is 88 and such a sweetheart. He was so funny, he couldn't really hear anything anything in sacrament so he got a little annoyed. But we helped him follow along with the hymns and it was very sweet. He came to all 3 hours though and loved it! It made my day no doubt to see him feel the spirit and express his love and gratitude for his Father in Heaven. 

Today has been pretty crazy too! We got special permission from president Browning to go to the central zone to visit one of sister Gadd's old investigator whose son is in the hospital. We went with the Elders who were able to give them both blessings. It's pretty crazy, their whole family was supposed to be baptized on Saturday but ended up in the hospital! So it was cool to be with them today and help them through this hard time. And because it was a pediatric cancer they brought miniature ponies to see all the kids. 

Hope everyone is doing well, having fun! The weather is certainly cooling down here! It's in the 80's and it's crazy how much cooler it really feels! 

Love you all! 

Sister Grant 

Week 7

It's been a good week, kinda long but probably because I have been so tired. President Browning is making some changes which has some of the missionaries on edge. He is cutting organized sports. So like Pday sports, when our zone meets up at the church to chill on Pday, can't do that. Pretty sure morning ball is cut, so we can't play basketball with the other missionaries for morning workouts. Also, we're becoming a FACEBOOK MISSION! Most people are freaking out and dreading it, but I'm actually excited! It'll make it a ton easier to keep in touch with the people I meet after I leave. 

It is cooling down ever so slightly! It's now in the high 90's! And the wind is picking up which feels good. However, the wind is giving me allergies so honestly I've just come to terms with the fact that I will never win here hahaha! Jk, everyone keeps telling me that it'll be the best weather soon  enough. So I'm just holding on lol! Sister Gadd gets mad because I like to turn the ac down to make the apartment cold so that I can bundle up in a sweatshirt and blankets. I've never loved the feeling of being cold so much! And when I say cold it's really not even that cold. I think the lowest I put it was at like 68 but she was ticked that I did that. So we keep it at like 72-75. 

I'm really working on having charity and making sure that the people that I meet can feel that I have a genuine interest and concern for them. Also working on having charity towards sister Gadd. I love her but it's  easy to get annoyed with her. She has a sleeping disorder kind of like narcolepsy, I mean it's not like she will just randomly pass out. But she runs out of energy pretty fast. She sleeps a ton! She falls asleep in most of the meetings. And it's hard because that's what we do is sit in meetings, go to appointments, sit some more. I mean awkward silence is just part of being a missionary, so I am constantly kicking her so that she doesn't fall over. Maybe one of these times I should let her fall and see if she wakes up. It's hard though because I have the opposite problem. I have a really hard time sleeping. So she isn't very considerate of noise control when I'm trying to sleep. She likes to talk to her old comps on the phone at night. But she feels the need to yell into the phone just in case the whole complex wants to listen in! But lately when I wake up it's been kind of nice because I just go outside and look at the stars. The nights are cooling down enough that I don't sweat as soon as I step out the door! And I don't know if I have mentioned this earlier, but Tucson has laws against street lights, it's because there are a bunch of observatories. So the city is dark, but the sky is beautiful! Gotta watch out for critters though. Mainly just lizards, but every now and then we'll see a scorpion or a tarantula!

I'm pretty sure I already talked about how if you rub a lizard's stomach it'll fall asleep. Well I found out this week why they do that! There is a man in the ward, I call him Bob Ross because he looks just like him. We went over for dinner and it turns out he is a extraordinary painter, just like Bob Ross! And he works with reptiles and knows all about it. So here I am thinking that lizard's like belly rubs, he sure informed me I was wrong. They put themselves to sleep when they think they're going to die so that it's not as painful. Hahaha we like to catch lizards and make them fall asleep! 

We are focusing mainly on helping less active member's back into activity and getting to the temple. It's hard because most people just kinda shove off the missionaries, which I totally get, but now that I am the missionary it sucks. So we get a ton of cancellations and have to find last minute back up plans. But we are still finding new people, and passing out BoM's is still going well! We had one of the most powerful lessons this week, it was amazing! Our investigator Michael had us over and we talked about what his concerns about baptism are. He basically said that he needs everything in order, all his ducks lined up, before he does anything. And I understand his thinking, but we talked about faith and how this church is still true weather his life is all lined up or not. We talked about how by being baptized and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost will help him figure out how to get his life in order. It was a spiritual smack down no joke. But it was the furthest we have ever gotten with him. 

The best part of this week no doubt was Rachel's baptism! She was the first investigator I met in the field and was the first person  I have ever invited to be baptized! She wanted to be baptized today, the 18th, because it's her birthday. But because converts have to be confirmed in sacrament that would've been way too long without the Holy Ghost! So she agreed to be baptized on the 16th was and confirmed yesterday in sacrament! Her husband is a less active and was listening to a conference talk one day and Rachel overheard. It was on temple marriage. She listened to it and decided that she wanted one. So she went to church and the missionaries found her. And I had the privilege of teaching her most of the lessons and watching her get baptized! It was amazing. Sister Gadd and I got to sing a rendition of I Know that my Redeemer Lives as part of the program. Her kids were so funny! They kept running around during the talks and laughing and screaming. The little girl Rosetta, kept asking about the "bathtub" and when could she get in. It was really cute. I love her kids! They get really excited when we come over and they call us the amen girls. She is so awesome!

 Our ward mission leader can be a bit overwhelming to say the least. But Rachel has such a great attitude. He doesn't always fully explain himself either.. He was explaining to her how the confirmation was gonna go. But he said something like, I made sure that there will be lots of men to be apart of this and we are all going to circle around you and lay our hands on you and touch you as we pray. Then he started getting all emotional... I kinda feel bad because sister Gadd and I just totally started laughing! I mean, he chose the weirdest way to explain confirmation. He made everything sound so weird but we clarified and everything went well! 

I can't wait, we are hoping to take her to the temple in the next couple weeks to do baptisms. She is really into family history. And I hadn't had the chance to go to the temple here yet. I've only passed by one time on the first day.

Hope everyone is doing well! Don't be shy, send lots of emails, even if it's not long. 

xoxoXOXXoxoOX

Sister Grant 

Week 6

This week was definitely focused on miracles!! Our zone focus is to pass out a Book of Mormon each day, and to text in all the miracles that we see. We were able to hand out at least one book everyday, if not 2 or 3 which is awesome!! We found 2 new investigators who are excited for us to come back and teach them all the lessons and we have a baptism this week which I am super excited about. Her name is Rachel and she was the first person that I invited to be baptized. I get to speak and do a musical number at her service so that will be really cool. It has been such a privilege to teach her about the gospel and watch her come closer to Christ and see the light in her eyes. I am also so glad that she is so chill. The ward is pretty new and so this is the first baptism in the ward, so people are very excited. But the ward is filled with a lot of seniors who just make the oddest comments. And people have made some pretty strange comments to her and her husband. So I am relieved that they know to take everything with a grain of salt. She is Native American, and yesterday at church one of the older men kept making racist jabs because her husband is white and she isn't. I was mortified that he wouldn't drop the topic. But honestly, the ward keeps me entertained, there is always something to laugh about. Sister Gadd and I have a good time. 

Other than the fact that everything here wants to kill me, I love it here. This week I got to run from a bunch of wild animals! While tracting, a skunk popped out of the bushes with its tail up. I ran so fast!! It was a close call hahaha. Then the other night after handing out another book, we were walking to our apartment and there was a herd of Javelina pigs blocking the path to get home! There were 6 or 7 at least and we had to run around to the other side of the complex and wait till they were gone. I wish I got pictures but I was too busy running away!

Met some wonderfully crazy people this week. We got a call from this lady asking for help organizing her cupboards, so we went over there and she had hurt her foot and was scooting around on a lawn chair in her studio apartment. We walk in, and it smelled like she hadn't left in months, she also acted like it too. It was pretty funny. She was on so many meds that I honestly couldn't follow along with most of what she said. Also met this other guy while tracting with the biggest tumor I've ever seen! It hung over his belt and was the size of a grapefruit, or maybe even a mini watermelon. He was almost totally blind and almost deaf. To talk we were pretty much screaming at him, it was so funny. But he just started talking, showing us around his yard and his house. He didn't even ask us who we were before he started showing us around. He just kept telling us crazy stories of living by the border, and kept calling us boys.

Some other miracles from this week that were pretty amazing, we gave out the good book to this woman and her daughter in an apartment complex, gave them our number and a couple verses to read. Didn't hear anything back of course, but then we randomly went to the library, and she saw us and flagged us down. She said that she read the scriptures we gave her and that it must be a sign from God that she found us again. She said that her daughter had been asking about us and that they want to meet! So we gave her another scripture to read with her daughter and told her to meet with us later this week! So I am way excited that happened! 

Starting to get used to the heat a little bit.. having a hat has helped a ton! Also had to get bug spray and itch cream because I am still being eaten alive each night. But a am really getting into the swing of things and feel like I know the area pretty well! Im excited for this week and can't wait to tell you all how it goes!

Love you lots!

Sister Grant

Week 5

This week was very interesting.  Met a lot of kooky people haha! This week was all about finding people! We are trying to find 3 effective new ways of finding new investigators, and our goal which just became the zone goal is to pass out at least 1 Book of Mormon everyday and teach at least 1 principal from the restoration as we do it. I passed out 10 Book of Mormons this week! Most of the people were probably mentally unstable... but it's okay,  they're all children of God right. The first BOM I passed out was to a sweet old man named Norman, he was walking around the parking lot of my apartment complex, I think he was very lost, but we had a nice conversation about the church and what he thought. I asked him if he wanted a BOM and he got really excited and said he wanted to read the whole thing! So I gave it to him, and then I gave him like a 3 minute lesson on the restoration, gave him a pamphlet, he said he was excited to look at all the pictures, so then I gave him a pass along card with my number on it. It was great! I'm pretty sure that he has dementia, and walked away from that not even knowing what we talked about.. but it was a good experience for me! It's been pretty amazing actually, it was harder at the beginning of the week to pass out BoM's. I talked to my STL's (sister training leaders) and they said to just always keep a BOM in your hand instead of my bag, and that I will be able to pass it out! Then she sent me to the gas station across the street with my companion to try it out. And it works!!! 99% of the time, if I keep a copy of the BOM in my hand, I will find someone who is willing to accept it. It's awesome! I met some really interesting people this way. I met a guy who kept trying to bible bash with me, and then turned around and was trying to hold my hand and asked if I wanted to hang out. I tried to explain what a missionary does and why I'm here. But he was different... so I ended up having to tell him I was a nun 😂 it got really weird because he kept telling me I was too pretty to be a nun... 

Also met a lady who got mad at me because I believe in a book that wasn't written by Jesus... don't worry I was very warm and friendly. But the whole time I'm thinking, oh okay, so what books have you read recently that are written by Jesus?? News flash, Jesus didn't write the Bible. I thought it was pretty funny.

Got pretty sick this week. Everyone made fun of me and said its because I'm from Seattle, but I didn't know you could get sun headaches! I definitely gotta go find a cute sun hat or something, but the sun is killing me. We went and did more service at Catalina state park, but it was way harder this time! It was 3 hours of hard manual labor in the blazing sun. I had a great time, but I got so sick from it. I got heat stroke, no fun! 

Then we stayed home all day Saturday because my companion got really sick! She slept all day. She kept getting bloody noses, headaches, sneezing like no other, fever.. It was no fun. I got so much done though, so it was kind of nice. But by the end of the day I was starting to go crazy. I called some other sisters to go on exchanges with us so that I could go to an appointment with a recent convert and pass out a BOM. So that was actually a lot of fun to go out with someone other than my companion. Learned a lot from her and actually got time to get to know her. 

Because this week we were focusing on ways to find people we tried a lot of new things. One thing we tried was doing sidewalk chalking the side of the road. We drew out the whole plan of salvation. It was actually pretty cool! But I thought I was going to melt to death!! I kept burning my hand on the blacktop just trying to draw. But it was kinda funny because it turns out that the spot we chose was actually a bus stop. So as we were finishing, a bus load of people came and were asking us a bunch of questions about what we were doing. I can't believe it actually worked hahaha!!

Friday was actually a pretty good day! It's our planning day, so normally we dread it. But we called the other sisters, sister Hammond and sister Johnson, they are who we did the chalk with and who we went on exchanges with, and we went out to lunch. There is this place to get gelato that everyone talks about. Apparently it's like the best place in Tucson to get it. So we went, and it was sooo good!!! And as we were all going to pay this family walks in, it turns out they're Mormon, so they were like oh hey! Sister missionaries! We'll pay for all of you! It was so nice! 

Then we went and got pizza and took it back to the church to do our planning.

There were so many little miracles this week, it was amazing to see how strong of a role Heavenly Father plays in my life and in this work. It's been amazing to feel and see my prayers being answered. One thing that I love is that my zone is all about sharing miracles. Our zone leaders text out a few miracles that people shared every night. It's really fun to hear all the different stories.

Not sleeping too well.. It's super hot at night, I never use a blanket. But the worst part is that we have a mosquito problem! I think they are coming from the vents. But I wake up everyday with more bites. Just on my right foot I have 10 bites. I don't bother to count how many I actually have because it just makes me mad haha. So I have to start putting on bug spray before I go to bed or something. My ankles swell so much from all the bites that it hurts to wear certain shoes. 

All is good though! Anyone doing something special for labor day weekend? Nothing crazy here, just did some shopping, now my zone is just hanging out at the church playing sports and using the WiFi! Email lots of pics! I love to hear from everyone 😊

Love you all!