Week 25 & 26

Yeah, sorry about last week. All the missionaries were playing games and we were having a little birthday party and before I knew it I was out of time... oops!

But just a little sum up of my week last week. It was a pretty slow week, not bad but not great. Then on Friday we were biking to an appointment right after getting out of our interviews with president and Sister Church wrecked her bike! We had just gotten these cute new beach cruisers from our amazing members and I don't even know what happened. She just went down. Hard. So that ended up taking the whole day. It was crazy though, like a minute after she fell there were so many people. No one was on the road, but as soon as she went down, this lady shows up and helps us move her and the bike to the side of the road. Then a cop saw us and pulled over and was helping us out, but he called the sheriff to come pick up our bikes. Then a member from our ward came and stayed with us to make sure we were okay. And she was the one who ended up taking us over to the doctor. Basically, it was a giant parade!  She is fine now, but she is in a knee brace because she sprained her ACL! 

Oh yeah, I'm 20 now. Even though I've found that most of the time I act like a 80 year old woman or an 11 year old boy. But my birthday was alright. Got to celebrate with 7 hours of church so if you're into that kinda thing I guess you'd say it was pretty great! Sister Church made me a pie :) Sister Gadd came over too and decorated the outside of our apartment which was really sweet. But kinda funny that it was the one day that it actually rained, so it was all over the place. But what really matters is that she brought me cake. 

This week was so good. Not sure what made it so much better, but it just was. On Tuesday, after morning sports we all went out to Denny's which was actually super fun. We get together every morning to play ultimate frisbee, so everyone decided that they wanted breakfast. And Elder Jordan was a champ and payed for everyone. Then later that day I got to meet up with a senior couple that came down from Tucson to check out some apartments, they are normally in the mission office so I got to know them when I was there so it was fun to see them! And because it was their first time in the Gila Valley we took them to go see Spencer W. Kimball's childhood home. So of course we had to stop and take some pictures :) 

We had exchanges this week which was pretty fun. I got to take Sister Fogg around Thatcher on a bike! I loved it because sister Church hadn't been able to ride since she wrecked, so we were on foot. And I realized how much I really do love my bike haha. Of course we saw lots of miracles because miracles always happen on exchanges! We were able to find and talk to so many people that we haven't been able to get a hold of in FOREVER. So I couldn't believe how much we were able to do. It felt so good to just go out and work really hard. With sister Church being hurt it's forced us to really slow down which has been driving me nuts, especially in a small town like Thatcher. 

Honestly, the most exciting thing about this week has been, beyblades. Yes, they toys I played with when I was like 7. A bunch of the elders got beyblades as a joke so we joined in. I do not regret it one bit. 1. they are actually really entertaining. 2. resolves most if not all conflict. 3. they are hysterical! One thing about sister Church, she HATES the phone. With a passion! So I send every text, answer and make every phone call, all that jazz and it get really annoying. So now, when neither of us want to have the phone we just battle for it and it settles it. No arguing, and now I don't have to use the phone as much! I feel like we have been so productive this week because we settle everything with beyblades. Its amazing! 

Believe it or not I hit 6 months THIS FRIDAY! That is so weird to me... and for being out this long I feel like the biggest thing I've learned is; when in doubt, beyblade it out! LOL I'm mostly kidding! Really though these last 6 months have been some of the worst and the best months of my life and I have learned so much, and yet I still feel like the new kid and I have so much to learn. 

Have a good week everyone! Jesus loves even you :) 

Sister Grant 

  

Happy Birthday 

Week 24

This was a really good week! I feel like we did so much more this week, I mean it helps when you're not sick.. 

At the beginning of this week we got to go help out with commodities. So all the missionaries in the zone come and we help give out food to those who really need it. It was pretty crazy. We have to prep to make sure it is all ready to go and then they drive through and we just put it all straight into their cars. So I was incharge of the bread. Each person gets three loaves of bread. Usually there are a lot of people per car so it was soooo much stuff in each car. It was amazing to be able to be a part of that. Not only was it super fun to be there with all the missionaries just joking around and having fun with the other people helping out, but it was amazing because the people that came were those who really really needed it. Most of these people probably wouldn't make it through the month if it wasn't for commodities. And to know that commodities really would not happen if it weren't for the missionaries. It is really cool. 

Every single day it has come up that someone that we are trying to go see just happens to know how and wants to teach us how to crochet. So by the time I leave Thatcher, or at least Arizona, I am going to be really good at crocheting. No joke, today at the store I already bought some yarn and a hook because I have to know how to do a basic chain or whatever before these ladies try and teach me how to make hats and blankets and stuff. So I am excited because we now have 3 appointments with all different people to come and to learn how to crochet while we teach them about the gospel. 

We went over to this one lady's house, she is a new investigator. She is so funny but we have to be so careful when we go over there or she will just take our whole day! No joke. I am pretty sure the last time I saw her she talked for an hour straight before I could get a single word in. Boy she is quite the character. I love her to pieces but she was throwing questions from every direction and they were coming at 100 miles an hour with no time to answer let alone think about. It's good, it sure keeps me on my toes and boy have I learned to trust in the spirit. But what was super sweet was that she gave us these homemade pot holders that are little mexican dresses, they are way cute! 

I am also excited because we set a baptism date with our investigator Daniella! It's a ways out, so I won't actually be here but she was so excited that she came to us and said that she wanted to be baptized! She is going to get married and then baptized the next day, so pretty crazy. But she wants to make sure that everyone is there which I think is amazing. Then she told us that she learned a new pattern for crocheting, so on Sunday she brought us both these really cute beanies! Mine is a really dark teal color, I love it and I am sure I will wear it all the time when I get back. 

I just feel like I was so spoiled this week! I swear everyone just gave us so much stuff this week! The little dress, the hat, we got a ton of poems that a lady from our ward wrote, everyone just wanted to buy us food or give us money. I am not used to just being handed stuff all day. People really do love the sisters here. So I can promise that I am being well taken care of :)

Sister Church and I are having such a good time. We are just like sisters. It's pretty great. We are so funny because we really do act like sisters, and we fight like sisters too. We are always wearing eachothers clothes and picking on eachother but we really do get along so well. It's nice because when we are mad we just get it all out and then it's all good. So much better than keeping it all in and brewing over stupid things. So we are working together so much better now. 

Today actually has already been a pretty fun day! I was bit by a cat and screamed at by a pig! We went to do some work at a less actives trailer. And the only thing that people said before we went was, just be nice, and be careful. Yeah, it was pretty bad. We were putting in flooring because it just got so bad that one day the oldest son was walking into the house and actually just fell through. So a member of the ward took us to go help fix it up. I feel like we hardly made a dent, but we worked hard for about 3 hours this morning. We will probably go back later this week. But as we were in the middle of going through some wood to make sure it was good to put down, the kids just start bringing all these animals onto the porch to "play with us". Oh my gosh, I can handle the cats and the dogs, but I just started laughing so hard when they brought the pig!! It's this black pot belly pig, pretty friendly.  But I would go near it and it would start screaming. Not a normal pig squeal, but it sounded like a 2 year old screaming bloody murder! I could not stop laughing, it was just so random and out of nowhere that I just died laughing!

Hope everyone had a good week! 

Love,

          Sister Grant 

Week 23

I was so sad to hear about President Monson's passing. I was at zone conference when I found out. But what is amazing to me is that not a single person shed a tear. Because we know that his work and life was complete and that he is not lost, but resting with his wife in the peace of our Maker. 

Zone conference was so good. I felt like they were talking directly to me! President Browning talked about how when we lift our eyes and raise the bar for ourselves it causes us to stretch and grow and we accomplish more than we would have even if we don't hit our goal. It was a good boost to get me motivated to work harder. He also emphasized the importance of gaining gospel knowledge and how the best way to become a master teacher is to know what the heck we're trying to say. So we did some practices on how to have more meaningful studies, something I could really work on.

This week was pretty fun. I feel like we did a lot which is good. One of my favorite things from this week was going to see George! He is the absolute sweetest person I've ever met. He has the mental abilities of a 8-9 year old, and was baptized a little under a year ago. We go see him and read the scriptures with him. This time we practiced baring our testimonies for sacrament meeting. I was so impressed by his spirit. He gets so emotional when he bares his testimony, but he knows it with all of his heart. He says "Church is truth. Book of the Mormon is truth. Joseph Smith, TRUTH. Spirit truth. Jesus Christ amen". And he will ball through the whole thing. But what I was really taken away by was after, he turned to me with big eyes and says, feel it? Oh boy did I feel it. The spirit is so strong when he talks about the gospel. And he said, "I feel it right in my back!! Right here (tapping his shoulder) I can't see him, but he is here". He really was there. I feel heaven close whenever I get to talk to George. I also love that President Passey, the last mission president said that no one is allowed to turn down a hug from George. So he gives us big ol' bear hugs! It's the best. And sure enough, on Sunday he found me before sacrament to make sure that we would both go bare our testimonies together :)

The zone leaders had to ride bikes all week, and they were so funny because they got so excited to be part of our biker gang lol!! They are such dorks. They got us all together to take biker gang pics. It was so fun! We went out to the cotton fields on Friday and got some gems. We are one classy crew hahaha! We were laughing so hard at these pictures. I think they are pretty great. But really though, I love this area! I feel like we are always having a good time. Work hard to play hard, that's for sure.

Right after taking those pictures I got the opportunity to go see some recent converts from the ward be sealed in the Gila Valley temple. It was so special. I don't even know them very well, but I got to go with sister Gadd who was the one who taught them their new member lessons. I had never been to a sealing before, so to go a live one was so amazing. It was a much needed temple trip, and I am so grateful I got to go and feel the spirit so strongly. I was able to reflect on my own life and take time to just pray and talk to my Heavenly Father. It gave me a lot of hope, and helped me to feel motivated and excited to work hard on my mission and to go home and live worthy to receive those same blessings one day.

I am really enjoying this area. It is so different, but the missionaries are all so compact and so close that we get together all the time and are able to have a good time. I feel like it really helps because we are able to really help and lift each other so much more. It is fun. And we just started this new thing where we meet up every Monday night for district prayer. We all bring a list of names of people who could use help and a little extra support and blessings and we get together and pray for all of these people by name. It has been really amazing to see the miracles that happen from it, and I am sure that we don't even see most of what comes from praying for these people. I am excited for another week to refocus and continue to try to be better and improve.  

Have a good week!

Sister Grant  

Week 22

I know I didn't send an email last week, but because it was Christmas and I got to skype home we weren't really supposed to email. I know that people did, but because I went a little over on time in my call home I thought I'd just send a longer email this week. So bare with me... So much happened!!

First off, I love my new companion! Her name is sister Church, she came out the transfer after I did but we actually go home on the same day which is pretty cool. I am only her second companion, so we get along really well because we really are just figuring this all out together. And boy have we had a lot to figure out. Everything just feels so off because of the holidays and all. People don't

really want to meet with us because they are out of town, have family in town, or sick. 

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!! I am so spoiled here in Thatcher! I was so excited to go see the Murphy family last week. Fun story. 

My first transfer when I was with sister Gadd in Tucson, she got a call from one of her investigators from thatcher. It was Felissa, her son Kellan was in the hospital with an infection in his stomach. She wanted to see sister Gadd and for us to bring someone with us to give them both blessings. So we arranged it all to go with the elders to go and see her and Kellan in the hospital. It turns out that the day we went and saw them was the day that their whole family was supposed to be baptized. But Kellan got sick and ended up in the hospital. It was also the ONLY day that we would've been able to leave our area to go to the hospital. We hit it off really fast! Felissa was so awesome and we kept joking that I should request to go to thatcher. Then after talking to Kellan, we come to find out, WE HAVE THE SAME BIRTHDAY! And he'll be turning 8 and really wants to be baptized. So I told Kellan in the hospital that day that I would pray really hard so that I would be transferred to Thatcher so I could be with him on our birthday. GOD WAS LISTENING TO ALL OF THOSE PRAYERS. It is an absolute miracle and in no way a coincidence that I have indeed been transferred to Thatcher and will be here on our birthday!!! I even have pictures with Kellan in the hospital, they are the ones with the miniature ponies. 

It was the best moment going over to see Kellan and Felissa! Of course I love the whole family. When she opened the door, we both just screamed and hugged and cried! Kellan also came running in and couldn't believe that I was there. He is actually the one who reminded me that I had told him I would pray to be here in Thatcher! I remember all of it, but honestly I had totally forgotten! Anyways, they are doing so well. Felissa and the rest of the kids were baptized the next weekend after they got back from the hospital, and are now active members and have been going strong for about 4 month! Madison, the oldest daughter even gave an amazing talk in church yesterday! 

I loved spending time with them. we went over to their house like 3 days in a row. We even got to meet Felissa's grandparents and sister. They made us so much food. And when they heard the story of how we met, grandpa just took me in and started to cry. He gave me a kiss on the forehead and said, I am so glad you are now apart of this family. I don't think I will ever forget that. He is not a member of the church, but he loves the Savior, and he really exemplified Christlike love to me by taking me in so quickly and treating me like family.

Christmas eve was fun because we got to go caroling with the missionaries. The whole zone met up and we went to a few people from each area. It was so funny because one of the elders brought his trumpet and played every single song. It was funny because let me tell you... we are not a musically gifted group. The whole thing was so off. But it was the thought that counts and we had a good time doing it. And to end, we finished in my area because some members invited all of us to a live nativity. We didn't get there till the end, but it was so sweet! 

Christmas day was awesome. The members here took such good care of me. I ate all day! Big shout out to the Alder family for taking us in. We had breakfast and lunch with them and they let us go to their house to skype our families, they also drove us everywhere which was such a blessing. They really are wonderful. We were so lucky too because Christmas was on a pday!! So I wore my jeans and hoodie all day, it was the best! I even go to take a nap!! It was so good to talk to family. Kinda weird because it felt like I haven't even been gone that long. It was not as bad as I thought it would be to talk to family. No joke, I was so worried that it was going to make me homesick. But I felt totally fine. It helped that I was at a members house, so as soon as I ended the call I just went back in the family room and they kept me busy and occupied. I was also really happy because as a Christmas gift to the missionaries, my mission president said that we could watch a movie, as long as it was lds related. So we spent our evening with some other members kickin it on the couch watching the Best 2 Years! Honestly, that movie is sooooo much funnier as a missionary. Not only because you forget how nice it is to just relax and enjoy a movie, but also because that movie is so painfully accurate. So now our whole zone has been quoting it because I'm pretty sure everyone chose to watch that one. 

Christmas came to a quick end unfortunately seeing as the very next day I was hit with a cold. It is a good thing that I am good about writing in my journal, because I straight up don't remember the last few days. It was sort of off and on. But by Friday I was so sick that we couldn't even leave the apartment. I tried to get up and work but I was so exhausted and dizzy that I could hardly walk. So I went back to bed and slept until 2 in the afternoon. I don't think I've been this sick in a long time. And being sick as a missionary is the literal worst! I feel so guilty for staying in. But basically the whole Gila Valley has been sick. And actually it's been so bad, one sister just finished her mission and it's a good thing she was going home because she had pneumonia. My district leader has strep throat, and ear infection, and whatever this nasty cold is. I talked to the sister training leaders, which is actually sister Gadd. We were all convinced that it was mono or something because it was so bad and it was just knocking people out. So they took me to the doctor. I'm fine. It's just a really bad cold. And the doctor said to come back in if it gets worse because i don't know how it is everywhere else but whatever is going around is so bad that a few people have ended up in the hospital. Don't worry, I'm not there yet... I have a pretty bad cough, so my voice is shot. I lose my balance pretty easily which is pretty interesting. It was actually kind of funny because we were at the church with the Hermana's and we were walking down the hall and I just fell over. It was the weirdest thing! It felt like I was on the tower of terror in disneyland and I came crashing down so fast. So hopefully I start to get better soon because I can't say this is the best way to start off the new transfer and the new year. However, taking a few sick days have been pretty funny bonding experiences for sister Church and I. When I am actually awake that is. There is not a lot to do in our little apartment, so we have to get creative. So that kind of explains the pictures and videos of Sister Church... But really I don't have an explanation for it, it just happened.

Last night for new years eve, President Browning told us all to be back to our apartments an hour early. So after dinner and playing some pretty wild new years games with a family in the ward, we went home like president told us. Come to find out, neither of us grabbed the keys on our way out, and we lock the door from the inside... So that was how I celebrated new years eve. Luckily we were able to get the window in the kitchen to open and I just lifted sister church inside. But it was pretty funny trying to break into our own apartment. It's a good thing that Thatcher is MUCH safer than Tucson, because it was almost too easy to break in lol! 

Also, I have to say  that being on a bike is really nice! It is not as much so while being sick. But really it is pretty flat here and the area is so small that we really could just walk everywhere, but we talk to so many more people it's great! So other than feeling like death, I really am loving the new area. I just want to get better quick so that I can get to work because there is so much going on and the members here are amazing and help us so much. It is awesome how much people love the missionaries here, even the non members! But people especially love the sisters, so I am very lucky to be here. 

Happy New Year!! Wish you all the best!

 Sister Grant