Week 30

Boy, where do I even start! I felt like so much happened this week it felt more like a month! But I guess I'll just start from the beginning. 

We did a lot of finding this week and has lots of meetings. It was really fun we went on splits with some of the youth which I absolutely love doing. We made tons of cookies and went out and delivered them to people that have been hard to get a hold of. Then we were going to go to dinner at the church for a Relief Society activity, but we were late and both sister Zamora and I didn't really want to go and we had a girl from another ward with us, so we ended up going out to eat which was so much fun. They have this Hawaiian restaurant down the road and it is my FAVORITE! It's like the whole missions favorite place to eat.

 

We had zone conference this week! and WE GOT SMARTPHONES! I didn't think that the day would ever come. But so far it has been awesome! Because I have a tablet, I get to keep it and I will just use the area phone for the rest of my mission. But the new missionaries that will be coming in will have smartphones, but they just won't have a sim card. So I am really glad I get a tablet because it's the same thing as the phone, it just has a bigger screen. So I get both :) It is really not even that crazy, it sounds crazy, or at least it did to me, but it really doesn't change that much. We are just easier to get a hold of now because we don't have dinosaur phones. We can also send pictures and emojis which of course makes life better haha! 

But as for the spiritual side of Zone Conference, it was so good. We talked about the power of prayer and why we pray and what prayer can do, especially in this work. It really changed my perspective on not only how I approach prayer, but how to teach my investigators and recent converts about prayer. We also talked about having quality gospel conversations every day and the power that extending commitments can have. I learned a lot! But what I really appreciated was after zone conference, we had a trainer trainee meeting for all the new missionaries and their trainers. I really needed that. They broke us up so that all the trainers could talk and ask questions and get/ give advice. It was nice to know that other people were running into the same problems as I am and dealing with similar things. And of course I know that... But it's easy to forget.

We also had interviews this week which was good. I really like President Browning. 

The real craziness of the week was on Saturday. I got to go to Tucson! I had a doctor's appointment, so sister Gadd got to take me and it was in our old area! It was great. We got there early so we could go out to lunch with sister Hammond. While we were eating, I totally spilled on my dress.. so I went to clean it and somehow ended up with water down the whole side of my dress... like it was sopping. And I had to go straight to my doctors appointment! So that was nice and embarrassing. Going to the doctors office soaking wet hahaha

I was so glad sister Gadd took me because we were able to go see all our old friends 😄 We went to go see Rachel first. It was so fun, I was so excited because it felt almost like coming home. I missed them so much. So we stayed for a while and just visited. The kids were super excited to see us too. So we played some games with them and got lots of silly pictures. 

We also went to see our good friend Brooke! She is amazing and I missed her too. It was so funny, we get there and she had all her hair cutting stuff out. And sister Gadd has this thing about cutting hair, so she kept trying to get me to do it. And Brooke said she would. So I let her go for it. I was so nervous, she wanted it to be a surprise. She cut like 5 inches! I was thinking like maybe a trim to clean up all the split ends. But it's good. I like it 😊 And even though it was a lot... no one even noticed. My own companion didn't even notice when I got home. 

It was a good week. I can't even remember a lot of it. But it was long hahaha

Talk to you guys next week 

Love you much, 

Sister Grant 

Week 29

Well, I think this week went a little better! I mean, of course it's always a party with us. Always having a blast! But we are really starting to get into a groove and we were able to have some amazing lessons this week. Also, another reason this week was amazing was because it RAINED pretty much all week! And it was a rare rain, it felt just like Seattle :D It was a constant drizzle for like 3 days. It was beautiful. I mean, now everything is just mud and it makes it hard to ride a bike.. But it's totally worth it. 

This week we really started teaching Chris. He is the dad of the kids we teach. He has been taught before, but this time he has a different attitude and really wants to listen to what we have to say. He asked such good questions about the plan of salvation and Joseph Smith and it led to some really good discussions. This is so huge! I think this is really going to help the kids and the kids will really help him. They just have so many blessings coming their way. And he even came to church, which was amazing because it was such a powerful sacrament meeting about love at home and eternal families. So inspired :)

I was thinking during sacrament meeting about how I can help some of the people in the area come to know that this is true and how I can make a difference and it actually made me sad. There are so many people who do all of the things that we ask them to. They live the life of an active latter-day-saint. But they will not be baptized. They have testimonies, they see the blessings that come. But they cut themselves off from the ABSOLUTE GREATEST BLESSING which is the companionship of the Holy Ghost. They know it's true! It kills me to see them live such righteous lives and to limit themselves from the blessings that Heavenly Father so desperately wants to give them. Of course I still love them and are proud of them and all the progress they make and I respect their agency. It just hurts my heart to know they could have so much more.   

We also got to teach Danyella the Word of Wisdom and I was just so impressed! Normally this is the lesson that is hard for people to swallow but she was just so excited to start living it. She is so cute, she asked us about this tea that she has been drinking and asked if it was okay. I had never heard of it so I couldn't give her an answer. So then on Saturday, we went to her baby shower and she brought it for me to look at. It has green and black tea in it so I just said sorry, looks like it's a no. She just kinda shrugged and turns around and asked all the ladies, who wants my tea? I am living the word of wisdom now so get this outta here. Hahaha she is awesome! And her shower was great! Lots of ladies from the ward came, as well as some of her friends and family. I am so glad we got to go. 

After the baby shower on Saturday we took a guy we are teaching to a baptism that the elders were having. It was so amazing! The spirit was so strong. I was so impressed at the speakers too. But one thing that I was really impressed by that really brought the spirit was after he was baptized and we were waiting for him to change, the elders gave out slips of paper for us to write our testimonies and conversion stories to put in a little book to give to him as a baptism gift. It was a good time to really reflect and share what I have learned with someone who is starting this new adventure. 

One of the highlights of this week was Valentines day! (the day before Valentines Day, to celebrate all your gal pals) Sister Gadd and I went on exchanges and it was the most fun I've had in a while! And I mean I feel like I have fun everyday! But it was just so funny spending the day with her. Because we are dumb we took some pretty freaking hilarious pics and vids! And I am sorry, there really is no explanation other than its an inside joke. But when I watched it the first time I laughed so hard that I was crying so hard! And if you know me, you know that I cry hard when I think something is really funny! I could hardly breathe, but it's the dumbest video! 

Can't complain, it was a good week! Love you all! 

Sister Grant

Week 28

This week has been the BEST! Crazy. But crazy awesome! 

I am a trainer now. And let me say, it is so much fun! I love my companion! her name is sister Zamora. Poor thing, I am always messing with her. But we have so much fun! She is so ready to go out and work. And she is super chill, so she isn't even phased by my weirdness. It's great! 

Tuesday was transfers and it was such a long day. I had to wake up at 4:30 to go to Tucson to pick up sister Zamora. I went with sister Gadd because she is training too! So now she is Grandma Gadd, and I have a sister hahaha! It was a long day of meetings. But we got to go out to lunch with the other sisters. We met up with Sister Hammond for a family lunch. Because sister Hammond trained sister Gadd who trained me, that makes her my grandma. So we call her Grammy Hammy. Grammy Hammy trained another sister named sister Johnson, so she is my aunt. She is also training this transfer, which means I have a cousin. And then there were some other people that came and they are some how related to us, I can't remember how. But we have like the biggest missionary posterity in the mission. So we all went out to lunch and got pictures and it was so much fun! Sister Hammond is like one of my favorite human beings on the planet and I love coming up with nicknames for her. So now my baby has to call her Ham-ma because its her great grandma, and we are all part of a big happy hammily! I don't know why I think that it is so funny, but we have so much fun. 

We didn't get back to the Gila valley till like 5 that evening so when we got back we pretty much went straight to dinner and got to work! It's awesome too because sister Zamora loves the bikes!! So I was right! We do ride the bikes all the time now. 

It was such a good week! I got to speak at Kellen's baptism. I was so honored that they asked me. They don't normally have the missionaries do it, but with our story and everything that's happened they really wanted me to do it. I think it was fine. But what was so funny was that they used my first name on the program. Bishop was conducting the baptism and when he called my name he hesitated and was sooo confused. I got so many weird looks! And now most of the ward knows my first name, which is actually really weird to think about. I am surprised at how fast I got used to being called sister that now I don't respond as much to Megan. 

But the baptism was really special and I was so excited that I actually got to be there! Miracles do happen :) 

Sunday was fun! It was sister Zamora's longest day of Church. It was so fun to watch her and remember my first Sunday on the mission. It is not easy to go to 7 hours of church every week. Its one if not the most exhausting day of the week. But I think we will start bringing lunch and keeping it in the kitchen, because I actually brought snacks this week and it really helped. So I think having lunch would make life that much better. 

Anyways, the rest of the week was good! talked to lots of people, met lots of new people, stayed busy and laughed pretty much the whole time :) Sister Zamora and I get along really well so we laugh at pretty much everything. Life is sweet :) 

Have a good one!

Sister Grant

Week 27

Hey everyone! 

This week was pretty great. It was the last week of the transfer and I feel like we ended it with a bang! Sister Church is getting transferred to Tucson tomorrow and I am going to train a new missionary! Pretty excited. This is like one of the best areas to train though because we get so much support from members and there are so many missionaries so close, so I'm sure it'll be just fine. And there is some amazing work going on in the area right now! We have lots of people that we are meeting with regularly, and we actually just set up a regular appointment this week with someone who has been nearly impossible to get in touch with! And the best part is that they were the one to bring it up and ask if we could come every week! we also set 2 new solid baptismal dates this week which I am really excited about because now that I am training, I will be in the area long enough to be here for their baptism! I love them so much, and the ward has been amazing about coming with us to lessons and inviting them to church! Their son is a recent convert, so he comes to all of the lessons as well and it has been so good for them! 

We ran into a lot of people this week that we have been trying to contact for the longest time which was amazing! So this week should be pretty busy, putting the new sister straight to work. It's going to be so much fun! And we will actually get to ride our bikes! I can't imagine she will actually refuse, unlike sister Church hahaha! I mean she has a valid excuse, but it's still annoying. I have to say, as stressful as this transfer has been, sister Church and I have become really good friends! I have no doubt we will be friends up at school, we will be there at the same time! 

I hit 6 months on Friday! That is so weird to me... I don't know what's weirder, I have been out for that long, or that I have a whole year left. A couple elders that came out with me were talking about how they were gonna go burn a tie to celebrate and then they said I couldn't go, so you better believe I had my own fire! hahaha I was walking around my apartment the other day and noticed that I have a burn barrel in my backyard! How did I not see that before? So I burnt some boxes that we've been meaning to get rid of and had a nice little fire to ourselves :) I am actually really surprised at how long I kept it going for having no wood. It was so fun! I miss having fires so much!! 

Saturday we were teaching our investigator Adam. He has long hair and it is always covering his eyes! So we were giving him a hard time about it and asked if we could put it up into a man bun and after some strong convincing, he actually let me do it! We were dying it was so funny!! 

The rest of the week was spent saying goodbyes and lots and lots of pictures for sister Church! 

Wish you all the best!

Sister Grant