This week has been one of the best so far - full of so many miracles
I can't even count. This area is really starting to move along. This
past Sunday we had three less active families and three investigators
come to church. It was so cool to see them so happy to be there. I even bore
my testimony in Spanish.
The week started out with a crazy monsoon. We were at a less
active’s house teaching a lesson and the lights flickered off so we
looked outside and there was a crazy storm. Then we got a text from
our president that said that we weren't allowed to be outside for the
next half hour, but we also got flood warnings that said the storm
could last until midnight. So we stayed at the member’s house until the
storm died down a little and then we followed another set of missionaries home
just to be safe. I will send a video of us screaming in the car, as scary
as it was it was more just fun. They weren't lying when they said when it
rains it pours in Arizona. The next day the members were saying that the
news had called it a microburst. Because of that storm it gave all the
missionaries in the area a few extra chances for service and we have a
potential new investigator from that service. So that's awesome.
Side note my companion hit her year mark on Thursday, so we
got some ice cream at lunch. She is the best. She is such a great example
of obedience and following the spirit. We have so much fun together.
We are always laughing or at least smiling. I am so lucky that God answered
my prayers and paired me with her!
This week we fasted for a young investigator, and holy cow
my testimony of fasting has doubled this week. The whole time we were
fasting we just had one miracle after the next. We ended up being exactly
where we needed to be when we needed to be there for two days straight. It was
one of those rare times on your mission where you just see instant results for
your hard work. We had two investigators tell us that our message was exactly
what they needed to hear at that moment. One of them we had just gone over without
an appointment because we had been thinking of her during personal study. It
was so cool. Another example - we felt like we needed to go stop by a family’s
house so we drove over and they were gone. So, knowing that we were in the area
for a reason, we stopped by an investigator’s house that has been pretty hard
to schedule appointments with. She was happy to see us and was able to schedule
an appointment for tonight. Then we drove down the street to a less active
member’s house. She is an older woman in our Spanish area. When we drove up she
was outside holding her granddaughter. She said she had to move all of the
things in her house to her back house by the next morning at 8 AM. When we told
her that we would help her she just kept saying ‘oh no oh no,’ but when we
insisted she started crying. We stayed for about two hours and then came back
the next morning to help her finish up. Her eyes were so red from watering the
whole time. She was just so grateful that we were there to help. Some elders
came and helped us move the big furniture. So it was four missionaries
moving her entire house. Her son had not shone up to help so there really was
no way she would have been able to do it by herself. Whether she said a verbal
prayer or not I know that we were an answer to her prayers, which was a cool
experience. She said we had saved her life. Times like those are the times I
live for here! She also said that we could come back and read the Book of
Mormon with her later this week so I am stoked about that too!
We also did a service project in someone’s backyard where we
just picked up trash in the 105 degree heat for two hours. There were so many
random things in that backyard - I even ended up picking up a pair of underwear
before I realized what it was. The sun made my face so red, which was a little
awkward because we had to go right to a dinner appointment after changing. I
have never sweat more than I have sweat since coming to Arizona. No
bueno.
My Spanish is coming along but I really struggle
understanding people when they are talking really fast. And sometimes when they’re
talking slow- let’s be real. But my companion has been a huge help. She is
always pushing me to talk to people in Spanish even when I am really scared and
really don't want to. I know that as long as I am doing what I am supposed to
then I will be able to learn Spanish and help my area. It is hard to balance
being in a ward and a branch because you only have so much time to visit people
and when they live far apart that cuts down our time even more. But for the
most part we try to stay in one general area per day and talk to as many people
as we can. Our goal for this week is to contact more people, which is going to
be a stretch for me because I get so nervous. But I’m excited to grow! We went
to what is called first Friday in downtown Phoenix. It is kind of like a
farmers market but with a lot more things and a ton more people. It was an
interesting experience to try to talk to people there. It was one of those “holy
cow, I am actually a missionary and I need to step up” moments, which was
scary. But we got to talk to a couple of people who might be interested which
was cool.
Tomorrow is my two-month mark on my mission, which isn't a
significant number but it is just surreal to think about how much I have grown
as a person in the last two months. I have learned so much about patience,
humility, and unconditional love towards everyone. I am so excited for the area
and all that is happening.
I wish you all the best for this week- make it a good one.
Read your scriptures and remember to pray. If you want something to read, read
the talk "Come and See" by Elder Bednar. It is so good and really
explains why people chose to serve missions.
Love you all!
Hermana Doxey
No comments:
Post a Comment