Week 15

I hope everyone had the best week of their lives this past week! 

I just wanted to say thank you to all of the people who have written me emails and have sent me cards. It is so great to hear from you. I miss my friends and my family a lot but I know I am where I need to be right now. I am learning so much about myself and am growing so much.

This last week I was sitting in a member’s home that has a less active family with the branch young men's presidency holding a family home evening. We taught about having the bigger picture in life. Our trials and flaws and all of the hard things we go through in life are really just moments. When we can see the big picture, the plan that God has made for us, then we will be able to endure our trials and be happier in the hard times. At the end, as we got ready to leave, I just sat there for a second and took in my surroundings. I was sitting in a home of people who I have only known for two months. I was super hot and still uncomfortably full from dinner. Everyone was talking over each other in Spanish so I couldn't really understand what was going on. It was the end of a long day. In other words, I was spent. But I just realized that I was so, so, so happy. My love for those people was just more than I can explain. It reminded me of a scripture I read the other day which is now my ponderizing scripture for this week: Alma 31:35 "Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious, and many of them are our brethren; therefore, give unto us, O Lord, power and wisdom that we may bring these, our brethren, again unto thee." The soul of every person is truly precious and I want nothing more than for everyone to feel that happiness that I feel as I learn more about Christ. When I first got to Phoenix I was so sad when I would see the living situations and life situations of some of the people here. I have grown to realize that the material things don't matter if we can have hope. I studied a little bit about hope this week and I read that it is not an uncertain thing. It is not just hoping that something good will happen that is far fetched, it is a trust in God's promises. If we trust that God will provide for us and for the people we love, than hope will be enough. 

Right now in our area we are really focusing on finding new people to teach. We had two experiences where we were in an area for a lesson that got canceled, so we just decided to talk to the people around us. The first time we did this there was a man sitting on a bench. We started to talk to him and he invited us to sit down. We got to teach him a lesson, and we have a return appointment scheduled for this week. The second time our appointment cancelled we looked down the street and there were two people smoking outside their house. We started talking to them, and the women said missionaries had actually taught her in the past, but it hadn't been the right time in her life. She invited us to come back this week to teach her and her family. These are not the only people we got to talk to, and not everyone wants to hear more. But in just talking to people we now get to teach people. It was such a testament to me that we were where we needed to be, not for the reasons we had initially thought, but for people who are ready to learn more. I am so excited to teach these people this coming week. I know that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not the only happy people on this earth, but I truly believe that the doctrine of the church is true and that it is what makes me happy. So it makes me happy to be able to share that with other people. 

This week we had one day on a bike. It ended up being the hottest day of the week at 105 degrees. So please take a second to look at our sweaty backs. It’s not so bad until you realize that most of the sweat is soaked up in the undershirt I am wearing. Sorry that's gross, but it’s the truth. As happy as I am that we only bike once a week, I really do love biking. It’s fun to see lots of different people that you wouldn't normally get to see just driving past them in a car. It also gives me time to just think. I am way too tired to talk while actually biking, so I do a lot of pondering life and whatnot. It's therapeutic in a way. We normally have our biggest stretch of straight biking on the ride home at night. We have lots of lights and reflectors, so don't worry mom. But that is always the stretch where my legs are burning the most and I have to remind my face that I am happy. We laugh a ton while biking, which always makes things fun (and let’s be real: the helmet is humbling-ly ridiculous looking). 

Biking in 105 degree heat (not even a very
far distance)

Well I wish I had a bunch of funny stories, but I just wouldn't know where to start typing. Just know that I love it here. I am laughing a huge percentage of my day, although I try not to laugh during lessons. Missionary work is so fun if you can remember that it is supposed to be fun. 

I love you all and will give you another update in just one short week!

Hope to hear from you all as well,

Hermana Doxey