A "crazy, faith-filled" week!

This week was so crazy, faith-filled, and truly showed me that God works in mysterious ways and will always provide a way to accomplish His work.

On Monday, we had super cool experience. We had a super bad lesson with one of our investigators and we were feeling super down and depressed, and we said a prayer to bring the Spirit back. We had 10 minutes left in the day and instead of going home we went to visit a less active. We found out he moved and the person that lived there, T*, is actually golden. He just got out of prison and is really ready to change his life, we talked about Jesus Christ and how baptism is a perfect way to change and become better. He said that he wants it in his life and told us to come back and he would go to church on Sunday. We showed him the "because of Him" video and he said it reminded him of a poem he wrote. He then proceeded to rap for us for 2 minutes this poem he wrote about his relationship with God and how he wants love to last forever. It was sweet! next time im going to ask him to say it again and I'll record it. 

J* is still awesome and ready for her baptism on July 12. She told her 2 cousins about girls camp and they thought it sounded super cool and asked J* if they could go. It was funny because she said 'ya of course, if you come to church with me first' so they came on Sunday. haha it was sweet. Also for one of J*'s lessons this week, we couldn't find a member to come with us so we skyped her sister, K*, in from Hawaii! It was so cool to have her testify of keeping the Sabbath day holy even in Hawaii, and the spirit she feels and the difference it makes in her life. 

We had Zone conference this week! And we found news about our mission being a pilot mission for a new program. So it's going to start with Spanish and eventually go to other languages. But missionaries who are assigned Spanish in our mission, 2 months before they enter the MTC are going to be assigned an online tutor. That tutor will help them learn spanish and the lessons before they go into the MTC so when they go they will learn so much more by the time they get out in the field. Then that tutor will be with them checking in all through their mission and with 2 months left will help them transition back to normal life and help them apply for college and things. And then the goal is to have those missionaries come home and be assigned as a tutor for the next missionaries! It's so cool! The work is hastening and just like the apostles said, "the MTC will be in the home". 

C* is doing good, gospel wise, and is trying to find a new place to live. She came to church again and we had an amazing lesson about the Book of Mormon. It's amazing the power of the Book of Mormon. It literally brings the Spirit so strongly into our lives. 

I love this gospel so much and I love this work. God lives and loves us so much!  I love you all! Have a wonderful week! This is the last week of this transfer! It's crazy it's gone by so fast. On Sunday I find out if I'm leaving or not... I will go where the Lord wants me to go! BUT, i really do love phoenix. 

Sister Dewey

Another Wonderful Week!

This week was wonderful and filled with miracles! 

Last Monday we received a referral for C*. We met with her and she is going through a really hard time, and was pretty depressed. But we continued meeting a couple times and trying to give her hope. Because the message we have to share is really a message of hope and peace. I love this sentence in preach my gospel, "we are helpless without the Atonement of Jesus Christ." It's so true. I have felt that more here then I ever have. Well she came to the baptism on Saturday that the Elders had and then came to church on Sunday! She told people that she sees herself eventually getting baptized! And slowly, just this week I have seen some hope and light in her. The gospel is amazing. 

We are still working with S*. We found out this week that she can't get married to her boyfriend because He is illegal and is supposed to be deported. That happens so often here and it's so sad, because S* came to a relief society activity we had this week and loved it. She loves us and the church and the spirit she feels, yet she can't get baptized because she's not married. But on the bright side, she read the Book of Mormon this week and had an amazing experience. She was super stressed about life and had a huge headache. She said the moment she started reading her headache went away. The power of the Book of Mormon is real. 

J* decided she wants to wait for her sister K* to get back form Hawaii to be baptized. So her date is set for July 12. J* is super solid though. She is planning on going to girls camp in a couple weeks and on Sunday she went to the "mission president's devotional" with us. It was so cool and the spirit was super strong as recent converts tell their conversion stories. 

At the mission president's devotional with J*

This week our zone leader, Elder D*, taught us a little bit more of how we can use Facebook more effectively. It's amazing the progress we have seen, I've been messaging people from Qatar, Bolivia, and Ghana. We ask like how their faith in Jesus Christ has helped them and then start to have a gospel discussion. I found out that if I start to teach a lesson with them, I can add members from back home to the conversation to testify of the doctrine and then it can be a member present! So that will be cool to use that and see how much this work is truly hastening. 

Just some news/funny things:

-one of the Elders in our ward crashed his bike, so we gave them our car, so now we have no car and only bikes! yay for the heat! going to need some sunscreen. haha

-we went to visit this less active guy and when we walked away, his pet birds on the porch like "cat-whistled" at us! then he yelled at us and said "it was the bird I swear" haha 

-We talked to this man on his front yard and he told us that we should run as far away from Prophets as we can and told us that we were deceived. haha pretty funny. 

I love you all! Have a great week!

Sister Dewey

From a couple weeks ago ! 

We love our beautiful missionary Sis. Dewey! 

"We all had to squish into the car on the way to the visitor's center."

"I love my companion!"

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day DAD! I love you so much and I am so grateful to have the best dad in the world. It's official, you're the best!

This week we were introduced to a new program in our mission. It's called a "personal mission plan". Each set of missionaries is introducing and going to use it with their members in their ward. So adding up the all the members in our mission and calculating the active ones, that is 10,400 members that are going to be working on this plan. It is really cool, a 4 step plan.

1. Brainstorm. make a list of everyone you know

2. select. prayerfully select 2-3 names

3. Act and invite. what you will do to help your friends know Jesus Christ better

4. Repeat. repeat the process with the same or different friends.

I am so excited for the miracles that we will see from the members as they reach out!

We are still working with J* and V*! We had a super cool lesson with them about the Book of Mormon. I love being able to testify of the truthfulness of the Book and how it can bless people's lives in so many ways! That family is going through some hard challenges right now with their dad and V* told us she probably isn't as interested anymore... That's okay though, because when J* get's baptized, she will no doubt feel the spirit. We took J* to the Mesa Temple visitors center last night and watched Joseph smith-the prophet of the Restoration. It was super cool! She brought a friend, L* who knew nothing about the church. Afterwards we talked about temples and they both expressed how they want to go in so badly! They said on the way home that being there felt like being Home and being in Heaven. It's amazing the special spirit there that makes us all long to be there and long to be closer to God.

We went on Exchanges this week, the new sister training leader in phoenix, Hermana L*, came to my area. it was fun and very helpful. I learned a lot about truly loving my investigators and members and companion. And being willing to sacrifice my selfish desires in order to show that Love.

We are working with this super cool Lady named S*! She is a hard working a faith filled mother of 6 kids. She has a ton of faith and really just wants to follow Jesus Christ. I am excited for her and pray that she will have a desire to progress in the gospel!

also something crazy- we came home for dinner one day and there were police everywhere in our apartment complex and 2 helicopters circling it! It was crazy! But don't worry, we are safe :) I love this work, I love Phoenix, I love the Savior. Have a wonderful week!

Sister Dewey

"Hermana M and I"

"Eating our elote and shaved ice"

"At the temple with J* and her friend L*"

A Wonderful Week!

This week has been truly wonderful!

On Monday we tried Cactus! it was actually super good. It looked like and tasted like green beans.

and this week it got up to 110 degrees!

K left for Hawaii this week and she got her temple recommend before she left! So she is going to go do baptisms for the dead in the Hawaii temple! We are so excited for her! She gets back in July and I don't know if I am still going to be here or not so before she left she told us how grateful she is for us and how the gospel has truly changed her life. (I am trying to convince K and my companion Sister M to transfer to BYU-I so we can room together next year, she really liked that idea so we'll see!)

Oh my goodness, her sister J*, is amazing. She accepted a baptism date for June 14th! and she came to church yesterday and wants to go to girls camp now too! On Wednesday when we met with J* her sister V* joined us. V* has been meeting with Jehovah witnesses and wasn't sure if it was the right path for her, she saw the way that J* and K* felt after we met with them so she wanted to check it out. At the end of the lesson about the plan of salvation V said she already noticed a difference and wants to continue meeting with us! And THEN on Friday, we met with J and V again, and guess what? their other sister L and 2 cousins joined in! It was a powerful lesson about the Restoration and after reciting the first vision V said she knows it's true because she just felt it and felt peace while we were sharing Joseph's Smith experience. It was so cool! The spirit was so strong and we invited V* to be baptized and she accepted! We are Uniting families one sister at a time. Haha we told K* that when she gets back from Hawaii her whole family are going to be members!

So that was super cool. ALSO- the 9 year old boy, AD* was baptized on Saturday! It was a really sweet baptism and the spirit was definitely there. It was cool because A*'s family is less active and we are hoping that his baptism helps them become active again! They all came to church on Sunday so that was cool! And the dad is not a member either, and at least he came to the baptism. There really is a special spirit at baptisms. And A was super excited to make that promise with God.

I wish I could just take a picture of my journal and send it every week! There are so many amazing, wonderful, crazy, weird, fun, interesting and unique things that happen. I do love this work though, and I love Jesus Christ so much and I love this Gospel. Thanks for all the Support!

Sister Dewey

"Sister M and I matching and wearing super hero shirts we bought"

"J*, the day she moved out of our mission... sad day"

"A*'s baptism!"

"J* and all her nephews and nieces. They are so sweet and I'm going to miss them!" 

"K and her sisters J and V"

"K the day before she left for Hawaii"