Living the Dream!

"The B* family at the Temple."

"The sisters in our zone went to lunch."

So, we actually had P-day today instead of on Wednesday! The temple is closed this month so we can't go this week so we're back to the same old schedule! it's crazy, some kids start school this week and everyone else next week! starting school in july would be SO weird! Plus it's like super hot here, got up to 117 on thursday, not sure if it ever get's below 100. When we get home at night, it's 100 and when we leave in the morning it's 100 and it only gets hotter during the day! But, I think I may be slowly getting used to it. And during monsoon season, which is now, there will be dust/wind/rain storms which helps it cool off a bit. Life is great though.

This week was once again, AMAZING! I love being a missionary, it's seriously the best.

We had exchanges on Wednesday, I went with Hermana S into her spanish area, which covers all of Maricopa. I learned so much from her! She only has these last 3 weeks of the transfer and then 1 transfer after this one until she goes home, so I got to ask her a lot of questions and I learned about not wasting time and being exatly obedient. I learned about loving everyone and looking for the miracles everyday. Spanish work is completely different than english work, but I love both of them!

Met with C* again this week, talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's hard because she has already been baptized and feels the Holy ghost, we are trying to help her realize that she can have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost when she get's confirmed. She actually came to church yesterday! Not sure how she feels about it, but at least she came! She doesn't think it's fair that most members of our church have read the Book of Mormon cover to cover but not the bible. So we made a pact with her that if we start reading the Bible she will start reading the Book of Mormon. We are still working with K*! He's super excited for his baptism on the 9th of August! We are hoping to meet his mom soon so that we can maybe start teaching her! We taught him the Word of Wisdom and the 10 commandments. He's solid. We took the B* Family to the Temple visitor's center on Saturday! It was so nice! The spirit was super strong and it confirmed that this is what they need for their family. We found out Brother B has to go out of town for work for A WHOLE MONTH! so now they are going to be baptized on August 30th, the weekend he get's back. It's sad that we have to wait a whole month, but I know that God has plan for everyone.

Yesterday was awsesome! we had 8 investigators at church! And this random girl, V, and her dad came into our ward. Apparently she was on date to be baptized in the spanish branch but she wants to go to the english ward. So now we are going to be teaching her and hopefully she will be baptized on August 16th! Miracles are happening people.

Hope you have a wonderful week! I love you all!

Sister Dewey

"K* at the Mission President's devotional"

"TD in the car on the way home!" 

"We were twinning on Saturday!" 

"C* did my hair into a little flower!" 

"We went out with a member, Sister B*, last night! She is SO funny! And reminds me so much of Tay Tay! She has the best laugh and the cutest outfits!"

"Last Monday we had a lesson out on the porch of someone's house at 8pm...bad idea. I got attacked by mosquitoes! They itched so bad. The Lord works in mysterious ways!"

"My comp did my hair!"

"During the big dust/wind storm a tree literally broke! It happens all the time because they are just not used to it." 

"A young woman in our ward came to a lesson. She just moved from Texas!" 

AMAZING WEEK!!!

"Our goofy-ness. In the car we were jamming out to "My call to serve" and "The work"! I love those CD's!!"

"The land of Maricopa"

"Lesson with recent convert, M*, our ward mission leader- Brother B in the back- and then Sister Eggleston's last companion on skype! Super cool!"

    Holy Cow, This week was truly amazing. I don't have time and can't put into words how amazing it was. But Trust me, it was

This week was my 2nd time on my mission going on splits with sisters from the ward. And let me tell you, the Lord provides miracles when you are doing the work they way He wants it done. We had splits set up for almost everyday of the week, but not necessarily lessons set up for those times. So acting in Faith we went around to potential investigators, former investigators and would talk to people on the street. Everytime we went on splits the Lord provided us with people to teach. It was amazing and we found new investigators that way. Also there were several times this week where a member had to cancel on us so we would rush to find a different member and then that different member ended up being a perfect fellowship for that investigator and helped them progress and resolve their concerns. Members are the best.

We are still working with the B* family. They came to a baptism on Saturday and really liked it. The parents are still a little nervous because theirs is in 2 weeks, but the kids are excited. So we are praying hard for that family. K* came to mutual on Tuesday, came to the baptism on Saturday, came to church on Sunday and is excited for his baptism on august 9th! For a 17 year old, it is amazing how interested he is doing the right thing and being right with God. There are prepared people all over the world just waiting for the truth, because "they know not where to find it". It is our job to introduce it to them and invite them to learn more!

We are working with this lady named E*. She is catholic and is very sincere about her relationship with God. We introduced the Book of Mormon to her and it was so cool as she said that "I've always wondered why the bible is only in Jerusalem, what about the people on our side of the world? doesn't God love them too and want them to know about Jesus Christ". We told her that's exactly what the Book of Mormon shows and she was like "wow, you young girls know more wisdom than me, and are answering all my questions I've had my whole life!".

"C* and her family at the Temple"

Coolest part of the week. We have been working with a lady named C*. She is totally against the Book of Mormon, completely denied it, doesn't even want to touch it. She is very friendly though and open to hear more about our religion. On Saturday we took her whole family to the Mesa Temple visitors center! We watched Joseph Smith-the prophet of the Restoration and afterwards C* said she had goosebumps and felt comfort. We then went through the "God's plan for our family" where it talks about temples and that families are forever, and at the end we were all crying because the spirit was so strong as we testified to her that just like our families, her family can be together forever and have peace in her home. She said that this is what she has been seraching for in her life, and it just feels right. I know this church is true and that it really can bless our families. I love being a missionary! Hope you all have a wonderful week! - Sister Dewey

"Recent convert T and Sister B at the mission President's devotional last night (Sunday)"

7-14-14

This week was amazing! I don't have a lot of time to write but I truly know that miracles are happening and that the Lord is directing His work!

We met this lady, C*, on the street. She seems super cool, pretty open, and attends the "church of celebration" across the street from our church. We met with her a couple times this week and taught her the Restoration and about the Book of Mormon. She has a HUGE concern about the Book of Mormon. She believes the bible is the only book and that the Book of Mormon came from the devil. She won't even open it or touch it. During the lesson where she was telling us all this, I knew I couldn't argue with her opnion. (I didn't want to bring contention by bible bashing) So the only thing I could do was testify and stand up for my beliefs. I felt the spirit so strongly as I told her that I knew without a doubt the Book of Mormon is true and real, and my testimony was strengthened so much that day. And in the end she told us "I'm surprised you guys didn't walk out and leave when I told you my opinion." Then she went on to say that she knows theres something different about us and she respects us a lot. It may not be her time right now but we definitely left an impact on her and I became more converted as I had to defend what I know. I truly do know the Book of Mormon is true and I know it because I read it and feel closer to God and peace in my life.

We are still working with the B* family who are on date for August 2nd, and then we are continuing to work with K*, the 17 year old boy we met last week. We met with him, gave him a church tour, ended it at the font and invited him to be baptized on August 9th and he agreed!

I also got to attend J*'s Baptism on Saturday!!! It was the sweetest experience I have ever had. I got to speak about the Holy Ghost and let me tell you, it was there. And K* was back from Hawaii and J*'s whole family was there! I have complete faith that one day that family will be united together through baptism and the temple! This Gospel is amazing. I love being a missionary! Thanks for all you do! Also-don't know if I mentioned but here in Maricopa we live with members in a house! so that's different from the apartment in Phoenix, but it's still great! They are actually ward missionaries!

Sister Dewey

We love our beautiful missionary sister Dewey!! 

J's baptism! 

The R family

"Sister C, the member we live with!"

MARICOPA!!!!!!!

"Some of the pictures we took in PHX" 

New companion, Sister E! 

"C from PHX"

"SIster F from PHX!" 

First Monsoon! 

Welcome to Maricopa! The small town suburbs in the middle of the Desert! Where every night it smells like cows and the dust storms are crazy! A complete opposite of the ghetto of Phoenix haha

This week has been so weird! A good weird, don't get me wrong, just super different and crazy!

 

Last monday we took super cool pictures by all the murals in phoenix and then packed all p-day and then had a really spiritual lesson with a less-active in our ward. She is going through some really hard things and we talked about Faith in Jesus Christ and cried and told her that God knows her and loves her. During the closing prayer while my companion was praying, I was just pleading with God to help this lady feel loved. I started crying because I was overcome with this feeling of Christ's Love for her. I have never loved someone so much and I know it wasn't me, it was God and the spirit working through us.

 

Tuesday we had a zone meeting. My last one in Phoenix.. we talked about our vision and goal for ourselves at the end of our mission and for our investigators. We then went by a prospective elder who "isn't mormon anymore" and believes we are all energy creatures and that he has been reincarnated 1000 times already... Also that evening J* had her baptism interview! We got permission from president to go back to phoenix for her baptism on the 12th!

 

Wednesday was transfers! President said that our goal of 111 baptisms (1 per companionship) was reached! We had a total of 116 baptisms last transfer! Miracles are truly happening as the work is hastening. 

So I got transferred to Maricopa. Which is actually my last companion, Sister M's, old [area] before she came to Phoenix! So we like traded places. My new companion is Sister E from Idaho. And she was actually in the MTC with one of my friends from BYU-I! Small world or what? We met the bishop that night, he is really excited about the work as well!

 

Thursday was hectic as I was trying to figure out the new area. And that night was the FIRST MONSOON EVER! Welcome to Monsoon season. It was so fun! It actually rained! We came home a little early because we aren't supposed to be out during one of those. And we ended up having hot chocolate.. in july? I know. weird.

 

Friday was the 4th of July! And it was my first day tracting! we went to go visit less-actives and then went tracting to the house that were around it. We found some super cool people! That night we got to spend from 5-9 with members, the D family, who are super missionary minded and help out the missionaries a lot. We had a BBQ and then watched fireworks from their street that were going off in the Indian Reservation just down the road.

 

We are working with this super cool family! The B family that are planning on being baptized on August 2nd! I am excited to be here in Maricopa. The ward is so different, very small. Most of our people all live really close together (its the suburbs) and then a couple people live out in the desert, which is like a 15 min drive. We went out to the desert last night to do a FHE with a family! Pretty cool!

 

I hope you all have a wonderful week! I love you! Thanks for the support!

Sister Dewey

4th of July! 

"Out in the desert for an FHE with the L family"

"Progression of the monsoon"