C-R-A-Z-Y! (10-27-14)

This week was crazy! just like every week is I guess. But for our small town of Maricopa, it was crazy.

So to begin with, A* is doing great! This week we gave her a Book of Mormon and she said she already feels different when she reads it. Then we talked about the plan of Salvation and she said it just makes sense that God would give us agency and continuous choices and opportunities to choose Him. We also gave her a map to baptism which is a calendar that has all the things she needs to do to prepare for her baptism on November 8th!

S* and T* are doing great as well! On Wednesday we had scheduled to go to the Phoenix Temple open house with them! It's cool we get permission to go because it was way out of our mission boundaries! So we fasted that day so that S* and T* would feel the spirit there. She called us 1 hour before we were supposed to leave and told us they were sick and couldn't come... But we knew how much the temple can have an impact on them and we knew Satan was just trying to stop them from coming. So we knelt down right where we were and said a prayer that they would be able to come to the temple. 30 minutes later we got another call back and T* said they were feeling like they could come now! Miracles happen! And the miracle was that they indeed feel the spirit at the temple, I mean who wouldn't? And their favorite room was the baptism font, it was mine too, because it was so beautiful! Afterwards T* said that the baptisms for the dead is something to look forward to! YAY!

So something crazy... we almost got shot or stabbed! it was like 8:50 one night and we decided to go knocking on our neighbors doors because all our other plans fell through. This one house looked friendly because there was a minivan in the driveway. We knocked on the door 3 times and there was no answer. we were about to walk away when some lady comes to the door and yells at us through the door, WHAT DO YOU WANT?!?. it took us by surprise so we didn't respond right away. so she yelled it again, WHAT. DO. YOU. WANT.?!? I timidly said, we're the missionaries for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. and she yells back, MISSIONARIES? THIS LATE? I DON'T THINK SO! so I was like, okay... we will come back later then... she responds viciously, NO. DON'T EVERY COME  BACK. I HAVE A WEAPON AND I WILL CALL THE POLICE. we looked at eachother and were like, okay time to go... so we start walking away and we look back to see her peeking through the window. Sister Bullard got scared so she starting booking it towards our house. So the lady opens her door and yells at us IF YOU WANNA LAUGH, COME BACK TO MY FRONT DOOR!!!! I don't look back but I keep walking and whisper to Sister Bullard... Go ahead, shoot me... hahah let's just say it was crazy. She acts like it was midnight, it was only 8:50! at home that's when the party is just starting! But here in Maricopa, once it gets dark around 6, the whole town like shuts down and everyone goes inside...

During exchanges with Sister T*, we tried to street contact all the people we saw on one street.. we talked to like 6 people and each one of them rejected us, HARD CORE. we were like, okay, great. haha then we went to this less actives house where all her kids had lice but she invited us in to see her house. it was crazy, we thought for sure we would get lice, but thankfully Heavenly Father was watching out for us. Her living situation was so sad though, she has a 14yr old son that is on house arrest until he is 18! That's 4 years of not going anywhere except school! He can't even have interaction with his siblings... She was in a state of despair so we just told her About the Atonement and how it makes up the difference.

We had a miracle happen. We went over to this Less-Active lady's house to teach her. She was on the phone and said that she would call us when we could come over (pretty much she doesn't want us just stopping by). So before we left we decided to do some service for her by sweeping her driveway, apparently she saw and after her phone call came out and thanked us. We then started talking and she found out we didn't have a dinner that night, so she invited us to eat Tacos with her that night! so we learned how to make tacos and we got to share the plan of salvation with her and her grandson after dinner! Service truly does soften peoples heart!

The last Crazy thing we found out this week... The member we are living with, doesn't want missionaries to live there anymore. And she wants us out ASAP. So we have a week and a half before transfers. So if we don't find anywhere else to live in that time frame, then sister B and I will both be transferred and they will put elders in our area so they can live with the elders from the other ward! So this week is going to be fun trying to find a place to live, because we definitely do not want to be transferred! A* baptism is 3 days after transfers!

Well even though life is crazy as a missionary, I love it. It really is the best! And thank you for all the support you give me! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! I LOVE YOU!

Sister Dewey

"Learning how to make tacos!" 

Testimony Strengthened

This week was like a roller coaster! A couple sad things, but Always something better afterwards!! I've learned the truth of the statement by Joseph Smith: "sometimes the Lord brings us down, just so He can lift us higher"!

This week we were working with C* and we felt impressed by the spirit to stop visiting her. This was one of the hardest decisions on my mission so far, I seriously LOVE C*, Like a love I have never felt before and I have grown so close to her! She tried reading the Book of Mormon and She feels like God is telling her not to read it, she didn't get anything out of it and the whole time she was reading she did not have a good feeling. So because she wasn't progressing, we felt that giving her some time is the best thing for both of us at this point... it was hard.

BUT we have 3 new amazing families we are working with!

      First is B*-she is a referral from the Elders and is Catholic but interested in learning more. We have met with her twice and gave her a Book of Mormon! She has already read 6 chapters and is planning on reading more!

     Second are S* and T*-they were former investigators that we found by street contacting. S is a Marine Veteran and lives with his mom T. They are both going though a divorce right now and said this is the time when the need God in their life the most. We gave them Book of Mormons and have been meeting at their neighbors home, who are members. We found out T is already to 2 Nephi and can't put it down! We took T to the Mission President's Devotional last night and it was a miracle we got there safe! There was a HUGE dust storm where we couldn't even see like 10 feet in front of us... Satan did not want us to go to that devotional that's for sure. But we said a prayer and made it to the ASU institute in safety. The meeting was wonderful and on the way home we got to speak with T about her experience so far with the church. She said it has filled in the gaps and the holes that have been in her life all these years! She said all of it just makes sense and she is at peace with what she is hearing and reading!

     Third is this wonderful family who are also neighbors with members that actually just moved. her name is A* and she has 6 wonderful little kids all under the age of 8! She has always been interested in the church and is at a point in her life when she needs structure for her kids! She has already been to church twice and loves it! On Saturday we had a lesson at the church and taught her the Restoration, we invited her to be baptized on November 8th and she accepted! I'm so excited for her and her family!

We also had this way fun Relief Society Party on Thursday! It was seriously such a great fellow-shipping tool! We had investigators, recent converts, and less actives there! It was a Halloween party and even though it seemed like something so normal to members, it meant the world to those we are working with! Never Under estimate the power of these activities!

I just want to bear my testimony about Joseph Smith and this restored Gospel. This week has been hard when people don't believe and question your faith. But I know without a doubt that Joseph Smith did in reality see God the Father and His son Jesus Christ. And through Joseph Smith, the true church was restored back on the Earth. I know this because the power of the Holy Ghost is real. I feel it in my soul and I feel it strengthened as I share it with others. May the whole world know of this glorious message! I love you all and thanks for the support!

Sister Dewey

The Work is Hastening, catch the vision!

"#StandOnHolyGround"

This week's as seriously filled with miracles!! The work is truly

hastening here in our little town of M!

So we went back to the house of a man, CJ*, that we talked to

on the street. He never answered, but we met his daughter, A* and

her kids. Turns out their neighbors used to be members and have been

trying to share the gospel with them. 2 days before we went over, her

husband, I*, had texted the member expressing that he wants to get

closer to God! So it was a miracle that we went over at that time and

were able to talk with the mom, A*! She has always been interested

in Mormons and said she has been meaning to pick up the Book of Mormon

that she has in her room. She and 3 of her kids actually came to

church on Sunday! They are super prepared and willing to try it out!

Another miracle- We Went to go visit a potential investigator and

actually ran into a recent convert, K*, and his mom M*! We never

before have been able to have a conversation with her, but because of

some humbling experiences that she is going through we were able to

talk with her! On Monday we showed her the because of Him video and

said it was just he hope that she needed to continue pressing forward.

We then ran into her again on Friday and showed her the mountains to

climb mormon message, she teared up and said that she knows it's time

to gain her faith back and start coming to church with her son! I

truly know that no matter what problems or challenges we face in life,

the Savior and His teachings, the gospel, will help us.

Another miracle-we received 2 referrals this week! One from the bishop

and one from the elders in a different ward! M*, the one from

bishop is also in a very humbling position right now in his life and

is open to hear our message and increase his faith. B*, the one

from the elders, is interested in knowing what we are all about!

We had zone meeting this week where the zone leaders and I trained our

zone of 20 missionaries on the things we learned at MLC. We did some

role plays and talked about how the spirit is the most important thing

in conversion. And the spirit can be felt the most in dedicated

buildings, such as members homes, church buildings, and the temple!

Our focus this transfer is #standonholyground. The miracle that

followed that training on Tuesday was by the end of the week we were

able to have 3 lessons at the church and set up a lesson to have in a

members home! When we are diligent, obedient, and faithful, God will provide a way. :)

One morning we got to do a service project for this less-active

family in the Spanish branch, in the desert! It was so fun! Their

property was pretty much a miniature Mexico with all sorts of animals

like turkey, peacock, ostrich, chicken, pigs, cow, goats, dogs, and

TARANTULA!! We got there and heard the Mexican music playing inside

the house and started weeding out in front. Then the best thing

happened... It started raining!! It actually rained pretty hard while

we were working and we found out it was 67 degrees! The coldest it has

been probably since last winter! Afterward, on the way home, we

stopped at this taco bus and got some super good tacos to seal the

deal.

Being a missionary is seriously the best. The work is hastening, no

unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing! We met a former

investigator who said he and his mom are willing to take the lessons

again and learn more! We met a less active mom who wants her non

member kids to come to church and learn more as well! And not only is

it hastening here, but also online! I got to have a Skype lesson with

one of my friends from home this week and am helping one of my less

active friends study the Book of Mormon through facebook!

I love you all! Hope you have a great week! Keep sharing your thoughts

about conference and sharing goodness on facebook! Remember to watch

meet the Mormons!

Sister Dewey

Conference!

New companion!

Sister Dewey hit her 9 month mark today! 

#MLC

"She makes the best salsa!!"

This week was SO GOOD! seriously, there are miracles that happen everyday! To begin with I just want to invited EVERYONE to watch MEET THE MORMONS in theaters this week! It comes out on Friday and the more people that watch it opening day the more theaters it will go into! The success and publicity all depend on the first day! We got to watch the movie on Tuesday our mission president had a copy of it, it was SO SWEET! I thought it was going to be boring, but by the end I wanted to watch more! I hope that all of you get the chance to watch it this week!

On Tuesday we had Zone interviews with President And I got to do my first training as a Sister Training Leader. It was a little nerve-wracking doing it in front of the Mission President's wife and the Assistants, but I think it ended up well. I talked about what Elder Christofferson told us when he came to our mission a couple weeks ago. It was about rebellion and finding personal strength through the atonement.

On Thursday I went to my first MLC with the zone leaders. It was super long, from 9am to 3pm, but it was super good at the same time! We got some awesome training about how to use facebook better and about the mission focus for this transfer. We are focusing on teaching investigators in member homes, at church buildings, or at the temple. Because then they will feel the power of the spirit and want that more in their life!

We had another Miracle with C* this week! We went over and read the first half of chapter 1 of the Book of Mormon with her! and instead of feeling sick and queezy like the first time she read it, she told us she feels really good! She said that when she reads the Book of Mormon she gets this feeling deep inside that is not like when she reads the Bible! And when we invited her to be baptized she said that when God tells her to she will, because she has already been seriously considering it! THEN we got to watch conference with her Saturday and Sunday afternoon! We watched it on Sunday at a members house and she loved it! It was a miracle as Elder Bednar spoke straight to non-members, the spirit was so strong. And afterwards she expressed how much she loves the gospel and how it's really hard that her husband and kids are totally against it. I feel like now that she has gotten past the struggle of reading the Book of Mormon, satan is throwing her family at her to stop her. It's only because he knows what a blessing this Gospel really is and he knows how much it will change her life! So we will definitely keep praying and working with her! It's cool to see how the spirit works in our hearts though!

I LOVED CONFERENCE! Holy Cow, as a missionary, conference is like Christmas. no joke. I believe my favorite sessions were the first and the last. I loved Elder Christofferson and Elder Uchtdorf. As well as Elder Bednar and Elder Scott. Okay, lets be honest, they all were SO GOOD! It seemed like they talked a lot about personal revelation and prophets. Just by listening and feeling the spirit that the prophets and apostles bring, I know that these men truly are called of God. I know that they have the authority to speak and act in the name of God and I know that if we heed their words we will never go astray. I am so grateful for this amazing gospel that teaches me how to be a better person. And I know that none of it would be possible without the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I hope you all get a chance to reflect on conference and make the changes necessary in your life to bring it in closer harmony to God's teachings and will for you! I love you all and I love this great work!

Sister Dewey

"Practicing street contacting."

"Some of my favorite sisters! We came out to Phoenix together!"

"A member brought over cinnamon rolls for us!"

GC!! = General Conference

Change!

"Friends from BYU-Idaho!"

"Sister M* is going home this transfer. I love her!"

"Sister M and I were wearing matching skirts so we had to take a picture!"

"Last pictures with Sister E."

This week has been So crazy! Lot's of changes! But change is good, it helps us grow. One thing that has changed slightly is the weather! In the mornings when we go out to run it is actually brisky! probably a whopping 70 something! And on Sunday we walked out from church and it was 98 and we were like wow, this feels good! There was also a huge storm on Saturday that flooded the roads! if it rains even a couple inches here it floods haha it's funny.

 

I got a change in companions this week! Sister B from North Carolina! Ive been with her for 4 days and already love her! She is half native american and half samoan and has the coolest eastern accent! She is a hard worker and we are going to see miracles this transfer! Transfers were also done super crazy this time! President put up on the wall who are new companions were and we just had to go and look. it was weird. He did that to save time because we are changing the zones in our mission. instead of having 10 zones, we now have 14 zones, Every stake is now going to have their own zone of missionaries! also, because of unique cirmunstances, we now have a sister in our mission that is a district leader! who knew? President T had to get special permission from the brethren, it's intense! and super cool! At transfers President made a really good point. We were talking about perfection and he said, "The only thing I can be perfect at is my desire to be perfect". Obviously we can't be perfect, but we sure as heck can try our best!

 

So the coolest experience happened this week as C*, one of our investigators had a change of heart... on Tuesday we went over so Sister E could say goodbye. we talked about the Book of Mormon and she said that she would not open it until God told her to... I looked deep in her eyes and asked her how she knew to read the bible, implying that it takes faith. She didn't really say anything and the conversation got switched to something else. On friday Sister B* and I went over there and showed her the Mormon message "a book of mormon story"... she started to tear up and afterwards the spirit was so strong as she told us that when I asked that question on Tuesday about the bible, it cut her to the heart. She realized she had to take a step of faith in order to read the bible and that is what she is going to have to do with the book of mormon. She was still scared, but I could just tell that the spirit has been working with her to change her heart. She commited to read from the Book of Mormon this week!!! Miracles Happen my friends. She also came to the General womens meeting on Saturday and felt it was very inspiring and comforting. and now she can't wait for General Conference this weekend! I can't tell you how long we have prayed and fasted that C will read from the Book of Mormon! I have no doubt that God answers prayers in His own timing.

 

I LOVED the general womens meeting! Holy Cow, revelation from prophets and apostles is amazing. Right when it started I just felt this overwhelming feeling of the Spirit. It literally hit me like a ton of bricks. I just felt this LOVE for my mom, my family, our investigators (C*, B* family, R* family, and A*), and for the gospel. My favorite talk was Elder uchtdorf. I can't wait for conference this weekend! I expect to hear about all the revelation you receive this weekend!

the Lord is truly amazing and I know He is at the head of this work. I love you all!

 

Sister Dewey

"Crazy storm!"

"The YW in M* ward! Love them!" 

"They had to eat crickets!"

Elder Christofferson!!!

Even though it hasn't been a full week since I last e-mailed... It has

been jam-packed with amazing miracles, direction, revelation, and

changes.

President T called the whole mission together for a

"special meeting". He had recently met with Elder Cook and he

counseled President to hold a meeting. It was pretty much a meeting of

Chastisement. President told us of some things that have been going on

in the mission that need to stop. He told us we need to be better with

our I-pads, with Facebook, with daily schedules, with the rules, and

with our companions. He was very bold and blunt, but at the same time

very loving. And that's why I love President T. I felt very pumped

after the meeting to go work.

We woke up early and went to the ASU campus in Tempe to

meet and hear Elder Christofferson! He held a special meeting just

with our mission. When he walked in the spirit was SO strong. And we

each got to shake his hand and have him look deeply in our eyes, I

just knew that he truly is an Apostle of our Lord Jesus Christ. His

talk was really good! And I felt the spirit the whole time! He opened

it up for questions and then at the end, something cool happened. He

was about to finish, then stopped and said "may I caution you of a

serious sin... Rebellion." It got so quiet. This is exactly what

President had talked to us about the day before. He spent 5 minutes

asking us soul-searching questions and told us to dig deep and find

those rebellions that are holding us back and then to just give it up.

It was amazing. An apostle, not knowing anything about our mission,

just confirmed in my heart exactly what my mission president spoke of.

We also heard from Elder Corbridge of the seventy and Bishop Davies of

the presiding bishopric. The latter talked about not getting the DIMS

on your mission. (Discouragement, idolness, murmuring, sin)

We have had to stop going by a lot of people because they were not

willing to progress or keep commitments. It was hard and took a lot of

faith. But we found miracles because of it. Randomly when we were in

the store, a worker came up to us and asked us for a Mormon.org card

to give to Her friend, J, that lives down the street. We gave her

our number and hope to hear from him soon! #miracle! Also at church

this random family showed up. It was a less-active mom and two

non-member sons that she wants them to start coming to church now!

#miracle!

TRANSFERS ARE THIS WEEK!! Ahh!!! My companion is getting transferred

after being in this area for 6 months. I'm going to miss

her, I've really learned how to love during this companionship. And I

got called to be a Sister-Training Leader! It's like a Zone leader,

but for sisters! I still feel like I don't know what I'm doing, but

apparently the Lord has something in store for me. I will be staying

in Maricopa and getting another companion that will also be a

Sister-Training Leader with me! I'm excited and ready for this new

adventure.

Also-we ended the challenge that we had with the other sisters

today..... It was a challenge to see who could lose the most weight in

2 weeks. And whoever lost the least amount has to eat a cricket and

the winner gets 12$. And Sister E and I won!!! I lost 13

pounds and she lost 9 pounds! I was so happy, we worked SO hard! The

key will be to keep it off... The struggles of missionary life haha.

Gotta love it! :)

I love you all! Have a great week!

Sister Dewey