Anna's Arizona Adventures: Days of Miracles and days that stink!

AKA opposition in all things.

Well Hello!

I am glad to hear that everyone is doing well! My week was pretty good. Let’s see...

Tuesday was interesting. Tuesday is our "Fun" meeting day and district meeting day. So we are getting ready to leave and I go to start the car... and it’s completely dead. The battery was shot. So we got a ride with Sister Hutchinson and Sister Gasu (Nahsu) and then our awesome ZL's came and jumped it for us so that we could take it in to get it fixed. We were up in gilbert for probably like 2.5 hours. It was awesome. Ha-ha!

Wednesday was our day of miracles. We started our day out with service and that was way fun! We got to pull tumbleweeds out of someone’s field and everyone got eaten alive by the ants. Then later in the afternoon we had FHA with the zone and that is basically a FHE with our zone and a senior couple. We eat and play games and have a thought it’s really awesome. Elder Mckinzey explained it like a bow string, where if it’s always tight then it loses its spring so we have to relax and take a step back every once in a while and I needed that. I was getting a bit stressed. Ha-ha! but after that was over, our ride was late, and the other sisters were riding with us and they had a lesson so they were pretty worried, but it worked out well for us cause we were going to go see a few different families and one after another, the lord kept making them appear in our path right on time! Right as we were walking up to the door or whatever but we got to have 4 recent convert/less active lessons that day. It was sweet!

Thursday was doing good. Going strong. We had service again, this time at 6am and boy those mosquitos, man...they are killer...

Talk about itchy legs!!! Ha-ha I was smothering them with lavender all week and finally today they have calmed down a bit. It looks like I have a disease! Scary! Ha-ha! But that night we had a lesson with bobby and we put him on a tentative date for baptism for September 18th! How cool! but afterwards we found out from his wife Kellie that it will most likely not happen on that date cause he just felt pressured and was just blurting out a date so that was our bad...:/ we are both just so new to this and we are trying to find a balance of being bold and loving and I guess we were just a bit too bold with him... that’s okay though! We learn from our mistakes sometimes! Now we can do better next time.

Friday, was the norm. Just weekly planning and our zone lunch. we played "zoom" and "What’s in your milk" that one is my favorite cause whatever you answer with, that is your answer to ever question until you laugh and then you lose. So if I got asked what’s in my milk? And I answered a chair, then any other question I was asked would have to be answered with a chair. Until I laughed. So it’s really fun. We also played signs and that game is always fun! That night, we had dinner with the Morales family and we had both been feeling strongly about dropping them. So we dropped them and they were totally cool with it. It had happened before cause they have been taught all the lessons and are just not willing to progress at all (Well Martha is but she needs a new job schedule to be able to come to church consistently) but now we aren't going to go back over for about 4 weeks and we will just let them experience the absence of the spirit. It’s all on their time. We have done all we can and all we can do is invite people. And they weren't accepting the invitations. So... it happens. It’s good for them and for us because we know that the lord is preparing the elect for us and that if we stop wasting our time with the un-elect, we will be able to find them that are ready to receive the restored gospel. They are still great people they just aren't ready to accept it and that’s okay. Everyone has their agency.

On Saturday, we had "Zone sports" and zone sports are where we get together as a zone and play ultimate Frisbee or something for our morning exercise. It was way fun but so hot!!! You would think it would cool down at night... Nope. You thought wrong. This is Arizona and it never gets bellow 95 in the summer. Awesome. But really it was fun. Then we were supposed to have service with helping someone move in and that kept getting pushed back and back so we never went because we had our own service that night... I don’t even think I put on a skirt till about 3pm... it was a no good very horrible bad day. But that’s okay because repentance is real. that night, after our apostate service project...we felt prompted to stop by bobby and kellies so we did and no answer... so we start to walk away and we see light in the back... and talking... so being the awkward missionaries that we are,... we totally went and knocked on their fence!!! SOLID. turns out he was tearing up concrete in the back and we got to talk with Kellie and find out why bobby was acting weird after the lesson... then we found out all the stuff I told you... so that was cool.

Sunday, we both got roped into speaking in the Pecan creek 1st ward and I spoke on faith while sister Hendrick spoke on fear. It was solid. Super good. I could only bring myself to speak for 10 minutes but thank goodness for intermediate hymns right??? Hahaha! But Torrence one of the recent converts in that ward liked them and he is going to be getting his priesthood this next Sunday!!! Please pray for him and that he will have strength to overcome his temptations and the devil!

Well that was my crazy week... I’ll just leave you with my testimony because that is my "Zen".

I know this church is true. I know that Christ lives. I know that he is coming again and I know that he loves each and every one of you. I know that if we live the gospel of Jesus Christ, we will be blessed in our lives. I know that if we fast and pray oft, we will wax stronger and stronger and firmer and firmer in the faith. I know that God is our Heavenly Father and that he has a plan for each of us. I know that everything that happens, happens for a reason. Whether that be to help us learn a lesson or for us to become stronger or to humble us, whatever it may be... I know that prayer is so powerful. I wasn’t saying regular prayers before my mission and now, at every opportunity we have, we pray and thank the lord for letting us serve him and to give us strength to carry on his work. I know that this work will move forward weather we do it or not... But it is his work and I am honored to do it. I know that my redeemer lives! I know that the atonement is so real. Even for our little baby mistakes and even for the bigger mistakes. We can be forgiven. We can be made better. I know that we are an eternal family and that families can really be together forever. What a blessing. I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. I love you all so much and miss your sweet smiles! I am sending you my prayers and my love constantly

You know you are a missionary when you, can’t wait for Monday! (/Pay!) :)

Scripture for the week: Ether 12 (FAITH!)

XOXOXOXOX

Sister Anna Haymond