New Area, New Companion!

Okay so... drum roll please!!!!!!

New area: Higley zone in Gilbert! 

New Comp: Sister Mackinze Rasmusen 

New Address: 3258 e Ivanhoe St. Gilbert, AZ 85295

 And I LOVE it here! I don’t get any more flat tires because we are not biking in the dirt and weeds, but we are biking on roads and sidewalks so it’s awesome. The people that I have meet are amazing! We have 2 golden investigators being baptized on February 6th! (Same day as Emily baker in my old area!) They are also getting married the same day so that is going to be crazy! But awesome! And Sister Rasmusen and I get along so well. We have so much fun together. We laugh about a lot together. Other than that, that’s all the update that there really is. Sister Condie got Sister Taylor (who we were rooming with!) but they moved to an apt so it was good. Now they live closer to their area! Sister Gasu got Sister Brown who I roomed with my first transfer! It was supposed to be a transfer of a lot of change but it was pretty normal I feel like. I just feel super old. Sister Rasmusen has only been out for 4.5 months and I’m over here going on NINE. What. The. Heck. I am so old. How did time even go by that fast??? 18 MONTHS IS TOO SHORT! IWANTTOEXTENDDDDD... don’t make me come home just yet... I still have a lot of work to do! IM HAVING A MID-LIFE CRISIS!!!! ........ok... now my rant is over. ...love you...

But I have seen a pattern. And the pattern is this, the Lord is preparing people EVERYWHERE. No matter where you are, there is always someone prepared to hear the word of God and is open and ready to receive it. We just have to be ready to find them or for them to find us. In every area I have been in there has been at least one person who is ready to be baptized. Jennifer and Clint, Bobby, the Cooks, and now Roxanne and Paul. Please pray for them and pray that they will remain strong! I love these people so much... They become my family. My literal Brothers and Sisters. 

It’s amazing the love that I feel for them because I know it can’t be me, I am too flawed and imperfect, but it’s the love that the lord and our Heavenly Father have for them. The Joy that I find as I serve the lord with all my heart might mind and strength (Thank you President Gibbons) has helped me so much in the work. To really loose myself in the work but to find myself and to repent and change and become better each and every day. I thank God for each moment he has given me here in Arizona. I am truly so blessed to have these people in my life and to have my Family backing me up and standing by me in this glorious cause of truth! 

I love you! You are all amazing sons and daughters of the most high God. You matter to him. He knows you. He is there for you. So let Him in. he can help you overcome anything. ANYTHING! 

I know that He is there. I know that Christ lives. This is His church. He is the head. I am His servant. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Have a wonderful week! I love you all to the moon and back! :) (Actually way more than that but it’s just a cute saying ;)

How to get into a gated community!

And she's stuck

Sister Randall who will be leaving for a mission in Brasil soon

Matching Christmas PJs from one the the Relief Society sisters on one of the Wards.

Saying goodbye to the Boatwright family

Julie and Caity Cook, recent converts

Saying goodbye to Sister Lisa Lockheart

                

What a Week!

Ok so I am going to apologize now for not sending each of you an individual reply email this week because this week was absolutely insane and there is so much that I want to tell you about! 

First of all, Elder Holland came with Elder Robbins and it was the coolest thing that could have ever happened on my mission. Here's the rumor: Our mission was one of VERY FEW that increased their baptisms from the year 2014 to 2015 and so apparently Elder Holland REQUESTED TO COME HERE. Just out of the blue not even for a mission tour but just to talk with us and "interview us" (He shook all of our hands and called it an interview because he basically stared into my soul... Also! He knows the Tooele buffs! Fun fact...) and it was just super cool to have an Apostle of the Lord come and talk to us and give us some good advice. Something that I took away personally is to open my ears and eyes before I open my mouth. Elder Robbiins told us to basically become like Sherlock and to be observant and to find common ground with the people we are serving with so that we can know what to teach them and how to help them so that we are teaching a person and not a lesson. Another thing I learned from elder holland is to NEVER EVER GO LESS ACTIVE. Because if I do he will find me and he will see me walking down the street and will be very disappointed in me. In any of us. Because how could we be here, how could the Apostes have been with Jesus, and then go back to fishing? How could I go back to the life I was living before my mission?? I can't!!! And so he taught us to always always ALWAYS every day love our mission. And to basically be an apostle (Little "a", he's an Apostle big "A").....(The caps lock is for emphasis because he was basically yelling at us and it was the coolest thing ever:) another cool thing was that the Lord would always talk about being spiritually "born" and drinking from the living "waters" and eating "meat". And his Apostes or the person he was talking to would be like, born??? And he was like yes, born!! And they are thinking like "enter the womb again?" And he's talking about baptism  and basically the scripture that elder Holland thinks is the dumbest/stupidest thing is when in John 3:4 nicodemus says: "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter in the second time to his mothers womb?" And Jesus is all, "*face palm* except a man be born of WATER and of the SPIRIT" duh! And Elder Holland said it better but if you ever want to know what his least favorite scripture is, that's it. 

So Elder Holland was great and all. After we had that meeting, we all went out to dinner at cafe rio which I LOVE. And that was good. But also so transfers are this week and guess who is getting transferred?? MEEE. :( I AM JUST CRYING ALL DAY. But not really cause I know the Lord has a plan and I can always cone back for Shannon and Kinzees baptism which is on February 2oth if I hadn't already told you.

So last night we went to ARP with Shannon and it was a cry fest. Shannon had me crying first because she has changed SO MUCH since we met her and she is just a new woman and she said this "I too can testify, that this is the right thing and that this church is true and that the spirit is here and..." Etc. it was the COOLEST THING EVER. She already has such a strong testimony and you can see it in her eyes like a fire! She inspires me so much. All of the people in that meeting inspire me. So that was that.

We have been having this sweet sister come out with us, sister Beck, she really wants to go on a mission but because of some anxiety issues and things she basically has to prove it to her counselor that she can handle it and she expressed some concerns to us and she really has a sincere desire to change and to serve and she is the sweetest little thing and she just touches my heart and hands out books of Mormons left and right and she just inspires me to do better and to be better. Anyways... Just thought I'd tell you.(pray for her!!!!) And because it's a holiday and I am emailing from a members iPad, I cannot send pictures that I actually took this week:( I am so so sos so so so so so sorry!!!!!But I still love you and that's all that matters:). I am alive and doing well. I will let you know how transfers go next week! 

LOVE YOU TONS!

Have an incredible week! And see miracles!!!!

Love, your Sister Haymond  

Someone's sad about transfers!

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2016 everyone!

What a weird feeling... I can’t believe that it has been a year... Let’s review what happened last year...

January 2015: finished my mission papers and sent them in.

February 2015: Got my mission call to the Arizona Gilbert Mission!!! (Greatest mission in the world!)

March 2015: Went through the temple for the first time at the Mount Timpanogos temple and turned 19!

April: Kate’s 7th birthday! Continued to prep for the mission and reported to the MTC on April 29th!

May: 2 weeks later, I left the MTC and entered the mission field. I was excited and ready to get out and work! Tyler’s 11th birthday!

June: met Jennifer and Clint, my first converts.

July: I was transferred for the first time! And Jennifer and Clint were baptized :)

August: (normal missionary work) baptism by fire...

September: Ellie’s 15th birthday!

October: Got transferred to QC stake. To be with Sister Condie. Met Own Campbell, Riley Boatwright, future converts.

November: Met the Cook family (future converts). Owen was baptized.

December: First Christmas away from home! Julia and Caity Cook got baptized, and so did Riley.

Now we are all up to speed. I cannot believe that I have been out for 8 months now... Time has just absolutely flown. I won’t look back now. But will continue to move forward and increase in wisdom, stature, and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:52)

Love you all so much!

Happy New Year!

-Love, Sister Anna Haymond

December 28, 2015

Merry belated Christmas everyone and Happy New year to you! I loved all of the gifts and especially those tissues gma. Thanks- I needed them!

Skyping was so fun and it was so good to see all your faces and especially to hear your voices. What a treat!

You just made me sob in the Library cause of how Kate was crying... ugh... but it’s ok. I bet she is ok. It will just be a glorious reunion.

The rest of Christmas day was more relaxing than anything. Our dinner apt. cancelled because the wife broke her foot! :( darn it. And that was about it. We did an activity as a zone and watched part of Narnia!!! :) That was fun.

New Year’s is kind of like Christmas. We have to be in by 6 but we are doing a zone activity... we don't know what yet. But I hope you guys figure out your plans.

So yes Shannon, who referred herself is good. She has come to church 2 weeks in a row now and we are teaching her the plan of salvation tonight! Woo! She wants to be baptized and her 15 year old daughter does too! So that's awesome!

We are teaching a couple other people but mostly working with our recent converts now and also trying to set things up with potential investigators. But sometimes their level of commitment is ZERO. It’s annoying a bit.

Yes I got the letters. They were a sweet Christmas present. Also I forgot to tell you about the balloon lights thing... So for each baptism this year we had a balloon with a led light tied to it and we let them go that night in the dark while we were singing silent night... it was the most powerful spiritual experience from my mission I can’t believe I forgot to tell you but there were about 500 balloons (FIVE HUNDRED BAPTISMS!)  And it was the most magical, beautiful, heartwarming sight I had ever seen. Oh my gosh... I wish you could have been there.

But I am also excited to get back to normal missionary work.

There’s this missionary syndrome that happens when you can’t go out and work and it’s called "everyone-is-out-of-town-but-also-I-want-to-knock-all-the-doors-and-get-stuff-done" and no one ever answers because.. Holidays... so... it’s just hard. But it’s good to get back in the swing of things. We have some fun p-day shopping that we are going to do today. So that should be fun! Also have fun with my journals. I just filled up another little one and am staring a gratitude journal.

Anyways... You can do hard things. "Be not afraid, only Believe." -mark 5:36 The Lord has provided a way for us to escape Satan. He may have power to bruise our heel, but we have the power to crush his head. Never give up. Never give in. you keep trying. There is help and hope and happiness ahead. Of this I bear testimony In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I love everyone. I miss you guys and love you! Have a happy new year and set some new year’s resolutions!  Maybe this scripture will help... Luke 2:52. Happy New Year! Sending my love!
Love- Sister Haymond

Here are some random pictures that we've gotten of Anna... Most of them were texted to us!

Skyping with Sister Haymond on Christmas Morning

CHRISTMAS! :) singing loud! spreading cheer!‏

Hello my sweet family! And Merry Christmas! Wow! I cannot believe that time has just flown and that Christmas is this Friday... It’s going to be weird but awesome to see your smiling faces! We are going to a member’s home to Skype and it doesn't matter which one you use... whichever one gets the better reception/connection... ha-ha! We will give her your # so that she can coordinate with you to get everything set up. I love you guys and hope that you like the package... I did get your package and I love the boots! (I hope it was ok that I open it... there were things wrapped and things not so I figured it was.) I also got a package from Dane and Beth and from Tutu :) so that was good.

Yes our mission is having a party all day tomorrow where we take pictures and then our zones have a temple session at different times and then we are having a dinner and then doing like a white Christmas video with all the pictures of the baptisms and then we do cinnamon rolls and hot coco and we do this balloon thing where we release a balloon for every convert of this year... which right now is roughly 471...! Our goal was 500! And we are going to reach it! I know it! So that will be awesome! We are super excited! Christmas eve we get to go caroling.

This week was awesome! Yesterday we got to sing a duet in one of our wards and it was called "Holy Child". Everyone said it was really good! And then last night we were able to have the Christmas concert/devotional. SO. MANY. PEOPLE. CAME. It was packed! they opened up the gym and then they opened up the stage, and then people were even standing on the sides... the spirit was so strong and there's no doubt in my mind that angels were with us. Music really brings the spirit and it can touch the hearts and lives of so many people.

On Saturday, we were able to go to a boutique and have a little stand there. (think of Stansbury days-with all the tents and things) that's what it was but miniature and we had Book of Mormon's out and we had a poster sign that said, "the book is blue, the church is true, Jesus loves you!" it was a lot of fun and the members who live there, brother and sister Reed, are just awesome and he told us a bunch of stories and it was just cool.

Other than that we had a super huge miracle where a woman referred herself... ask me about that on Christmas and I’ll tell you the story.

Maybe I should write down some questions.... that's a good idea... well...

I guess I’ll see you in a few days...merry CHRISTmas!   I LOVE YOU!

It's the most wonderful time of the year

Yoo Hoo! Hi family! :) 18 days till Christmas!

2015 years ago, a Savior was born. Why do you all think a Savior was born?

What does it mean to you to know that he lives? That he was born for you?

I love the new video the church put out. Have you guys seen it yet? It gives me the chills every time. Also I just love Christmas. I love that we get to share the message of Christ’s birth with everyone. It brings joy to people’s lives.

I also loved the Christmas Devotional I loved how the underlying theme was Hope. Hope and Peace. Because a Savior was born, there is hope. The world doesn't have to be dark. Yes there is darkness, but the Light of Christ can chase away that darkness and bring peace to our hearts.

Christ is the reason for our rejoicing. I also liked how L. Whitney Clayton talked about how the shepherds were sore afraid and how the angel said to "fear not." I think I would have been a bit startled too but that we should fear not, because a savior was born and he was the one to help us overcome fear and to make it so that the world was not completely full of fear... but that there is hope! There is happiness! There is reason to rejoice! :) So remember the reason for the season and remember that a savior was born for you so that you didn't have to fear. So that you would not be alone in this life. That is my testimony to you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

So this week was awesome. Bobby was baptized and confirmed! Super cool! Here’s a pic. 

These are all the missionaries he went through... sister Seyboldt and I, sister Hendrick and I and then sister Hendrick and Sister Henderson. It was so awesome. I got to conduct the music and of course I’ve been getting over a cold so at the end of the closing song I like died coughing. But it was ok. Also my hair is getting sooooo long. Except just long to me because it’s been a while sense it’s been this long. Anyways... that was exciting...

This weekend we have the Cooks baptism. Julia (the mom) and Caity (the 12 yr old daughter). They already had their interview and everything! So we are super excited!

I got your package and I loved it! It was so cute! I tried those allergy meds and I couldn't really tell if they worked cause of my cold but from what I could tell it was awesome! Thanks! And I am working on getting a package together to send home to you guys for Christmas. I’ll probably try to get it in the mail real soon.

Well! That’s all folks! I will send more pictures of the baptism and other random pictures.

Thank you so much for the support you guys give me and all the love. I seriously feel your prayers! It’s awesome! Also send me ALL of the family photos you want because my sacrifice is done :) it’s the end of yet another transfer in the greatest mission in the world.

LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU!!!!

Keep smiling :) keep being awesome.
​

Happy Thanksgiving

I can’t believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone... I also can’t believe that I entered the MTC 7 months ago yesterday... I am such an oldie shmoldy to the sisters that I live with who are all like 3-4 months old... anyways... wow... what a week. Ok so we had an awesome Thanksgiving. We go to stop by a lot of people and eat some yummy food :) My favorite was the Armstrong’s pumpkin pie. mmm. It was like a melt in your mouth delicious pie. Anyways... I really enjoyed thanksgiving. But the day after was a bit rough... Sister Condie got a stomach bug and was not feeling well the next few days so we took a day to let her rest and sleep. Then she was feeling better yesterday so we go to go out and work. And it was funny because I feel like President Nattress foretold this at interviews. We were talking in my interview and he said something about how some missionaries will just get so so sick for a couple days after cause of all the food but I don't think that was it I think she got it from something or someone because we didn't even really eat a lot. Anyways... Other than that, interviews were awesome. Our week was awesome.

 Owens baptism was great and he wasn't scared at all! It just goes to show that the Lord was watching out for him and the spirit was calming him so that was good. Here is a picture!

Other than that, the cook family, who walked in and asked to be baptized are doing good and their baptism date is for the 8th of December. They are so golden it’s awesome! Well... I love you guys so so much! Sorry that this week was kind of boring... but we are doing good and we are alive! So ... that's awesome. Love you! Have a good last day of November and put that darn tree up! ;) Ha-ha! Everyone here has already had theirs up for a month! Yes we do do a Christmas concert and I am hopefully going to be singing! Also!!!! Have you guys seen the new Christmas video?? #ASaviorIsBorn ! Go look it up!!!! It’s AWESOME ! I LOVE IT! We will also find ways to serve this holiday season! I love you mom! Can’t wait to see/talk to you!

Ok... well... I love you guys. Bye... :)

-- 

-Sister Anna Haymond