HIIIIII I'M ALIVE! - August 13, 2012

Isn't that nice to hear?! I know.
Well family it's been a fascinating week to be sure. As usual. We
finally were able to sit down and meet with our Bishop for a little
while yesterday. Sister Robinson and I counseled a lot this week and
are at a much better stage. And then this morning we ran into Sister
Murdock at the chiropractor so we were both able to see her and love
her and Sister Robinson was able to ask all about her last area.
My district leader's new companion is Elder Hilton who was in Prescott
Valley! So he was in my old zone and now he's in my district. And my
new zone leader, Elder Weston, was a freshman when I lived at Glenwood
and we were in the same ward (he totally doesn't remember me...
embarrassing...) and so it'll be interesting seeing him as my leader
now instead of this immature pre-missionary freshman hahahahaha. So
yeah those are the changes in my district.
Tomorrow we have zone conference! We'll be with Deer Valley though so
I don't think I'll be seeing anyone I know and love whereas last zone
conference was like a crazy reunion with my old MTC district. Anyway
but it'll be totally amazing and inspirational. Zone conference is led
by the Assistants to the President and is 6 hours of awesome. And
lunch. Sister Robinson and I are super psyched and praying (but not
fasting :) ) for inspiration because we both still feel like we're
missing something in this area that is affecting everything. Our work
is just not progressing it seems. We feel very much like we're not
living our purpose and can't figure out exactly why. But otherwise
everything's great! We're improving and figuring things out slowly but
surely and using this experience for the billion of teaching
opportunities that it is. We're grateful and exhausted hahaha.
Ariel's wedding pictures were beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She looked
gorgeous. That is so crazy that she's married. When we were little
we'd talk about going to BYU together which totally happened and now
she's married just like we talked about too! Hahahahaha wow. She's so
great. Just love her. Can someone get me her new address when you can?
I didn't know where to write her after she told me she was engaged and
then promptly forgot to write her back until Hannah reminded me in her
last email. Oops!
We were really just focusing on meeting the members this week and
shared a lot of prayers and laughs with families that we came in
contact with. The weather is just brutal and so we have a hard time
motivating ourselves to go out and find people from like 1-3:30 when
it's like 115 degrees outside. Also, I just realized this past week
that I've never seen the temperature below 105. Even at night. I think
they call it the concrete effect. It's the worst. Well it'd be fine if
we could be like everyone else and stay inside in the dark and watch
movies all day hahaha. So anyway. I asked my district leader, Elder
Burden, how he gets himself to stay going all the time (he and Elder
Hilton are on bikes) and he was like, "Uhhhh... testimony?" Ouch haha.
So we laughed about that a bit. There's no real solution to it. You
just go and do. So Sister Robinson and I pray for extra strength a lot
and smile more. Elder Burden pointed out that I'm probably "soft"
because I was trained in Prescott which is seriously 20-40 degrees
cooler than the valley. Oh dear! But there's a reason (a good
one!!!!!!) for everything. So yeah sorry I hope this doesn't come
across as complaining. I'm just sharing problems hahahahaha. It'll be
good. It is good. And I haven't fainted again!
Honestly not much to report this week. We've had some good experiences
with members and being able to be there to help them just at the right
moment. We did service for this very young family with 7 kids, got a
woman to church with her kids who hasn't been in months since her son
passed away unexpectedly, and shared a Mormon Message with a returning
less-active that helped her feel the Spirit again. It's been beautiful
in such a different way. The work is so different here. I'm seriously
learning a lot.
I'm really grateful for the chance I have to be out here. I feel like
I'm becoming a completely different person which is SO GREAT. I needed
it. I'm excited to see what the next year will bring.
I don't know what I'd do without the restored gospel of Jesus
Christ!!!!!!!!!!!! It makes everything make sense. Period.
Love y'all lots! Thanks again for the emails, letters, and packages.
They mean so much to me, especially when my zone leaders deliver mail
from the office and are super jealous hahahahahaha.
BE SAFE! Sister Parks