Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

So this week was Christmas!  Which meant slow work but happy missionaries getting to talk to our families!   We continued with the caroling and now all our voices are shot!   But it was so fun and so worth it!

For Christmas we started at midnight with going to Catholic midnight mass!  It was super fun and just a cool experience to not only get to go to another church and see what it was like but also to see about 30 missionaries at a Catholic mass.  People were a bit confused.  And we ended up with about 3 hours of sleep lol. Then we went to the house of one of the Elder's aunt.  Yep she lives in our area.  So we got to stay there for a while to have breakfast, skype home, play crocet (however you spell it)  and just enjoy missionary life.  We also got to go see some of our members and enjoy some Christmas time with them.

On the 24th we got to have our mission Christmas conference where we found out that on Jan 11th we are all going to be taking buses up to Phoenix to see Elder Holland!  It’s gonna be so awesome!

So other than that there wasn’t anything to exciting.  We went on another crazy hike this morning.  Pictures will be coming but right now I can’t send them from this computer so it will have to wait.

Hope everyone has a Happy and Safe New Year!

Hermana Grove

Merry Christmas!

So this week was so sweet!   I went the whole week with only 1 hour of a total nap.  It was the best.  I haven’t done that for like 3 months.

We had some crazy stuff too.  We play sports every morning with our elders at 6:00am and this week while playing glow in the dark dodgeball my companion got ran into hard - she may have a slight concussion...    and I got nailed in the face with the ball.

Then on Friday we got to help a family make tamales.  We made 22 dozen and they are so yummy!   We also have been going caroling almost every night since all of us can sing.  The elders all play the guitar too so we have a special finale.  We do of Feliz Navidad where they play the guitar and we have tambourines. It’s just so fun!   I love it here!    So on Saturday, or was it Friday, idk,  we got dropped by 2 investigators,  one by note - she went to Mexico till May!   I hate Mexico.....    and the other just gave us the “well why don't you call me.....”    But we have just been doing awesome and having fun - our numbers aren’t so hot but hey we are working and the Lord knows it and that is all that matters.

But this week is Christmas which is so awesome.  It’s so special to be a missionary at Christmas because it’s one time of the year that everyone else is celebrating Christ like we do all the time.  It’s awesome to be a servant of Christ at this time and celebrate his birth.

Hermana Grove

Cactus is Bad!

So this area is crazy!   There are so many white people which makes our work crazy hard!   We have been just finding all the time!   But ya we taught only 4 lessons.  O so one of our finding techniques was bus stop contacting with street contacting for when there is no one at the bus stop.  So we talked to one lady who thought she dated Jesus Christ and that he died last year but was resurrected and she is dating him again.  She is even going to the government about it.  Then we were walking and saw a couple girls we saw earlier but didn’t catch so we started running, and I mean running to try to catch up to them....  they J-walked to cross the street......    I was so mad.    

Now for why cactus is bad......  So this morning we went hiking up a cactus covered mountain and on the way down I sat on a jumping cholla.....   It’s a really mean cactus so I got cactus thorns in my butt.....   And here’s the worst part.  It stays stuck for a while and so you grab it with some rocks to pull it off you, but I couldn’t reach it and my companion was way far down so I had to have an elder pull it off for me......  It was so bad.  And it hurts a lot.....

But in other news I hit my 3 year mark of being baptized this week!   I can’t believe that now!   I’m so grateful for all the elders who taught me (thanks Elder Ryan, Longhurst, Colbert, Walker, Thurston).  You guys rock and I only hope I can be part way as good as you all were for me.  That’s why I’m here is to try to help others find the truth just like those Elders helped me out.

Hermana Grove

And It’s Back to Tucson!

Yep I’m back.  Transfers were today so I got to enjoy (I’m using that loosely)  the 4 hour transfer van ride back to Tucson.....  It wasn’t to bad cuz there were some cool people on there.  I was so bummed out to have to leave New Mexico because it is just so amazing but I know it’s time for me to go so I can help others.  So my new area is just across the street from my first area and is Spanish!   Yeah for that!  Also by being transferred I got to say good bye to my trainer as well as one of my favorite elders out here that I got to serve near out in New Mexico. It’s crazy to think that I’m over halfway thru.  Some Elders were joking that I’m just as good as dead (going home).

Also last Tuesday I got to go down to Columbus which is a border town  where you get there and you just aren't exactly sure if you are in New Mexico or Mexico because everyone speaks Spanish and is from Mexico and it even looks like it!  During that trip we got to talk with a crazy guy who wanted to fight us and said we challenge him...   And I also got pulled over by boarder patrol cuz we made so many U turns they thought we might by dealing drugs  lol....

On Sunday we had one of the strangest dinners I’ve had for a while.  The family asked us not to bring up religion since their son and grandson would be there and would "get up and leave if the subject of religion came up".  So we did our best not to bring it up and that was super HARD.  I didn’t realize just how much that’s all I talk about now.  But it was so sad to see people almost ashamed with their religion that they couldn’t even talk about it near their family. 

Hermana Grove

This is my "baptism".   Well he was a member but just hadn't been to church or acted like it for over 50 years!    We both cried so much when we had to say good-bye.

We love BYU!

Elder and Sister Jack, our CES senior couple I love and miss so much!

We love Silver City!

Thanksgiving!

I am thankful to have a cell phone as a missionary......

So this week was fun.  We went Tuesday knocking on doors in about 40 degree weather (not to bad but COLD).

On Wednesday we got to help with the food bank.  I also got to watch another Elder get set apart.  That makes 3 that I have seen set apart but I have also now seen 3 missionaries go home.....      

Then Thursday was THANKSGIVING!   It was awesome.  We started with breakfast at a recent convert's house and we made them eggs and bacon and toast.  Then lunch with the members that live on a ranch so we got to eat well and have so much fun.   Then dinner with some other members and we even got a lesson with an investigator in there somehow.   

Then Friday was a bad day....    

On Saturday we did this thing called a treasure exchange where we set out a TON of stuff on the front lawn of the church like a yard sale but gave it away along with a bunch of Book of Mormons.   Then at night we got to be in a parade and so that was fun.  I just got to walk and wave and look pretty. 

Then Sunday was just boss and we did some massive work.  But today was so cool!  We went on a hike down in Clifton Arizona up a slot canyon so we had to go up some serious rocks and needed a lot of help, but we made it.  However getting down was harder and took our zone forever.  Well there was one point that my companion tossed her bag to an elder to hold while she got down a small drop.  When she got down he tossed it over a pool of water to her.....  well the phone was in the front pocket.   So the bag made it but we watched as the phone flew out, hit the rock, broke and then fell in the 3 ft pool of water.......    it stayed there till someone already wet fished it out.  So we are without a phone for the week.....     Oops.

Hermana Grove

Yeah hiking!

We made it!

Here's the view from the top of the slot canyon

Thanksgiving out at the McDonald's ranch  

They even made me chocolate pie :)

Half Way!

That’s right, this week I reached my 9 month mark which is my exact half way point.  It’s crazy to think that.  It feels like missionary life is just normal now, nothing different at all.  Even when I get dressed and look at myself in the mirror it doesn't look right without a black name tag.

So I wanna take some time to talk about things I heard about my mission:

- oh that’s nice

- to bad you didn’t go somewhere cool

- wow it’s gonna be hot there

- well you will never be cold

- it’s all desert there

- there’s more cacti than people

- you are gonna sweat a ton

- it will be so hot your shoes will melt to the sidewalk

- you will come back tan

Well I think I must be in the wrong mission cuz it snowed 4 inches over the weekend!   Really, we didn't know what to do.  We ran to Walmart (cuz that’s the only shopping here)  and bought boots and gloves and socks!   We just kept saying Tucson Arizona Mission....  are you sure?  Cuz it’s snowing....

But anyway, this week started fun.  We came home from on Monday to find our apartment door slightly open so I grabbed my pepper spray, kicked the door open and screamed "Hello" and then there was someone in there!  So I screamed  "I have pepper spray"  and he came out with his hands up.  It was the plumber fixing our shower......     So that was fun and my companion loves to make fun of me for it.   

We also got to help build a house.  Then we had a half mission conference with a member of the 70.  It was fun cuz he talked about a true successful missionary.  I also got real sick, well I’ve been sick for the past month.....  but this week was bad.  I just slept for 5 hours one day.   So I got a blessing from the Senior Elder missionary.  It was awesome.  He not only expelled my sickness from me but also rebuked it.  I’ve been feeling better ever since.     

I also winged a talk (and piano playing)  for our Spanish group.  Oh I also forgot to say last week I got to translate the primary program.  That was exciting.  I think I said broom instead of choice once... 

Very eventful week!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Yeah snow!

This was on a member's porch.   Isn't he cute?

Me and my companion in the snow!

43 Lessons!

This week was awesome.  We taught 43 lessons.  We are just on fire out here!   We literally ran everywhere we could.

We also got to be a part of a house dedication and that was just amazing!   It’s probably one of the most spiritual experiences of my mission!   It was crazy to just feel when the Spirit really accepted it and it was just so amazing all of us were crying.        

Oh, sad thing I proved that my mission president forgot about me.....   He didn’t remember how long I had been in my area at all.  It was real sad.   But hey I guess that’s what happens when you are 3 hours from the mission home.

But we love it out here and never want to leave!

Hermana Grove

Fun Times

So this week started out well, still rough but ended up being one of the best weeks of my mission so far.  We just worked and worked and were able to find 3 new investigators and ended up teaching a total of 34 lessons (including less actives and members)   It was just amazing.   My new companion and I are getting along pretty well.  We both have been used to being senior comps, so once we figured out that we just work together and both know about the same amount, we work real well together.  

But of course all that success really was just miracles from God.  We just had a ton of miracles.  And I could really just feel that all the prayers helped a lot :)

Much love

Hermana Grove

November! What?

Wow ya it is November.  That’s just crazy.  This time last year I was just finishing with submitting my papers to be here.  It’s so weird how fast time goes by.    

So this week has been interesting.  I’ve still been struggling with Sister Hansen going home but it’s getting a bit easier.  I now understand why if your companion dies you go home,  just a mission "death" is hard enough to handle.    

We also did have every appointment and I mean every - even dinners- cancel on us this week.  But we still pushed through.    

I got bit by a dog.....   but it was ok because I had on my nice new boots and they protected me from the evil thing.   Oh my boots, they are super cute!  When I went to Tucson we got to go shopping and I found the cutest Steve Madden's for like $25 at Ross.   Shoe shopping is my therapy.

Also I didn’t have to translate for stake conference cuz there was no one there who needed it!  Yeah!

Hermana Grove

Farewell Sister Hansen

So this week was the saddest week yet I think because my best friend left.

Sister Hansen, my companion, was medically released today. It is just so sad because I love her so much and didn’t want to see her go, even though I know it’s what is best for her.  So yesterday we got to go to Tucson and today I got to go with Sister Killpack, the Mission President’s wife, to the airport and drop her off.  We had such a great transfer together and probably one of my most successful.  

Also this week we got to carve pumpkins, but they got stolen from our front porch....   not even smashed - just stolen....  I think the elders did it.

Then one of our investigators texted us telling us how she prayed and found out that the book of mormon is true she described it as someone stabbing her in the back with sunshine, ripping her heart out with a rainbow and kissing it.   Well I guess everyone feels the spirit differently and that was what she felt it as being.

I will have at least 6 more weeks in Silver City and really hope more.

Hermana Grove

Forever sisters!

i put up a lost pumpkin sign......

One of our favorite people to visit!

Will the real disciples of Christ please stand up

I’m stealing the title from someone else, lol.

So this week wasn’t to exciting.  We had our YSA branch conference and it was awesome!  One of the members sang an amazing version of I'm trying to be like Jesus. I just closed my eyes and thought about my mission. I also have now been out for 8 months so it was a sad/thought filled time.  I just felt like the sister from The Errand of Angels when she sees the flashbacks of her whole mission.  I have grown to love these people so much and can’t believe it’s almost half way through.

Hermana Grove

More cows...

So this week was my birthday!   I’m old...  21.   Haha not really old, but old for mission age now.   So for my birthday we got to go to one of my favorite families for dinner.  Then we got to go on exchanges so I ventured to the Gila Valley and hang out with Sister Waldo (my previous companion) again.  Then on Saturday we got to go cow wrestling.  I got kicked  haha....   And on Sunday I got to see our branch mission leader set apart for his mission.  It was so sad cuz I have really grown to care about him.  But we are just so happy that he is finally getting out!   I definitely cried and it was a perfect thing for a missionary to be able to remember the very start of mine and how special it is to be out here as a servant of the Lord

O ya I also had to give a half hour talk in spanish and my companion had to talk (only for 5 minutes though)  but still it was awesome!

Well I hope every one is doing well

Love Hermana Grove

Before cows

After cow wrangling

Elders holding cow down

General Conference!

This weekend was awesome with General Conference!   So we got to watch every session and with that got fed a ton!    We got to be fed breakfast, lunch and dinner on both Saturday and Sunday.  It was amazing!  But we feel so full still!   Other than that nothing else was to exciting....      Sister Jack did make cake for the October birthdays and she made an amazing frozen oreo pistachio thing.  It has been very cold here!

Hope everyone is doing well and got to enjoy General Conference.

Love Hermana Grove

Me and my companion

With my old district from the MTC

With my district at Dairy Queen

Craziest Week Yet!

I had a crazy week!  It feels more like it was a month but nope it really was a week.

 Tuesday we drove the 3 hours to Tucson for Spanish training and then back, so we left at 9 am and got back around 10 pm....   

Then the next day we had to get our car fixed so we were on bikes for a little bit.  I was so clumsy and fell twice, my shoe flew off and it was all crazy.  Also it did help that they were the elders bikes so they were to tall for me....  Then when we got to the district meeting the elders put them on their bike rack on the car and locked them but of course didn't have the key, so we split the elders into tripanionships and were able to roll with them for a bit.  Probably the craziest day of my mission so far.  I have so much more respect for missionaries on bikes now.  

 Then Thursday we got to go to the county fair and sit at a booth for the church.  

And Saturday we got to help with a service project and I got to help sew a quilt. I love this place so much!      

Oh and to top it off we hit standards of excellence (for missionaries) this week!   So we are pretty much killing it out here. (doing a lot of good work) I love my companion we both work together so well and that really is the secret is just to work.  It just is so much more fun when we loose ourselves in the work of the Lord.

Much love till next week (and my birthday)

Hermana Grove

Working Girls

So this week has been just filled with work!   And it was awesome and totally paid off!!

We had 3 investigators come to church and all of them are progressing along really well.  So this week we managed to go and have 26 lessons, we really are determined to hit 30.  We are also really hoping that maybe they will split our area after this transfer since we are over both family ward and YSA and that spreads us pretty thin.  We just need to get enough work to do that now.   We also decided that we are gonna get a hold of the elders bikes and start biking every once in a while.  I’m excited cuz bikes mean talking to more people!

We had the best experience yesterday.  So we leave YSA sacrament meeting to go to the ward and as we are leaving there was a guy outside on his bike and so we went and talked to him and gave him a Book of Mormon.  Now this is really amazing because unlike Tucson not everyone here is willing to take a Book of Mormon so giving one out is a real accomplishment.  I was just so happy to get to talk to someone new about the gospel.  

Hope everyone is doing well

Much love

Hermana Grove

Note from Mom:  Do not get so dependent on technology.  Suzy was very upset this week because she was not getting emails from me.  For some reason I was receiving her emails but she was not getting mine.

Transfers

Yep it was that time again. The dreaded transfers. So sister Waldo left and I just got Sister Hansen.  Funny thing she was just companions with my MTC companion.  Nothing to exciting has happened this week.  We did wake up this morning to our car having shaving cream with oreos and seran wrapped though.   And so did the other elders.  We all don’t know who did it but it’s super funny.   So ya it’s fun up here in New Mexico and we are ready to work!

Hermana Grove

Sick....

Yep so this week I got sick.   I just slept for most of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.   That’s about it.   We really didn’t get to much done cuz of it.   But I do feel better now.

I also got to give a talk on Sunday (while sick)  about how the commandments relate to missionary work.   It basically stemmed from Matthew 22 in the bible and how the two greatest commandments are to love God then love your neighbor and how that related to loving others in sharing the gospel.   I don’t really remember it cuz of being sick but people told me it was good.

Much Love to All

Go Cougars!

Hermana Grove

Cowgirl Up!

This week has been AMAZING!   We taught 28 lessons (yep that’s right!)  Of course they were mostly less active members but still it’s the most I have ever taught and the highest in our zone.   With all of that we had a blast.  

Yesterday we got to go down to a member’s ranch and help them brand, castrate, ear tag, and vaccinate cows.  It was such a fun, dirty, and bloody time. Oh, then we proceeded to have rocky mountain oysters (the result of castration aka cow testicles).   I only could take one tiny bite, it just tasted like a ball of fat and then there was still some blood in it so I couldn’t do any more. 

Also on Saturday we got to go out to City of Rocks with our investigator and a member.   We went lizard hunting and we all caught lizards.  It was so fun!   I’m so lucky to be out here.

So a scripture a member told me this week comes from 1Coritians1:17 and it talks about how Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel.   It really helped me out since I’m 6 months out and have yet to have a baptism.

Hermana Grove

My current zone

I don't want to leave!

Welcome to New Mexico!

Bringing the gospel to the middle of nowhere.....

Together in the middle of nowhere. This is a town called Hurly.  I don't know if it even shows up on a map

 This family just got sealed and we got to be there!

We love the temple!

We attempted a jumping pic and failed....

Hiking last week

With some of the other sisters

                     City of Rocks Lizard Catching

Lizard hunting is hard.....

                     I hope you can see my lizard!

City of Rocks!

   Holding a member's turtle.  We want one of our own.....