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 :)