Valentine’s Day!

So we learned that Valentine’s Day sucks as a missionary.  Sooooo for Valentine's Day we went around and heartattacked (cut out cute little hearts and wrote on them and taped them to their doors)  our members and some of our investigators.  They all loved it so much and it was a great thing to keep us busy and distracted from the holiday for the day.  We would prepare all the hearts we had cut out and decorated and get tape on the back of them then sneak quietly to the door and put them on real fast (the tape was super loud) and then we would knock loud and run as fast as we could to our car parked around the corner.  It was so fun.  We only got caught once but the member was so cute.  She looked out the window (she heard the tape) and we were just like "shhhhh" so she went   O ok   and closed the blinds and then let us finish.  It was just a fun day to make others feel special.

Other than that there hasn't been anything else to exciting going on out here.   It’s been super warm so we have been working on our tan lines.

But we did have an awesome experience yesterday of being prompted by the Spirit.  We both felt the need to knock on a door that we knew there was no point in knocking on.  But we felt we should so when we did we knocked - no answer.  So we knocked again a bit louder - no answer and for some reason we both felt to knock again (we rarely ever knock 3 times)  and this time even louder.  And yep we had it confirmed that it was very important that we knocked.  It’s so great to see how Heavenly Father is mindful of all his children and will put someone in their path to help them when they need it.

Hermana Grove

Welcome to the Dirty T

This was what I read in a note for my day of exchange.  It was so true, it was dirty Tucson!   I went down south to the true ghetto of Tucson this week.  And wow was I incredibly thankful for my current area.  If you have ever seen the gangster movies where people get shot at in their apartments, ya that’s what this looked like.  It was crazy!   But the people were so nice and I got to learn a lot.  I really noticed how sometimes we take for granted the fact that we are called to represent Jesus Christ and all we wanna do is see our friends.  But there was one Elder that really helped me remember that during a dinner.  This Elder seriously changed the way I see my entire mission.   So this is what happened.  I was all happy to have dinner and we were having it with the other 4 Elders so it was gonna be a fun time getting to know them and making new friends and all right?   No....  This one Elder made us all talk in Spanish and include the member feeding us (you know like being polite and nice)  and then it was time to share the message since after dinner we always share a spiritual thought of some form.  It usually is just a random nice scripture that we like but this Elder had a whole lesson planned!   Using a bible, video and singing a hymn and everything.  I started that dinner just kinda laughing on the inside about how stuck up this guy was being and left feeling so humbled and seeing how much better I could be.  It’s crazy the twists and turns we take as missionaries and how much it changes us.

Hermana Grove

Another day hiking...

February?!?!

Wow!  That means that it’s been just about a whole year that I have been a missionary!   It’s crazy how fast time has gone by.    

So not to much has happened this week.    

We basically do the same thing everyday, it’s just trying to find people to teach which involves a lot of walking around but it means we are working on our tans and exercising.  I’ve even lost a bit of weight lately!  So exciting.

We apparently have now turned into moms to our elders cuz we are constantly having to find dinner for them and making them desserts.  But we love them so it’s worth it.

Well that’s really about it.  Have a good week everyone!

Hermana Grove

Back from the dead

So this title has a couple meanings.  One, my companion is no longer sick!  Two, this area was considered rather dead and is now doing way better.  And  three, I’m not feeling so sick anymore like I had been.

So this week once we finally got out of the house we had a great week!   We ended up finding 2 new people to teach as well as just having some awesome times with people we are teaching.

The most exciting thing was that last night I got a phone call from an investigator in New Mexico (she may have gotten our phone number from the sisters there)   telling me that she has chosen to get baptized on Feb 20th, which happens to be my 1 year mark!   I was just so excited to hear that she is finally ready to make the change and completely follow the example of Christ.  We were both just crying.  And I could hardly sleep last night I was just so happy for her.

The Lord is really working miracles out here!

Hermana Grove

So I finally got my companion's SD card....  this was us singing at Christmas time

All us sisters in the zone

Us being bosses with out P-day hikes

We had hot chocolate on top of the mountain

In the car - our favorite place.....

And this is what happens when you let elders take your camera for the day - them with penguino

Better late than never.....right?

So this week my companion got sick - very sick, flu we think.  So that’s why I’m emailing later in the week.  P-day was on Tuesday for transfers (we are staying together) and she got sick that day so this is our first time out of the apartment - well 2nd but first full day this week.      

So this week I had the most embarrassing thing to happen to me on the mish so far....  So we were having dinner at a members house and I had to pee (that’s important) so I used their restroom and when the toilet flushed it didn’t go down, it just kept getting fuller and fuller and started to overflow!!  So I quickly grabbed a glove and a dish that we used to wash their dogs the day before and started throwing water into the bathtub....  then got the plunger but it didn’t work, in fact it broke!   So I’m sitting there trying to get this fixed and finally give up and go out to get one of the elders, but their son was there to help and he took care of it.  But the worst part was when I came out our little 9 year old investigator (they got invited over for dinner as well) yelled "Wow, you were in there for a while"  and proceeded to go into the bathroom and tell everyone how it was stinky in there.....    I told the other missionaries and we are all just laughing over it so much.

We got to go to the temple this week which for anyone who doesn't know what the temple is check out http://mormon.org/faq/topic/temples/question/church-and-temple   It was so nice just to get to feel the spirit so strong there.  For the  trip our car got chosen to drive the 300 mile trip....   so we have like NO miles left from our allotment for the month and have been walking almost 5 miles everyday.  One day we had forgotten to bring clothes to wash that member's dogs and so we ran (in skirts yes) to the goodwill like 2 miles away to get clothes and ran back to our car.  It was just so funny.  Well except the fact that my heels started blistering and bleeding but hey that’s missionary work.

Hope everyone is doing well back home

Hermana Grove

Our neighbors and favorite elders

I'm gonna miss this kid, even if he did insult California

My step sister!

All the missionaries for our branch

Con mi companera

And our awkward district,  we called ourselves boarder patrol - I don't actually understand why...

Almost Elder Holland

So ya all our excitement here to see Elder Holland didn’t happen....  it was sad.  But we did end up getting to go up to Phoenix anyway and listen to a member of the 70.  It was a real amazing talk. A lot of the focus was just on letting the mission change you and giving your whole heart in the work.  Which is something I have really been trying to do more lately.   During the bus ride we got to watch Ephram's Rescue, amazing movie by the way.  I really loved it because in the movie the guy gives his whole heart to the Lord and does what he needs too.

Then on Sunday we had this less active family come to church and 2 of our investigators!  It was amazing.  Our mission is doing something called baptivations.  It’s where reactivations and baptisms kinda count as the same thing.  And so with this family we extended a baptivation invitation so inviting them to follow the example of Jesus Christ and partake of the Sacrament.  It was so perfect!    

Hermana Grove

Christmas

Zone hike

High on a mountain top

Happy New Year!

Wow!  Can you believe it’s 2014?!   I come home this year.....   that’s even weirder to think about.

So for New Years we had to be in a little early so we celebrated at like 9 with some sparkling apple cider.  Then went to bed and got woken up at midnight by all the fireworks and gun shots (the joys of Tucson).

So we did a lot of knocking this week and got chased by a goose.  We saw it  behind a fence and thought it wasn’t gonna be able to get out so we went to knock that house and the goose started coming toward us.    Then the gate was open so he came out to the street and followed us to the next house and the closer and closer he got the faster and faster he went, so we just kinda ran down the street away from it a bit.    

Also the same day my companion realized like and hour and a half into knocking that she didn’t have the keys, and I didn’t have the keys, so we went running back to the car and found them inside but while my companion was searching for the keys I saw this guy working on his cars so I went to talk to him and he was super cool!  He accepted a Book of Mormon and everything!  And we got a return appointment!  It was so great to find someone prepared to hear our message.  Only down side, we have no idea where he lives since we can’t find the street on the map or in my GPS, lol.  O well we will find him again somehow.

Well I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!

Hermana Grove

Happy New Year!

High on a Mountain Top