I Don’t Know...

So honestly I really don't remember much of our week....   We went on an awful hike this morning (and I like hiking).   But it was 4 miles into a would be waterfall  but cuz it’s Tucson there is no water!   So then 4 miles out as it starts pushing 100  degrees.  Ya, bad idea.....   So my brain is really fried.  Miracle of today was finding Tylenol in my bag that I didn’t know I had in there.  I found it as my head was pounding and sang  "Yes I know Heavenly Father Loves me!"  It was real great.

O ya we got bikes this week - I'll let you all know how that goes next week.        We went to a park so I could practice getting on and off of it.....   real fun!     Ummm  yep, that’s about it.  Sorry no pictures today I forgot my cable....

Hermana Grove

I Love my Mission!

So this week was just soooooo amazing!    

On Tuesday we did this fun finding idea of leaving "love notes" on people’s cars in random parking lots.  So what we would do is write a cute quote like don't worry be happy and then our number and momrmon.org on the back.  It was so fun and so cute.  Unfortunately no one called us back.....   but that's ok cuz we had fun doing it.

Then later in the week we went around trying to meet more of our members and ran into this super duper less active family that at first told us to leave, but then because I was from L.A. we got to talking about California and how they had moved from there and they ended up letting us in to teach a lesson and want to take us out to lunch next week.  Miracle!

Next up was on Saturday I got to go on an exchange with one of my favorite sisters and we had a ton of fun!   We got to help with shoveling dirt for a member and it was so fun.  Then we just worked and worked and worked and didn't stop.  It was so great!

So Sunday in the 2nd hour of church one of the Elders' recent converts informed my companion that he has a crush on me....awkward!   I don't exactly know how to handle that.

Then also on Sunday I got to have a great talk with another recent convert.  Just convert to convert and it not only helped him out but me a ton.  He was feeling that he wasn't good enough because he hadn't been raised Mormon, much like I had felt before and it hit me in the middle of testifying to him that I am good enough and that it doesn't matter when someone found the church, it matters that they are there at that time and that they are utilizing Christ's atonement and how that is there for everyone!

So yep I’m loving my life here, even if it’s 111 degrees.

Hermana Grove

110 Jail Time!

So this week has been fun, in a funny twisted Tucson sort of way.  So it hit 110 this week, ya I’m not going to miss the summers here they kinda suck a lot!      And then our investigator, the one that picked his own date last week went to jail....  So I got to have a ton of fun calling the jail and calling around to anyone that might know about the jail. It’s just been so exciting..... and I never ever ever want to do it again!  But we also got to go to girls camp for a day and teach them about the Plan of Salvation it was super duper fun!  So yep that’s the week.

For my learning this week I have the goal from our mission president to read all of Preach my Gospel by the end of the month.  And so yesterday was Christlike attributes and I noticed it all starts with faith and prayer!  It’s really like what President Uchdorf said in one talk, that we just need to start where we are.

Hermana Grove

Gotta Love Tucson - preaching the gospel in the Ghetto!

Girls Camp!!!!!!!

This week's dog washing adventures!

Transfers!

Haha JK, we didn't get transferred  but our elders did, so that was a sad day :(

Transfers are now becoming a super bitter sweet thing.  More bitter than sweet I think, just because you have to say goodbye to so many people and friends that you have made on the mission.  But its ok because it also means you get to make some new friends and you are just that much closer to that plane that keep flying over head....

We did have an awesome thing happen though this week.   One of our investigators picked his own baptismal date.   He had told us that he wanted to get baptized next month and so we left him to pray about it and so he picked the one he wanted.  We were so excited and we really think he will make it!

An awesome quote I heard this week was that "death is not a period but only a comma."  from Elder Niel A Maxwell.  I really thought of it more in a mission sense of how a mission "death" or going home is just like that only a comma.    Especially seeing so many friends end their missions today and many ending soon I just love to think that going home isn't really the end we will be missionaries for life just without the badge and how we will always be friends, even if its just on facebook.

Hermana Grove

some cool kids kicking it on the stage 

our ward missionaries with a photo bomb from our district leader

our favorite Peruvian elder!

Goodbye and Hello!

So this week was so weird.  On Wednesday my last companion returned to Salt Lake which meant that I got a new companion.  So we ran around saying goodbye to people Tuesday and then Wednesday cleaned out my new companion's old apartment because they are closing that area which is always sad.  So we got to have a fun week of still figuring things out - if I thought taking over an area was hard after 6 weeks I never could have imagined after 4.....   We love the GPS.  But we still are getting a ton done. It’s better having more experience with this sort of thing that I can figure out an area much faster. So Saturday was super awesome we got to help out with a Boy Scout rummage sale/car wash and then that afternoon there was a Cinco de Mayo barbeque which was extra fun because I got to see a ton of people from my first area and even some from my last.

What I learned this week:  Just keep swimming!   We can't stop or give up or any of that.  We have to just keep going no matter what happens.

Hermana Grove

Me and my last companion being goof balls!

My zone

Baptism!

Yeah!   We had a baptism on Saturday and it was just AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!    I loved it so much.  It was extra special because it was in Portuguese for a lot of it.   We as missionaries even did a special musical number in Portuguese, which just made the Spirit so strong there.  It was awesome!   And then today we got to watch and wave goodbye as she left to go back to Brazil :(    But it’s OK because the church is strong there and we know she will be taken care of.

So during the week I managed to get the stomach flu.  It was so funny.  I knew I had it so I just didn’t really eat anything and after zone meeting I just slept until dinner.   But after dinner we were driving home and talking with the elders in our ward on the phone (bluetooth)  and I had to pull over so fast to throw up.  I felt bad that the Elders had to hear that......   awkward moment!  I guess that’s just how a mission goes.

So something I learned this week is that the spirit speaks every language.  It doesn't matter what language you speak the Spirit testifies of truth in all languages!

Hermana Grove

Hoy!

So this week was super cool and we should be having a baptism on Saturday.   It was the most dramatic week with all that.  So our investigator is from Brazil (hence the Portuguese) and she didn't think Joseph Smith was a prophet so she couldn’t get her interview but she goes back to Brazil on the 12th so she wanted to get baptized before then. So yesterday after church she told us in a lesson how she was feeling and then it hit her that she knew the Book of Mormon was true and so that solved that. So during the lesson I texted our mission president to get her interview all set up and she will have it today at 2 and then be baptized Saturday and confirmed Sunday and fly to Brazil Monday.  Then to add to all that my companion goes back to temple square that Wednesday.   Ya my head is ready to explode...  We also found these 2 awesome new investigators thru a referral!  And they are like pure gold just soaking up everything.  I remember how I used to take notes with my lessons and all that, ya they do that too. They actually read and pray and do everything - its so amazing!

So this week we had an amazing Zone Training and I did a lot of thinking about how in this life we have to act!  So like how faith without works is dead we have to act and do something!  Something I loved got said. "In order to grow you must get out of your comfort zone". It’s super true.  If we are to do anything we have to be out of our comfort zone.  It just hit the nail on the head exactly.  That’s why we have trials (maybe in the form of areas that have no work in them or companions that are difficult). But we have them to kick us out of our comfort zone and get our butts in gear.

Hermana Grove