The Arizona Heat... First Encounter!

   I did get your Dear Elder before I left! It's so crazy that I saw Patricia! And the package she sent was so thoughtful! Tell her that I said thanks! And I sent you a letter when I found out my travel plans…I guess it never made it to you? Because I told you between what times I would call. I would have loved to talk to y'all. What did dad say about it?

   So my last few days at the MTC were great! I got to see Erica a few more times and Elder Kekoolani (Joey). It was super funny when we were taking a picture together and he went to put his arm around me…and that isn't allowed. It's so awkward taking pictures with guys. And we aren't supposed to like hold babies and stuff…but there are so many cute little kids in the wards where I'm at. 

   When we arrived in AZ and were walking through the airport it was crazy to see what a stir that about thirty missionaries will make in an airport. Everyone was staring at as, we were all super nervous to meet the mission president. One person asked if we were all coming home that day.haha. Quite the opposite actually. There were also a few people flying to Utah to go to the MTC so it was cool to chat with them for a second. Our mission president and his wife, the Assistant to the President, and some of his counselors were waiting for us. They were all super nice. After we got our luggage we headed to the mission home. We had a brunch and then some meetings and paperwork and whatnot. Then that evening we went to ASU to do our first street contacting experiences! That night I stayed with this old lady, she was super nice and had us some cookies and milk..but the milk tasted so disgusting. Seriously, it was gross. 

   Wednesday was transfer meeting, and it was the last one with President Howes so all the missionaries in the mission were there. And as of July 1st I will be serving in the Gilbert Mission. Which is so tiny, and it's kinda depressing. But there are tons of awesome members. My area currently is one square mile that has three wards in it. We don't have a car, so when we need a ride to a store or meeting and stuff we have to get a member to take us. Thanks for the note that was in my bedding! That was sweet and what I needed on that day. It was pretty overwhelming to be split from the few people that I've grown close to in the MTC. Now we're divided up among four missions and won't see but a few of them for a couple years. 

   The Tempe mission has some cool traditions. One being wearing our name tag on the right side, which was a little odd at first but it's cool I guess. They also made a third verse to "Called to Serve" specifically about the mission which is fun. 

   My trainer is Sister Holcomb, she's been out three months and is from Washington. She's super nice and we get along really well. We also have a lot in common. She was actually dating a guy before she left who served in the Tempe mission, so that's pretty hilarious. But they aren't writing or anything. 

   Since the new mission is being formed this transfer is only three weeks long instead of six weeks. Which essentially means that I will get to come home three weeks earlier, at least that's the word on the street. And if that's the case I might even make it home for Thanksgiving, which would be the first time in four years! WHOO! 

   Friday we had more training at the mission home and I was crossing my fingers for some mail…and I got one letter from Beky and Joseph! It was such a cool letter! It had all her recent Instagram posts and pictures from the lake. 

   My apartment is pretty nice, nothing fancy. Nicer than Liberty Square, that's for sure. My bike is super good too. Sister Holcomb for the first few days was just like spinning on her bike as I casually coasted behind her, but I figured I  should teach her about the gears a little bit. And that basically changed her life.
We literally stop to talk to everyone we pass, which can be pretty awkward on a bike, wearing a helmet, with your skirt doing who knows what. There are tons of members here, and most of those that aren't have heard of the church. When we OYM(Open Your Mouth) to a member they just start to smile and then we realize they're a member. If they aren't then they look at us like we have no clue what social norms are and take our Mormon.org card because they feel sorry for us in the 112 degree sun.

 
   Saturday was like the second day of having orange pee. It's pretty sweet. And I drink tons of water, honestly. It's just all yanked out of my body by the sun.haha. So I'm working on not being dehydrated all the time, I'll let you know how that endeavor goes. We were going to a Bishop's house Saturday and he lives in a gated community and we forgot the code and nobody was answering their phone. So we prayed, and low and behold a car came up and opened the gate for us. BINGO. 

   The members feed us every night at 5:00, except for Monday's. The first night they had this taco pizza that looked good, but the "sauce" was beans. SICK. I barely made it through my piece, but I survived…barely. Another day we had Breakfast for supper which reminded me of Nikki. The waffles were circus animals. SWEET. And we got served some gross Jello, in standard Mormon fashion. So really we just make ourselves breakfast and lunch…which is baking cereal and then ramen noodles or PBJ's.
One of the husbands at one of the houses is the manager for the Gilbert Temple. He gave us some pieces from it.ha. Dad should look into doing tile and terrazzo in temples. That would be pretty sweet. And I bet they prefer members to do it, so Dad would be perfect!

   Riding a bike in a skirt is quite the feat. I'm pretty sure that I flash everyone that drives by…but wearing another layer sounds awful. I have some of those split slips and I think they would work good and they aren't hot but the ones I have are too big so they just slide down. It you could find some of those that would be awesome!

   You're gonna do great at Girls Camp, Mom! You're always the most fun! And tell Delaney that I heard EFY the week of July 4th is the funnest! She should go! Or look into the one that I went to at SVU.

   You were right that I was loaded down with lots of food at the MTC, and before I left I passed the baton to Erica with all my leftovers. Hopefully she's enjoying that! So if you send a package, make it like pretzels and such. POPSICLES. POWERADE. The three P's.ha. And apparently mail isn't checked at the mission home very often, but I'll see what I can do about getting the package you sent! 

   I'm already tired of all my clothes.haha. I actually ruined one skirt on accident. I was biking and it got caught in the tire/gears/brake/..something. We were riding along and it was at night. It was my grey skirt which is way long and flowy. All of a sudden it goes tight on my legs and I come to a complete stop. We are on the side of the road for a solid five minutes trying to get my skirt unstuck. People were stopping to ask if we needed help. SO AWKWARD.haha. 

   So we had church yesterday for SEVEN HOURS. We went to all three wards Sacrament and Sunday School and then one Relief Society. Can you say just trying to keep my eyes open?! But the members are all super nice, they always honk and yell at us on the road. Friendly yelling…at least I think so. There's this crazy old lady in one ward. She asked us…"Do you know what you do when someone is standing on top of the toilet?" We said no. She said, "Tell them to get down because they're high on pot!"haha. Then she saw us later and said, "I know where y'all have been…checking to see who's high on pot."haha. We were dying. 

   Also, my apartment is freezing. I FREEZE at night. Could you send my fleece blanket? And some pictures of family, Dallan, and some off my Insta account. Also, a girl tagged me in a Insta post the other day. She tagged Nikki too. So check Insta!

I don't want to, but I need  to get going! I love y'all!

Love,
Sister Adams!

Second Week Down!

   This week has gone by SO FAST! Thanks for all the letters and such! It's seriously the best to get things in the mail. One guy says he's never known anyone as popular as me.haha. Yesterday I got three packages...OH HAPPY DAY. Thanks for the Krispy Kreme, Mom! Didn't even know you knew they delivered to the MTC! And Dallan is completely spoiling me...at least that's what all the sisters in my district say, and I have to agree. He has sent two of the biggest packages full of lots of goodies. Such as, Dr. Pepper, YooHoo, Oreo's, Fruit by the Foot, cupcakes, Granola bars, candied grapefruit, M&M's, Skittles...the list goes on and on. He's the best. Whenever I get the package from him and I'm carrying it around the MTC back to my room everyone stares..because it really is the biggest box I've seen anyone get. GOOD JOB DALLAN :) I know you like being the best. The best thing he sent was a Build-A-Bear that looks like an Elder..but wearing a bow tie...since that's what he'll be soon. Still can't believe he'll be in GA.

   Sunday was such a long day, but it was really good. It's strange because we had Sacrament, then breakfast, and then Relief Society. We don't have Sunday School...because that's kinda what we do all day every day. In relief society someone spoke to us and she was awesome. We also listened to my favorite church songs, and it was great. There's a new song called The Sisters of Zion, which is about sister missionaries. If anyone can find those lyrics that would be awesome! Monday I realized that God does love me because we had Papa Johns for supper. After days of basically eating nothing it was a miracle.

   So, I've still been teaching that one guy, Troy. Or rather the spirit has, because I honestly don't know what I'm doing. However, this week you could really see his faith grow and he committed to baptism and living the Word of Wisdom...which I was nervous about teaching, but turned out rather well I'd say. I've learned we can teach a "perfect lesson" and the investigator might not learn a thing, but when the spirit is there then you can see a complete change...we can't do anything without the Spirit.

   The first ever MTC devotional was held at the Marriott Center on Tuesday night. A member of the 70 came, there was rumors of it being Elder Holland, so it was a little disappointing. It was crazy to see the flood of missionaries walking to the Marriott Center. There are so many of us here. It was strange being on BYU campus as a missionary. And on the way back everyone was signing hymns/primary songs and it was pretty cool. I haven't even realized the absence of music. Maybe because on Monday I went with my companion to the doctor and I got to sit in the waiting room...and there was music playing. Best. Day. Ever.

   Wednesday I was so excited to see the flood of new missionaries! I saw Joey Kekoolani from our stake when he was walking in! He's going to Italy and it was so good to see him! The biggest surprise of all, as I was walking to lunch, was seeing ERICA! She got switched and is now in the Provo MTC! So I ran up and hugged her and there were tears! It was great to see her! I've been searching for her ever since. Hopefully I'll see her today!

   Thursday we had In-Field Orientation, which was from 8-5. It was so awfully long. We basically learned how to street contact, how to work with the members and church leaders and other stuff like that. Overall it was boring...and it was freezing in every classroom so it was awful.

   Yesterday we did some role playing that was so powerful. We do a lot of role playing, and sometimes it's hard for me to get in the role. I was chosen to be this woman named Jane. Who had just lost a baby at birth, and because of that her husband left her. She has two small kids. And she felt the only thing left for her to do was to take her own life. I tried so hard to be as she would. And as two of the missionaries in my district talked to me it was really powerful. The Atonement is amazing. And they invited me, as Jane, to pray at the end and everyone was crying. It was such a powerful experience of how the Atonement can help all.

Some things I've learned:

• Without prayer we cannot know of spiritual truths. 
• Every good thought is inspired by God. -Bednar 
• Everything you need to know about living the Gospel and following the Spirit is by doing something and not knowing why. -Bednar 
• The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing. 
• Always play the role of the Savior. 
• God can take anything from us except our will, so that's what He asks for. And in return we get His will. 
• Sin is the result of deep and unmet needs. 

   Well, I will get on later to send pictures and write a little more. Right now we have breakfast and then the Temple and then A ENTIRE FREE DAY. Besides teaching one lesson tonight! Tell me about how everyone is doing, and I don't know Dad's email...so can you get that to me please.

   I love you so much Mom! And thanks for the letter Delaney! I will be writing you one back today! So look out for it! I love y'all.

Love,
Sister Adams

First P-Day, First Letter!

   So the first couple days of the MTC have been so crazy, and I learned it's all about the little things. I think most of the first day I was using 75% of my energy not to burst into tears. When we pulled up to the MTC there was a huge line of Elders and Sisters there waving, smiling and welcoming everyone. When they were helping me out of the car a sister asked if I had keys or my cell phone, and that's when I realized my phone was gonna be severely missed! Then we went in to get our name tags. One of the first people I saw in the room was my Bishop's wife from my freshman ward and she came to give me a hug. It was so nice to see a familiar face! I was then escorted to my room to drop off my luggage and then straight to the classroom. Where I was also surprised to see a familiar face...one of my teachers is Brother Derenthal, otherwise known as Christian, who was in my ward this past year! As the rest of my district came in, there are 6 elders and 6 sisters all going to Tempe, everyone had a familiar look about them. I'm pretty sure I've never met any of them, besides Sister Walker, but I think it was a way to help me feel more comfortable. 

   We then went to a welcome from the MTC President, which was super good, and realized there was tons of people from ALL over the world. Our first meal here was SO GOOD...we had steak. It was disgusting so I ate green beans and pineapple. Whoever said that the MTC food was really good is a liar because so far it has been disturbing at every meal. But I do eat pineapple. After supper, we had our first teaching experience. There was one investigator verses a whole room full of new missionaries. We met with three different people. Sometimes people would say things that really shouldn't have been said. One Elder invited this really sassy, snappy girl to pray and she asked why. He responded with, "Humor me." It went way downhill from there. The last guy we visited was probably the best, you could tell that the Spirit was working on more than just the things we were saying. I thought that they would just pound Preach My Gospel and Scriptures into your head, but really they just want you to be guided by the Spirit. Which is good and bad. There are so many unknowns and you just have to say what you think the investigator needs. The more you know about the investigator, and the more love you develop for them, the more you will be able to meet their needs when you are teaching.

    My companion is Sister Eldredge. She is from Hawaii. She's almost 22. She's a female wrestler...so that's interesting. But we get along really well and we are mostly always with all the other sisters in our district so it's pretty fun. It is weird basically having to ask to go anywhere instead of just going.

   On the first day literally everyone you walk by welcomes you to the MTC. Some Elders pretend to run into all these poles around the MTC and it's super convincing and all the sisters always freak out thinking that they're hurt. It's super duper weird being called Sister Adams, or having to introduce myself that way. SO STRANGE. One thing I've realized is that when I think about the 18 months I'm going to be gone, all that I'm going to miss, and all the people that I love, I just wanna cry. But I just have to look at it one day at a time, and right now the days go by so slow. The rumor is that by Sunday it gets much easier. So we'll see how well that goes.

   The second day was so LONG. Long classes. Long study times. More long classes. More long study times. Short breakfast. Short lunch. No time to relax. No time to do anything but focus on the Lord's work. I hear my phone vibrate ALL the time. When a class is over, I reach for my phone. When I wake up, I reach for my phone. When I lay down in bed, I reach for my phone. I miss my phone. But I mainly miss the things that it connects me with. I miss talking to you. I miss talking to Dallan. I miss Instagram. I miss Facebook. But I have come to realize that it is necessary to give all of it up in order to be an effective disciple and servant of Christ. But I really really look forward to letters and such. We got to check mail last night, and I had a slip to turn in for a package...I'm pretty sure that's from Dallan. And a letter through DearElder from my Bishop of my freshman ward. So if anyone wants to write, I would love it... since I won't be able to get on to email until next Friday.

   We met our branch presidency last night and they're super nice. I got assigned as senior companion, which is odd since we've been here the same amount of time. I also saw a few other familiar faces from my BYU ward this past year, it's cool to see so many people serving. On that note, there were 900+ missionaries that reported the same day that I did, which is a RECORD. I like holding records. Although, I'm sure bigger groups are right behind us. I'm going to get on a little later and try to send pictures. It's proving to be a little difficult.

   So we only had half a P-Day today, and it's kinda weird, but the rest of the day we don't have classes which is really nice. The pictures are of my companion, the girls in my district, and the entire district. Our room is tiny. It's only meant for 4 people but we have 6 living in there. So it's crowded to say the least.

   Earlier today we taught our first investigator. They told us we would on Saturday, but surprise it got switched to today. I was surprised at how well it went, but it could have gone better at the same time. We only had a limited amount of time and we ran out so that kinda sucked. We also learned some really cool things about baptism, and how you can invite someone to get baptized even on the first lesson. All it is, is their promise to dedicate themselves to Christ, their life doesn't have to be perfectly in line with the gospel at that point.

   Someone that gave a talk mentioned how when you get your call everyone is always super excited to see where you're going and when you read it everyone is pumped. And later when people ask they respond as either Wow! or Oh.. She promised us that each of us would have a WOW mission regardless of where we are serving. That as you come to love the people and the work that you will be doing, you will be wowed. So that was a pretty cool promise to have.

  We also learned about the Doctrine of Christ. Which is the process by which we apply the Atonement to become like He is. And this is the only true doctrine. Every other doctrine ties back into this. And if how we teach other things such as Baptism, Faith, Enduring to the End, the Word of Wisdom...anything really...doesn't tie back into the Doctrine of Christ then we're doing it wrong. It was also talked about how we are Christ's investigators and our own first convert. We have to fully convert ourselves before we can be convert anyone else. Well I'm out of time.

   I love you so much and I'll probably just write to you and then you can show everyone...I am missing lots of emails. But I'm doing pretty good. I've gotten a package both from Dallan and Taylor/Erica now so that's been fun! But know that I am doing well, and that I am learning lots. I can't wait to get to Arizona to serve the people there. I'm running out of time right now. So I will get back on later. I love you, Mom. I love you, Dad. I love all you siblings!

Love,
Sister Adams

Beginning the Journey

Arrival at the MTC!