Haboob Pictures!! And various things we did this week...like ride our bikes and oh yeah...I got a luau in a box!! SWEET!!

I am all good here in Gilbert!

Beautiful sunset!

Foot tan...Sweet!

I could hurt someone with this...whatever this is.

Nevermind my face...

Luau in a box...

Thank you Dallan!

I Love You Everybody!!

Two goofy sisters!

Say Cheese

Chick fil a

HABOOB!!                                                                                    Week of July 22, 2013

So this past week has been pretty solid. Well, actually most of the week was pretty discouraging. ALL the appointments we had Seriously, all of them. Not that we had too many set up but still. Plus, 90% of people leave Arizona in July and so everyone we try to contact isn't home or they don't answer the door for us. Story of my life for the past five weeks. And all week, everyday I was just praying as we were going around to just find people to teach. That's all I wanted...people to teach. And at church on Sunday I checked the phone and we had gotten 2 referrals from Mormon.org. So we have appointments with them this week! And a less active wants his daughter to be baptized, who is 9, so that counts as a convert baptism and we get to teach her. We also recieved another referrall from someone who wants to start taking the lessons. Seriously, so many people who now want or need to take the missionary lessons just fell out of the sky. I was in such shock. All of the sudden people want to talk to us.ha. Crazzy. But it's super exciting, and hopefully teaching them all goes well! Although, Sunday morning didn't start out so well. I got pooped on by a bird. No joke. Stupid pigeons. On my nice blouse. Didn't see it until we walked into church. Awesome.  Also, at church the bishop had us introduce ourselves in Elders Quorum. Felt a little out of place in there, but luckily we didn't stay for too long. 

    Our investigator, Steve, is doing awesome! We taught him the Plan of Salvation. It's still odd being the main one talking...because Sister Ayers will say like one sentence and then look at me. But she's improving so much and has a big heart. She's doing well. Just have to get her to talk more! She also told me that my strength was talking to people. I'm not lying, mom. I thought you would get a kick outta that! I also have to talk on the phone a lot. It's the most annoying thing ever. I hate the phone. Hate, hate, hate, double hate, loath entirely. 

   Also, we ate two nights in a row at the Allen family house. They are awesome. The dad is one of the bishops and they have a son and daughter on a mission right now. Their son is in Ghana and left about the same time as me. Their daughter is going to Brazil and just got to the MTC a couple weeks ago. They also have a daughter, Cassie, who is 15 and she reminds me so much on Delaney! We've gotten pretty close. The first time I met her she asked if I had a boyfriend and Sister Holcomb says yes so she alway's asks to see pictures of Dallan. And if he's wrote me.ha. She's really fun. Her and Delaney would get along really well too! Their youngest son is Cole. He's the CUTEST! He asked me one day if he could stare into my eyes, and then if he could see my smile then hear my laugh.haha. He's 4. And makes me laugh so much. He even asked if we could spend the night.  Unfortunately, we only get an hour for supper so we don't get to stay long at all. But they take good care of us, as everyone does.

    There was also a haboob and monsoon this week. I will attach pictures. Sister Ayers was scared and called me crazy for going outside but that's just the way it had to be. 

I've also become an expert at riding my bike with no hands, I can go around turns and everything. Pretty impressive I know. I'm also getting a pretty sick foot tan, which I would be okay with except for the fact that my toes are white while the rest of my foot is tan. So awkward. 

One family we had dinner with the husband is from Mexico and the wife is white but served in Brazil...and she thinks she's hispanic. They talked in spanish like half the time we were there. Then she started talking about "white girls" and I was starting to wonder if she'd looked in the mirror recently. White as snow. 

Well I hope all is good on Adams Hill! I love you! And I'm doing well! 

Sister Adams

Pictures from week of July 15th...All is good

Happy Happy happy...this describes how I feel everyday!!

Zone Meeting July 15, 2013 gilbert Arizona. They made me a trainer!!

I got to see my roommates for the MTC!

It gets crazy on the bike!!

One of our great neighborhoods we get to ride through and visit!!

Studying the Word with a smile!

Canal

Me & Sister Ayers

Rocket Pops!! Woot Woot!

My first trainee, Sister Ayers from Lehi Utah!

I am a Trainer after Three Weeks.. CRAZY!!!                                         July 15, 2013

So this week has been pretty good. My new companion/greenie/trainee is Sister Ayers. She's from Lehi, Utah. She's 19 and went to UVU for nursing this past year. She is really sweet. We don't have all too much in common but we get along. She's very very cautious…about everything. Like there was a dust storm warning and she was so uncomfortable we had to go inside for an hour. I wanted to go find the Haboob, thats what they call the huge dust storms. Anyway, training has been going pretty good. It's weird being the one in charge and that has to do a large majority of the talking and teaching. Since I barely got to teach when Sister Holcomb was here. 

The second day Sister Ayers was here we had 0 appointments and just did tons of contacting. Which is basically knocking on peoples doors to see if they're still interested in learning more because they've talked to missionaries before. NOBODY answered the door.haha. Gosh, missionary work is just so awesome some days. That was a discouraging day, especially since it was my first full day training. But we were working hard and doing al that we could. Sister Ayers is super shy with talking to people, especially on the street. And we're supposed to talk to everyone. So I've been encouraging her to talk to people so it's getting a little better. I hate OYM'ing but I gained a real testimony of talking to everyone this week. On Friday we were walking through some apartment complex and there was a man standing there smoking. I asked Sister Ayers to talk to him, after saying no, I did. His name is Dave and he is the sweetest man. He said he had been wanting to check out the LDS church. And we taught him a little about the Book Of Mormon and gave him one. We got his information, and found out he lives in Chandler, which is way out of our mission. I was so bummed. Because he was so grateful and excited about church. On Saturday he called to figure out what church he should go to and talked about how nobody is ever nice to him or talks to him. And just how much it meant that we gave him The Book of Mormon. He said he just wrapped his arms around it. He's the sweetest. He actually showed up to church in one of my wards, and talked about how he passed a bunch on his way here but knew that we would be here.ha. So our zone leaders might let us teach him since he's already comfortable with us and the ward…but we'll see I guess. He's the sweetest. 

We also taught a lesson with a lady named Lisa, a friend of a members. She goes to this crazy intense non-denominational church that seizes and faints and talks in tongues and such. So it was hard to explain the spirit to her because her view was so different. She had tons of questions and at points it just felt like she was just quizzing us. She also has had a terrible terrible terrible life. Like the worst childhood you could probably think of. But I don't know, I KNOW she felt the spirt, and she even told her friend…but is just denying what she feels. Which lots of people do. But hopefully we'll get to teach her again. 

We also started teaching Steve, he is engaged to a member. He was super open and accepting. He didn't have too many questions. Just said that everything makes sense. We taught him the first lesson yesterday. And invited him to be baptized, he said yes. But that will be some time in August. He's super outdoorsy and bear hunting is his specialty…he's like famous for it here in Arizona. I didn't even know there were bears here. Whoops.

Sometimes I feel bad when I'm biking and look behind me to see Sister Ayers like 40 yards behind me. I don't realize that she's that far back. So going to places is a little slower now. I've realized in the past week that I will be learning lots of patience. Like lots. 

I made a list of what I wanted to include in my email but forgot it…typical. I like your hair cut though! It looks good! Seems like all is well on Adams Hill. Anything new on Josh? 

Friday we had a new trainers training meeting…and we missed the first MONSOON! I was so bummed because I didn't get any sweet pictures. But President Nattress just talked about how much trust both he and the Lord has to call trainers at 3 weeks.  There were only a couple other sisters that came out with me that are training. It was good to see most of the sisters in my MTC district though. Sister Eldredge came and was telling me how I was the best companion…apparently her trainer puts her in time out.hahahaha. Funniest thing I've ever heard. But I don't have too much time and I can't think of what else I was gonna include. But I will write you a letter today! I love you mom! Thanks for all that you do for me! 

Sister Adams  :) 

It's Hot, Hot, Hot

I'm doing great! We have had two days that reached about 120! One day did and the other got to 119! So it has been super hot! And it literally feels like you're being cooked in an oven as we ride our bikes! But I'm drinking tons of water so I've really been fine. The hard part is that there is nobody outside when it's that hot for us to talk to. And TONS of people leave during the hottest week or two…some even a month so it's pretty barren. I will be in the Gilbert Mission, well I am as of today. It's small, but the one square mile is just my area. I am in the Mesa Zone…that's how close I was to being in the Mesa mission. Where we normally go get groceries and the Target like a half mile up the road is in Mesa and no longer in our mission :( 

This past week we have had some successes! One lady, Montana, is super solid. She just keeps saying over and over how she wants to be a member of our church, but her husband is completely opposed. They are southern baptist from Texas, so it's pretty interesting. And we've only taught her one actual lesson. It's crazy how prepared some people are. A new investigator also moved in on Saturday, we helped her move into her new apartment. It was only 10am and already 105. We did get to wear normal clothes to do that. HALLELUJAH. 

Sister Holcomb got sick this week so we were inside for like a day and a half. But she's doing better now. The first say she got sick I got a 22 page letter from Dallan. So I actually had time to read it! She also claims that all the elders in our zone our obsessed with me and my accent. But I don't really see it, she even talked to some members last night at supper about it. Awkward. We ate last night at the Crane's. They are awesome! I watched them feed their snake a rat, held their snake and bird. And we had Hawaiian Haystacks…for the second time this week. They aren't my favorite. The also acted like investigators and we taught them The Restoration which was good practice. One of they're friends, who just got back from his mission was there, and Brother Crane was trying to say he should date me in a year and a half…and the guy said he did wanna date someone from the south. Just one more awkward situation. 

And I had another skirt accident, with slushy in hands, but we both made it out alive. And this time it was just some grease…which I understand is normal. But my other one has a big hole in it. That's what I was trying to say last week. I know that I can get stains out. 

One less active Raelene, made me a "Greenie" package since i'm new. It just has all tis random green objects and candies in it. It was really nice of her. Kids also try to guess my real name.haha. So it's fun not to tell them and have them guess. We taught primary yesterday about missionary work. It was really fun. We asked them how they could be missionaries, and one girl said by giving people money.haha. That's one way to do it. 

We also taught this excommunicated lady who's working toward getting rebaptized. She is legitimately crazy. She believed that people she was in a relationship with were literally angels and gods. And lots of other stuff. It makes for an interesting lesson to say the least. And she talks about super awkward things with us. And her house smells like smoke. And she's trying to get her husband interested in the church, but he leaves the room whenever we come over.

One day while riding our bikes this lady like half a block away saw us coming, she was with her daughter, and they literally started running from us. And they hid. It was awesome. You can also hear people in their house when you knock on their door and they don't answer. It's super fun standing in the heat waiting to see if they'll answer…and this is even if we have an appointment with them. 

This past Wednesday we went to the Mesa Temple as a zone. It was pretty cool. They have this huge mural in there that's of the native americans being taught. I thought that was pretty cool. I also thought of Cindy and Joe, and how that's where they were sealed! The Gilbert Temple should be open by the end of the year or the beginning of the new year. Hopefully I'll get to work the open house. It's beautiful from the pictures I've seen. Y'all should come to the open house!ha. 

I saw a house this week that had like an asphalt lawn spray painted green. GHETTO. 

Scary news. So this transfer is 3 weeks, instead of 6, and so I'm doing my 6 weeks of training in 3 weeks. And we have 13 new sisters coming to the Gilbert mission on the 9th. There is a high possibility  that I will be TRAINING. Scary. The elders in my zone all voted that I would be the youngest trainer ever, and how they were gonna write about it in their journals. I really hope I don'e have to train, there is still SO MUCH that I don't know. 

It sounds like girls camp was lots of fun. And I'm glad that Delaney is going to EFY! It sounds like everyone is doing good. I don't know what we're allowed to do on the 4th. I hear that we can't shoot fireworks. We might be in a parade on our bikes with some members if we get permission! So that would be fun! I have so little time to email it stinks. But I will try to write some more letters today. And did you get my voicemail from the airport? I left both you and dad one.

I love you, Mom. I love you, Dad. Tell everyone that I say hello! And letters are encouraged! Opening an air box isn't very exciting. Could you post my actual address where people can have it? Thanks mom. I'm gonna try to send some pictures now. I love you and miss you so so much! I really do. I love you!

Sister Adams

Companions chillin'

Sister Adams & Sister Holcomb

Gilbert Missionaries

Some random bathroom taking a selfie

My mom does not know how to rotate this awesome picture of my skinned watermelon!

Sunset! My name tag in the foreground and the church building in the background.

Beautiful!

Holding a bird- did not get a picture holding the snake!

Another picture mom can not rotate-

Please let me swim!!! Water!!

Cruising in 119 degree weather! Where is everybody?

Sister Mary CArson Day & I at the MTC. She will be heading to Tokyo Japan in August