Adventure's with Sister Adams

Hello Hello from the far away land of San Tan Valley!!                                 February 10, 2014

My new home for now

I see a mountain!! And the desert!

For some reason- we wanted this to look scary- did it work?

New companion Sister Hibbard

Check out the Street name!

   I have left the super nice and well groomed area of Gilbert for the outskirts. It is like a whole new world let me just tell you. The last couple days leading up to transfers was full of some sad goodbyes. The saddest was probably Jace. The 11 yeard old boy. When he found out I was leaving he said, "This is why I don't like preachers. They always leave." He then said he had to find something to give me. So he ran upstairs and got a flip-flop key chain and wrote on it, "to my friend, remember me." It just broke my heart. He wouldn't stop hugging me and saying that he was gonna miss me. Hopefully he'll be able to be baptized soon and I'll be able to get to go. A couple other people referred to me as such a great friend when I was leaving. I think that was one of the best compliments that I could have received. The Savior treated everyone as a friend, and that is who missionaries try to emulate.

   Wednesday was the big transfer day. I am now training Sister Hibbard who is from Rexburg, Idaho. She is great! We get along really well and have a lot in common. It's funny because she just thinks I know everything and do everything perfect since I've been out 8 months. Which is so far from the truth. But she is very excited about missionary work and I know that we'll have great things happen in the next 6 weeks. After transfer meeting, we found out we wouldn't have a car, and didn't have a ride to our house. We eventually go to our house, which is out of the ward boundaries. we didn't even know where our ward boundaries were. We didn't have a working cell phone. We didn't have any food. We were just basically stranded in our home, which is really nice by the way. Finally, the other sisters that live with us came(they have a car). We were able to call and get someone to help us to fix our phone. And we were able to go get some food. So it was quite the interesting day.

Thursday we actually got to go out in our area. There is like a neighborhood, and then some like back roadish things. A mountain or two is also in our area, but we have yet to bike up those.haha. It is just so different than Gilbert! But I hear that the work s really moving down here. We don't have really any progressing investigators right now, but there is TONS of potential! It's weird like, not even knowing any of the members or anyone at all. But it's an adventure for sure. We were able to meet some nice people. The first man we talked to on the street...yelled at us.haha. He said, "LEAVE ME ALONE. IT'S SO RUDE TO BE BOTHERING PEOPLE." Literally all we had said was, Hi. How are you doing today. Poor Sister Hibbard, not such a good first OYM to see. But that's part of being a missionary. Overall, I feel like the people are alot more open. We have talked to some amazing people.

And the leadership in the ward is amazing. They put a little bio of us in the program, and also had us get up and introduce ourself and bare our testimonies during sacrament meeting. People still think I have an accent, so that is on the plus side. It may be little, but it's still hanging on.

OH! We got to meet some more general authorities. Let me just tell you this story. We were scheduled to work the temple shift Saturday morning, and we have to be three at like 7:30 so a member was picking us up at 6:45. I had the alarm set for 5:30. Turns out it was set for 5:30 pm. So I wake up at 6:41. So much for a shower and anything else.haha. We get ready in hyper speed and get out the door on time. When we get to the temple, we got to the bathroom to make ourselves a little more presentable. And as we're walking from the stake center to the temple theres a group of men coming towards us. I recognize one as President Lesuer, the temple president. I was about to tell Sister Hibbard who it was, and then I realized that Elder Callister-who is in the presidency of the 70- is right beside him. So we meet and shake hands, and I make sure to use Elder Callister's name in the exchange. As we start walking away someone in the group comes up to me and says, "Nice job knowing the bretheren." Bonus points! I wouldn't of had a clue, but we had just watched a talk by him at transfer meeting. Which, is AMAZING! He basically compares every aspect of Christ's chruch in the New Testament, and in a nutshell  proves that we truly are Christ's chruch once again established on the earth. Everyone in the world should read it, seriously.  Here's the link....http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/ces-devotionals/2014/01/what-is-the-blueprint-of-christs-church?lang=eng&query=callister+blueprint

After he goes on the tour he comes into the tent and talks to us again as well. Of course that had to happen when we had been given 3 minutes to get ready in the morning. Of course.

Also, on Sunday we went to visit this family who has 15 kids, not even joking. One of them gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek as I was sitting on the couch. He said, "I gave you a slobbery kiss."haha. He was really funny. First kiss that I've gotten on my mission though, so that was excting. Hopefully Dallan doesn't get too jealous :)

I think that's about all I can remember at the moment. I've also been kinda sick and so my new ward probably things that I talk really raspy and such. Awesome.  We will be emailing an hour later now, because we live far away from the library and by the time we get here all the computers are taken, so we'll be shopping first from now on. Which sucks, because it won't overlap with when Dallan is online. Well, next week is a holiday so who knows what will happen.

But I hope y'all have an amazing week! Thanks so much for all that y'all do for me! I love and miss y'all! Not a day goes by that I don't think of everyone. Good luck with all the snowy weather this week, I'll be enjoying 70 degrees. :) I love being a missionary. This week I have really learned how the atonement can help in everyday things. I know that I rely on His strength and guidance in all that I do. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to make it. The gospel truly does provide enumerable blessings...that I know I couldn't live without.

Oh, Happy Valentine's Day!

Peace and Blessings,

Sister Adams