The One Where We Got Some Lemons

 Hey yall! It was a great week in the Foothills YSA ward! Many miracles and joy was witnessed and I am grateful! Let's get into it....

Some happy things and what I learned from them:

• This week we found 15 new people to teach!! It was so happy and fun! We have made a huge improvement from the first week that I came, because before we had to stop teaching all but like 3 of our people. It was sad, so we are climbing back up and God is answering our mighty prayers for this area!

• One of our members is literally the cutest and sweetest ever, well a lot of them are, but still. I have so much gratitude for Kaylee. She is so involved in the work and so willing to help us all the time and checks on our friends. It is awesome. I want to be her when I grow up. I love when members are involved in the work, it makes me feel supported in my calling!

• We yelled down the street to an amazon driver that was delivering a package. He stopped and apologized for not being able to stop and talk. But he told us that what truly shows that we are passionate about the Lord is that we yelled down an entire street to him. It was really cool that he recognized our passion because of our efforts in talking to everyone! It's like Mosiah 28:3 "Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble." You bet your booty I am gonna scream across a whole street because it is your exaltation on the line!!

• Sister Gariety and I are training for a 5k. That's it. Its been a fun time. Its kinda sad that I have to train for one lol.

• One day we talked to 120 people!! It was so cool! We keep track of how many people we talk to as a mission so that we can just be aware. We prayed to talk to a lot of people today, and the Lord provided!! So fun!

• One of our recent converts went out finding with us! Her name is Taigen and she literally just got baptized like two weeks ago and wants to go on a mission! So cool!

Some hard things and what I learned from them:

• Dang people have hard lives. Sometimes when people tell me about all the trials that they have faced in their life, it overwhelms me and I can't even fathom what they have been through. I want to help them and make them feel validated. But I just never know what to say. I have been praying for the Christlike attribute of empathy this week. And I have been tested multiple times this past week to help develop that. I am grateful for those opportunities and I am grateful for the Spirit who has helped me know the words to say and what to testify about. Grateful.

• We got bashed by this kid that has come to church every week since we met him and it was RUDE. I literally told him "obviously you feel something at church, because you have come for 8 weeks straight" He's just confused. But its ok, because I am working on just loving people so so much when they hurt us or say mean things to us.

• We thought that people were messing with our patio and climbing over into our patio because our chairs kept getting moved into different positions. We were so so scared, so we said a prayer and then got the prompting to text our neighbor about it (who is getting taught by the missionaries). Wellll he texted us back that morning and let us know that the sisters who teach him have been using the chairs for the lesson! hahaha OOPS. We did not need to freak out that bad.

Some funny things that made me laugh:

• Ok, I don't think I can convey this very well, so I might do a voice recording to show you what I mean. Just so you can know how funny it was. Anyways. We knock on this guys door and he's not interested and he asks us if we need anything. We said no. And then, and keep in mind that he has this super loud booming voice, he points to his lemon tree and goes "You want some LEMONS?" and so we got 4 lemons. It was just so funny because he said it in the funniest way. Go watch the voice recording that I might make.

• We knocked on a guy named Doug's apartment and he goes "WAIT! Are you LDS??" and then he said "my sons befriended the Mormons!!" and then goes on to tell us about that. We were about to ask him for referrals and goes "Nope. We're done! I LOVE YOU! Bye" ok lol

• This week we focused on making finding and talking to everyone a game. We were at a stoplight and I said to Sister Gariety " ok, our goal today is to break the Guinness world record of the most awkward situation to street contact someone" she goes, "OK" and proceeds to roll down her window at a stoplight and asks him if he wants to hear a message about Jesus Christ. It was the best! I told her I would make a plaque for her!!

• In efforts to break this record, I stood on a muddy mound this week in a field full of like 10 workers and yelled to them and asked if they wanted to hear a message. All while sinking into this mound of dirt. I got off the mound and then proceeded to dump and whole pile of dirt out of my chancala.

Drum roll pleaseSister Rose time!!!

This week I memorized Alma 26:37. And I just love it. Here it is: 

"Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen"

I love this, because guess what!?! God is truly mindful of every one of his children. Sadly it took m my mission to truly realize this. He has answered my prayers, he puts us in peoples paths exactly when they need us, he knows our weaknesses and our desires, and he sees when we are trying and helps lift us up when we are weak. The only condition is that we turn to Him!! I love my Heavenly Father! He truly knows and loves each one of us. And I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

I love ya'll!

Sister Rose

1. A&W bear selfie

2. Sister Gariety protecting the hair from the rain

3. Prego after fast Sunday feast

4. Taking Sister Garietys temperature

5. Exchanges!!

4. Proselyting!

5. Posted up with our pepper spray

6. Campus finding in the pouring rain

7. Pee bottle on the side of the road

8. Lemons audio recording. You are welcome.