Hello Monsoons! (: July 8th, 2014

Wow. 

This last week was pretty much a breeze and at the same time I think it lasted about a year.  I'll start off by saying that I acquired some candy corn this last Tuesday and so that was a blessing (: haha I think it got me through it all!  Although, my week was incredible! Just very stressful at the same time. I feel like I learned SO much this last week! Ah, I just love this life so much.  It's getting harder to see people go, though, because I know a lot of them now!  I say goodbye to my companion Hermana Solomon today...she's off to Idaho! AND what do you know! I get to see my next companion off, too! Hermana Jenkins (also Idaho).  I haven't met her yet because she's coming from New Mexico.  She's pretty and seems like she's happy a lot, so that's good! haha. I think I'm learning how to be tough right now!  Seeing my companion go home and having another come in who will go home at the end of the transfer, it's a challenge! It hasn't got me thinking about home a lot or wanting to go home, but it's kind of hard to hear the talk around me all the time, "oh, you get to go see your family! You must be so excited"... etc. 

Hmm...just a lot of scorpions and cockroaches and snakes...and road runners and javelina... I also saw THE scariest moth everrrrr. It was awful! And I will never live that down haha some of the members know my weakness now!  

I am now experiencing the joys of the desert.  Wow, I love monsoons!  I has rained every day since the 3rd and I just hope it keeps coming.  It really cools everything down.  I am surely blessed.  Heavenly Father knows me so well!  He had to push me first, but He knew that I'd eventually get it.  It was just heat, heat, heat, deathly heat, and then!  Relief (: Beautiful rain. Beautiful skies.  Oh, I am in love (: It really just dresses up this valley.  GREEN.

I met my new mission president on the 4th of July.  President Passey.  He seems pretty cool!  There will be changes, but that's just natural.  I am not worried one bit!  How cool that I am supposed to be here for the experience of 2 mission presidents.  This life is neat (: Heavenly Father is just so good to us!  Do you realize that?...I surely hope so (:

Oh! Speaking of 4th of July. It was fine (: We sat on the roof and watched the fireworks at the golf course next to our house because we had to be in by 8.  Sometimes we just act like little girls...so we had a good time.  Taking pictures...eating candy corn. I love candy corn.

So the other day in church, I was just minding my own business and I was suddenly approached by a member of the Bishopric. ( how do you spell that!?)

He said hey Hermana, the pianist isn't here and the meeting's starting.  Would you play for us?  My loving companion smiled and said yes she will...and I was sold.  Firstly, it's been a long time since I've tried to play a hymn.  Secondly, I never was flawless at that when I tried it before!  It was a good experience.  Sure prayed a lot!  I knew the first hymn, the second, they got a lovely right-handed rendition of Asombro Me Da (I can't remember what that is in English?...Oh! I stand all amazed). Yeah.  But it's okay!  Because you can just get away with stuff like that in the Spanish wards.  They are too kind (:

So yeah.. Oh! And the stress of the week: area expansion. Again!  They dropped an elders area and gave it to us sisters.  They also told me half way through the day that I would need to pack up because I guess we're moving into the elders old apartment at least until the lease is up.  haha.  Oh the joys!  I have been so nervous through all of these changes coming up, but I feel a sense of excitement!  I know that Heavenly Father will only put me where He needs me, where I'm supposed to be.  And that is something I have a knowledge of!  I was reading in Matthew 4: 19-22 about how Jesus saw the brothers (later the Apostles) on the ship and called them and said, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men."  Well, I know that that same call has been extended to me.  (Every one of us, really).  And after that it says that they left their nets and straightway followed Him.  It made me think...would I just pick up and leave what I was doing to follow Him?

That is the question of life!  I would hope that we all would have faith in our Savior enough to just pick up and follow Him.  I'm just going to keep trying!!!

Keep shining (:

Love!