July 22, 2013

I'm sorry you had car problems. If it makes you feel better, which I don't think it would, I actually think this will make you feel worse, we got a parking fine yesterday. I was just following the example of everyone else in the neighborhood! I had the car parked up on the curb in front of our house and got an $83 fine for parking on the sidewalk. I was just doing what I'd seen others do and I really didn't know it was against the law. The streets are one-way so I thought it was better that I get my car out of the way than to block the whole street by parking in the road, but apparently that's how they like it in Flagstaff. I'm going to call our vehicle coordinator in a bit and tell him about it, but I am pretty sure I'll have to pay for it myself. I'm really sorry :( Especially if you check my bank account and see how much I spent last week at a Native American shop. I'm sooooo sorry :( I feel really, really bad about it! I promise I will be smarter and this will never happen again. I think it's a good idea to talk up the weirdness of the temple. A reaction like "that wasn't as weird as I thought" is way better than thinking it was the weirdest thing ever and being really confused and troubled by it all. That's probably the way to do it. But I'm so glad Kelly is endowed! That's sweet! I bet they offer to do the sessions in Korean, she could probably rent a set of headphones or something :) I don't know if I told you this before, but a Phoenix mission rule is that we aren't supposed to go tracting. So finding has been pretty hard! When they divided the YSA, it wasn't a fair split. We have been working really hard at trying to build the 1st ward teaching pool back up. Our finding efforts mostly come from going to members's houses and visiting them and asking for referrals. It will be a few weeks before things start to pick up like they were, I think. But we're getting there! I'm really enjoying being a part of the Phoenix mission. The things that I've already been learning are incredible! I feel like I'm a brand new missionary! Well I still am, but I mean fresh off the plane :) I feel like the past few weeks in this new mission has helped me grow so much! Almost as if the last month of my mission in Phoenix I've learned just as much as the first 4 months of my mission in Farmington! I was definitely designed to be a Phoenix missionary. This is right, and it's perfect! I hope I'm here for the full 12-weeks of training. In a few weeks the school semester will start and there will be tons of people! And if I do stay, I'll be here until the middle of September and it should be a little cooler in other parts of the mission so it will be more comfortable in the valley wherever I get transferred :) So I will have been here for almost 7 months! Which will also be the longest time I will spend in any one area. Which is great because Flagstaff is the BEST place to serve :) It was the best in the Farmington mission and now it's the best in the Phoenix mission :) It's ultimately the best!!! Life is pretty great overall. The only thing is that we still live with the other sisters. That's all I'm going to say about that :) Something that I've learned this week is the power of vocal prayers. It's actually something that I've learned just this weekend! By my zone leaders, we were encouraged to speak our morning prayers to open our personal studies. It can be awkward with 3 other sisters in the room, but I tried it by just whispering, plus the fan is right by me which makes it even easier :) I usually like to pray outloud. Sometimes when I pray in my mind, my thoughts mix in with my prayer and it becomes a jumbled mess. The past 3 mornings in a row, I gave it a try and 2 out of the 3 mornings I received personal revelation from it! When I pray outloud, my words become my prayer which allows me to be more thoughtful of the things I want in my prayer, and it also has allowed the Spirit to be in my thoughts instead of being mixed in with the craziness! I hope that makes sense. But I have received so much revelation in the past week from having organized prayers and organized studies! I was starting to get really excited when Sister Connell and I were studying Family History that I was almost to the point of being out of control. I am not one to get excited about Family History! But I have been so filled with the Spirit when I organize myself better. I don't know if I'm just rambling or if this does make sense, but basically I have gained a testimony of having better focus and organization, and by praying outloud. Well, I love you and miss you! I hope you have a great week and I hope that you can get out to the rec center and that your car runs better :) For Victoria, you should get her a chinese finger trap and some jacks from the games at Jungle Jims for me :) haha I don't know! But did she get that box of stuff I sent home with Sister Goodman a few weeks ago? Anyway, love you :) -Sister Tolley