July 29, 2013

This week has been crazy! We went on exchanges with the Sister Trainer Leaders, which is done differently in this mission. One of the STLs came and stayed with Sister Connell and I went to Peoria for 24 hours with the other STL, Sister Larson :) It was so fun! Everyone said I had it easy because it was ONLY 106 degrees out. I'm used to it being no higher than 85 and then cooling off with rain every day! But it actually wasn't that bad. It was weird to be standing still and sweating, though! It's such a dry heat in the valley, way worse than Utah! But it was really fun! I got some tips and pointers on how to be a Phoenix missionary, which was great :) And I served in a trio with Sister Larson's companion, Sister Barnett :) It was so fun! On Thursday we moved to a new apartment! It's great! Sister Connell and I sleep on mattresses :) So, let me describe our old place, which is where the other sisters still live: One bedroom with a walk-in closet, one small bathroom with a sink, toilet, and bath shower, and a kitchen/study/living room. Now our apartment has only 2 sisters and this is what we've got: One bedroom, one small bathroom, a study room, living room, 5 closets, and a large kitchen with a washer and dryer :) I love it!!!! I only have a couple of complaints. Elders lived in it before so it is DISGUSTING. But it's a work in progress and I seriously love it so much! For district meeting, we watched The Work of Salvation video, which is the broadcast they had for the church about missionary work a while ago. I watched it for the Flagstaff district meeting and the Peoria district meeting, so twice this week, three times total :) But it was so good!!! I loved it all three times! I have been considering that I was called to be on a mission at this time because if I were home when this broadcast came out, I would have only seen it that one time and wouldn't have done anything about it. But because I am a missionary and it means so much to me that we have member involvement in the work, I think that this news will effect the rest of my life. I am so motivated to be part of this change! As a suggestion, and Dad doesn't have to do this by any means, maybe watching the Work of Salvation with his Mission Prep class? It's 2 hours, but I think it's really important! And there are these links we looked up and they are really good, too. I recommend everyone looking them up! They have to do with The Work of Salvation: www.lds.org/training/wwlt/2013/hastening www.lds.org/church/share Anyway :) On Saturday, we helped with a wedding reception. The husband and wife were both Mormon, but they had a Catholic wedding. I guess the husband doens't want to come back to church because he gets paid to play the piano for the Catholics. Anyway! Sister Connell and I helped prepare the food in the kitchen behind the scenes. One pot of stuff was cold so we stirred it on the stove. I had never seen something quite like it, it was a stew with bacon and hotdogs and beans in a thin, red liquid that when you stirred it, the liquid turned muddy brown. I swear, it was hotdog surprise on a whole new level. But it was fun and we got a lot of GOOD food out of it, plus some wedding cake :) I told President today that I want to have my release date be October next year. Just so ya know :) I have a funny story to tell you. Sister Connell isn't afraid of killing bugs....with her hands! So I go to her for all of my bug problems. There was a skinny but long spider on the ceiling and I asked her to kill it so she got a random hocky stick and was about to kill it, but said "it's not hurting us, let's just leave it alone." Then she said she finally got a pet and decided to name it Donald. Then next morning, Donald was gone. Well I don't know why a spider would stay in one spot for very long. But this morning, I was in the bathroom and I felt something fall onto my arm. I shook it off really quick and it landed on the sink. I thought it was a hairball, but it was a skinnny, long, dead spider! It fell off my body! Donald slept with me last night and I killed him! Serves him right! Well, that's my week. Things are going well :) I'm just loving life! Transfers are in 2 weeks and I hope I stay in Flagstaff! School is starting soon and we will be so busy as missionaries!!! Anyway :) Love you! Talk to you soon :) -Sister K. Tolley