Monday, April 27, 2015

Fwd: Pictures!





Our zone leaders being goofballs


Sister Prieto and I at the Mesa Temple


Easter pageant set

So I drew a pretty Cinderella girl and then our zone leader took the marker and turned her into Lemuel. Naturally.



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Fwd: Pictures!




Our zone leaders being goofballs


Sister Prieto and I at the Mesa Temple


Easter pageant set

So I drew a pretty Cinderella girl and then our zone leader took the marker and turned her into Lemuel. Naturally.
\


So a week or so ago, the other sisters' apartment lost electricity for some reason, so they stayed the night at our place instead.

 Naturally, that called for a giant pangea-bed. (Except they were an inch apart


yup, we partied hard. until 10:30 pm








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Okay, now it's working. More coming!



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we made....something......



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we made....something......



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tech difficulties?

I'm trying to send a long list of pictures, but for some reason only the hair ones showed up. That would happen, wouldn't it? :p



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Hair Vanity

Inline image 12
Inline image 13

 These I took so that mom could see what I've been doing to my hair. I've never cut it before so my family's missing out on all my adventuring and experimentation. Sister Prieto cut my bangs recently. And she decided to do my eyebrows too.Inline image 14Inline image 15 
It was fun. 



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YMA NO HYD

I think that's how it's spelled. I dunno.

 well, I'm STILL HERE in South Phoenix. The transfer ends the 3rd of June. I first came in to South Phoenix July 2. I'm starting to accept the fact that I'm just never going to leave Phoenix ever. XD

 Except something bizarre happened, because if nothing changes nothing changes, right? :P So they combined the geographic areas of the Phoenix zone and Phoenix South zones, but now there's an all-Spanish zone and an all-English zone. So I live with the hermanas, but they're not even in my zone. it's weird.

 Also, I have a new companion! Sister Willliams!! I LOVE HER AHHHH We seriously clicked so fast and we have so much fun. Our area has suddenly boomed with miracles, it's awesome.

 Another change, we moved in two more Spanish sisters into our little house. So we have three bunk beds crammed into the one room now. IT'S SO MUCH FUN!! 

 Also, instead of covering two wards, now we only cover one.

 So, yeah, lots and lots of changes. It's weird, I feel like the whole world is changing around me, and I'm just kinda like, "Yma no hyd! Yeah...."

 It's been such a good week, though!! So, Julio and Kristen? We haven't been able to see Kristen in a while because of her crazy work schedule :/ But, we had a lesson with Julio where we invited him to pray and ask God what He wanted him to do. We had a tooooon of rain one day this week, and that evening we got a text from him that said, "I asked God what He wanted me to do, and the heavens opened up and poured down on me, lol. I think I need to be baptized." XD hahaha, super awesome!! He'd get baptized the next day if we'd let him. He wants to get baptized this Saturday, he's just so certain about it, but we have a few more things to teach to help best prepare him, so he's got another week or two. We're so excited for him!! He read until Mosiah in the Book of Mormon, then realized, "I have no idea what I've been reading," so he started over so he could really absorb and think about what it's saying. He's been enjoying Nephi's story (who doesn't? :D).

 We got to see Mckay's mom this week....have I ever talked about her? I dunno, I don't have a name for her. Emily is Mckay's mom, we've been teaching her a long while off and on, she's not really progressing much. She has a boyfriend who's kinda been the same way. He felt the Spirit super, super strong when he prayed, and when he reads the Bible and the Book of Mormon, but...it's sad, but sometimes people just forget that Spirit they felt, and they slide back into old habits and all. Emily actually started progressing quite a bit on her own, though, and we were like, "Well, maybe it's an awful thing to say, but she's been finding God a lot more now that her boyfriend is in jail." They were kinda holding each other back, maybe he was finding God in jail, too. But we drove up this week and saw them both and we saw him there, and we thought, "darn, they're going to start sliding again." But he had a tooooootal change of heart and they're focused and excited about church and getting baptized! THey're going to teach their young kids to pray and they're going to read the scriptures together as a family. When tehy can't, at least as a couple. Now they've chosen a baptismal date, a day that is actually pretty significant to them, and they're focused and working on that date! So awesome.

 Ramon is....doing well spiritually. We went by to see him last week and he was in a rush, "can't talk now, I'm moving out right now."

 "...you need help?"

 "Nah, I've pretty much got it. I need to get out of this place. There are just too many bad influences in my life right now, and I don't want anything threatening my baptism."

 So he up and moved because of his roommate trying to pull him back into old ways and old practices. But we worry about him because he's basically homeless right now. :C He's got a plan and a job and he's got a new place picked out he's working towards, and we're always praying for him that everything will be okay. We call him daily, and it's amazing, he's finally pushed on through the war chapters, and whatever he's reading, he's applying it to himself and his situation, and telling him how much it's helping him right now. He is forming an incredible bond with the Spirit, with the Savior, and with the Book of Mormon. It's been the greatest thing to watch, guys, I've never seen someone drink in scripture so much. Ramon is seriously one of my heroes. 

 I seriously love being a missionary so much. I love seeing people change, I love seeing God working, I just love everything about it. Teaching people about Christ is just the best thing I've ever done with my life. And I've grown so much in my testimony and in my relationship with my Savior. I know He's real, clearer than I've ever known before. I know this is God's work, and that He is our Father, and He loves us so, so much. He doesn't spare any pains to show that love, if we look for it and let it in. I know that the Book of Mormon is true, that those people were real and they really were visited by the resurrected Christ, that God cares about everyone in the world. I love watching people discover for themselves that those people existed, and then seeing them gain strength from Nephi's successes or the war chapters in Alma. It's undescribable, and there's nothing like it.

 THanks so much for your love and support!! I love you all! <3 

 -Sister Stratford

 



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Monday, April 20, 2015

I Love to See the Temple!

I can now pray in Spanish pretty fluently. I'm still being stubbon, I was called to speak English, I came out on a mission to focus on serving people and not to learn Spanish, etc. But my companion and the other two hermanas we live with are determined to teach me. I've been picking it up pretty fast. it's fun.

 So, Ramon....wasn't baptized on Saturday. :C He had some stuff come up in his baptismal interview with president that needs to be worked out first. I mean, he's made soooooo many changes in his life, he's almost unrecognizable even just from when I first met him. He's a completely different person. But some things in the past are still lingering a bit, and he and our president feel that he needs a little more time to prepare himself. He's ready to be baptized as soon as he can, though.

 We had the interview last monday night, and we were planning to go to the Mesa Temple visitor's center with another family we were teaching (names are Julio and Kristen). But after the interview, Ramon just looked so sad and resigned and bummed out, and we were like, "y'know....you've never been to the temple, and there's an extra seat. Do you want to come with us?" And he was like, "Whatever, not doing anything tonight." 

 So we drive to the temple, and he's quieter than usual, and as we turn the corner, the temple just explodes into view. And it's so beautiful and big and glowing and Ramon's eyes just pop out. And he starts asking us, "Is it like Soloman's temple?!? Wait, so when you say temples, you mean like the temples the people of God were always building in the Old Testament?! I want my family in there!! I want to be in there so badly with my kids!!" it made him so happy to see the temple! And it really raised his determination. He was telling us, "Maybe I was delayed so I could be baptized with my family. In a year, we're all going in there together. I'll be so prepared for baptism, and I'll definitely be prepared for the temple." So cool.

 We ended up waiting a long time for Kristen and Julio, and we missed the showing of Meet the Mormons, which was really the one we wanted to take them too. But Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration was starting (if you're curious you can watch it for free on LDS.org. One of the few approved movies we can watch, so I've watched it tons of times and could probably quote it at you, hahaha. It's so good.), so we watched that one instead. Ended up to be God's plan. Julio and Kristen had been kinda wary and closed off to us, just really skeptical about the whole Mormon thing. We had given them a Book of Mormon but they hadn't touched it. After the movie they told us, "Wow....all of our apprehensions were lifted." They don't know if the First Vision is real yet, but it makes sense to them, and they're going to take it to God. But they loved seeing how it all came to be, what Joseph Smith and the other first members of the church went through (They really didn't gain anything from making it up, it had to have been true to go through all of what they did), and how it answered a lot of their questions about our basic doctrine, like eternal families and our relationship with Christ. Oh man, they looooved the scene of Joseph Smith beating the rug for Emma, haha. Helped them out so much more than Meet the Mormons would have.

 And now Julio is in Mosiah in the Book of Mormon. They're really excited to learn for themselves if this is true. 

 And one thing that was really neat, Julio came to church on Sunday and said, "I've really been feeling the Spirit you guys have been talking about, and...it's telling me I need to make some changes. I need to make better choices in my life." That's when you know they're really feeling the Spirit, when it urges them to change, to be better and do better. It's the coolest thing to watch. 

 btw, I'm on a computer today...they're still working out those ipad-only rules? Things are changing so fast, haha. 

 Transfers are on Thursday. We didn't get transfer calls last night and we don't really know when we'll get transfer calls....President Toone actually got really really sick recently. We've all been worried. :C (if you can, add an extra prayer for President Toone, he's going through so much) Maybe transfers will be cancelled and nothing happens this transfer, we dunno.

 Maybe I'll stay in Phoenix for a full year.....haha. I've been here so long.  But, I've loved it. I get to see some of the Laveen people I love every now and again. Man, I get real trunky for Laveen sometimes. Haha. 

 God continues to make our crazy busy schedule perfect. Friday night, we had a lesson scheduled at 7:30, and because of a previous lesson going over, we were going to be pretty late, like close to 8, which was stressful because we had another lesson on the other side of our area at 8.....gah. So, we show up and we're like, "Sorry we're a little late," and they're like, "That's okay, dinner wasn't ready yet anyway." 
.....we were not expecting dinner with these people. 8I hahahaha. #Mexicans 
 Sooooo we eat dinner and teach a lesson and get out close to 9 almost and ruuuuuun to our other lesson, and he was totally cool with it and was just expecting a short little lesson anyway. In between that a few lessons that were also scheduled (we had lessons at 6:00, 6:30, 7:00, 7:30, and 8) but ended up falling through.

 God just....makes perfection happen. He just does that. I have such a testimony that this is His work and that everything will be okay in the end. I've started to learn how to just kinda let go of the stress and let God work with it, while I just do my best. When I try to fight promptings to stay a little longer or to stick to the original plan, things fall apart, but when we really let God do His thing, it somehow just works. It's something I'm so grateful to be learning, and I hope I never forget it. We do our best to plan and logic out how we'll get where and how we'll help who, but the only way it works is if we let God do His thing.

 I love missions!! haha. If President Monson comes out and says, "Sisters can now serve two years," I would probably take that extra 6 months. This is the best thing to have happened to me in my life. <3

 I love you all! Thanks for the letters and the support and the prayers! God is in His heaven, so everything will be okay! :) 

 -Sister Stratford

 



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Monday, April 13, 2015

THE WAR CHAPTERS!!!!

Ahhhh, I love being on a mission you guys!M haha. Life is just really
great right now.

Pero, I am on an iPad today. :/ they're trying a new rule that we
can't use computers anymore now that we have iPads, and that includes
Monday emailing. But we're hearing rumors that that new rule will
change soon, anyway. We'll see. Emailing is a lot slower and clumsier
in an iPad and I make a ton more typos. Merp.

So funny story about Ramon. He's still one target to being baptized
this Saturday! He's so cool his life is just such a miracle, all the
things he's gone through and all the changes he's made to get here.
He's still reading the BoM and loving it!!! On day he was like, "I
finished Alma!" And we were so happy for him, that's such a feat. Then
when we saw him again and asked where he was, he said, "well, I was in
Helaman 5 or 6 or something, but I lost my place. I didn't want to
lose the context of what was happening, so I started back in Alma 50
again." And we were like, "lol whatever Ramon, we know you remember
everything you read. You forget nothing. You just wanted to read the
war chapters in Alma again." Which I don't blame him. I looooove those
chapters. Alma is my favorite book in the Book of Mormon. All the
stories that are parallels to my life.

But he keeps rereading those chapters over and over again, I think
this is his third or fourth time now. Sometimes he has trouble
hearing, but he comes to church anyway, and whenever it gets too hard
for him to hear, he just pulls out his phone and reads the BoM. And
it's always one of those last chapters in Alma. Last night we were
talking to him, and he was telling us about all these hard things that
are suddenly popping out of nowhere, "Im definitely getting attacked,"
he says. "Gods making miracles in my life and giving me strength, but
there's definitely something evil that doesn't want me to get baptized
this Saturday. It's a war, its a real fight. I love reading those
chapters at the back of Alma, because that's what I feel. I feel
outnumbered, and old friends are trying to turn against me, and I'm
being attacked, but God is with me. Those people were able to win
through the Grace of God, and I can too."

And then Alma became even more so my favorite. He just gets so much
strength from it. It's so neat.

Also, one of our teenagers we teach--I don't remember if I named the,
or even talked about the, yet, but there's this small pack of teenaged
girls we teach. They live in the same neighborhood and are always
hanging out. One of them is the girl whose mom wants her to go to
church, but isn't willing to come herself. This is a different one,
will call her McKay-- so we ran into McKay while she was by herself.
She was going through kinda a rough time....okay, so as missionaries,
we usually keep our lessons around 30 minutes, or less, however short.
But we stayed there for almost 2 hours helping her understand the
whole Plan of Salvation. Gah, I LOVE TEACHING THAT LESSON SO MUCH. She
was so interested, and asking all these questions--heavy ones, not
just curiosity ones--and she was coming to understand for herself,
without us telling her, what her role is, what she needed to do, what
she was to God, why we needed a Savior, why He cared about her, etc.
it was just the coolest experience.

Missions are the best. A lot more happened this week, but so many
lives are changing, and it's just so great to be here to see it. The
Gospel really does change lives. The Atonement is real, and Christ is
here to change lives. I knew that before, but knowing something is
different than really experiencing it. Like knowing that Russia is
cold, then actually being there. The Atonement is really something
that needs to be experienced.

I love you all!! Thanks for the prayers and support!m you're the best! :)

-Sister Stratford


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Monday, April 6, 2015

HAPPY EASTER AGAIN!!

It's weird to think, A year ago I still hadn't left the MTC yet, but this is my second Easter out in the mission field. :p but I do get 4 conferences. Like an Elder. 

 HAPPY EASTER!!!!! It's been so awesome to be a missionary during Easter time!! We've been getting questions like, "But I don't get it, why did He have to go through that? Why was it necassary? I've heard all my life that 'Jesus died for our sins,' but I don't get how that works." Testifying of the Atonement, what Christ's sacrifice does for us, is teh best part of being a missionary. It's so great!

 Also, Conference was AWESOME!!!! Maaaan!!! If you missed it, WATCH IT https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions?cid=HP14GC&lang=eng I can't even say which session was my favorite, it was all just so good!

 I really loved the talk about learning to hear the music, because if you don't hear the music, dancing is awkward and you don't really know why everyone's doing it. Also, if you hear a beat, you feel an urge to dance, even if you don't know the steps yet. Definitely seen that happen as a missionary. They feel the Spirit, and they're ready to dance, but they don't know how yet and are eager to learn. Super good!! (Was that Elder Rendlund? I forget who it was)

 Also, as a missionary I enjoyed being told not to "swan dive back into Babylon," LOL. in my notes I drew a little picture of that, with a sign that said "Water too shallow for diving." *giggle* Seriously, though, I'm super pumped to be an awkward RM. Before my mission I reallydidn't want to come back an awkward RM, and I was determined to not do that. But now I want to. It shows that I was changed by my mission. I don't want to go back exactly like who I was, that'd be kinda sad to spend an entire 18 months serving the Lord and the people here and not be affected.  
 I have forever left, though. 6 months. ^^ Still basically a greenie. 

 Conference pumps me up. I feel like I can punch a shark in the nose. Let's do this. Let's tell everyone about Jesus.

 And having Conference on Easter is just the best. I love it when that happens.

 Oh, and the Easter Pageant!!! It was so, so, so good!! We got to take one of the families we're teaching, and it was so much fun! It was cute, the three-year-old kept shouting, "JESUS CHRIST!" If Mesa Easter pageant isn't on your bucket list yet, put it there. It's really something. 

 btw, there's a new motto for our mission: "If nothing changes, nothing changes." think about that one for a minute. :p 

 So the mission's basically been turned upside down and we're doing all sorts of crazy things we've never done before because if nothing changes, nothing changes!! Haha. I think that's partly why our mission got to have a little sisters conference. Anyway, we still take it seriously, but it's been said so often that it's now a bit of a joke. We make breakfast for dinner and said, "if nothing changes, nothing changes!" haha. 

 It's true, though. If anything's going to change, something needs to change.

 One thing I loved about conference was that thread of agency and choice all throughout the talks (oh, real quick, Elder Holland's talk. LISTEN TO IT!! It so perfectly helps explain Christ's role in our lives as our Savior! Also, he's just an amazing storyteller. I didn't take many notes that talk because I was just riveted the entire time. So good!). We have the power to choose and not be acted upon. When we go through ahrd things, we get to choose whether we want to grow or shrink. We can go to God and ask Him for help. Not to ask Him to remove the trial, though that's not a sinful prayer. After all, the Savior Himself asked God if there was any other way, so since Christ was without sin and was completely perfect, we know that's not a bad thing to ask. But if we ask Him how we can use this to become better, then He can help us become strong enough to handle it. And that's how we can become awesome. It's a choice, to grow or to shrink. I don't know why that was such a relief for me to realize, it technically wasn't really anything new I learned, but sometimes you relearn things and it actually finally clicks. 

 Sorry, I spent too long talking about General Conference....it was so good though. That was the best way to spend Easter weekend, just soaking in talks about theSavior and His Atoning sacrifice. Also, sis Prieto and the hermanas and I dyed eggs. :p now we don't know what to do with them, though.

 Happy Easter!! I love you all!! <3 Thanks for writing and for praying and for everything else!! <3

-Sister Stratford 

 

 



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