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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