Hitting the streets in our stylin' Grandma shoes

> I think it's important that you all know that a 90 year old woman asked me where I got my shoes this week. Apparently she wants a pair just like them. #Missionaryproblems! > > This week has been so fun though. I've never been so exhausted or so happy. Sister Smyth and I keep each other going. Personal study is the hardest challenge because I can't keep my eye lids from falling! I'm learning a ton though. I've really learned the importance of being an obedient missionary. When I first got here I hardly said anything in the lessons but now I'm actually teaching 50/50 with Sister Smyth! She's incredible. That sister can fill the room with the spirit in a heart beat. It's been awesome to learn from her. > > Q and A > > Are the members feeding you anything except spaghetti? > The members feed us dinner every night. Usually it's some kind of chicken and pasta with watermelon and salad or something. It's pretty much your typical Mormon dinners. No big deal at all. They love feeding us and I love practicing teaching them. I'm not nearly as scared to teach members as I am investigators so it's been awesome to practice on them. The members in both the wards are the greatest! We are very spoiled around here. Some of them even offer us rides to appointments. > > Are you seeing lizards, snakes, and mice inside or outside your duplex. > I haven't seen any snakes or mice but we have cockroaches! Sister Smyth and I really come unglued when we see a huge cockroach running around our duplex. We've gotten pretty good at catching them though. The first time I caught one I tried to be a good person and just let it go outside but it flew in the door and landed on Sister Smyth! We FREAKED out. Nobody told me that those things can fly!!!! > > Do you have access to fresh produce? > A woman in the ward actually gave us 16 cucumbers and 20 zucchinis last Wednesday! What are we supposed to do with all that?? We have been handing them out like it's our day job! I love a good cucumber but 16 is kinda much. > > Are you drinking something besides water to replace electrolites in the heat? > I mostly just stick to the water. Once in a while the members will give us juice. Are there like electrolyte chewy things I can get somewhere? Walmart? > > Does your bike have brakes yet? > The zone leaders fixed our bikes! It's been pretty fun to bike everywhere! We show up to our appointments drenched and red but it's been so easy to talk to people on the streets and spread the word that much better! Last night was the only night that we had to bike home in the rain. I was pretty grateful for that storm. > > Do you love your companion? > Sister Smyth is still awesome. She has a quote/scripture for everything. I'm learning more than I could ever imagine. The scriptures are incredible. I've been trying to study a lot about how to be a better tool in the Lords hands. The lord as answered by prayers a thousand fold. He is seriously looking out for me! > > Do you have any investigators? > We had to drop one of our investigators on Saturday. He decided that he loves the book of Mormon and Jesus Christ so much that he wants to start his own church...yeah our lessons clearly weren't sinking in like we thought. It was really hard to Sister Smyth to accept. It always seemed like he was never fully with us. We think he was drunk for the last lesson. He smelled like bear and was clearly back to his old ways. It was sad. > > The other investigator is amazing! We are planning on committing him to baptism this week! He is living with a member family right now and has learned so much since we started meeting with him. He's given up alcohol and has changed so much even since I've gotten here. It's amazing how much we grow to love the people we serve. > > My favorite people that we are teaching is a very very less active family. They haven't been to church in years until this past Sunday! We read the Book of Mormon with them 3 times a week and they love it! It's fun to watch them grow and learn. The mother told us that she missed feeling the spirit and her Heavenly Father's love!!!! I was dying! We love them so much!! > > What are you studying every morning? > I think I kinda already answered this but that's a really hard question. I study something different every day. Mostly I study for my investigators/less actives and think about what they need to hear. In the process I always learn something that I could work on in order to be closer to my Savior. In Alma 22 the King tells a missionary that he will give up everything to be closer to the Savior. We read this to a less active teenager the other day and she said she would do the same. She said she would give up her car and her house. Then I pointed out to her that she doesn't have to give up those things. What about a song that maybe doesn't invite the spirit? Or 2 hours of sleep on Sundays so that she could go to church? The Lord doesn't need us to give up everything. He just needs us to show him that we are willing to give up enough! The spirit was SO STRONG! She went to church the next day. :) I was so happy! > > > Do you get to exercise each day? > > HAHAHA k so every morning Sister Smyth and I wake up at 6:00 in order to do a Jillian Michael's workout video. Now Jillian can be a bit inappropriate so in order to help Sister Smyth work on her Spanish and to keep my ears a little more sheltered we do the workout video in Spanish! We are sore pretty much everyday from that plus bikes but we won't give up! A Spanish Jillian Michaels is a funny one. I laugh and try to copy her! I'm getting really good at my Spanish commands! > > Are you HAPPY? (the most important question) > > I'M SO HAPPY! I'm absolutely exhausted. But I'm happy. There is a lot of work to be done in the tiny mining town and there in not enough time in a day. This week has flown by and I can't wait to keep going! Thank you for all the love and support! You are the greatest! Your sister over here in Safford really loves you! :) I'll do better at making a list throughout my week so that I know what to write you all! > > Oh I almost forgot to tell you! The animals here hate me. I've gotten attacked by a dog (I won!), scared to death by a cat, and almost ate a baby bird from the neighbors eggs that were given to us! Ahhhh! Crazy stuff! I promise I'm okay though. Mom I really promise I was laughing after every single one of the events! > > -Sister Barton