June 9th

Family!

Thank you or your emails, It is so great to hear from you all and to hear how life is going back home!  

I want you to know that I truly am loving it out here!  I have learned that it is not so much the place as it is the people, and the people are incredible!  I would love to tell you about all of them but for now I will tell you about some that I have gotten to know recently.  

The first person is Mona, Mona just became an investigator last week!!!  We were walking down by the laundry mat in an apt. complex after being dropped by our investigator when a sweet lady called out to us!  She asked if we were looking for something we said no but offered to help her with her laundry, she said no but be proceeded to share with her our message.  She agreed to meet us again and the following day we met with her in her home.  One thing we have started to do is sing in all our lesson! Nothing can invite the spirit more than a song, after we sang for her she thank us.  We began to teach her about Jesus Christ and how we can come to know him, she stopped us and said that is what I need in my life more faith.  Smiling we turned to her and said Mona you have so much faith already but we are going to show you how you can strengthen that faith.  She is a super sweet lady and has gone through a lot of trials in her life. 

One of the hard parts about the mission is seeing the things that people face in their lives, it truly baffles me how much suffering and pain is in the world. Yesterday we had an experience that I will never forget.  We were contacting people at the park and after speaking to a handful of people we headed back to our car for a dinner apt.  As we were walking we saw a man sitting alone under a patio as me and sister Dredge approached him I immediately saw his red eyes and the tears spilling down his cheeks.  Mind you this was a grown man.  Sister Dredge ask him if he was ok in which he replied that it was just allergies.  We began by expressing to him that our father in heaven loved him very much and was aware of the things that he was going through, at that more tear began to fall down his cheeks and my heart just broke for this man who was facing some really dark times in his life.  He expressed that he knew that god loved him and that Jesus Christ had died for him. We then sang for him I am a child of god and told him that God had a plan for him.  We read a little out of the book of Mormon and encouraged him to read the pamphlet on the Plan of Salvation.  We then prayed with him and got up to leave, as we did so I look into his red eyes and said I know god has placed us in your path today.  As we walked away my heart was filled with sadness for the things that people have to face each day in this evil world, but I also knew in my heart that god is mindful of everyone.  He will always be with us, though at times we feel as though there is no light we need to remember that the light will come.

The mission I am learning is a mix of feelings: joy, sorrow, excitement, and sadness. One thing that is constant though God's love!

This picture is of Omar and Catalina Mendoza, they are recent converts to the church and by far the sweetest people I know!   It was Omar's birthday so we celebrated with Chocolate cake and ice cream, we also celebrated him being two weeks smoke free!  unfortunately we found out yesterday in our nightly reading appt. That he started again.  It was hard to here, but we just pointed out to him the difference in his life when he didn't smoke versus when he did.  He did notice the difference and felt really bad, I cant imagine how hard it must be to quit an addiction, we see it a lot out here, but we also see people succeed and they do it through the lord.  

I seen some really cool things out here just in 2 week!  I am excited for the next 18 months!

The sunsets are beautiful out here!!!  I think I am starting to like the desert a little bit more:)  It is still super hot, but I am trucking through it.  Water is the key!  All is good though I am enjoying every moment!!

Thank you all for your love and prayers!

Till next time!

Love,

Sister Rhodes

June 2nd

FAMILY!!

Thank you all for your emails, I am glad that all is going well and you are enjoying your summer so far!!

So first off I absolutely love this work!! The mission is great!  I was thinking back to my setting apart blessing and how President Mower said that I would acclimate quickly... When I was in the MTC I kept reflecting on that and thinking to my self " I am not acclimating quickly at all".  Then when I got to the mission field in an interview with President in his closing prayer he said that I would acclimated quickly.   I know now that both of those prayer/blessings were inspired by Heavenly Father, because in the week that I have been here I feel like I have acclimated to the mission really quickly. I wake up every morning and go to bed every night excited for the day ahead of me!!

This week was great and very busy (such Is the life of missionary work).  The people out here are incredible,  I don't know them well yet but I have such a strong love for them!  I have know doubt that part of that love is the love that the savior has for each and everyone of them!

Wednesday:

 We met with this sweet Lady named Lara, she is a member and we mainly visit here to give her a gospel message and to help her with whatever she need, sadly she is moving so we are helping her pack:(  She lives in what is called the Council house it is an apartment for seniors, so you can imagine my joy!!!!  Lara and a bunch of her friends ride their electric wheelchairs over to church on Sunday, because they live so close to the church! it is so cute!  We have a couple in our ward that reminds me of Katie and Morgan so much! Their names are Clay and Sydney Donalson and they are living out here while he is doing his MBA at the U of A, she works for the University and they live in a cute little apartment that is as big as our kitchen!  they are ward missionaries so we work with them a lot, They are so sweet and so loving!

Thurs:

I tried my hand at contacting in the park today!  It did not go to well, it is hard walking up to people and starting up a conversation. mostly because they see the name tag and start to get really anxious.  Most people say not interested and start to walk away, My nature is to be ok thanks for listening, but no! that is very wrong I have learned, you have to be persistent their salvation is on the line, so that is something I am working at:) The fist couple of times I just stood there like a deer in the headlights while sister Dredge drove the conversation, I am getting better though it just takes practice.  we knock on a door and sister Dredge said " its all you sister"!  So she remained quiet  while I  stumbled over words, it was hard but I think doing is the best way to get better at it.  Their is this really sweet couple in the ward that are new converts, they have some learning disabilities so we go over and read with them, they are so sweet and so kind.  Their names are Omar and Catalina Mendosa. Omar relapsed on his smoking habit and is working to drop it again, he has gone a whole week and we are so proud of him!! We call him every day to see if he has smoked and he says " no sister I have not smoked today, the lord is helping me".  A lot of people that we are teaching have addictions and it is so cool to see them overcome them through Jesus Christ!

Fri:

We went up to girls camp on MT. Lemon!  It was so much fun and brought back a lot of good memories. So MT. Lemon is  a pretty famous mt. here in Tucson there is a lot of camping sites up there.  at the bottom is looks really ugly because the trees are covered in cactus but as you get to the top there are lots of trees and it is so beautiful! The road going up though is very curvy and we all were sick by the time we got to the top:)

I love Tucson, yes it is extremely hot but it does not bother me to much. we are in our car or investigators homes most of the time:)  

Love you all so much! the work is great and I am doing awesome!

First Letter from the Mission Field- 5.27.14

Family!

Hello from HOT Tucson!  It was so nice to talk to you all yesterday!  I will try and make this email as detailed as possible, but keep in mind that I am by no means a fast typer!  I hope that will come though throughout the mission!

So to start with the Killpacks are incredible!! I love them so much, especially Sister Killpack!  I am so so sad that they will be leaving in less than 30 days:(  We arrivedyesterday at 1 and were picked up by  The president and his wife, as well as the A.P.'s They took us to the Mormon battalion monument in Tucson which is apparently very popular, because the Mormon battalion march right through Tucson, Later one of the soldiers came back and settled Gila Valley.  Anyways after that we went to the mission office which is also the Stake center.  We met the office staff and then they fed us. Everyone is super nice! After some instruction there we headed to the mission home which is beautiful for Arizona's standards! The landscaping literally consists of rocks and different forms of cactus!  Once at the mission home the AP's took us for a tour, in which they described the different kind of cactuses.  One of the AP's is Bishop Fisher's nephew Elder Hickenlooper!  After the tour we had a bar-b- Q, the temperature at night is so nice! Then we had testimony meeting.  At the end of the night President lead us out on the deck to look out over Tucson, It was a really cool experience and I had the spirit testify to me that this is where I am meant to be!  The Elders spent the night in the mission home and us sister spent the night with a sister in the ward Sister Crotts. Her and her husband use to serve out here, they are in their 60's and are super nice! I love them and I just barely met them:)  The next morning we left for transfer meeting.  And now the moment you all have been waiting for .......  My trainer is Sister Dredge!  She is so nice and everyone spoke super highly of her! We will be serving in the Tucson Central Stake and I will be with her till she dies in 6 weeks:)  Our apartment is okay much better than the one that I lived in, in Salt Lake!

The apartment is super close to the ward so that is really nice. Today we mostly just got supplies for me and did some laundry.  On our way back from laundry we met a man that lives in the apartment complex, he said he wanted to go to our church so we plan to meet with him this Thursday! Yay first contact!  The area we live in is a little getto, its not scary by any means but it is not super nice either.  We do have a car so that is nice, Sister Dredge said that sometimes they borrow the elders bikes for a day so that should be fun!  Tonight we are going to dinner at a members and then we have a lesson with some new converts!  This week is pretty busy with appointments, on Friday we are going up to girls camp at MT. Lemon. Wohoo! that should be fun.

Sorry this letter is short I wish I could type faster, I do have pictures for you though!

Today was 100 degrees, but I was not too bad I am sure it is going to be worse!

Love you all !  I am so excited that my mission is beginning!

Love,

Sister Rhodes