Sister Inman Letter - June 20, 2016

Last Full Week of the Transfer :'(

I hate transfers. They make me so sad. And then everybody changes and you either get a new companion or you get a completely new group that you don't know, or whatever... Gah. We find out what is happening on Saturday night. Pray for me that I go or stay where I need to! I love my companion. And I love Pima so much. I don't want to leave. I love the Gila Valley. 

BUT, on a brighter note.......

Monday was fun! We played basketball and volleyball for P-day! We've got an awesome zone. Love them! And we all live within 10 miles of each other, so we see each other like all of the time. Only in the Gila Valley! There are about 24 missionaries, I think? Super fun. My skills at sports have decayed rapidly since Sierra Vista, which makes me sad, but it's okay.

Tuesday was super busy and awesome! We had a lesson with Shawnee, and her reading is still getting better! She still struggles, but there is power in the Book of Mormon, and her reading has improved since she has been listening and reading out loud. :)

We also visited with Peggy again. I love that lady. We had a really good lesson with her about eternal families, temples, and family history. It started off a little rocky, but the moment we began to testify that she would be able to see her deceased husband again, because of the Plan that Heavenly Father created for us, the Spirit was very strong. I know we all felt it. Peggy related to us that she had a strong desire to do family history as well, but just really doesn't know how. We invited her to the Stake FH Day and she seemed very interested in going and almost did! But then she got sick. :( Almost! Then we went over to the Busby's (we met them the week before) and tried to have a lesson with them, but were not able to because they are a little long winded and distracted aha. They are actually a really cool family! It is a part-member family, and their son William is actually the wife's son from another husband. But we are teaching their son William! Sweet kid, has been going to scouts, but attends church in another ward in Thatcher and should be coming to our ward next Sunday! :) We had dinner with them on Saturday night, which was interesting. It turned out okay, they made us homemade lasagna and homemade apple pie and it was super good! We did a summary of the Book of Mormon and testified of it's truth, and invited him to read and pray about the Book of Mormon! We will see what happens!

But other than that, not too much happened that is exciting. We met with Race again a couple of times, and he is all set to be baptized on Saturday! We will have to reschedule Rudy's baptismal date, but he has been coming to church every Sunday! We are going to be singing in church next Sunday too! Cool stuff :) kinda nervous.

Something that I thought I'd share with you all:

I just learned again, but in more depth yesterday that the Book of Mormon IS true. It has to be. It is the word of God, and I don't think I would have had that same experience if I hadn't testified of the promised blessings and had someone challenge me and say that the promises are not sure, and that it tells us "if" or that "you might" feel these feelings. Back home, I could have just gotten angry and yelled back at this man and shut him down, but it really troubled me. I had to prove this man wrong. I had to know for myself that these words were true, and as I was reading the Book of Mormon yesterday, I finished 2 Nephi. The last three chapters are incredible. In particular, the last two chapters. He tells us, if you don't believe in my words, believe in Christ. And if you believe in Christ, you will believe in my words. But if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye, because He will prove to you that they are His words with His power, and we will stand face to face at the judgement bar and these very words will condemn you. The words of Christ invite us to do good. If they don't... they are not the words of Christ. And I just have had it confirmed to me over and over that this work is so true. It has to be. 

But anyway, I'm sorry I don't have any more time left. I'm sorry this email is kind of lame. :(

But I love you all so much! The church is true!!! I love my mission so much. It's the hardest thing I've ever done, but it's the best and most rewarding. I love this gospel and this work!!! 

Have a fantastic week! :)

Sister Inman

Sister Inman Letter - June 13, 2016

Sorry, I have like nooo time :(

Hey all! I am so sorry, I got to responding to an email and it took longer than anticipated. BUT, I didn't forget about you haha. :)

Kind of a rough week again, but it got better towards the end!

Both Rudy and Race came to Church on Sunday! :D So happy. :)

We spoke in sacrament meeting in Pima 3rd ward, for a missionary farewell. That was a little bittersweet, but really good! He is going to Little Rock, Arkansas! His name is Elder Stiles-Culver. I don't know what he will be called in the mission. And we also taught sharing time in Pima 2nd ward. 

On Wednesday morning we did Commodities, outside, in the BLAZING HEAT. Good thing I got ready that day. -_- We wear proselyting clothes for that service, so we were burning up and sweating a LOT, but luckily we had water given to us throughout the whole time. I didn't get a bad sunburn this time, though, because I wore sunscreen! Yay! :) Our district meeting right afterwards was about teaching doctrines, and we practiced doing that, and I think it will really help us in our teaching! The spirit is at its strongest when we teach the pure, unchanging doctrines of the gospel, especially out of the scriptures or out of the words of the prophets. We had lunch with a few missionaries in our zone.

From Wednesday through Thursday, we were on exchanges, and I got to be with Hermana Adams, my second trainer! It was kind of crazy to be companions with her again, having grown myself, and learned how to be a better missionary. But it was a sweet reunion, and I also realized that I had completely lost most, if not all, of my Spanish since I was companions with her :'( That made me very sad.

I have been studying the Christlike Attribute of Diligence. A couple of neat things that I found in Preach My Gospel:

Diligence is:

1. Steady, Consistent, Earnest, and Energetic effort in doing the Lord's work.

2. Working effectively and efficiently.

3. An expression of your love for the Lord and His work.

You can find joy and satisfaction in your work when you are diligent!

How can you be diligent:

1. Do many good things of your own free will

2. Don't wait to be told to do things. In other words, Seek to be on the ball.

3. Continue until you have done all you can, DESPITE being tired.

4. Prioritize and Focus on the most important things, and avoid wasting time!

5. Pray for guidance and strength

6.Plan regularly and effectively!

7. Avoid anything that distracts your thoughts or actions from the work.

These are just a few of the things I have found, and will be seeking to incorporate more this week! There are so many promised blessings to those who try their best to be diligent and obedient.

Good scriptures for Diligence are: Moroni 9:6 and D&C 123:17

Thursday we did service at two food banks, and did exercise with the Safford district (still on exchanges)

Then the rest of the week was a blur because we finally finished most of our weekly planning!!!! WOOO!!!!

This next week we are doing a Discovery Day for family history in our stake. We are helping out at that. In a couple weeks we will be singing a duet in church, and I am quite nervous for that, but...... The Lord will hopefully sing for me, because I'm sure His voice sounds a lot better :) No, I'm not too bad. That's what practice is for!

Anyway, I am SO EXCITED I AM GOING TO BE AN AUNT! YES!!!!!! I TOTALLY KNEW IT. I'm getting a niece. :) And I'm happy to hear Jesse loved AP Camp! :)

Have a great week! And Happy Father's Day, Dad! I have the best Dad in the workd!

Sister Inman

Sister Inman Letter - June 6, 2016

Week three of the transfer already done?! NOOOOO

The transfer is already half over and that is one of the saddest things of my life. I love this area. I love my companion. I love my district and zone. I love the Gila Valley!

Aaaannnddd another week has come and gone and time time hasn't slowed down.

But that being said, Hello family! This week's letter is kind of short, as I have been bad about writing in my journal :(

This week was a little rough, especially since it was a holiday on Monday and people are out of town, and it is now summer, so people have better things to do than hear about the gospel! Nothing is better than talking to missionaries about your eternal salvation!!! It's the besssstttt. :)

Monday was... stressful. But on the plus side, I got some new music! I get tired of listening to the same stuff all of the time, so it was nice! We got to sports late, so we didn't really have enough time to play a full game with everyone, because they had already been there awhile. But they were playing chair soccer which is HARD! I always get super nervous playing those games where I have to be coordinated with my feet, because I am definitely not. At all. But it is still always fun to be around the other missionaries.

Tuesday morning we had Pancake Tuesday where we have breakfast with our district before studies at 8am. Fun stuff! We tried a ton of people that weren't home or didn't show up. Everyone has those days every once in a while.

Wednesday we did not have district meeting because of the Zone Conference on Thursday. BUT, we met this guy named Phil. He's an interesting man. We knocked on the door and this big guy came out without a shirt on. He had long, scraggly white hair, and his suspenders barely held his pants up. Kind of gross and made us uncomfortable, but... he answered the door and said, "I'll go put a shirt on so you guys don't have to be so uncomfortable." We were thankful. But unfortunately (fortunately) his wife was not home, so we could not stay. But his son is a potential investigator that we are hoping to start teaching, and his wife has never really been active. But yeah, we might even be having dinner with them soon! They said they are excellent cooks.

Thursday we had zone conference and it was AWESOME! We learned so much about working with members, using family history, and Sister Passey gave an AWESOME training about Focusing on the Doctrines. A couple of things I loved from the Conference:

-"The Preaching of the Word of God is the MOST effective way to change hearts, even more than the sword!" See Alma 31:5

-The WHOLE gospel is founded upon the basic doctrine that God is our Loving Heavenly Father. No wonder it is the very FIRST thing we teach to people! Upon that Eternal Truth rests every other part of the gospel.

-When we teach PURE DOCTRINE, or the Eternal Truths that never change regardless of modern day revelation or opinions, such as "God is Our Loving Heavenly Father" (and always will be), the Spirit will be the most strong, and THAT is where conversion comes from. We can teach a lot of principles, or the WHAT and HOW, but unless we teach the WHY, it is not likely to cause people to change and to act, because that pure doctrine of "WHY" has not become a part of them.

-If you want to better understand pure doctrine, study a talk by a general authority. Teaching pure doctrine is hard, but that is how true conversion happens.

-We are here to help people know how to return back. When we understand WHY we are here, we are more able to have the motivation to be better.

-It is good to read what the spirit has taught other people, but we must learn for ourselves what the Spirit wants us to know and understand about the Gospel! Read the scriptures, pure doctrine, and allow the Spirit to teach you!

We were challenged to teach pure doctrine most of the time, and to always refer each principle we teach back to the core doctrine from which it is based. It is hard to do! But will be worth it. :)

We were also challenged to find a family name to take to the September temple trip! I gave all of them to you, so I will look for my own! We get an hour a week to do FH work! We talked about how FH work is a huge tool for missionary purposes! A lot of people will be more open to "Can we help you find your family?" than any other approach. Cool! DO FAMILY HISTORY!

Well, I would write more, but am out of time. I love you all! I hope you have a fantastic week! The Gospel is true, the Savior Lives. I had a particularly meaningful Sunday yesterday, and the sacrament was very special. When we prepare the night before, and come with a broken heart and contrite spirit, we are more receptive to the Holy Ghost.

I love this work, and I love this Gospel. I try to be better a little more each day. the mornings are going great, and Sister Chandler and I are going to get rock solid abs by the end of our companionship. :)

Love you!

Sister Inman

Sister Inman Letter - May 30, 2016 (Elder Holland too!!!!)

New Transfer, and I love my New Companion!

Herro Famiry!

We had a great week! So great that we were exhausted by the end of the day and I have been terrible at writing in my journal. I mainly only have bullet points on sticky notes for the past couple of weeks haha.

At least we know that if we are that exhausted, that we must be doing something right. We've been getting awesome workouts lately and have been getting up a little earlier, and have been trying to get to bed earlier, too! I am happier, but still just as tired!

Monday was awesome! Probably the best P-day I've had in this area. We got to go to sports for a couple of hours and it was so much fun! I got a big workout though, I was sweating like crazy which was gross, but who cares when you are having fun? :) We mainly played King of the Court and I missed just about every shot except ONE! And it was from far away. So that made me happy. The Elders were very encouraging. And coaching me because i don't know how to basketball haha.

Tuesday morning we had breakfast as a district at 7am, "Pancake Tuesday" which was pretty good! We tried a bunch of people throughout the day but nobody was home or had time for us. Sad day. We had lessons with Race and Peggy!

I have really grown to love Peggy. She has softened a lot since the Spirit has been working on her. She has committed to continue to read the Book of Mormon because she finds it interesting and she likes it so far! She even read the Vision of the Tree of Life and found it "very interesting! I will keep reading, I promise!" and she did! She read like 2 more chapters than we asked her to. 

We also got asked to do service at 6am on Wednesday -_-

Wednesday morning we did service at the Pima Cemetery with the other Pima missionaries and other volunteers I didn't know. We went through the whole cemetery and put flags on all of the Veterans' graves! That's awesome :) And we replaced the ones that already had them on there, but that were broken or torn. We had district meeting, then had to go to the tire shop because we had a hole in our tire. Woo!

Thursday was rough. But it ended up okay. I was kind of depressed and is a sad mood all day, Satan has been making me feel bad about myself and my efforts as a missionary all week, and I am tired of it, so we are doing something about it now! :) We started weekly planning, and it turned out to be a companionship inventory. We just put everything out on the table, what we were feeling, the things we have been struggling with, and how the other one can help us. We decided that we would just be open and honest with each other, and said that this companionship will not only "work", but we will end our time together, having become best friends, and working together and supporting each other, and we will make this companionship "GOOD"! And a huge burden was lifted off of our shoulders. Now we are already getting along so great and we come to understand and get to know each other a little better every single day! I love Sister Chandler, she is awesome. She is 20yrs old, only like a month older than me, is from Rupert, Idaho, and has been out for about a year now! She is a diligent missionary who strives to be exactly obedient, and has a lot of love to give to people she serves! We laugh a lot, we joke, we have fun, but we both love the work and want to support each other in it!

Friday morning we did a super awesome workout (Thanks, Jillian Michaels!) and we felt super pumped for the day! We did service , and then for lunch, we had a BBQ with the other missionaries for Elder Vaughn's 23rd Birthday! 

We had another lesson with Race and Peggy, too!

Saturday we got another awesome Jillian Michaels workout (It seems silly, but I'm so pumped. We're going to get ripped by the end of this transfer, I just know it) haha :) I feel better about myself more than I did before, because I actually try!

Service again, this time at the Pima Museum. I love history. Do we have ancestors from the Gila Valley? Weekly Planning, still.

Sunday was a great day! We didn't have any ward councils (Seriously, it's the best), and we went to Pima 3rd's Sacrament meeting. Then we went to PIMA 4TH's Sacrament meeting, because we were asked to give talks in their ward, along with the Pima Elders. Seriously? We aren't even in that ward. But I have to say it was actually pretty cool to have just missionaries give talks! We talked about how serving a mission has strengthened our relationship with God and Jesus Christ, and the Elders were just given the topic of "Relationships" which I thought was funny haha. It turned out pretty good! Whenever you get the chance, go read the lyrics to A Child's Prayer. We are the first verse, and we start with uncertainty, but end with a knowledge that He really is there. In the second verse, our concerns are answered, and He shows His love for us when we pray with sincerity. I loved it!

I also had people come up to me after sacrament and talk about someone they know in Surprise. I had a man named Brother Blair that apparently you know pretty well? He is the owner of Kainoa's. He said when you all (the Inman's) were younger and lived in Tolleson, you would play and hang out together, and he knew like our whole family almost! That's so cool! Do you know him? He also said that I guess Rick came down a little while ago to see if he wanted to open a franchise or not? WE ARE OVER THERE IN THATCHER ALL THE TIME, And Rick was not that far from me! Crazy!

Anyway, the church is true! God is good, the Book of Mormon is the word of God. The Atonement is real. 

I have noticed that as I have become more and more obedient to even just the morning schedule and night schedule, we have seen so many more miracles and have gotten so many more referrals and more success with people! Rudy came to church AGAIN, and I am so grateful for the members who took the initiative this time! Ray is still coming to church and approached us about having us over again! He is still strong! He will be getting the Aaronic Priesthood soon, possibly even by his son!!! I love when the Gospel brings families together, and to be able to witness it happen from the beginning!!! I love this Church. I am grateful for the prophet. He is so amazing, and I will strive to heed his counsel ever more diligently than I have been. Familiarize yourself with the words of the prophets! Because not too long ago, they received those very words from Christ Himself. Think about it.

I love you, dear family! I pray for you all the time. I keep you in my thoughts as I strive to serve harder throughout each day. Today Sister Chandler asked me what I loved about or have learned from each of my family members, Mom, Dad, Lacey and Eric, Jake and Chauncey, and Jesse. And it just reminded me how lucky I am to have a family that is so incredible. I have been so blessed. And I continue to learn more from each of you and grow to love you more each day! (And I love you, too, Grandma and Grandpa! Thank you for your letters and words of wisdom and love! I have the best grandparents in the world). 

Have a fantastic week! I love you, and God loves you even more!

Sister Inman

Me and Elder Holland! Look at our faces, so happy! :)

The Pima Elders, Elder Burnd (Left) and Elder Phillips (Right)

 Sister Chandler

Us

Sister Charles and I, and Sheryl, a Recent Convert who is moving to Bylas

Service

Me and Hna. Garcia, who got transferred. She is from El Salvador and I love her!