Sister Inman Letter - August 22, 2016

Top of the Mormon, to ya!

Herro Famiry!

Top of the Mormon, to ya!

Well, I had yet another very challenging week. I feel like Satan does NOT want me to get anywhere, or save ANYBODY. Ugh. But you know what, there were also some awesome things that happened this week! So, here we are, and I will share those with you :)

A lesson that I learned this week was that if you are diligent, God will maximize your time, and efforts, and He will help you accomplish what you set out to do! Sorry this email will be kind of random and choppy.

Tuesday was awesome! We were super booked for appointments, and we weren't sure if we would be able to make it on time to all of them (people tend to be talkers), but we prepared well, and we had just about perfect timing for almost everything that day.

We had a lesson with Donna again, and it was great! We went over our purpose in this life, Pre-Earth Life, Adam and Eve, Agency, and Joy we can receive through the Plan of Salvation. We had a good discussion, and the Spirit testified of truth! She had read the Plan of Salvation Pamphlet and she came back with questions! I love it! She seems to truly be searching for answers and for truth, and peace. She is one of those "kept from the truth because they know not where to find it". I love this work!

We had lunch with our investigator Megan, and her husband David made us steak, potatoes, and corn! Yum!Then we went and met our new investigator, Marijana, (Mary-anna), who moved here from Serbia a while back. I love her accent! She opened my eyes to a completely different culture. In Serbia, it is a Communist nation. The three main religions there are Muslim, Catholic, and Orthodox (Christian). 

There was a CRAZY Monsoon on Tuesday! It was something called a Microburst, which means Oro Valley was the only one to get it. Casas Adobes didn't get hit by it AT ALL. Isn't that crazy? Lots of damage was done, several huge trees were uprooted, signs destroyed or fell over, and lots of detours around the city... not fun at all when trying to be punctual to things. -_-

Wednesday was pretty good! Elder Ludlow, who came out with me and was in my first district, is now my district leader and it's super weird. Hahahaha. We have been emphasizing the doctrine of prophets, and especially modern-day prophets and their importance. It was a really good meeting! Wednesday night, we had kind of a cool experience! We were coming home at the end of our day, and we saw a lady standing in the middle of the sidewalk. We felt like we should say hi to her, so we did. She asked if we could help her. She mentioned something about how she had lost her phone, so we let her use our phone to call her number. She invited us into her home while she tried to figure that out, and after she did so, she told us that we were always welcome in her home and thanked us for helping her. We got her number and plan to visit her soon! :)

On Thursday we did service at the state park, and tore down a wooden fence and built a new one. 

Sunday was awesome! Lisa came to church! She was nervous, but we were so excited! Megan and Shandra came too :)

Well, that's about all I have to report for this week! I have seen little tender mercies and miracles in our work and in my life, even through the hard times. Heavenly Father has a Plan for each of us, and He LOVES US! I love you all so much, and pray for you daily. i hope you have a great week!!!!

Love,

Sister Inman

Sister Inman Letter - August 15, 2016

Take THAT, Satan!

Hellloooooooo mi familia!

Well, this week started off a little rough! It happens. Sometimes Satan tries to tear you down, and at the beginning of the week, he did. He succeeded. But I have come to the end of this week with a new sense of duty, responsibility, and excitement about the work and my calling as a missionary. I've had a little bit of time to think, and I've also realized that I am out here for a reason.

I have learned (I did the first transfer I was out in the field) that missions are hard! They take you out of your comfort zone. But as a general authority said, "There is little growth in a comfort zone, and there is [rarely, if ever] comfort in a growth zone". The mission forces you to realize that you cannot do anything or get anywhere good without the help of the Savior. It is on my mission that my flaws and faults are put under a microscope, and where I have reached that turning point in my life-where I must decide who I want to be, and stick with it. I cannot serve two masters. Either I will love one and despise the other..... you know the scripture. It is so true! It has been a time where I have to decide if I will give God my All and serve with ALL my heart, might, mind, and strength, or waste this sacred opportunity, and let the next half of my mission just pass by and have not been there for those souls who need ME out there!

So the first half of the week was pretty rough. SO I'll focus on the awesome stuff that has been happening during the second half!

Friday we had an awesome lesson with Spryte! It was our last one before she and Gaven moved to Utah. :( Her mom also wants her to wait about 3-6 months before she is baptized, to see that she is serious about it. But hopefully I can Skype into her baptism! :) So for our last lesson, we talked about the Law of Chastity. It was very powerful, and it was the best time I have taught that lesson. The Spirit was strong, and we had more thoroughly prepared for that lesson, especially because we are trying to teach it to a 9 year old, 14 year old, a mid 30's, and an older woman. But we taught simply, and it was really neat, because Joseph AND his less active Mom testified of the truthfulness and blessings of keeping the Law of Chasity (the mom usually doesn't say anything), and Sister Hunt and I also testified of the importance of it. It wasn't as awkward as it usually would be sometimes. I think that was because we focused on the doctrine, or the WHY behind it, instead of the "Thou Shalt Not's". We taught about agency, why we have bodies, and becoming like God. It was really good! I am really going to miss them, but I am so grateful to have been able to teach them for most of the time they've been taking the discussions. And it has been incredible to watch their young, sweet testimonies grow immensely, even just from seeing them once or twice a week for the past two months.

Saturday was a pretty good day! We decided to contact an Other (Non-progressing) investigator that the Elders had been teaching, named Donna. She is an older, single woman with a lot of health problems. But super sweet. She opened up to us, and told us of some of the terrible things that have happened to her throughout her life (I don't know why, but I feel like everyone has this theory that missionaries are the perfect people to trust automatically with their deepest fears, and secrets, concerns, and pasts. It helps us know their needs, but wow, it's crazy!) We mainly just listened to her talk. But we learned a LOT about her background, and now we know exactly what to share with her! She kept saying things that would PERFECTLY line up to us teaching the Plan of Salvation. It was almost as if she was begging us to invite her to be baptized, learn as much as possible about the Gospel, prepare for the temple, be an active member of the Church, etc. She would say things like, "I wish God would tell me what His plan is for me!" "I know He has one, but He never gives us any hints." "He has spared my life too many times, and I want to know why I am here. I still haven't figured out what my purpose is in life." It was a perfect lead-in for us to begin teaching her the formal lessons. :)

Later we spent like an hour or so just calling and contacting people, trying to set up appointments with the people who the Ward Council/ward mission/Bishop had given us to contact. Only one person got back to us out of like ten that we tried to get ahold of. But LUCKILY, the one who responded is hopefully going to be our new investigator, from Serbia! Her name is Marijana, and she seems super excited to learn more about the Gospel and our appointment with her is on Tuesday!

The first half of our week this week is packed to the brim with lessons, and I am SO EXCITED!!!! Most of which are in La Cholla Ward, which had essentially no work or progression when we first arrived in the area. The Lord is sending miracles, and so many that we are having a hard time keeping up! "You shall not have room enough to receive it" it is so true! Megan and her husband came to church on Sunday by themselves, and we are going to have lunch and a lesson with them on Tuesday as well. We are helping a family named the Dukes return to activity and get to the temple before their baby is born in November! They just received callings, so they are well on their way!

Sunday was an insane and stressful and crazy day....... Lisa, our less active who recently moved in has had just about everything try to stand in the way of her meeting with us. All legitimate reasons, but seriously?! Her school flooded on Sunday, (She is a teacher, and trying to open up a new location for the first week of school), for the ONE time she was determined to go to church, something she is nervous about. We were going to leave church to go help her clean up and vacuum out water and everything, but she told us that she had left and they called the restoration company. Then we found out that one of our ward missionaries died..... Brother Sanborn. He had come with us to some of Spryte's lessons. So sad. He was such a sweet man. We are going to the funeral on Thursday. We had an emergency stop at our investigator's house after church, who has been struggling really bad. Then dinner, then our lesson with Lisa about the Book of Mormon! We have had to follow very closely the Spirit with Lisa, we feel like she is so fragile. But we can also see miracles happening and going to happen with her! I can't wait till she gets to prepare to go through the temple. I can see it! :)

Well, Satan is real. And he has tried to make himself quite know this week. But usually, before anything super awesome comes big stumbling blocks to block the way of us seeing the bright future ahead. But HE'S ABOUT TO GO DOWN THIS WEEK. 

Have a great week, I love you all!

Love,

Sister Inman

Sister Inman Letter - August 8, 2016

Another transfer, here we come!

Well, Sister Hunt and I are staying together, as was expected! the work here has been so wonderful, and it has been incredible to see the miracles happen as we have striven to be more obedient, more diligent, better at planning and following up, and better at being prompt to things, including contacting referrals and less actives. It has been neat to see the Lord working through us.

Well, this week was alright, I have been struggling with keeping up with the physically draining aspect of missionary work. I guess this week has been better, I have been a little more energized, but I am trying to catch up! 

Before I forget, HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!! :)

Speaking of love, one Christlike attribute I have been working on lately is charity. For if you have not charity... you have nothing. Therefore, I must have charity haha. And I feel like as I pray for it every day, throughout the day, I can feel God blessing me with it! And when I decide to love everyone, I have the Spirit with me a lot more! :)

A ton of appointments cancelled on us, and people keep getting sick, so I don't have a ton of experiences or things to report on this week, unfortunately. But we have planned a lot of really good things for this upcoming week and I am excited to contact EVERYONE and bring more souls unto Christ!

On Monday, we went bowling, and got a group discount! I beat everyone in our game, but then I got third place overall between the other two games. It was all fun though. :) I love our zone!

On Wednesday we got a training on Money and Time Management by the Brinkerhoff's, the senior couple in our zone. Elder Brinkerhoff has a background in finances, and Sister Brinkerhoff is fantastic at managing and using time effectively! So it was a much-needed training. 

On Thursday we did service again, but this time we went over to the campgrounds, and we raked and leveled out the grounds for the people to mow over. It's hard work when you're covering more than the space of a backyard! But luckily it wasn't terribly hot outside, and we had other missionaries to talk to!

We were able to do some family history on Saturday, and I became more familiar with the tree, and also how to use ancestry in combination with family search! I did some research on one of our ancestors, and it was really interesting to read more about who these people are, where they came from, and see any pictures or read any stories! I love family history! Also, we went on to Relative Finder, and it is super fun, because our mission has a group where we can log on and see how we are related to all of the other missionaries in our mission! Turns out that my last companion, Sister Chandler, and I are 4th cousins, twice removed! She is my closest missionary relative in the mission! No wonder we clicked so fast! We're family! :) I am also 4th cousins twice removed with President Passey, too haha.

We had a wonderful experience teaching Spryte and Gaven yesterday! We actually talked about the temple and family history with them! And at one point in the lesson, I felt impressed to share with them the strory in the Old Testament, about the Spirit of Elijah, where in this instance, it was Elisha. In 2 Kings 6:15-17. And something I shared with them was that just like in this story, we too are surrounded by those who are fighting for us, on the other side of the veil. And when we learn about them, and search for and do work for them, it creates a bond, and you develop a relationship with them. It is then that we can feel a closeness with them, and can feel of their protection when we go throughout our daily battles of life. We are not alone! They did not go through all that they did to pave the way for you, if you were destined to fail. They care just as much about your welfare as your Heavenly Father does. They can help you! It just bore a powerful witness to me of the reality of the Spirit World, and those who are beyond the veil. Love them and learn about them! Then you will be able to feel them with you! :) Also, all of their family got up and bore their testimonies in sacrament meeting. It was a very spiritual meeting.

Well, that's about all I have time for, sorry it's kind of short. I love and pray for you always! I hope you have a wonderful week! Keep the faith!

Love,

Sister Inman

Trying to be cute and take one of those grass pictures

Me and Sister Hunt

Us with Spryte and Gaven! Last night was our second to last lesson with them before they go back to Utah :( Then there's their Dad's finger photobombing

I beat everyone at bowling :) 114!

Sister Inman Letter - August 1, 2016

MONSOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!!

Hello family!

It sounds like Dad, Mom, and Jesse got to be in heaven for the past few days! How fun that you were able to enjoy the pines and reminisce! There are some great memories up there, some of my fondest ones :) You deserved a break!

Well, this week went by super fast! I feel like we just had a P-day a couple days ago! Wow! 

On Tuesday morning, we volunteered at a farm, and I learned how to turn manure! The things you learn and do as a missionary. You know the good-smelling stuff that they use for fertilizer? Yep, I got to work in the blazing hot sun and use pitch forks and sprayers to turn piles of manure. My feet and jeans got pretty gross. I now have a lot more respect for farmers who do this every day. Needless to say, I was sore the next day.

I also learned a little bit of Sign Language! there is a family in our ward that does sign, the Mom is an interpreter for a living, and her son happens to be deaf. It's so cool! So she is teaching all of her kids sign. :) I learned how to say I am a missionary for the church, and introduce myself! I want to learn more. And regain my Spanish.

Wednesday, we went to got visit a lady in the ward who had been suffering from some health problems. And on our way there, we saw an old old Korean lady outside (in the hot sun) picking up leaves in her yard. We said, "Let's go help her!" So we went out, and asked if she needed help. She excitedly waved to us and grinned, showing that she had no teeth, and also didn't know English. So we just started going around her yard, picking up leaves, and she smiled, and said "THAN YOO!" She could only pick up a few leaves at a time, then walked them over to a paper bag on her front porch. Then, she left. And closed the screen door. We continued to clean up her yard, and we hear a super loud laugh/cackle? Giggle? And she said "THAN YOOO!!!!" Weird. But we said "You're welcome!" And then went to the lady in our ward's house. Turns out, she is like 94, and doesn't know English. She lives with her daughter. How cute :)

That night we met with the Duke's, a less active couple, who are newlyweds and aiming for the temple before their baby comes! They shared with us their goals, and we had a good discussion. They came to church on Sunday, too. Super awesome family.

Thursday, we did service at the State Park, and cleaned up the median in the entrance way! The weeds had sprung up and overtook it from the heavy rains the past few days! After we fixed it up, we got to go into the animal preservation/wildlife exhibit, and the guide showed us around! We got to hold a couple snakes, and a tarantula.... and pet a salamander, and a Gila Monster! I overcame my fears, and it was awesome!

We had a lesson with Spryte on Friday, about Temples. And it was so awesome!!!! The spirit was super strong. Their less active grandmother sat in the lesson. In Gaven's prayer, he thanked Heavenly Father for answering his question. I have never seen someone so young as him, except maybe one, who has been so hungry for the Gospel, who seeks so much to find answers to his prayers and questions, in the scriptures, pamphlets, everything. If anything, I think he has grown the most. 

Saturday we did planning and I had a Dr.'s appointment which went well! Hopefully we can figure out what's wrong with me! That night there was a super awesome lightning show, which literally was shooting lightning nonstop for at least an hour. 

Sunday was a really nice day! No talks, no Ward council, no teaching classes, we could just enjoy church for once! Haha. The overall theme was temples and family history! Awesome. :) A member fed us salmon for dinner again, and it was good! Who knows, maybe when I get home, I might actually enjoy the salmon from Texas Roadhouse! (I'm down if you are!) :)

Today we went to the temple, and it is GORGEOUS! I am so happy it is so close and coming along so nicely. I love the temple. The pictures only barely capture how magnificent it really is. :)

Well, I am so grateful to be on a mission! We should hopefully be able to meet with Lisa again this week. I have noticed the Spirit more as we go about doing good and seeking for it, and God makes up for our weaknesses!

I hope you have a fantastic week, I love you!

Love,

Sister Inman

P.S. Learn more about family history! It's awesome!

"Think- who should be at the kitchen table in this family tree? Who is missing and who needs their work done?" Interesting thought.

Sunday is a great day to share stories, pictures, and upload them to family search!

We FINALLY got to go see the temple today! It is GORGEOUS! And huge! I cannot wait for it to be done :)

.Looks exacly like the model, just better and more FANTASTIC. :)

The TUCSON TEMPLE!

Construction, and MORONI! I wish I could get a better picture of him, because he looks massive!

We went to the wildlife preservation place after service on Thursday, and the guide let us hold/touch a few of the animals! I figured Jesse would be proud of me, so THIS IS FOR YOU, JESSE! (Literally the reason I ventured to hold a tarantula. I did it for Jesse. And to overcome my fear of tarantulas haha.)

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, (Go Diamondbacks!) They were all rattling!

A Tarantula

The fangs

My initial, honest reaction

The guide holding a Gila Monster. The tail is super bumpy, like a ton of beads. And under each "bead" is a bone!

 Gila Monster! Ever seen one? I got to pet one!

A salamander! got to feel that one, too! Just look at that face, so cute :)

Sister Inman letter - July 25, 2016

Another week, and God still loves us!

Hello there!

Wow, I barely pass my halfway point of my mission, and all of my friends and family come home from theirs! Wow... To think of how fast time goes.

Well, this week was full of miracles and sweet promptings of the Spirit. I have noticed that it was increasingly more present with Sister Hunt and I this week, and I have learned that I should never take for granted or do anything that would drive the Spirit away.

So I left my journal at home.... So.... :(

We have been having some incredible miracles and successes lately though! We have a new investigator, Megan, who recently married a Less Active. He has actually been very spiritually influential on their family! He has taught them how to pray, and about faith, and he wants Megan to read the scriptures with him. We just gave her a set of scriptures, and she was so excited, because now she could read along with him, and even read when he is out of town for work. She came to church yesterday with her daughters!!! We were so happy.

And then there is Lisa. She is one of those less active's that has never really been active, even right after baptism. She never really developed that relationship with God, nor has she felt He has played any role in her life, because of all of the horrible things she has been through. We met with her, and had a fantastic lesson. Sister Hunt had forgotten her iPad that day, and when we were going to share a specific Mormon Message with her, we both felt like she wasn't ready. Sister Hunt asked more questions, and so I did, and I shared personal experiences, and the Spirit was so strong. And because we were open to it, we were both directed to specific scriptures. That was the first lesson that I've ever used that many scriptures to teach doctrine. We only used the scriptures, and she opened up to us.

A couple times during the lesson she just stopped and was just awe-struck. She'd say something like "you really believe that?" Or "wait.... You feel that same happiness that my son does, too?" And every time, Sister Hunt and I would say "YES. We KNOW it." It was just so neat to see how she was so amazed that it was possible that we could be so young, and yet already know for sure of God's love, already know that there is a plan for us, and already have experienced that permanent, lasting joy that comes from the Gospel alone. We felt so fantastic when we left that lesson. We left her with a bible and Book of Mormon, which she didn't want to take from us. We assured her that we had more where those came from. :) she was so grateful. We both had a really good feeling about her.

Spryte dropped her baptismal date, so she could wait till she was back in Utah. Her mom wants to see that it is truly her decision. We were at peace with it, and felt that it was what she needed, and that she needs a little more preparation. But we had a couple of really good lessons with her. She has grown, and her brother Gaven has grown so much spiritually. He is making spiritual connections that are so deep to him, and even I learn so much from him! We taught them the Ten Commandments using hand signs, and he memorized the scripture to go
along with it! :)

Thursday we went on exchanges, and Sister Daun came to the area with me! It was so fun, it was really nice to be with her. She is a hoot. :) For dinner that night, we had salmon and sautéed broccoli- probably the healthiest dinner of my mission. And guess what--- IT WAS SO GOOD! The BEST Salmon I had ever had, and I actually WANTED to eat it! It tasted so good, and I said a prayer beforehand that it would be, and that I would be able to eat it. I was pleasantly surprised. :) She sautéed her broccoli in oyster juice/stuff, and it actually had a good
flavor! I know, I'm going crazy, huh. I'm not the Sister Inman you used to know...haha.

On the plus side, I'm in better shape than I ever have been in my life! My calves are pretty solid. Working on my rock solid abs though haha. I actually enjoy exercise. I know, right?

Well, today we had a huge tournament combining the Northwest, Central, Spanish and Southeast Tucson Zones. There were ten games of 3 on 3, and I got to play a couple games too. Some of them got pretty intense! We decided to dress and act as cheerleaders, till they called me in to play. I represent the NW Zone. Haha.

You all are SO LUCKY you get to go up to the Pines!!! Lucky me I get to work in the blazing sun, about 175 degrees. But I guess I'm getting a tan out of it, so... YEAH, that's the other thing. I'm getting the sister missionary tan. And proud of it.

I hope that Dad has a fantastic birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! Enjoy it! I have the best Dad. In the world.

Well I hope you all have a great week! I love you all and pray for you! :)

Love,
Sister Inman

Sisters Inman and Hunt

Tucson North Zone Conference

Sister Inman Letter - July 18, 2016

HUMP DAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!

Howdy Hey! I just passed my Hump Day! (My halfway point) Wow. In some ways, I feel new to this. I still feel like I don't quite know how things work. But in other ways, I feel like I have actually had quite a bit of experience. In the mission field, I have reached the status of being a "seasoned" missionary. I have learned so much. I am more confident. I am starting to figure things out. Not everything, but some things. I am starting to feel sure that the effort that I am making is acceptable to the Lord. And maybe it's because I have started to give an acceptable offering lately! I have definitely been able to see how the Lord has strengthened my ability to serve a mission, and to devote as much of my time, talents, and efforts to serving the Lord as possible.

This week was rough physically, but glory hallelujah was it a great week to be a missionary!!! Our hard work is finally starting to show itself. God definitely helped us this week. (He does every week, but I think we gave Him more to work with this week as we tried even harder to make it happen.)

I am reminded of a scripture, Alma 26:

 1 And now, these are the words of Ammon to his brethren, which say thus: My brothers and my brethren,behold I say unto you, how great reason have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed when we started from the land of Zarahemla that God would have granted unto us such great blessings?

 2 And now, I ask, what great blessings has he bestowed upon us? Can ye tell?

 3 Behold, I answer for you; for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work.

 5 Behold, the field was ripe, and blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the sickle, and did reap with your might, yea, all the day long did ye labor; and behold the number of your sheaves! And they shall be gathered into the garners, that they are not wasted.

 8 Blessed be the name of our God; let us sing to his praise,yea, let us give thanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever.

 10 And it came to pass that when Ammon had said these words, his brother Aaron rebuked him, saying: Ammon, I fear that thy joy doth carry thee away unto boasting.

 11 But Ammon said unto him: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God.

 12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea,behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.

 13 Behold, how many thousands of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of hell; and they are brought to sing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which is in us, therefore have we not great reason to rejoice?

 14 Yea, we have reason to praise him forever, for he is the Most High God, and has loosed our brethren from the chains of hell.

 16 Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.

I love those scriptures, and didn't expect I would feel the way he does! But it is true, I know for sure that it wasn't anything that I did by myself that allowed us great success, but Heavenly Father who blesses us as we try our hardest.

For Hump Day, we went to a Gelato Shoppe in Tucson, called Frost. It is SO GOOD. Totally worth it. We went with our Sister Training Leaders and they each said 3 things they loved about me, and Sister Hunt said 3, making 9 altogether. I got a package in the mail from Mom, Which was AWESOME!!!! Perfect timing, too! :D I got some super cute, much needed, comfy new shoes, and homemade strawberry jam that I have been CRAVING for weeks!!! :)

I was really sore from the trampoline place, but nothing good get me down that day. Even though we had some disappointments that day. To quote my journal, "I was just in a good mood today. Nothing could get me down. I'm happy. I've had a good mission. I'm doing the Lord's work. How could you be sad on hump day?" :) 

Wednesday we had district meeting, and the Brinkerhoff's invited us to their district lunch that they made! SUPER good food. I love them. We had a lesson with Bob, the 80yr old man, and discovered that we need to start from scratch with him. He doesn't seem to understand who God is, much less his relationship with Him. He is quite influenced by the world's view of things...

Thursday was awesome! We had 3 solid lessons, got a new investigator, had a member present lesson, and a lesson with a recent convert, named Adrienna! And we mentioned baptism in every one. (Our zone has a goal to mention or invite someone to baptism at every teaching appointment. We have accepted the challenge, and it has been pretty powerful and neat to feel the Spirit increase each time!). We did service at the State Park, and the Sisters landscaped the front entrance median, cleaned up and weeded the rocks, etc. and the Elders took out the picnic tables from the picnic area and replaced them all with new ones.

Our new investigator's name is Megan, who just got married to a less active who seems to still be strong in the faith, and has had an incredible, good influence on her, and her children since they have been together. he taught them how to pray, and he has been helping introduce them to the scriptures and the church. She is in her mid-20s and is totally awesome! She is so ready to learn and to completely embrace the Gospel. I am so excited to work with her, and I know that she is going to be one of those goldens. I can just tell. Woo! I love those!

Friday we met with Spryte again, and had a great, powerful lesson on prayer and scripture study!

That evening, we had another amazing visit with a woman who has been through a lot in her life. The Elders had been working with her before, but I think that she really needs some female support and love. Her name is Shandra, and she is in her 40's. She has been through some really really rough times in her life, and is ready to embrace the Gospel, and return unto Christ. She just opened up to us, and thanked us over and over again for coming over and bringing the Spirit into her home, and for listening, and for showing her and confirming to her that God is aware of her, that He loves her, and that she can continue to build her faith and foundation upon Jesus Christ. We shared with her Helaman 5:12, and she said she knew it was inspired of God that we were sent here. What a fantastic experience for all of us. :) We have another lesson with her on Tuesday of this week!

Saturday we had another lesson with Megan! We gave her a quad combination (scriptures) and she was super excited about it and said "this is exactly what I need! Now I can follow along with David! (her husband). I'm excited to work with her.

Sunday was great! We had lots of meetings, and were going this way and that between wards, but we got to go to both sacrament meetings, had ward council, coordination, and we taught a little bit in Primary! Good stuff. Then we had another great lesson with Spryte about Obedience, Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy, and Taught the first 5 of the 10 commandments, using hand signals to remember them. Awesome lesson, confirmed to me that the Sabbath Day can be a delight, because although it is the Lord's day, it is meant for us!

Anyway, I hope you have a fantastic week, and look for the tender mercies that God has in store for you! I am so grateful to have each of you in my family and I hope that you continue to do what is right, and try your best to be effective, faithful disciples of Christ!

I love you all!

Love,

Sister Inman

Me and Anna :)

Finally! Anna and all of us minus 3 that it took to get her baptized!

Me and Anna, I love her!

 I made my own splint with Q-tips and tape :D It actually worked haha.

 I jammed my finger when catching a football at sports... :/

We played floor hockey for July 4th! Intense, but fun!

We painted bathrooms for service, and it took forever but it was fun!

Got to see Sister Packer again, she is in my first area!

Sister Inman Letter - July 11, 2016

I think something clicked. I feel great!

Wow! Hello family!

Man, I feel like this week I finally got it. I'm starting to feel successful as a missionary, I am feeling satisfaction in my work, I am happier, and I just love being a missionary! Can I have this all of the time?

If you were to strictly look at our key indicators and number statistics for this week, you would probably say, "Wow, sisters, did you do ANYTHING at all this week?" Well yes, we did! And I've learned a valuable lesson about being a successful missionary: It's not all about the numbers.

So to go through my week, focusing primarily on this subject:

Wednesday at zone meeting, Sister Hunt and i were asked to give a training on "Being a Successful Missionary". Both the Sister Training Leaders and Zone Leaders felt that we were the ones that were supposed to give the training, so we did! And it was awesome! We really sought for the Spirit's guidance, because we wanted to attend to everyone's or at least many different people's needs.

Well, the training went SO WELL! Super good! :) The Spirit was there, we had a good discussion, and had good feedback, comments, and participation. People actually took notes! Yeah! The training was a solid 25 minutes or so. But almost everyone approached us afterwards and said how awesome it was, and thanked us for our training, that it was exactly what they needed, and they loved the scriptures we used, etc. I feel like every one of us needed it, really. I know I did. I learned a lot while studying for it. Both older and newer missionaries, etc. And then the rest of the meeting was super awesome too!

Then on Thursday..... Remember in my first area, in Hereford? The older woman we were teaching named Anna who had a few different baptismal dates? ANNA GOT BAPTIZED ON THURSDAY!!!!!!!! And do you know what's almost even cooler? I GOT TO GO!!!! The Brinkerhoff's, the Senior Couple in our zone, took me, Sister Daun, and Sister Quinonez down to Hereford for the baptism at 6pm. And wow, what a powerful event that was. Everyone was crying. As soon as Anna saw me come towards her when we got there, she gasped and started crying. She said, "I thought I would never see you again! I am so happy you came!!" Such a sweet moment. The baptism was performed by the now Ward Mission Leader, in Spanish. That was cool. Before he started, she seemed a little nervous, and he was coaching her and telling her it was okay, and asked if she wanted to do this. (They have been good friends with Anna since she started this journey). She nodded, and he began the prayer. After she came back up out of the water, she froze there, and just started sobbing. Everyone started crying. The Spirit was so strong. She finally did it. And I got to help and be a big part of her journey as well. :) It's an incredible feeling, to know that you were able to help someone on their path to the Savior, even though the fruits of my labors did not come until after I had left the area. We're all in this great work together! (Cue High School Musical)

The next couple of days we just tried a whole bunch of people. We called/texted/knocked as many people as we could, and although pretty much no one answered, we were on top of things. We had things to report to our Ward Mission Leaders, and we were pumped about the work. And we continue forward. We continue to plan. We keep trying. And we CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY! (There's a shocker!)

On Sunday we gave talks in the La Cholla Ward, on the Priesthood and what it means to women in the Church. Interesting topic, but I think it went fairly well! Again, many more people came up to us afterwards and said they loved it. Things seem to go a lot better when the Spirit is the one writing the training or talk. He's really good at it. A woman approached us later and gave us a referral, for one of her dear friends, and she cried to us about how concerned she was. It was really tender, and we comforted her and assured her that as soon as we got the address and were able, we would go and visit this woman. She expressed a desire for her to meet Sisters, that perhaps she might be willing to learn more, and if she passes away before then, she will remember us, and hopefully accept it in the next life. How sweet of her, that's so neat to hear from someone about someone else.

Sunday night, we did a zone-wide missionary devotional/blitz/training in the Marana Stake. Several sets of missionaries in the zone went and helped train some young adults in the mission prep class how to do street contacting, and then we each took a couple of them with us to go and do an actual missionary visit! Pretty neat experience, we met this one less active lady, part-member family, and she invited us in. She ended up just opening up to us and telling us her concerns, and by the end of our visit, the two girls we brought with us were sharing personal experiences and thoughts with her that were able to relate to her. The Spirit was strong, and I felt an overwhelming sense of God's love for this woman! Really cool, and she said she would be willing to have missionaries come back. :)

And GUESS WHO I SAW at that activity?! Remember the McKnight's in our ward from a few years ago? Rebecca and Savannah were there. They are all grown up, and Savannah will be a Senior this year. Man. SO CRAZY! They were super shocked to see me there, and even more so that I was a missionary haha. They yelled, "Torie?!?! What are you doing in Tucson?! " I said, "Well I'm a missionary!" Haha. Fun to see them.

Today we went to AZ Air Jump, which is basically like JumpStreet. It was pretty fun! But wow, is it a workout! I was sweating wayyyyy more than usual. But it was cool, because I could still do things I used to be able to do. :) We played dodgeball, too. I love our zone and district more and more as I get to know them!

Last Monday for the Fourth of July, we played floor hockey for Sports, and it was crashed by a family reunion, but they had all of the stuff, so we joined them and had a massive game of floor hockey! Super fun!

But anyway, we are going to be trying to contact as many people on the Ward Council List/Bishop's List, etc. this week! We are planning a coupe of Splits, so we are going to get this ball rolling! Super stoked, bring on the power of being a super sister!

I love you all, I hope you have a fantastic week! The Gospel is true, no matter if people refuse to believe it! If it was once true, it will always be true. Read the Book of Mormon every day. "There is power in the Book of Mormon which will begin to flow into your life the moment you begin a serious study of the book". (I can't remember who said that. But it was an Apostle.) It will protect you from Spiritual danger and temptation. It will bring you joy and peace and comfort. Pray to know it is true!

Keep doing what you know is right, and God will give you the power to bring about much good in your own life!

Have a great week!

Sister Inman

 E. Anderson and Montandon

Look who I saw!
Savannah & Rebecca McKnight with Sister Inman

Savannah & Rebecca McKnight with Sister Inman

Me y Sister Hunt, mi companera