Floss and Dross

Hi,

What a whirlwind of a week! I've played musical companions. In the mission field, we always go out as two companions, and occassionally we'll have a third. Y'all have known that I was in a group of three, with the Cambodian and Canadian sister. Well this week the Canadian sister went home unexpectedly--she didn't even realize how fast she had to go. But in less than 36 hours, we got the call, got packed, and sent her out. The problem? Neither me or my companion were allowed to drive the car! (As an international sister from Cambodia, my companion can't drive in the U.S. And missionaries are supposed to be in the mission at least 6 weeks here before they can get permission). We got a special driving test so I could take both of us around for a day and we could meet our appointments. And the next day, I switched out my Cambodian companion for a new one that can drive, Sister Taylor!

Sister Taylor was actually here in my area my first night and just barely left the area a month ago (when I arrived). Now she's back and better than ever! It got a little more interesting when we picked up a third sister, a new visa waiter for a night, Sister Bambrough, who was actually my roommate in the MTC. She's a little spitfire, going to Sydney, Australia Mandarin-speaking, via Mesa (for those that have seen Support Your Local Sheriff, she's "just on her way through to Australia"). We only had her with us a day and now things are settling down a bit. I only have a week left in Arizona (I leave next Tuesday), but with all the changes, it's like I'm starting a whole new part of my mission.

For example, last night we got a referral to visit someone who would be interested in the church. When we arrived, we realized that it was a family that had been taking lessons a long time ago and nothing had come from it since. But we decided to give it another go and invited them out to an activity. Not only did they accept the invitation, but we managed to say a pray with them and share a little scripture about the importance of family, and one of the young sons got pretty excited to learn more about the Book of Mormon. It's another sign to me that there are more things I still get to do in this area though my time is short.

Teaching is going better. It helps to have a companion familiar with the people and the area. Sister Taylor has just picked up where she left off and we're both working hard on teaching simply. Has anyone tried to teach complicated things in a simple way before? It's HAAAAAAARD. But, hey, if I don't work at it, how will I get better? Here's a good scripture that I told myself a week ago I should share with you: "Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer" (Prov 25:4). I like to think of a mission as a de-drossing process.

Oh, and weather. So it's supposedly the hottest week of the year in Arizona (110-120 degrees Farienheit 451). But... I'm fine. Sometimes you walk out of the car and just get completely drenched with sweat. But as long as you accept that you're gross, then you just kinda dawdle around in the heat like a happy little gecko. Also, there have been a few monsoons since I've gotten here. They are (sometimes) rainstorms that are always preceeded by a giant dust storm that darkens the whole big blue Arizona sky. These storms are also called "haboobs" (that's how it's pronounced, if I spelled it wrong I'm SORRY) and are just a wall of dust and dirt that air pressure has thrown up from the ground. When you're inside the car, it's like being in a car wash where it's all dark and the car is being buffeted. It just has the opposite effect on the car's general shininess.

Okay, a letter shout out: Thanks to Annabelle, Sue Fu, L'Deane, Bishop Caffaro, Kindra, and Chris for the e-mails you sent through my Mom (and thanks to Mom for printing them out and forwarding them to me!!!!). Always thanks to Tay, Kuuuuurt, and Taty for your correspondance! And a HUGE thank you to Jamiestown and Jester in Moab!! Your package was unexpected, awesome, and melted (the chocolate didn't do so well in the Arizona sun, but we managed to salvage most of it)! I just want to know how you picked out the exact journal I would have bought for myself. It was really awesome and I'm going to send you something with Italian postage on it in the near future. That goes for everyone who writes to me.

Time has gone fast. Always remember: TIME FLIES LIKE AN ARROW. FRUIT FLIES LIKE A BANANA.

I love you all! Don't forget that God loves us! And to floss!
Annie, Sister