Hello again! I can't even believe it is December. It feels
like I'm on vacation in California or Mexico or something. But I'm guessing for
you all up in Utah it feels like December! Brrr!
So, not a lot to say.... We had Thanksgiving with our
Bishop's family. Bishop Bloom and his family are pretty much the only people we
say that day, because we can't just drop in on people on Thanksgiving! So we
went home and went over all the paperwork for the area- or not even all of it,
there is too much! We're trying to get the know the area more but it sure it
hard! This city is confusing!
Apparently people don't like you to come after dark. Friday night
some people were not to happy to hear from us. One woman told us through the
door she was very disturbed that we were knocking on her door at 9 at night-
although it was only just after 8. Another woman said, also through the door,
"Now is not the time for visiting!" I'm glad that all I could do was
laugh in bewilderment.
Our ward takes in part of Phoenix and part of Paradise
Valley, and everyone here is super well off! For our dinner Saturday night we
had to be buzzed in at the gate to get to their front door. And almost all the
apartment complexes- and there are so many of them!- almost all of them have
gate codes you need to get in. We tried to visit someone, and their gate
actually had a security guard. He called the people to verify they knew us, and
while he waited for them to pick up, he says, "Sister Brown? As is,
nuns?" No, we're sister missionaries.... And then the people asked us to
come by another time. After we left I had a bit of an anxiety attack. I could
handle people not letting us in at night, I could handle members having to buzz
us in, but the security guard rejection plus the nun thing was just too much.
Coming from the mountains where people can't pay to turn on their heat or pay
for gas to take the kids to school, and Sister Fairbanks coming from the Salt
River Pima Reservation, which is probably worse than what I experienced... we
are so out of our element here. So yep, here's another experience!
A man who was baptized about 18 months ago called us, and
asked to meet. He wants to become more active and get his priesthood and go to
the temple. Yay! We are so excited to help him to more forward. The only thing
we need now is help from the ward, and they pretty much seem to be very willing
to help!
We are trying to move our baptism from the 7th to the 14th,
so we have more time to set it up. Because neither me nor my companion has ever
had to plan a baptism! So I'll have to let you all know how that goes!
It's so strange to see christmas lights all around without
any snow... but it's still fun to see!
I also met a Sister Reeves in church yesterday.... Isn't it
a small world? She is Paul Benson's mother-in-law. I don't remember the
Benson's very well, but I remember a little. I guess everyone is connected
somehow!
Anyways, that's about it for now! I love you all very much
and am always so glad to hear from you! I bore a brief testimony in church
yesterday, because I do know that we are so blessed to have the fulness of the
gospel on the earth today. We know the happiness we have through the gospel,
and we know that the gospel is the one and only way to find everlasting
happiness- and that's why we share it with those we love! We share the gospel
because we love these people so much we want them to have the joy that we have.
The first article in this month's Ensign is awesome- go read it!
Always look for ways to be a friend to someone in need. And
that makes us happy too!
I LOVE YOU!!!!
Love, Sister Hailey Brown
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