August 28, 2017

We got this great picture sent to us last night. I don't know who sent it, but I sure do love these people!

The text said, "Just as we were sitting up for our FHE lesson tonight, these stripling warriors knocked on our door. They joined us as we shared what having the gospel means to each of us. It was so sweet to hear both elders share their feelings. Elder DeGraw shared how much his family means to him. He shared how you've been sick and how he prayed for you every day in the MTC and how you've been blessed and are doing better.  He realizes even more how grateful he is for family. It was sweet to have them in our home."

Week 3! Sandstorms, Arizona Freeway, and Priesthhood Blessings

Hola mis amigos! 

I hope you've all had a wonderful week. It's been pretty busy here. You can tell that the locals are getting pretty excited for winter here. The members have told me it's paradise. I'm excited for it, but I'm starting to enjoy the heat. Yesterday in church, I was so cold because someone had turned the AC down to 60 degrees. Okay, It's time for the good stuff...

Tuesday was a great day. It was my first Zone Conference. My Mission President is really funny and kind. He has a strong testimony and a light he takes everywhere. I look up to him. President Robinson taught about how we need to have more tools in our toolbox. He explained that if all we have is a hammer, we can only solve one problem; putting a nail into a wall. He then told us that if we put more tools into our toolbox, we can fix more problems (answer more questions) investigators have because we have the proper items. The main point he was trying to get across to us was to use study time more effectively. It helped me learn how to put personal study to better use. The greatest habit and realization the MTC/Mission Field has given me is that reading the scriptures daily can improve our lives quicker then anything else. 

Wednesday was a crazy awesome day. First, Elder Kuewa and I helped a member push two broken-down cars out of his yard. The member told us that last time, it took four Elders to move them. I'm sure that Elder Kuewa (using his Hawaiian strength) could have pushed them out on his own. After that, we were riding our bikes home when we saw a four-door Dodge truck stopped in the middle of an intersection. It had overheated. Elder Kuewa told me to watch the bikes as he dashed out into the road. He took a few deep breaths and then pushed it all the way into a Walgreen's parking lot about 30 feet away. That's missionary power. :D I wanted to help, but we've heard stories of other Elders leaving their bikes unattended for 10 seconds and then they're gone. I was cheering him on from the crosswalk. Haha! Also, we had a giant sandstorm and I got a picture I'll send you all.

Thursday was a normal missionary work day. We taught the Restoration to a few people and gave a priesthood blessing to a less-active. The Spirit was so strong in that room and Jerry (the less-active) said he could feel his Fathers arms around him... he came to church yesterday.

Friday we had a PMG workshop. I got to drive the ZL's minivan on the freeway! I loved it, driving's been something I've missed a lot. The freeway was so busy and before I got in the car, I was saying so many prayers. I could feel the Spirit directing me in everything I did. We were late to the workshop because Google Maps misdirected us to get off exit 41, but we need to get off at 45. I loved every minute of it. 

The weekend was great. Nothing really happened. I really loved church and it gave me a spiritual boost for the upcoming week. 

To end, I'll bear my testimony on the blessing of a modern day prophet. Our beloved President Thomas S. Monson has been called of God to direct His work here on earth. He recently turned 90-years old and he is still spreading good and shooting smiles whenever he can. He has set an example for all of us, and it's a great example to follow, because he follows Jesus Christ. I know this is the true church and that studying the counsel of President Monson can help us in schooling, work, and anything else. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week! Thanks for your emails and the encouragement. Stay safe and keep moving forward.

Love,

Elder DeGraw

Arizona Streets

Mesa Temple

Elder DeGraw with some palm trees

A Few More Pictures of Elder DeGraw's Arrival

These are from Elder DeGraw's first day in Arizona, but they are some great photos--so even though they are 3 weeks old I wanted to share them.

Meeting Elder Kuewa

Elder DeGraw and President Robinson

The group of missionaries that arrived with Cameron.

Elder DeGraw looks great, but he may or may not be my favorite part of this photo...

August 22, 2017

We got this picture tonight from a gal named Sister Biggs. She is from the ward Elder DeGraw is serving in and fed the missionaries tonight. She said he was talkative and happy.

Week 2 in the Field

Hey everyone! 

The work has been wonderful. Last Saturday (Aug 19th) was my one month mark! It's gone by so quick and I'm looking forward to the next 23! It was a pretty interesting week. I don't remember most of it, but I do remember the really good stuff. :D 

Tuesday, not much happened. We went and saw a less-active. He talked for most of the time about how the world's going to end because of Trump. Then he moved to how animals play a role in the Plan of Salvation...then he went back to Trump. I enjoyed it and at the end before we left, I told him not to worry and that he doesn't need to carry all the worlds problems on his shoulders. It's hard seeing who people here can become, but they don't want to make a change.

Wednesday, I don't really remember what happened except that Elder Kuewa ran over a 7up can and it flipped up and hit him in the face. I laughed just a little. He's an awesome trainer and he loves to talk about Hawaii. I've decided to add visiting Hawaii on my bucket list.

Thursday and Friday were both normal days. We visited a few people and taught a lesson to a nine-year old name Caden. We're planning on committing him to baptism this week! We also taught a new investigator name Sommer. It's spelled with a "o" but you pronounce it "summer." She had a LOT of questions. Elder Kuewa said he's never taught a lesson with so many questions. We were there for almost two hours. The bishop in the Westwood Ward is pretty sure she's going to get baptized. 

Saturday was one of the best days this week. We have three (almost four) investigators on date to be baptized. Bobby is one of our best investigators and he has a three-year old boy name Jeremiah. You can tell he really cares about his boy. We got to take him to the Mesa Visitor Center. The part he loved the most was the families can be together forever videos. He started to cry and talk about how the Elders have helped him so much, and how he can see hope for himself and his son. We said a prayer and recommitted him to baptism September 23rd. Also on Saturday, we had service. Elder Kuewa took me to a thrift store where we broke down a couple of boxes, organized the store, and I had a battle with some kind of giant beetle. You couldn't really call it a battle, because I started running when it came after me. :D

Sunday was a very great day too. I was asked to give a talk in the Westwood Ward on Elder Anderson's talk called "Overcoming the World. It went great and the members here are so kind. At first, I talked about myself. Where I'm from, my family, and what some hobbies were. I had a pretty funny story I used. I'll try to explain it. On Saturday, we went and visited a family named the Brinkerhoffs. I listed of a few of my hobbies to them (hiking, sleeping, and ballroom dancing) and Sister Brinkerhoff thought she heard me say barn dancing. Haha! So in sacrament meeting, I told them this story and then I said: "I guess if anywhere in the world had barn dancing, it would be Idaho." One particular sister in the congregation thought it was pretty funny. 

So that was my week. I'm excited to see what experiences this next week brings. I hope you all survived the eclipse. I heard there were a lot of people heading up there. Send me pictures of all the people. 

I'll leave you with a quick testimony. I know that The Book of Mormon is true. I know that it was translated by the power of God through the Prophet; Joseph Smith. I know that it can bless so many lives. I know that Jesus Christ lives. He is our Savior. He has saved my life, He's saved all of our lives. I can not begin to say how badly I want to be like Him. He's given me everything and I am so blessed to have the opportunity to give Him two years of my life where I only focused on others. I know He loves me, and I love Him. We can all become better, become more Christlike, because of Him. In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.

I hope you all have a wonderful week. I try to pray for you all often. Thank you for your examples and your prayers. I leave the door every morning feeling the Spirit by my side as it protects me and tells me which ways to go. Stay safe and be brave!

Love, 

Elder DeGraw

August 20, 2017

I am in love with this picture that I received today. That looks like Elder DeGraws real smile. I hope he's adjusting and falling in love with Arizona.  The text message said that he did great on his talk today. 

August 16, 2017

We got another message from a "friend we've never met"... I am so grateful for these kind people. What a meaningful gesture it is to send these updates!!!

The message said, "Your Elder is doing great. He has a positive attitude and survived his first week here. We enjoyed having our missionaries over for dinner last night."

First Week in the Field!

Hey again everyone!

I made it to the field and it is great down here. Whenever it reaches around 110 degrees, I tell myself to imagine I'm vacationing at a tourist's hot spot. The flight was amazing. It was my first time on a plane. Lift off felt a little bit like a roller coaster. I can't wait to do it again in two years.

My trainer is Elder Kuewa. He's Hawaiian and is a spiritual giant. He makes me a lot of rice and ham. I've gained a few pounds. The trainers down here like to tease the trainees. Whenever a plane flies over us, he will look at me and ask how far away I think that plane is. I'll say I don't know and he'll reply; "two years." :D I've caught onto it now. 

After the flight, I met my mission president and his wife. They're really good people. All the Elders  in my mission say that the work is like a wildfire because of President Robinson. The average baptisms monthly are between 60-70. I think that's pretty crazy and I hope I can contribute to those numbers pretty soon here. 

I'm in the Mesa Maricopa Stake. I share two wards -- the Stewart Ward and the Westwood Ward. There are the nicest people down here. However, I think that they are all crazy for living in a desert 110 degrees 24/7. I get dinners every night from a new family each time. We help a lot of people here, less-actives and investigators. Our apartment is nice...two bathrooms, two study rooms, a kitchen, and our sleeping area is in the living room. I got to meet with a lot of people this week. my most favorite person's name is Matt S. He's a recent convert since July. He's the president of a biker gang and owns a corvette. He has tattoos up both arms, but you can barely notice them because you're distracted by the light he has in his eyes. His story is pretty amazing. I hope I can bring that light into someone's life while I'm here. 

Yesterday, I got to watch the Tucson Dedication. President Uchtdorf gave a beautiful talk about how temples can bring us closer to our heaven then anywhere else. He talked about the thunderstorms we've been having this last week (in Arizona) and explained how afterwards, he noticed that it is clear and calm. I want to agree with this statement. We will have to struggle through our own spiritual thunderstorms, but there will later come a light that we can reach out for and grab. This light is Jesus Christ and he can bring clarity to the challenges, the storms, we face. He is always there knocking, hoping that we will open the door and let Him in. Open that door, and I promise you will see miracles in your life that you never imagined before. He lives. I say these thing in our Savior's name, Jesus Christ, amen.

I miss you all and hope you have a great week! Keep moving forward.

Love, 

Elder DeGraw

August 12, 2017

Text message from an Arizonan friend we've never met... "We loved having Elder DeGraw in our home this morning for breakfast. He and his companion haven't melted yet and they are working so hard! Thank you for sharing him with Mesa, Arizona."

Elder DeGraw Arrived in Arizona!

Elder DeGraw made it to Arizona. We received this picture from his mission office-- it's of him with President and Sister Robinson.  

We also got this picture of Elder DeGraw with his trainer, Elder Kuewa, The picture was sent  to us by Bishop Arnett. He is in Mesa, where Elder DeGraw will be serving. The Bishop thought Cameron was very personable and talkative and thinks he will be really great! He asked Cameron to speak in a couple weeks.

This picture was sent by a ward member that Elder DeGraw met that first night. They said he has a great companion and the ward will be so grateful to have him serving there.

Elder Kuewa is from Hawaii and has been out since last Fall. He has been in this area for about 3 months.

Call from the Airport

I just got to speak with Elder DeGraw on the phone while he was waiting for his flight at the airport. It was 8 minutes 11 seconds of pure joy that didn't last long enough-- hanging up was excrutiating, and had all of us in tears.  He was excited to tell us about the departing devotional. They watched a video by Elder Bednar, when it was over-- they were told to stand up-- then Elder Bednar walked through the door right next to Cameron. He said it was a great close to his MTC experience (which was pretty perfect). He and another Elder sprained their ankles last p-day, and have been in ankle braces all week. Cameron said its feeling better. He thanked us for the emails, and said they are really helpful to him. He started to get emotional when he said, "This is scary, but great." He closed by sharing his sweet testimony. He was so upbeat and positive. I know that being so far out of his comfort zone is really hard for him, and I'm just so so beyond proud of him. This is all new (and scary), but I know he's got this and will be great. Arizona is about to receive THE BEST gift in the form of a tall skinny blonde boy from Idaho!!!

*we received this surprise picture of Elder DeGraw and Elder Horrocks from someone we don't know. Such a great surprise!!!

Ashton

In Elder DeGraws last letter, he talked about teaching Ashton in the MTC. We got this picture sent to us today. Such a fun surprise!

Week 2 in the MTC!

Hello everyone! 

So much has happened in the last week, so I guess I'll jump right in. First, I'm still loving the MTC, but everyday I get more anxious to get into the field. I think these feelings mostly come from teaching the TRC's. It's a program that let's missionaries practice their teaching skills on actors that are members or REAL investigators. We teach 2 on 1, so there's never more then one investigator in the room with us. My two TRC's this week are Kainoa and Ashton. They are both really great and want to know about the gospel. (We aren't suppose to know if they're members or investigators, but garments are an easy give away.) When I'm teaching a lesson, the Spirit is so strong. You just want to give that feeling of peace and joy to other people. Teaching is my favorite part of a mission so far. My companion is awesome. His favorite quote is: "The church is true, the book is blue, and Moroni is on the ball." He says it as often as he can. It's catchy. He tries really hard and serves others. Prayer is such a powerful tool, I've never been on my knees more in my life. I'm gonna need prayer this next week too, a lot...

Elder Horrocks and I got a letter saying that we're meeting with the MTC President tomorrow. I'm not sure what it's for. They might be asking us to give a talk in the Departure Meeting on Sunday. Maybe not, I have a few ideas of what else it could be. Then on Sunday we're giving the Priesthood lesson on virtue and later that night we have to help with Match the Message. Basically we stand in front of all the Elders and are given mics so we can answer questions. Stressful week. 

I'm excited (nervous) and I'll give my all. I only have two years, so I'll make every minute count!

Speaking of entering the mission field, I got my flight plans. I get to leave August 7th. Next Monday! There are 18 Elders in total on the flight. I don't know if Scottsdale is ready to handle all that priesthood power. The hardest part is going to be saying goodbye to the Elders in our district that are heading to Nampa, ID. I've come to love them in a short amount of time and it feels like we've been brothers all of our lives. They will be great missionaries. 

My dorm is called the Addison Pratt building. I spoke a little bit in my last email about the new MTC. It is such an amazing building. I'm lucky enough to have my classroom be in this building. I've attached a picture of my view. Another wonderful blessing the new MTC has given me was the chance to help with tours on Thursday. I loved talking to the tourists and seeing the light in their eyes. The younger kids made me laugh because they were so shocked that they were actually meeting a real-life missionary. 

That was a super cool day, but I so wish it would have been Friday. Why? Well I remember we we're having a Book of Mormon read outside, and all the sudden there were security guards everywhere...everywhere. Then out the doors right next to me comes Jefferey R. Holland. Yeah. He smiled at Elder Horrocks and I and kept walking. All the Elders on the tour that day got to shake his hand. So. Lucky.  You know that we are led by true Prophets and Apostles when you meet one. The light they have, the Spirit that's about them, it's real. 

I guess I should end my email soon, before it becomes a novel. One last story. I got to go to the Provo Temple today. This was my second time since I've been here, and I can say with full confidence that there is no better place on earth than a temple (except maybe home sweet home). I've added a pictures of the trip too. 

You're all so amazing and I miss you all. The scripture I chose to have put on my missionary plaque is Psalms 27:1. When tough times roll around this week, I'd encourage you to read this verse and pray, prayer is one of the greatest blessings our Heavenly Fathers given us. You can do anything. 

Love you all so much! Hoorah for Israel! 

Elder DeGraw

view from my classroom

My secret missionary rainbow drink

Temple trip #2

Provo temple