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
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