Christmas 2017

It was so SO so great to talk to Elder DeGraw on Christmas. He has changed in many ways. He is growing and “becoming”, and we are so proud of him. Here are a couple new pictures that he sent us.

Christmas Eve dinner... where we were duped into trying a baby ghost pepper. I spit it out as soon as it touched my tongue-- and my lips still swelled up. Poor Elder Bird chewed and swallowed his. It was followed by 10 minutes of hiccups, burping, and torture for him.

Stocking from Sister Richardson

Family chat on christmas

Christmas dinner at Jack in the Box

We go to 2 different wards each Sunday-- that second meeting is just too much for my companion.

"Christmas Pajamas" given to us from Brother and Sister Gaytan. My companions pants were bright blue. 

A tree we brought to one of our investigators.

December 21, 2017

Sister Richardson and her family decorated the missionaries door. I sure love and appreciate her. What a superb example of member missionary work.

It’s so cold...?

Hey everyone! 

Sorry I didn't get an email out to you last week. Look at the positives, you get two weekly updates now! The weather here has been something else. Some days it's toasty enough that I can go with the short sleeve t shirt. Other days, it's cold enough that my eyes start watering while I'm biking, and then I run into a garbage can (which may or may not have happened...). So here's the week... not this week but the one before that...

Week 1
Monday was a p-day, we went outside the mission again! To Portillos. Our ward mission leader wanted to introduce me to Chicago food. I was so stuffed after, I kept falling asleep in a few meetings we had that night. We also went caroling with a few of the young couples in Westwood. We caroled at this one guys house and inside I saw a Bud Ha statue. There were piles of money and jewelry around it like he was worshiping it?

Tuesday was another temple trip and the mission's Christmas lunch. It's always nice seeing President Robinson, I love the feeling that can be found in the temple. We got sent home with a giant Costco pie. We already ate the whole thing! I took a few pictures, it was a cloudy day.

Wednesday not very much. Caroling with the youth in Stewart! Our investigator Megan came and really connected with the young women! It brought back a lot of memories from when I would go to mutual. A few of the people we visited started to cry.

Thursday was exchanges day! Probably one of the best days of my mission so far. I got to go on an exchange with Elder Robinson (from Rexburg)! He's the older brother of a guy I graduated High School with. Elder Robinson is home now, but he taught me so much the day I went out with him. I asked him a lot of questions about his mission. He even gave me a sweater. After, I remember we were parked waiting for our companions to show up and he told me a few things that surprised me. He said that he gives compliments after every exchange, but the ones he gave to me he said that he really meant them. Watch out for him all you Rexburgies! It was hard seeing him go.

Friday was a busy day. We taught Megan again and invited her to come to church. Sister Richardson has been very kind to her and is a great help to us missionaries. We also had the Adult Stewart Ward Christmas party! We got brisket and cheesecake. I need to get more exercise...

Saturday we saw a whole lot of people and not much else. We ran into this kind fellow (cactus guy).

Sunday nothing happened except for we got to see Brother Webbs mission pictures! The best parts are usually the stories that come with them. He served in the Canada Halifax mission. I loved getting to see what missionaries were like back then. A lot's changed. Megan did come to church and one of our member families invited her to dinner. I'm also staying in Mesa with Elder Bird for another transfer.

Week 2
Monday Elder Bird got a haircut, then we rode our bikes to get the Prince of Egypt movie, ate at McDonald's, and basketball, a lot of basketball! 

Tuesday we ran to see the Dr. we went and visited the mission office. I think about 4 new Elders came in. Tuesday night the Elders Quorum in Westwood had a barbecue that we went to. We invited one of our investigators Stephen, but he didn't show up. There was so much food. Fries, home made salsa, and meat.

Wednesday; Elder Kuewa is back! He's on the Pima Rez with Elder Rowe. It's the weirdest thing seeing him again. Service again at the thrift store. We talked to a guy on the street and helped him carry a few things to his car. He told us his daughter is moving to Nepal next year to be part of a humanitarian effort. We also invited him to the temple lights.

Thursday, exchanges with Elder Wright. Taught Megan again, she's gonna be gone next week visiting her family in Globe. A few lessons in the night. Nothing very big.

Friday we planned on visiting on of our investigators and crushing cans for her, but she cancelled on us. We saw a few people and then prepared for a temple trip. We went with members and Stephen.The lights were amazing. I made sure to take some pics. They were almost as good as Salt Lake, almost.

Saturday we had zone sports in the morning an played some gatorball. Remember; getting elbowed in the face = a bloody nose. Saw a lot of different people for the rest of the day. Knocked 1 door and a big hairy guy answer wearing no shirt. We also had a crazy thunderstorm right over our apartment and it shook our whole house around 4 a.m.

Sunday nothing happened. Elder Bird gave a talk a random person on the street gave us pieces of cake. It must be that Christmas Spirit that's in the air, because our fridge is packed with desserts. 

Monday here's what happened... haircut, cleaning, shopping, emailing, and basketball. I also got a new pair of shoes. Sorry I didn't type more. I hope you're all staying bundles up there in good old Rexburg. I hope you all have an awesome week!

I'll close with a quick thought. I'm sure many of you have seen or heard the story about the nativity set my mom found around this time last year. Here's a picture. Even though it's good for a laugh, it can also symbolize that Christ should be the "biggest" part of our holdiay season. He is the very reason why we celebrate Christmas. I'm so grateful for all my Savior has done for me. He lives! He loves you and I. How great this message is that we can share with those who aren't part of the church. I know that if you listen, you can hear and feel Christ nearer to us. I want to say these thing in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

--

Love Elder DeGraw

6265 N 82nd St

Scottsdale, AZ 85250

December 6, 2017

From Sister Richardson... “Merry Christmas!!! Our Elders went caroling with the youth tonight. So excited that a non member young woman they found joined us!”

December 5, 2017

From Sister Richardson. The text said “#lighttheworld”. Today’s initiative is “Honor thy father and thy mother”. She said that Cameron asked her to send us this picture. ❤️❤️❤️

December 4, 2017

My #lightheworld Week

Good morning everyone!

Elder DeGraw here checking in with my weekly email. It was a pretty decent week, not as crazy as a lot of the weeks previous, but there's always something exciting in the life of a missionary. So here's the delio...

So last Monday went by quickly, pdays usually do. We played some 5v5 basketball and the whole time, my team was making up random plays with the weirdest names (goodie goodie gumdrop, swirl, crunch it, ninja grandma, etc) and none of us actually knew what any of them meant. Haha! Monday night we had planned to go help an older lady move her Christmas stuff out of her attic, but she moved it to Tuesday. So instead we biked as quickly as we could and visited a less active. We read 1 Nephi 1 with her and she had lots of questions. Everytime I read that wonderful chapter, I learn something new. One thing I noticed was how in Lehi's vision, Jesus Christ comes down and brings him a book and bades him to read. Then he reads: "12 And it came to pass that as he read, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord." Jump with me to the very last chapter in the Book of Mormon where the prophet Moroni offers a similar promise. He explains how if you truly want to know the truth, pray to Heavenly Father in the name of Christ and you will know the truth of all things by the power of the Holy Ghost. It's so interesting to me how these two promises, in the first chapter and the last, seem to be the bookends of the Book of Mormon. It truly radiates with the Spirit. I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to bring this glorious book into others lives.

Tuesday, not much happened. We helped Brother and Sister Gaytan again with tidying up their yard. #LightTheWorld We saw a few people, helped Sister Crenshaw move her Christmas things #LightTheWorld, and I got a bad headache so we called it a night. 

Wednesday was a good day and we were busy. We biked around most of the day and visited as many people as we could. It was cloudy for he whole day! I almost felt back in Idaho, but then I would see a palm tree; "oh yeah!" We taught Megan again. She is so fun and I've been praying for her as often as I can. She actually brought up baptism and asked us what happens. We shared with her the video of Christ being baptized. She told us how her old church believed in the bible, but not baptism. We are hoping she comes to church this Sunday and then we can commit her to baptism. 

Thursday we had a great district meeting. Then one of our recent converts called us asking if we could help her carry a few groceries. She lives on the 3rd level of her apartment and we happily said yes! She is one of our favorites and makes the best green chili burritos! #LightTheWorld

Friday morning we were back at our favorite place-- helping the Gaytans again. We started out by digging a few holes and moving her bougainvillea plants around. Halfway through our work, Sister Gaytan came running outside with a worried look on her face. She doesn't speak English, but we were able to pick out that Brother Gaytan had just woken up and was very sick. We ran inside and he was shaking and vomiting. We administered to him a priesthood blessing and I wanted so badly in my heart that he would be okay. We let him rest and around the time we left; he was purring like a kitten, fast asleep. #LightTheWorld #ILoveHashtags #OkayIllStop Also on Friday, we went out for dinner at a local steakhouse. It was so good! Then I remembered that in 30 minutes we had the Adult Christmas Party in Westwood, and yeah the main event was eating. Thank goodmess there's always room for dessert. After, we got to help take the decorations down and we headed home. 

Saturday morning was a little bit different. For zone sports we played chair soccer. Basically you guard your chair from everyone else and you try to kick the ball into others. The rest of the day, I had Elder Bird lead the area. Everything turned out pretty great. Transfers are coming up on the 12th! I already know I'm staying. 

Sunday nothing really happened. Church is always special and I kept walking outside expecting to see snow. I enjoyed watch the First Presidency's Christmas Devo. We are truly blessed to be led by such great men. 

Monday, today, has been decent so far. We've done the usual stuff and we have to end the day early because we get to go to the Mesa Temple tomorrow! So they take the time out of our P day. 

So that was my week. I hope you all stay safe and be sure to remember the "reason for the season." Stay safe and look for ways to serve and love others!

Last few days of gratitude list...

#27 What small thing are you grateful for that you use daily? I would have to say minty toothpaste. It keeps my breath fresh. 

#28 I'm grateful for the cooler weather we've had this week, it makes biking easier. 

#29 A family member I'm grateful for is my Grandma Rhees! She sent me a package full of 25 presents. I've loved getting to open them daily. Day 2 was a box of orange chicken! I love orange chicken! Then I opened it and psych-- actually it was candy and a blanket. Love you Grandma! 

#30 I'm grateful for the divine potential Heavnely Father gives each of us.

Love Elder DeGraw
6265 N 82nd St
Scottsdale, AZ 85250