High Priest Social

Sarah and her companion were invited to the High Priest Social.  I had mentioned to Brother McNeal that I don't get many pictures of Sarah so he sent me another one!  Fun times with lot's of pictures of Sarah!

Brother McNeal even made a video of the social and sent me a link if your interested.  I want to put it in a safe place so I don't lose it! 

http://www.photoshow.com/watch/BU6VW6EN

President and Sister Sweeney!

We were very privileged to get to meet Sarah's Mission President and his wife tonight.  They were in Dallas for training.  We just happen to work with a very good friend of there's in the Temple and they were so very kind to let us come to a dinner they had planned as friends.  We were worried we were intruding on the their time together but they made us feel so welcome.  It really was incredible to meet the couple that takes care of our daughter and so many other missionaries.  We feel very blessed to get to know them and tell them a few more things about Sarah!  We had to take a picture of course! 

Photo Surprise!

Loving all the picture surprises.  Here the girls are with Sister Sweeney! 

Transfers!

I'm not getting transferred! I will be staying in Scottsdale till the end of May. Also we will be getting iPad's in May. Our mission has been approved finally. I think we might be the last Arizona mission to get them.

Being on bike has been really fun. Kinda. I've been getting a work out. I usually bike around 10 miles a day. Exercise is a good thing though. I go a little crazy if I don't bike. Which this week was interesting because I got a little sick and so did my companion. When we get sick we call our mission nurse. Well. I didn't want to call the nurse. Next thing I knew I heard my companion, pride comes before the hospitalization. Turns out I'm fine though!

This week was general conference! Which is where all the church leaders give talks and it's really great. This time I watched it with a family at there home. There was a lot of adorable chatter due to the fact that they have a two year old. 

Other than that there's not much new this week!

Sister Sarah MacKillop

Easter Surprise

I got a Easter surprise today!  A wonderful member in Scottsdale fed my adorable daughter tonight and sent me pictures.  I LOVE getting pictures of my missionaries randomly.  It is the best!  Thanks Brother McNeal your the best! 

Scottsdale Days

I would like to apologize about not writing enough group emails. I'm not very good at that sometimes. This week I have some fun stories!

I'm going to start with the funny story of the week. It all starts with District Meeting. Sister Lee and I were asked to give a training on companionship unity. The training went well and we committed everyone do do something during the week to serve/work better with their companion. So this week, Sister Lee and I practiced the lessons a lot, she made my bed and did my dishes and I made me dinner one night. Doesn't sound too funny or interesting, right? Here's the funny part; that dinner I made her? She got food poisoning haha. It was hilarious when we figured it out! I was fine, I guess her body didn't quite accept the lentils, though.

Last night we riding our bikes and we were almost to the apartment and we waved hello to some people on the streets.Then my companion ran into me. It was awkward for everyone, but we survived. They didn't know what to do and we were so embarrassed. 

Well I'm working hard and biking my heart out in Scottsdale, the most livable city. (That's the slogan seriously look it up)

Sister Sarah MacKillop

Sarah's new companion S. Lee

This week there was no group e-mail but Sarah sent pictures of her new companion S. Lee!  They get along great and LOVE serving in the same ward as their Mission President, President Sweeney.  I have heard from a great source that the ward loves them just as much! 

Greyhound fun!

Some weeks Sarah doesn't have time to do her group e-mail so I'm adding a fun e-mail and picture I received this week.  


This lady has 8 greyhounds that she's adopted or is currently fostering. I was in doggy paradise. I want all of them. Sarah

I served over half my mission in Paradise.

I got transferred! I left Paradise Valley for Scottsdale. I'm in my mission presidents ward doing English work on bike. It's super fun. My companion loves to ride fast and so do I. Watch out for the 2 sisters racing each other. Since I haven't been transferred, I've realized I have too many things. Today will be spent unpacking and getting rid of things.

It was really sad leaving my old area. I had gotten really close with the people there. I  got to see how much of impact you can make on the lives of the people you help. I think that everything! 

Also thanks for the birthday shout outs! I had the best birthday ever.

Sister Sarah MacKillop

Service!

We seem to have been doing lots of really fun service projects. Everyone trying to get everything done before it gets too hot. I heard everyone is really cold right now. We're suffering, and by suffering it's a perfect 80 degrees. Arizona is really great. So I learned how to build a stone fence. Yes stone fences are a big thing here. We were joking around about it. They can't have wood fences because they would catch on fire in the summer. I have the gift! All the sister missionaries are secretly stone masons. All the elders were breaking the stones, but the sister chisel really well. My chiseling arm is pretty sore though. 

We have also been teaching some fun people. Gabriel is from Iraq and he speaks Arabic and English. We teach him in English and he reads the scriptures in Arabic. It's fun. He a Christian and he has lots of questions. He's been studying the church for a long time now. 

We have been really busy recently. We have been overbooking ourselves and we didn't get a lunch break for 2 days in a row. Being busy is good! But sometimes you get tired...

That's all for this week

Sister Sarah MacKillop

Still in Paradise Valley

I've been hanging out in Paradise Valley for awhile, but it's great here so I don't mind.  I got to go to the Gilbert temple again. I walked around inside and it was so beautiful. There was a spiral staircase 4 stories high. I was out of breathe when I reached the top. I guess it's symbolic of how getting closer to God isn't easy, but it's worth it. 

 Also something really interesting is we got approved to go to a concert. Yes I can now say I've attended a concert as a missionary. It was a showcase of some really talented kids. It was real life kids pop.  It was the first time in a really long time I heard worldly music. Half the song I didn't even know. I guess I reached that point where I've been out too long. 

This we've been doing a lot of service. Service is good. I've been helping people clean. I even groomed someone's dog. I gave my first dog haircut. Well I think that's all for this week!

Sarah MacKillop

Gilbert Temple

This week was a great week! I got to go a temple sealing at the Gilbert Temple. We believe that we can be sealed as family for eternity. It was really nice. The whole thing was in Spanish
which it made it interesting. Not too much new this week. Next week I'll be going again because another family is going.

I love Trader Joe's.  I think Trader Joe's need to be everywhere. I love that store way too much. We have a lady that teaches us how be healthier, so this week I am trying chia seed pudding. This should be interesting. I have also been exercising better. I've lifting lots of weights, even though I feel silly doing it, because I'm really weak. One day I will be strong! I like how we are told to take care of ourselves physically and spiritually. We should try and improve all parts of our lives. That's my little pep talk this week, eat your veggies!

Sister Sarah MacKillop

Another Week!

I'm still in Paradise Valley. It's pretty fun here. I've been serving in a Young Single Adult ward and a Spanish ward. I have some pretty fun adventures. Last night at dinner a member from the YSA ward fed us. He served in Brazil and he's from the South so he fed us this rice and meat dish. There was this weird sausage in it. It was super chewy. Well I soon discovered it wasn't sausage, it was chicken hearts! Actually it wasn't that bad. I kind of enjoyed it. My companion didn't like it all. Poor thing, she's a new missionary and not used to strange things. He also fed us this giant cake. It was a seven pound cake and I think we ate a pound each.

Well on a more spiritual note. Book of Mormon reading group we should be finished with 2nd Nephi by now. Also there is a super cool movie about the Book of Mormon. Our president gave us permission to watch it and I liked a lot. Everyone should go check it out!

http://www.byutv.org/watch/90be2679-e6eb-4039-afa1-fee5477b0c20/new-day-for-the-book-of-mormon-new-day-for-the-book-of-mormon

Sister Sarah MacKillop

Tales From Paradise Valley

Alright group, we should be on 1 Nephi 12. If you gotten behind make sure you make it up. Also we have recently got new office staff and they are struggling. They messed up my address and so from  now on just send things to the mission home. I'll put the address on the bottom.

This week has been great. Our investigator Chris got baptized. His songs of choice were great. We started by singing America the Beautiful and ended with Battle Hymn of the Republic. They are two very fun and loud songs. 

I have this problem. Our mission has new rules about music and we can only listen to Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Since is there very few songs I enjoy, I like to put those songs on repeat, for days. I think it's beginning to annoy my companion. 

I know that this a little bit of a random letter but that's all for this week!

Hermana Sarah MacKillop

Mission Home:

6265 N 82nd St

Scottsdale, AZ 85250

New Years!

Fun stories from this week! Now that I'm back in spanish work part time, I run into some really funny moments. We were teaching this family that has two small boys. The little wanted to show me his toys so he put them on my lap. Well I started to get a lot of toys on my lap. He didn't speak any English though. I kept trying to tell him to put his toys back, but I didn't know how to say it in Spanish, so I accidentally told him to bring more. Well I ended up with a lot of toys on my lap.

New years! We had a good New year. We ate dinner at a member's house New Years Eve and played games afterwards. Then we went to a member's party and had a Nerf gun fight with some of our members and the other missionaries. New years day we had a missionary party and played boards and watched movies. It was super great. We played Russian monopoly. An Elder who got evacuated from Ukraine brought it.

Today we helped a lady move. We had missionaries in the house cleaning and moving boxes. It was really cool. The house was n really bad shape (really dirty, other little friends like bugs). Instead of whining and making rude comments, we decided to sing! We sang while we scrubbed the walls and floors and vents and cleared boxes. An old lady in her wheel chair wheeled in there to listen to us, and actually started crying. She loved our singing that much.

Remember there are always people around that need a helping hand. You just have to look! Serving others brings happiness and who doesn't want to be happy?

Hermana Sarah MacKillop

The heat is over!

It's cold here! Anything under 80 degrees feels so cold now. I've been in Arizona too long. I love being in the Valley though. I am know with my old companion Sis Brandley. Were together in Sept and now we are back together again. Sis Brandley round 2. But we are now serving in a YSA ward. Yes, I never thought I would serve in Young Single Adult ward but I am. I'm not positive I'll ever make it back to spanish work, but maybe one day. It's ok though because everyone needs the Gospel in their lives and Young Single Adult wards are very fun.

I love my companion. She is super great and we get along really well. I've been trying to have more fun and enjoy my mission. I still try and work hard, but who said it had to be boring! We recently got to go the Phoenix Temple open house which was really cool. Normally temples aren't open to the public but before it gets dedicated its open to the public for a few weeks. It's been really cool taking people. Sis Entin and I took our 80 year old investigator. She gets grumpy, so we promised her ice cream if she would come. She liked the ice cream and the temple. Last time we took her to the Visitor center she got really angry because she couldn't go inside the temple. This time it went better. 

We have some really great young investigators which super exciting. They are super cool and fun to teach. I promise I'll be better at writing group emails. I'm going to make it goal. Also taking more pictures. That's another goal. 

Hermana Sarah MacKillop

Phoenix Temple!

Sis Entin and I at the temple.

Sis Mortensen (my trainer) and I, she doesn't want to leave me but she's going home this week!

 

 

 

It feels like fall

I have survive the refiners fire of the Arizona summer. It's starting to feel like fall. It's so beautiful outside. It reminds me of Idaho, but with less cold and more perfect. I get really confused when I walk outside and it's not super hot.

Something really cool is I got to help teach my companion's Grandma over skype. My companion's family is from West Africa.  So Sis Entin and another Elder who got evacuated from West Africa are teaching her in Creole. It's really fun because Creole is very similar to English but it is not the same. It's strange and fun to listen to. Well I guess I didn't help that much, but it was fun to watch. 

Today I cleaned the whole apartment. I feel great. I feel like a new women with an organized desk. It's been getting pretty bad, but not anymore. 

A story I really like from the Book of Mormon is the story of Nephi and his brothers. Nephi and his family went through many different kinds of trials. Nephi allowed himself to become stronger and more loyal to God, while his brothers just became bitter. Do we let hard things make us better or bitter? It's something I've been thinking about recently. 

Well till next week!

Hermana Sarah MacKillop

General Conference 2014

This week has been fun. My old companion Sis Entin had emergency transfer and now we are back together! So after only 3 weeks I had to help her move back into my apartment. I also cleaned out my facebook! Or at least started. There was just so much stuff from over the years. It looks better now, but it could probably use a little more work. We should be getting iPads by the end of the year so we have to get everything ready before then. 

Today we got to go rancho market and get tortas or really big Mexican sandwiches. It was really fun especially with my English companion. I'm so full. It's been a while since I had Spanish work sized meals. 

We don't really have a ton of investigators right now. We do have a lot of less active people in the church we've been visiting. I've gotten to know a lot of really cool people. We also got to watch Meet the Mormons! It's a new movie about Mormons. Missionaries got to see it first. Members and nonmembers should go see it! It's really funny and great. 

I loved conference. Twice a year, we get to hear from our prophets and the apostles. One of my favorite things they said was about letting your kids play with everyone. Faith shouldn't be a reason not to be around certain groups of people. He called out all the people in Utah that wouldn't let their kids hang out with nonmembers and told them that was wrong.  God loves all of us and we should try to do the same! I loved my friends that weren't members when I was a kid. I think we should have some variety in our friend groups. 

Till next week!

Hermana Sarah MacKillop

Zone Conference