Family,

I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN!!! Its been more than a week since my last p-day and so so much has happened!  It turns out that at least for now we only get an hour and a half to email on p-day (mondays) and part of that time is taken up by writing my weekly mission president email.  An hour and a half may seem like a lot but its NOT! In fact, p-days are so bad!  We look forward to them for being able to grocery shop (we have been living on basically nothing) but its a day of homesickness and stress.  Today my schedule is:  6:30 am-- wake up. 6:30-7 am -- work out.  7-8 am Shower and get ready and eat breakfast.  8-9 -- personal study (30 minutes BOM, 15 PMG and 15 min other.  The real challenge for me is staying awake and keep my eyes from crossing!) 9-10 am companionship study (most important time of the day in my opinion).  10-10:30-- 12 weeks program training.  10:30- 12pm email.  12-6 -- eat lunch, get car washed and vaccumed out, grocery shopping, any errands, go home and clean clean clean and UNPACK!!!! do all laundry, organize yourself, write letters, and make and eat dinner.  6-9-- time out in area (we will be biking tonight)  where we are constantly going from house to house doing referrals and having lessons. 9-10 pm (supposed to be just till 9:30) -- planning and goal setting for next day.  10-10:30 change, get ready for bed, write in journal... or like often happens talk on the phone with district or zone leaders so that you dont get to do any of those things!  10:30 pm -- bed time.  And that is our "relaxation" day!!!! hahahaha NOT!

Sooooo last monday night, I got about an hour of sleep.  We got out of bed at 4:30 and we were late getting all of our huge bags down the elevator and outside.  We then had the time of our lives attempting to drag 3 sisters bags across the campus.  THIS WAS HILARIOUS AND HORRIBLE!!! They really need to have elders help us out..... my arm was purple for about 2 hours after and despite it being 30 degrees outside and we were underdressed, we were ALL sweating like pigs.  

It was a crazy time as about 200-300 of us waited in the travel line and loaded buses to the airport.  Finally at the airport after security I got to call mommy!  That was so nice!  I only cried a bit, but I'm pretty sure that if everyone had been there I would have been bawling the entire time! (skyping should be fun..... btw I don't know the time yet but I will let you know asap..... but pretty positive it is on MOTHERS DAY!)  While others slept on the plane, I was stupid and talked the entire time!  In hindsight, I really should have taken advantage of that sleep opportunity.  The rest of the day was a blur! There were about 12 of us in our travel group headed to the Mesa mission and once we got off the plane, we met our mission president and wife, along with the mission president's assistants and a sister from Pakistan that was leaving to go home the next day (she was a convert a few years ago in pakistan.... her story is crazy.... and its amazing.... her WHOLE family was baptized while she was gone on her mission! I bet that reunion was amazing!) We went to the V.C. (visitor's center -- I will refer to it as VC) and met some people and had a few meetings, including a testimony meeting.  I even got to see sister Valladores and when we hugged it amazed me how small she is!  She is sooooo tiny!!!!!!

We ended up at the mission office and we ate lunch (amazinnnggggg) and had orientation and meetings for about 4 hours.  The a.c. wasnt working unfotunately, so I felt like I was going to vomit the entire time and I sweated through my clothes -- Welcome to the Desert, Becca!!!  I had to pick out just a tiny bag of clothes for overnight ( this was tough -- I wish they had warned us that this was going to be happening so I would have packed it before-- opening my luggage that was stuffed to the brim was pretty dangerous and beyond crazy but I was glad to see all the other sisters in the same boat as me!  One even cried!) I was then put with two sisters and they were to be my companions for the night.  We went out into the 99 degrees and this companionship didn't have a car at the time so a member was bringing them around in an unairconditioned car.  I sat in the back and willed myself not to be sick.... we went and dropped my stuff off at their place and immediately went out to see investigators.  We went to the sketchiest place I have ever been in! Every single apartment we went by had a different sickening smell coming out of it, and I guess this was my first time smelling drugs before...yelling could be heard and just about everyone that was outside in the complex had a glass bottle in their hands.  Despite the area, we did have a touching experience with a lady they visit that had just lost her husband.  She felt the spirit and somehow I felt different about her.  All I wanted to do was run away when I first saw her, but as we stayed and talked about the gospel and her troubles, I began to feel such love for her.  This was a lady that I probably would have taken a detour in the grocery store just to try to avoid, but I ended up crying right along with her, and even gave this toothless woman a hug. 

During that time I was a little unsure... and I was shocked as to the state of the area we were visiting.  It was unexpected, but I began to wonder if that would be what I am in the entire time!  I found out soonafter however that this was the only sketchy place in the mission and that particular apartment complex was the only one like it that we were to visit.  We went to a members home then for dinner.  It became immediately apparent to me just how missionary minded the members of Mesa are!!!  The members here are so amazing!!! I will tell you more about the members later in the email. 

We walked the rest of the evening to some referrals and then to some ward members that the sisters needed to visit.  I was growing tired and the heat was pretty strong, but I made it through and we eventually got to the house where they stay.  Amazingly so many of the members in Mesa have missionaries live with them.  It's a huge sacrifice, but they are all so supportive of the missionaries!!  This family in particular has 7 children all under the age of 12.  The mother is an angel and set up the whole basement just for missionaries.  The next morning they even made french toast and homemade whipped cream and strawberry puree and had us sit with them and all of the kids for breakfast before they left for school.  I can't believe a mom with 7 kids that young would ever take on the task of having 2 missionaries live there as well.... and guess what?  They are getting 3 more next week to live there with them!  They are housing 5 missionaries! wow. wow. wow. 

The next day I went to our huge transfer meeting.  It was a big day for everyone in the mission, since almost everyone was uprooted or recieved new companions.  We had a meeting where we all met our trainers.... I got sister Brown!!!  We are quite a pair indeed.  She has only been out 6 weeks and so she was technically supposed to still have a trainer of her own to complete the second 6 weeks of training.  Instead my "greenie" trainer who is only 19 and I are together :) The Lord is putting SO much trust in us!!! I will probably be training in 6 weeks as well.... what a scary thought!

Our area is Mesa Central stake and the whole stake is 2.5 miles x 2.5 miles.  So tiny!  We are the missionaries for 3 wards -- Harris 1st, Harris 2nd, and Grandview 1st.  We also have 6 hour shifts in the VC every single day except for every other p-day.  (p-day and Sunday we have 3 hour shifts).  What I find confusing is that most of the Elders only have 2 wards they are in charge of.  I haven't quite figured out why the Elders who are full-field and have all day everyday in their areas have less wards than us VC sisters who have 3 wards to cover and less than half the time they have.  About 1-2 days each week we dont even get to spend a minute in our area because of VC and planning and meetings.  The days are definitely longer when that happens but I do love the VC as well!  Actually the VC is also another "area" we have!  Every single day we plan and make goals for that time and we have 1-2 hours of media time.  During media time, we are contacting referrals and teaching people and being "member fellowshippers" to people we originally had but handed over to the local missionaries.  This time was pretty stressful to me at first because I hate phone calls... especially when half the people reject you right off the bat. 

Rejection is for sure something that I have already gotten familiar with, but usually we can find a way to stay positive depsite it.  Our job is to invite and allow others to practice their agency.  Sister Brown has been an amazing example of this for me... because when I can tell they aren't interested right away I begin to try to walk away and I cringe as she talks to them and invites them and tells them about our message.  I realized just yesterday though that anyone who I don't at least invite I could be held accountable for on judgement day! Ahhh my job here is to be Christ's representative, and Christ, I know for sure, would offer this gospel truth to anyone and everyone.  

Overall family.... this week has been tough and confusing but there have been some bright parts.  We have to plan out every single minute since our time in our areas is so short as VC sisters.  Mornings are tough for me and I do dabble with some homesickness.  Sometimes I lose track of why I am even here and why I have to keep such time consuming records and have to constantly be busy.  My companion helps though, and I trust that the Lord will help me through this.  Ultimately I really can't complain.... 1 sister I know has only been out for six weeks, but has been throwing up for 3 of the 6 weeks for no apparent reason.  Even when sick here though, everyone gets out of bed and works the whole day through!  

One particular thing about this mission that I should mention before I run out of time is that we do ZERO tracting in this mission. We only use referrals.  We all stay so busy though because the LDS population here is so active and is always trying to share the gospel with their friends and neighbors!  My stereotypes of Mesa have diminished in less than a week actually.  There are a lot of mormons here but in reality its only 12% of Mesa that is LDS.  They really just are all so active and so prominant in the comminity that it seems like more!  Missionaries are kind of like celebrities here.  The kids all come and talk to you along with their parents and everyone knows who you are.  There are also some disadvantages to this however.  The people that are not LDS are always suspiscious of the members friendship intentions and they put up walls against us.  They basically have set rejections I am sure they have practiced at least a few times each to use on the missionaries!  We will get in there though.  The LDS population here is so active and they are great examples of character to the comminity at large.  I am looking forward to this transfer and all of the many challenges it brings!  I'm ready for a MIRACLE MAY!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!

I love you all so much!  Stay busy but ALWAYS work on your relationship with God.  Nothing is more important. 

MWAH MWAH MWAH!!!! 

Sister Younce