First Week in Arizona!!

Well... I pretty much LOVE it here! The weather is amazing, the people are incredible, and most importantly I LOVE the work! We have been working hard this week to get to know the area and the people here, and are already seeing success. We have a few new investigators, and already have a baptism scheduled for this Saturday!!

Alma has been visiting with the Elders in this area, but was hesitant to accept a baptism date. On the first night we visited with her (my second night here) we read Alma 7:11-14, which talks about the power of the Atonement, repentance, and baptism. She expressed her testimony of the need to be baptized, and cleansed of her sins, and has a sincere desire to make this sacred covenant. Over the past week, we have been making sure she is ready, and I am amazed at how prepared she is. It has firmed up my testimony that there really are people here who are ready to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we just have to work hard to find them. I never thought I could have so much love for someone I barely know, but I truly love Alma, and it brings me SO MUCH JOY to see her excited about the changes she's making in her life.

Parts of Queen Creek are literally in the middle of nowhere... Sunday we drove to an investigator's house the other day that borders a park in the San Tan Mountains, and there was sand, wild cacti, and tumbleweed everywhere! I thought that kind of scenery was just a Hollywood depiction, but apparently it's REAL! (Pictures to come).

Speaking of middle of nowhere... after dinner last night we were heading to visit a family, but our plans were slightly modified: We were driving towards their house, following the GPS, which told us to turn on to this dirt road. It was a little bumpy, but that is not unusual for this area. It seemed fine, until we got about half way down and it turned into a mini-Grand Canyon! There were literally cliffs of dirt on either side of the car almost 3 feet tall and 6 inches away from the edge of the car on both sides. The road got tighter and tighter... at one point I got out of the car and tried to use some boards that were on the ground to make a ramp to get us up the edge (keep in mind I'm wearing a skirt and dress shoes). The boards worked in one place, but the road only got more narrow, and there was no way we were going to be able to get through. Here comes the fun part... our only option was to completely back out of the road (at least a quarter of a mile) with me standing behind the car giving directions and Hermana Wilkins slooowly reversing. To make things more interesting, the ONE night it rains in Arizona happened to be right then so I was getting soaked and the road was quickly turning into mud. Needless to say, we ended up skipping our plans and heading to our next appointment, where we arrived wet and muddy, but still in good spirits :)

Back to the spiritual stuff... The sister that we visited on Sunday (in the middle of a cactus field), Francisca, had several doubts and questions that we were able to answer. Towards the end of the lesson on the Restoration she took a phone call and the Spirit completely disappeared. Hermana Wilkins and I decided to sing "Joseph Smith's First Prayer" and as we did so, the Spirit was incredibly strong. We challenged her to pray to know of the truthfulness of the things we had taught her and testified of the power of the Holy Ghost to reveal these things to her.

This is essentially what we do with all of our investigators. We can talk all day and tell them we know what we're teaching is true, but the beauty of the message we share is that everyone can receive their own personal witness and know for themselves. God is our loving Heavenly Father and wants us to know Him, and will therefore provide a way for us to know the truth.

I'm grateful for the experiences that I have had that have helped me come to the knowledge of the truth of the Restored Gospel, and I hope and pray that all can feel the peace and joy that I enjoy from knowing that my Savior lives, and that God has provided a Plan of Happiness for all of His Children.

God Bless,

Hermana Richelle Ouellette