Mountain Bike Rides and Trunk or Treats

GOOD MORNING,

My companion Sister Fairchild loves working out so we've been stepping up the game a little and running 2 miles instead of my comfortable 1 mile. And then we went MOUNTAIN BIKING twice last week. I've never been mountain biking before and all I have to say is that the coming down part is much more fun than the going up part. This morning when we finally stopped, I lay down on the oh so comfy cactus covered floor to catch my breath and then before I knew it I was throwing up....  I haven't thrown up since 10th grade! That was gross BUT then we got to come flying down the mountain and that part was really really fun! That made the whole gross feeling worth it! lol

So other than my new found hobby here's what happened this week.

Gertie (our 78 year old investigator) decided that she was going to break up with us. She doesn't want us to come over anymore... so that was really sad. I 've really come to love that lady but maybe it's just one of her mood swings and she'll call us next week wanting us to come over again.

Jenny finally contacted us again and we set up a lesson with her for Tuesday so we're praying that the lesson goes well. She really is an awesome lady and she's had SO many spiritual experiences with prayer, hopefully she remembers that when we see her tomorrow.

So the Phoenix Temple Open House is happening right now and we're trying to get there so bad but it doesn't seem like its going to happen. We just don't have any investigators that are interested at the moment and none of them want to go all the way out to the other side of Phoenix to see another Mormon Temple but we keep praying for a miracle. It ends on the 1st and there is plenty of time for God to work His magic before Saturday! :)

We were able to go to the Gilbert Temple on Tuesday! That was one of the highlights of last week. And we get to go this week as well! SO there's quite a few Christian churches in the area that enjoy dressing up like missionaries and Halloween will just give them another excuse to do so we aren't allowed to go out on Halloween. So we get to go to the TEMPLE ALL DAY LONG! If we find family names then we can take the name all the way through the Temple! HOW EXCITING! I haven't done baptisms at the temple in over a year so that will be a good way to spend Halloween.

So overall our teaching pool isn't doing too well but that's okay. We have a game plan. We're going to be setting up Family mission plans with all the Active families in one of the wards because there's absolutely nothing happening in that ward. It might take a little or a lot of time to actually set up but we really feel like this could help the ward to figure out where they stand when it comes to missionary work. Sister Fairchild came from an area where 75-80% of the neighborhood was LDS but through setting up Family Mission Plans and then creating an action plan they were able to have 6 baptisms in the last 3 months. The bishop is on board and so is the Ward Mission Leader, all we have to do is present it to the Ward Council. I think that this is exactly what the ward needs in order to get back on track for the new year.

 

This  picture was from Creekside Ward's Halloween Trunk or Treat party that they had on Saturday. A LOT of people showed up. Probably like 200 people or so. Probably 50 of them were nonmembers. That was a great chance to get to talk to everyone in the ward in a fun casual setting. We have another party on Tuesday for our other ward. That one should be AWESOME as well!
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Sister Fairchild and I are doing well together, we definitely have a funny sense of humor together and we laugh all the time but we seem to have a little bit of a prideful look going sometimes. Our goal for this week is to notify our faces that we're actually happy and that we're NOT "unsatisfied with the current situation". Our District Leader informed us that we didn't look too happy at our last district meeting so that is one of our goals for this week!

I can't believe I've been out on my mission for a year! So much to do and not enough time to do it in. I feel like I haven't learned enough for being out for that long but I guess that's how every missionary feels. Something that our Mission President tells us often is that we are playing a game right now. A game of life and we already know who is going to win the game. But Satan is going to try to take you out of the game by tempting us with the short lived pleasures of the world. And many people end up sitting on the sidelines because they haven't decided who they are going to play for. THERE IS NO WAY THAT SATAN CAN WIN but he's going to do all that he can  to make you feel like its not worth playing for the Savior because it's easier to give in to temptations of the world. I feel like my mission has solidified who I am playing for. There is NO way I will ever give up my agency to the ways of the World. I've seen too much pain and anger from people who don't understand their divine potential and end up not reaching the Basket. (I can only relate to Basketball, so that's what we're playing in this game.)

So the only question is, which Jersey are you going to put on?

Play on the Lord's side! "We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophecy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." - 2 Nephi 25:26 

This church is true, God loves each of His children and He wants us to be happy SOOO find that happiness by playing on HIs team, on the Savior's team!

I hope that everyone has a great week and that they put on the Lord's jersey because it's going to be the best winning game ever! :)

ALL my love,

Sister Raubenheimer

My New Companion - SISTER FAIRCHILD

HELLO WORLD,

Let me introduce you to my new companion - SISTER FAIRCHILD

She's been out for 7 months, she's from Kaysville Utah, and she turns 20 in January. I already know why we're companions, we're going to kick our Ward Councils into shape. She came from an area where they had excellent ward Councils so that's our goal for this transfer!

The area has been a little challenging this week, I don't know if its just because I have to lead it all of a sudden but we hardly got any teaching opportunities. We are determined to have a better week!

Although we didn't get very many lesssons, we had lots of opportunites to serve in our area. We must have been in our service clothes for 10 plus hours this weekend. We painted a house and then we helped a less active pack up boxes and pile them into the moving van, then we helped clean another less active ladies house. But this was no ordinary cleaning job, it was NASTY! We were doing the dishes and Sister Fairchild started silently freaking out and I looked over and there were MAGGOTS everywhere. She picked up a pan where they had been hiding and suddenly they were ALL OVER. I had no idea what to do, what kills maggots? (I've never encountered this problem before....) So I washed them down the drain.... I hope that was the right thing to do? I don't know but it was gross! SO something that I've learned on my mission is what I don't want to do when I have my own home. I've seen a lot of good examples and I've seen a lot of bad situations... Most people who have a secure testimony of the gospel also have clean houses! It's funny how that links together!

So last night we were able to go to the Mission President's fireside and a recent convert explained why he goes to church. He said that church is a repair shop where he goes to get his armor repaired each week. He needs to take the sacrament each week, otherwise he feels damaged. It was an awesome analogy. And he received this answer in a dream! Wow, I wish I had dreams like that. I've come to love taking the Sacrament each week. Its a moment where I can reflect on my week and set goals on how I can be a better missionary. At Transfer meeting my mission president said "ordinances are the mechanism whereby the blessings of the Atonement are transferred to man." How powerful is that? We can access the Atonement through the Sacrament! I wish more people would understand the importance of going to church and partaking of the Sacrament. I can't begin to tell you how many people we talk to during the week who don't understand the meaning of church. The world has this misinformed idea that going to church is a social part of life and that it's okay if you watch a mega church on TV and call it church because that's what everyone else does! The Savior established His church upon the earth and it's still a commandment to go to church to take the Sacrament. In Elder Robbin's talk he gave in Conference he said "Lowering the Lord's standards to the level of a society's inappropriate behavior is apostasy." God's law is unchanging and we shouldn't change our perception of morals because the world sees it differently. God is eternal and so are His commandments! Being a missionary has changed my life, and as I've reflected upon the last year of missionary work I can see how much the Lord has molded me into the missionary He wants me to be. Yes, I still struggle sometimes but that's part of life. And I'm grateful for all the experiences I've had and the people I've met here in Arizona. They've changed my life!

I hope everyone has a great week!

LOVE,

Sister Raubeheimer

Wipe Out

HAPPY OCTOBER 11TH!

Well the inevitable has happened... Sister Welch is getting transferred... I guess we all knew that was coming but it still makes me really sad. We'll see who my new companion will be on Wednesday at Transfer meeting.

So a quick update on the week.We had the opportunity to be with mini missionaries again and they were absolutely the cutest girls ever. Sister Davis is a Senior in high school and Sister Hancock is a Junior. We got to spend four days with them and it was a lot less stressful than the last time we got minis. So last time we just split the area down the middle and it was really hard staying busy the whole time we had those minis. But this time we set up a ton of service and we went to some appointments together. It was just a lot of fun! And we laughed and laughed with our minis. They are really good girls! 

  

There was two upsetting events that happened this weekend though. Because its been raining so much lately the mosquitoes have multiplied and they seem to like my blood a lot. I had a minor tantrum on Saturday when they kept swarming me. So went by a few members to see if they could loan us Bug Repellent but NO ONE owns bug repellent. Luckily Sister Welch found a bottle with her mini so we were able to meet back up and get that from her.

The next unfortunate event..... I fell off my bike for the first time one my mission.... It wasn't just a cute little fall it was an actual wipe out. And I have the scrapes and bruises to prove it. So as we were turning a corner I reached for my water bottle and the next thing I know my face is sliding across the Prezwalski way... and the bike then does a flip on top of me and the back tire hit my helmet... once it was over and I realized that I probably needed to get up quickly I said to the mini "ummm, could you get the bike off of me please?" Poor girl. She didn't know how to help me but she tried. Once I got up and evaluated the situation I started balling like a baby but that didn't last long because two men stopped to help me so I was forced to stop crying (I hate it when people see me crying), and tell them I was fine. They gave me a few napkins to hold back the bleeding and then they were off. Well I got back on the bike to go to the next house when I realized that my bike chain had fallen off... so that's when another nice man stopped to help me! It was a miracle that he did because I did not have the brain capacity to fix a bike at that moment. Then we went to the Banks home but they didn't answer. After that I went home to clean up... Im sorry this story is so long but it was quite traumatic for me. I've never fallen off a of a bike before.

As to the missionary work in the area, its going well!  A little slow. We still haven't seen Jenny... she seems to be avoiding us but we'll figure it out!

We also picked up a new investigator this week! Her name is Kyla, and she's AMAZING!!! :)

I LOVE HER. We asked her what she thought about Joseph Smith and she was like yeah, I think that's true. And then she said that she would make sure that her boyfriend sat in on the next lesson!!!!! AWESOME!

Okay, Im running out of time.

BUT everything is going well!

And Im excited to see what next transfer has in store for me and my new companion!

ALL MY LOVE,

SISTER RAUBENHEIMER

My Testimony

I believe in Christ because He helps me become a better person. I know that because of Him I can repent of all the mistakes I make. God loved each of us so much that He sent His only begotten son to die for us. That we may overcome spiritual death and physical death. Even though I sin, I can be forgiven for the bad I have done through the Savor and His sacrifice.  And because Jesus Christ was resurrected 3 days after He died, I have the opportunity to live again- to be with my family for eternity!  What an amazing gift! I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and through His mercy and grace we can return to our Heavenly Father one day! He is the only way we can receive true happiness and peace! The world tries to offer us happiness but it's not lasting. The only way to have profound happiness. The kind of happiness that will last forever is through the Savior and His Atonement.
My favorite scripture at the moment is 2 Nephi 25:29. It says "the right way is to believe in Jesus Christ, and deny Him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow down before Him, and worship Him with all you might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul."
I testify that Jesus is the Christ! He is God's son! And without Him, life as we know it would not be possible. I know that He can strengthen us in our times of need. He can heal us when our burdens seem too hard to carry. He will be there for us in the very hour we feel completely alone. Only He can comprehend our sorrow and I know He will help us through any trial. And all he asks of us is to follow Him. Come unto Him and obey His gospel.
I know that Jesus Christ lives, and I am so grateful to have this chance to share my testimony with everyone else!
 In the name of the Jesus Christ, Amen

General Conference

SSSOoooOOOO you know that moment when you're really tired because you've been out for nearly a year and its all just catching up to you.... well that happening RIGHT NOW! It probably doesn't help that the 4 Sisters in my house went on a 6 mile hike this morning. Can I just say - Arizona is BEAUTIFUL! Its a different kind of beauty than Utah or any other place but its amazing! I've come to love all the cactuses and the Ocotillo Plants and all the red dirt everywhere. It's a good place! And its even better now that its starting to cool down. In the morning when we go running its actually cool, I get a little chilly. But then by noon its up to the 90s again. Much better than 115 degrees. I can handle 92 degrees without any issues whatsoever!

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​Okay so the past week.... Honestly? It was really slow. Our progressing investigator Jenny was sick all week so we weren't able to meet with her... That made the week a little longer than usual but we kept knocking on doors and have a few appointments set up for next week with potential investigators. One of them may even be transgender! That will be an interesting follow up lesson. Jacob committed to reading the introduction of the Book of Mormon and invited us back for another lesson. So if the rule of three applies in this situation then we will need another female if his name really is Jacob. But who knows?

On Wednesday we had exchanges. Sister Welch left the area and went down to Florence and Sister WALKER came to my area! Sister Walker was my 2nd companion and she goes home NEXT transfer! I can't believe that she is leaving me but I guess we all need to go home eventually. It was really fun to be with her for 24 hours and talk about old time stuff. She's an amazing missionary and she will be missed when she goes home. ALSO my trainer is going home that transfer too. I guess I've been out for a long time and all my favorite missionaries will be heading home soon... .

OH GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!

I don't even know how to describe the happiness I felt while listening to  General Conference! I am so grateful to know that we a Prophet and Apostles to lead and guide this Restored Church. So many talks left impressions on me, I don't know where to begin.

Elder Jorg Klebingat's talk was a life changer. "How to increase spiritual confidence." A sure formula for any struggling member of the church. 1). Take Responsibility for your spiritual well being. 2). Take Responsibility for your physical well being. 3). Embrace voluntary and whole-hearted obedience. 4). Become really good at REPENTING (don't expect the world to cheer you on, this is an individual journey). 5). Become really good at Forgiving. 6). Accept trials as part of life. --- What amazing advice! A key similarity between all these steps is that we each need to use the gospel of Jesus Christ in order to apply these steps into our lives!

Another talk that I loved was Elder Christofferson's talk. It reminded me of being back in Mr. Haymond's classroom and all the interesting discussions we had with him! :)

There are so many other talks that I loved but not enough time to write about all of them! Gertie (our 78 year old investigator came to a session of Conference on Sunday and LOVED IT! She even sang to "Count your many blessings!)

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Well we're at the end of this transfer, which means that transfer calls are coming on Sunday. Sister Welch is probably leaving but I have a feeling that something interesting is going to happen. President asked me in interviews if I wanted another ward... I've never had three wards so if he does switch up the zone then its going to be fun transfer!

I hope that everyone has a great week! Try to notice the hand of the Lord this week, there's always a miracle to be grateful for!

And remember that "His MERCY is the mighty healer" (Pres Packard).

And that the "process of gathering spiritual light is the journey of a lifetime" (Pres. Uchtdorf).

ALL MY LOVE,

Sister Raubie

P.s. This is me, on the way to drop off the diaper packages to the Shermans....

I bet we were getting a lot of funny looks as were biking down the road with this beauty!