Sister Mandy in the Wilds of Arizona

Sister Missionary Mandy

I love this little girl.  She is a bright spot in the Universe.  This is Mandy and she is currently serving as a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  (Yup, girls serve, too!)

I happen to think she's beautiful.  And the little dog in the photo, too.

Mandy attracts wildlife.  I think they're attracted to her sweet and sunny temperament!  In any case, she jokes that the dogs keep following her home.  But perhaps that's a subject for another blog on another day...

From what I hear, Mandy has recently gotten a transfer and is now serving in Marana, Arizona.

Here she is pictured with the whole Missionary Zone:

Lots of good lookin' kids, aren't they?

Mandy's mom tells me that the senior missionary couple in the back (on the left) are actually Mandy's 2nd cousins once removed!  Mandy's dad comes from a huge family, so it doesn't surprise me.  Small world, though.  I find that a rather cool coincidence.

Senior couples get to choose where they serve, and how they serve.  For example, when my father and stepmom served, they were able to live in their own home.  They did the equivalent of a "9 to 5" in the local mission office a few miles away.  It was like having a job, only they didn't get paid for it.

By the way, none of these young people get paid to do what they do.  They want to serve the Lord, they volunteer, and they fund their own missions.  Often they are helped by family, friends or their home ward (congregation) members, but it's still a sacrifice.

The Marana Relief Society Sisters

Isn't this photo great?  It's the Relief Society sisters in the area where Mandy is serving.  They realized the Sister missionaries needed some help sprucing up their apartment, so they held a "Missionary Shower".  I think that is a great idea!

Missionary apartments are not known to be particularly...um... well-decorated.  And that's the nice way to say it!

If you'd like to know more, check out the movie, "The Best Two Years".  It's a funny movie, and won a film festival award, so it's totally watchable no matter your faith and frame of reference.  But it will give you an idea what some missionary apartments are like - and what missionary days are like..

I recently heard a man describe a missionary apartment in the country of Peru.  They lived in a room above a garage, hauled their water up two flights of stairs.  Showers included a bucket of water and a drain in the floor.

Okay, that's extreme.  These girls are serving in the USA, so they have nice accommodations.  Maybe not great, but nice.

At the Gila Valley Arizona Temple

Here are the Sister Missionaries posing in front of the newly completed Gila Valley Temple.  (By the way, Gila is pronounced "HEE-la".)

Thank you Mandy for this update on your activities!  We're happy you seem to be doing very well.  God bless you as you teach people the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It's the only thing that will heal this troubled world.