Whew. Today was a busy day and I don't have much time before we have to leave for our dinner appointment but I'll hopefully have enough time to write this e-mail.

 

Today was moving day from one apartment into another which is in our area (so you can use that address now). It ended up taking two trips because we had to take all the furnature with us... like the sofa, the dresser, the desks, the table, et cetera. The senior couple in charge of the housing was there but they weren't much help for lifting and moving stuff up and down the stairs. Luckily the three elders from our district came and helped the whole time and the zone leaders came and helped for the first trip. They were great because they got all the heavy stuff. After we were all done Hna Hansen and I got us all some In-N-Out burgers and shakes for the district because they are seriously so great. The size of the apartment is a little smaller but hopefully it will work out great once everything is put away. The main problem right now is that we won't have electricity or gas until in the morning.They meant to get that started up for us last Friday but I guess something didn't end up happening.  (I'm really hoping it will work in the morning!!!) It is still extremely hot here. Like our car thermometer is still reading over 100 almost every day (more like 113 or so this afternoon). So we're hoping that we'll be cool enough without the cooler working tonight. We are lucky in that we're on the east side of the building so it doesn't seem to get too hot in the afternoon. Between that and keeping the blinds closed all afternoon hopefully we will be able to sleep comfortably tonight. We'll just have to see and cross our fingers!!!

 

The work is still going great. We were able to meet with the person I talked about last week who asked us what the process for getting baptized was and we found out a few things. 1) in her process of moving she moved to Van Nuys not Reseda (the cities here are crazy because there are so many cities in the San Fernando Valley but there is absolutely nothing geographically different to divide the cities so I still am not sure exactly where many of the cities are but I'm figuring it out) 2) She actually already was baptized in probably 1993 when she was 8 with her dad but he stopped going so she wasn't able to continue for a long time. So we're going to try looking for her records and if that is the case she won't need to get rebaptized. I guess the bishop somehow didn't know about finding records because his solution for her was to rebaptize her. Usually that is the case for a lot of the hispanics who got baptized a long time ago in central or south america because it is really hard to find their records. The records can be recreated with 2 witnesses who were there but it is all interesting. Anyway, hopefully we won't have to be rebaptized. 3) Her mom isn't a member and she's interested in the missionary lessons. So she'll be a new investigator for elders in Van Nuys.

 

Priscilla is really progressing. She came to church on Sunday and also the Relief Society session of General Conference. That was interesting to go to. We ended up watching it in Spanish with her and the interpreters talk so fast that I didn't really get anything substantial out of it at all. Luckily in the second chapel in that building they show the english version too. So for the sessions of general conference this week we'll be watching it in english (yay!!). It was really weird though because in the spanish interpretation version the music is still the same (in english) and it's like the spanish people get upset because they don't know the language but they want to sing along too. Like in the last piece before the closing prayer it was a hymn sung by the choir and so it was supposed to be listened to. But someone found out what number that hymn was in spanish and shouted it out and the spanish people started singing along to the choir in spanish. It was really... different and made me like laugh and roll my eyes. Good thing I love these people.

 

I guess the last thing as I start wrapping up is a question I guess for anyone who happens to know more about this than me. I started researching it the other day. What is a visionary person? Like what is a vision? And who can get one?

 

I've always known that people in the Bible and the Book of Mormon were 'visionary people' but to me I guess I always assumed that was a thing that was rare and reserved for the prophet. But at least 4 times in the last few months I've had specific instances when I was in the process of praying/meditating about a question and my mind will play out these images that suddenly make something clear about what I need to do. It seems like daydreaming or my mind wandering to me and I guess I've always thought that is what it was. But when it happens that is the answer to the question I was praying/meditating about. The images aren't necessarily relevant but to me they are symbolic and they are like an answer to me. So is that a vision?

 

Sorry, this might sound random... I guess it came out in my mind especially right now because I'm currently reading the book Our Heritage and there are so many instances of people seeing 'visions' or angels ministering or stuff like that. So I'm just not really sure.

 

I'll wrap up with the question/thought. Are you a black hole or a sun? That is one of the image things that came to my mind during sacrament meeting this week to answer how I can be a better person. If you're a black hole you're sucking everything inward toward you, even the light is sucked in toward you. You're giving nothing back but are inward. If you're a sun you're giving everything and at the same time not ever really running out of more of yourself to give. But you provide light and heat and the ability for other things to exist or grow. Anyway, just a random thought. Computers in the library are shutting down soon so I've got to go. Thanks for everything. You're all the best!

 

~Hermana Whetten

 

ps-Mom thanks for the article! I got it and that is exactly what I wanted. Oh yeah, for the exercise thing, you know how pintrest had little exercise lists of things to do too? If you find any good ones ever can you print those off for me maybe? thanks! You're so great!