Oh wow. It feels like everyone in the world is moving on so fast with their lives this week! Ryan is engaged, other friends I'm finding out are pregnant right now. Crazy crazy!! Not only that, though, the work is moving on so fast as well. This is a section we got from a recent Weekly Letter of the President about a Mission President training they had recently attended with all of the other California mission presidents (and one from Hawaii) to be trained and taught. Elder L. Tom Perry was presiding and was accompanied by Elder Richard J. Maynes (our area supervisor) and his assistants, and Elder Marcos Aidukaitis and Elder Gregory Schwitzer. They said that:
Elder Perry was very clear that we as a Church have entered a new era. There has never before, in the history of the world, been anything like it. He says he daily thanks the Lord that he has one more day to see this all unfold. He talked a bit about how the revelation to lower the mission age came to be. The Twelve had approached the First Presidency with the recommendation that the age of Elders be lowered. The First Presidency kept it under advisement for a year before putting it on the agenda for discussion in their weekly Temple meeting with the apostles. The original suggestion to lower the age was for Elders, the First Presidency surprised the Twelve with lowering the age for Sisters, also. Elder Perry testified of the direct revelation to the Prophet on that matter.
Elder Perry repeatedly stated that we are in a new time. That things are different now and that we are privileged to be a part of it. One Mission President who will be released in July, commented how he would give anything he owned to be able to stay two more years. But thanks to the Elders and Sisters who have come before, we have the strength and foundation to enter this new era. We are all standing on the shoulders of giants.
President Hall also said: At this point it looks like we will be receiving 20 new missionaries next week and at least 30 new missionaries in June. That’s 50 new missionaries in the next two months – about 25% of our current mission size! And it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.
It is so cool to be a missionary! I know that I was called by a prophet of God and that I was meant to be out on the mission right here right now at the beginning of this huge tidal wave of missionary work in the world. These are the last days. We don't know how much time we have, but we do know that we are getting so close to the end. I can see that the good are getting better and the bad are getting worse. The canyon is dividing and soon it will become very clear whose side everyone is on because there will be no more fence to sit on. You can't straddle the Grand Canyon. I know that the forces for good will prevail and I am excited to be on the Lord's side for all of my life, to always be an instrument.
I can feel a hastening in the work. The miracles we've seen this week have been largely in the people we've been meeting. We've been knocked into a person who, for instance, has a sister who was a missionary and was sealed in the temple, someone who was taught by missionaries like 15 years ago, someone who told Bible studies twice a week but who said he was interested in having a copy of the Book of Mormon. One man stopped us and talked to us because he noticed the word "Jesucristo" on our nametag. There was another day where we had eaten dinner at the church and then ended up with about 30 minutes extra before we had to be back to the church to teach the ward Preach My Gospel class. So we drove about a block and a half away from the church, parked, prayed, and got out. The house where we parked at had a guy out front watering his lawn, so we walked up to him, taught him a lesson, gave him a commitment to read the Book of Mormon and pray, we prayed with him, got back in the car, and drove back to the church. It has been so crazy because this week it literally has felt like everywhere we've happened to be, we ended up being there for a much bigger reason to find someone specific. Usually it has happened by deciding to knock one or two more doors or work those extra few minutes in between things. And so many crazy and miraculous people have been found by all of this that it really feels like no matter where we are, we are there on the Lord's errand. And that is probably the most amazing feeling ever.
I know that I am a representative of Jesus Christ. I know who I serve and I know why I'm here. Sure, the days are long. Each has its own unique trials and miracles. We've had amazing opportunities to really feel like a part of the community (like this past Saturday we participated in a Mormon Helping Hands cleanup of the Los Angeles River) and to love the people and we had a great stake conference yesterday. But I have been learning how precious time is to the Lord and how it is to me and I want to use every second I have to the best I can all of my life.
Anyway, it has been wonderful to hear from all of you. I love you all and wish for the absolute best. Keep doing amazing things! Y tenge el espiritu consigo siempre!
Love,
Hermana Whetten
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