Good morning!
First of all, let me share with you the bit of news about transfers. We got the calls on Sunday morning and I will be staying in the area and Hermana Hardy is being transferred to a bike area. Therefore I officially will finish my mission in the California San Fernando Mission. The area we have is being broken up a bit (because it is huge). Part of the area is being given to the San Fernando Bike elders and part is being given to a new companionship who will be in our ward. We did a service project last Saturday of helping the office people move everything into the apartment to open the apartment for the new area. It would make the most sense for that apartment to be an hermana area so that there are sufficient car seats to take everyone to zone meetings. So Hermana Hardy is really hoping that she is just going to be transferred to the new bike area in Sylmar. That would be funny because that would mean that she lives just down the hall from me. There are 45 missionaries coming in to our mission this transfer (16 of them are visa waiters and thus are Spanish speakers). Therefore I am pretty positive I will be training again (at least 1 hermana possibly more) especially since I'm not being transferred away. Hermana Hardy may be training as well. We just haven't received that call yet to make it official. But transfer meeting is tomorrow and we'll find out everything officially tomorrow and I'll be at the same apartment, so letters can still go there. But it is cool to think about. Last transfer there were 6 missionaries in our ward. This transfer there will be 9 (one of the elder companionships got a call that they will be in a trio) unless I get a call saying I am trio training which would mean potentially 10 missionaries in our ward. That is so wonderful! The world really is being flooded with missionary work and it is so great to be able to witness all of that!!! I definitely encourage everyone to take one small step further and figure out something you can do a little bit better to fulfill your mandate to be member missionaries and to catch the wave!!! (http://www.lds.org/general-
“Ward and stake council members, their spouses, full-time missionaries, and other interested Church members are invited to participate in a special session of the Seminar for New Mission Presidents entitled "The Work of Salvation," which will be broadcast from the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Sunday, June 23, 2013, at 4:00 p.m. mountain daylight time. The program will be subsequently rebroadcast to many areas of the world. President Thomas S. Monson, President Boyd K. Packer, and members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will share messages about missionary work and conversion. Where necessary, we ask local leaders to adjust scheduled worship services so that members are able to participate in the live broadcast of this historic event.”
All full-time missionaries are invited (and required) to attend this broadcast. I would also talk this up in your wards and branches. All ward council members should attend, but invite EVERYONE to attend (note “other interested Church members” – shouldn’t everyone be interested in missionary work?). This will be a very important and memorable broadcast related to this great hastening of the work that is taking place today!
Additional information can be found on lds.org:
“The Work of Salvation” Missionary Broadcasthttp://www.lds.org/church/
Also, I can't forget to say thanks so much for sending me your music, Brittany. I am so lucky that Hermana Hardy plays piano. She played and we sang your song and I love it. I've been bragging about you to my district and when she played it for them they were wowed. They were very impressed and Hermana Hardy after playing it for the first time was like, "she's going to make a great musician!" That was an amazing gift and I was tearing up a bit the first time because listening to your music was as if you were here with me. Thank you so much! And I am so glad it became such a beautiful opportunity for you to learn more about the phenomenal process of receiving revelation. You're marvelous!
Well, the best part of this week was definitely getting to go to the temple. It has been so long since I'd gone that I didn't realize what role this drought of being in the temple was like. When the session started I just started crying because it was like my spirit was at home again. It was an interesting sensation, but being there wasn't like recharging my battery. It was like I was being given an upgrade of a brand new better and larger battery. I love being in the temple! I came home and wrote about 4 or 5 pages in my journal about things that I personally learned from being able to be there. It was amazing to be with my district as well. This district I have right now has definitely been one of the most united and strong districts that I've had yet (I'm so glad I get to stay with them longer!). It was thrilling to be able to be in the celestial room teaching each other, expounding on scriptures much like Christ did in the temple. Temples are definitely houses of learning, houses of glory, houses of God.
One of the deepest things I learned is about the measure of God's creations. I imagine it like a measuring cup or better yet like a vase. The thing is that early on we find out that we are actually filled with cracks and holes. We aren't a very efficient instrument on our own and the measure of our creation isn't very much because when we measure in more water, it leaks out. But through the atonement, our leaks can be fixed and the measure of our creation can be increased to something we could never do on our own. Likewise, when the problems are fixed, then the cracks actually become beautiful. That is what makes us unique. Through prayer, scripture study, temple attendance, The Family: A Proclamation to the world, our patriarchal blessings, and other sources of personal revelation like that, we can come to know exactly what our measure of creation is. Everyone's measure is very individual and unique. But by filling our own measure of creation, we can find incomparable joy because that is when our will and the Lord's will are in line.
Another fantastic thing that we were able to do this week was a huge service project. An amazing family in our ward had neighbors moving in next door and so the whole district came over and helped them with their yard. They had been working on jack hammering apart the cement foundation of a pond that used to be in the back yard. So we moved away the cement chunks then the member brought out a huge metal spear thing that is evidently used to break up the ground for making fences. But with that spear and an hour or two, the elders eventually broke apart the cement completely and got it cleaned out. We also raked and cleaned up tons of debris in his yard. He bought us pizza we shared a scripture in Mosiah about service and gave him a Book of Mormon. He was so grateful and we're extremely excited to get to work with the member and with serving him to over time hopefully help him come unto Christ! That was definitely the most amazing service project I'd been able to be a part of yet of the mission. I've grown so much, especially this past transfer to learn to absolutely LOVE serving others. It makes me so happy!! I will be always looking for ways to serve my family and those around me!!
About our investigators, Ana is doing amazingly well (she's the one who we found by that extremely long process that I explained a few weeks ago). In about a week she's read through 1 Nephi 7 and she came to sacrament meeting yesterday! She had a dream about a spirit who was talking to her telling her that it was in a place of learning and so we were able to teach her the Plan of Salvation and talk to her about what happens immediately after death, where we eventually go, and what happened to her baby who passed away after only a few months. It makes me excited to see her progressing!!! She is such a blessing and she seems like she's been being so prepared for so long!
The big heartbreak was with Silvia this week with whom we watched the Restoration DVD. She was crying the whole time and right afterward she said she was filled with such peace. Then she got up and started cutting tomatoes and said that that DVD is just a thing made by men. We asked her if she really believed that. No, but she gave us more excuses. She knows that this is the truth but she is absolutely terrified of making the change and giving up her catholic traditions that she's had for 70+ years. We will keep on working with her and hopefully help her to progress.
Well that was pretty much my week. I love you all and am excited for good things to come with this transfer!
Hermana Whetten
First of all, let me share with you the bit of news about transfers. We got the calls on Sunday morning and I will be staying in the area and Hermana Hardy is being transferred to a bike area. Therefore I officially will finish my mission in the California San Fernando Mission. The area we have is being broken up a bit (because it is huge). Part of the area is being given to the San Fernando Bike elders and part is being given to a new companionship who will be in our ward. We did a service project last Saturday of helping the office people move everything into the apartment to open the apartment for the new area. It would make the most sense for that apartment to be an hermana area so that there are sufficient car seats to take everyone to zone meetings. So Hermana Hardy is really hoping that she is just going to be transferred to the new bike area in Sylmar. That would be funny because that would mean that she lives just down the hall from me. There are 45 missionaries coming in to our mission this transfer (16 of them are visa waiters and thus are Spanish speakers). Therefore I am pretty positive I will be training again (at least 1 hermana possibly more) especially since I'm not being transferred away. Hermana Hardy may be training as well. We just haven't received that call yet to make it official. But transfer meeting is tomorrow and we'll find out everything officially tomorrow and I'll be at the same apartment, so letters can still go there. But it is cool to think about. Last transfer there were 6 missionaries in our ward. This transfer there will be 9 (one of the elder companionships got a call that they will be in a trio) unless I get a call saying I am trio training which would mean potentially 10 missionaries in our ward. That is so wonderful! The world really is being flooded with missionary work and it is so great to be able to witness all of that!!! I definitely encourage everyone to take one small step further and figure out something you can do a little bit better to fulfill your mandate to be member missionaries and to catch the wave!!! (http://www.lds.org/general-
“Ward and stake council members, their spouses, full-time missionaries, and other interested Church members are invited to participate in a special session of the Seminar for New Mission Presidents entitled "The Work of Salvation," which will be broadcast from the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Sunday, June 23, 2013, at 4:00 p.m. mountain daylight time. The program will be subsequently rebroadcast to many areas of the world. President Thomas S. Monson, President Boyd K. Packer, and members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will share messages about missionary work and conversion. Where necessary, we ask local leaders to adjust scheduled worship services so that members are able to participate in the live broadcast of this historic event.”
All full-time missionaries are invited (and required) to attend this broadcast. I would also talk this up in your wards and branches. All ward council members should attend, but invite EVERYONE to attend (note “other interested Church members” – shouldn’t everyone be interested in missionary work?). This will be a very important and memorable broadcast related to this great hastening of the work that is taking place today!
Additional information can be found on lds.org:
“The Work of Salvation” Missionary Broadcasthttp://www.lds.org/church/
Also, I can't forget to say thanks so much for sending me your music, Brittany. I am so lucky that Hermana Hardy plays piano. She played and we sang your song and I love it. I've been bragging about you to my district and when she played it for them they were wowed. They were very impressed and Hermana Hardy after playing it for the first time was like, "she's going to make a great musician!" That was an amazing gift and I was tearing up a bit the first time because listening to your music was as if you were here with me. Thank you so much! And I am so glad it became such a beautiful opportunity for you to learn more about the phenomenal process of receiving revelation. You're marvelous!
Well, the best part of this week was definitely getting to go to the temple. It has been so long since I'd gone that I didn't realize what role this drought of being in the temple was like. When the session started I just started crying because it was like my spirit was at home again. It was an interesting sensation, but being there wasn't like recharging my battery. It was like I was being given an upgrade of a brand new better and larger battery. I love being in the temple! I came home and wrote about 4 or 5 pages in my journal about things that I personally learned from being able to be there. It was amazing to be with my district as well. This district I have right now has definitely been one of the most united and strong districts that I've had yet (I'm so glad I get to stay with them longer!). It was thrilling to be able to be in the celestial room teaching each other, expounding on scriptures much like Christ did in the temple. Temples are definitely houses of learning, houses of glory, houses of God.
One of the deepest things I learned is about the measure of God's creations. I imagine it like a measuring cup or better yet like a vase. The thing is that early on we find out that we are actually filled with cracks and holes. We aren't a very efficient instrument on our own and the measure of our creation isn't very much because when we measure in more water, it leaks out. But through the atonement, our leaks can be fixed and the measure of our creation can be increased to something we could never do on our own. Likewise, when the problems are fixed, then the cracks actually become beautiful. That is what makes us unique. Through prayer, scripture study, temple attendance, The Family: A Proclamation to the world, our patriarchal blessings, and other sources of personal revelation like that, we can come to know exactly what our measure of creation is. Everyone's measure is very individual and unique. But by filling our own measure of creation, we can find incomparable joy because that is when our will and the Lord's will are in line.
Another fantastic thing that we were able to do this week was a huge service project. An amazing family in our ward had neighbors moving in next door and so the whole district came over and helped them with their yard. They had been working on jack hammering apart the cement foundation of a pond that used to be in the back yard. So we moved away the cement chunks then the member brought out a huge metal spear thing that is evidently used to break up the ground for making fences. But with that spear and an hour or two, the elders eventually broke apart the cement completely and got it cleaned out. We also raked and cleaned up tons of debris in his yard. He bought us pizza we shared a scripture in Mosiah about service and gave him a Book of Mormon. He was so grateful and we're extremely excited to get to work with the member and with serving him to over time hopefully help him come unto Christ! That was definitely the most amazing service project I'd been able to be a part of yet of the mission. I've grown so much, especially this past transfer to learn to absolutely LOVE serving others. It makes me so happy!! I will be always looking for ways to serve my family and those around me!!
About our investigators, Ana is doing amazingly well (she's the one who we found by that extremely long process that I explained a few weeks ago). In about a week she's read through 1 Nephi 7 and she came to sacrament meeting yesterday! She had a dream about a spirit who was talking to her telling her that it was in a place of learning and so we were able to teach her the Plan of Salvation and talk to her about what happens immediately after death, where we eventually go, and what happened to her baby who passed away after only a few months. It makes me excited to see her progressing!!! She is such a blessing and she seems like she's been being so prepared for so long!
The big heartbreak was with Silvia this week with whom we watched the Restoration DVD. She was crying the whole time and right afterward she said she was filled with such peace. Then she got up and started cutting tomatoes and said that that DVD is just a thing made by men. We asked her if she really believed that. No, but she gave us more excuses. She knows that this is the truth but she is absolutely terrified of making the change and giving up her catholic traditions that she's had for 70+ years. We will keep on working with her and hopefully help her to progress.
Well that was pretty much my week. I love you all and am excited for good things to come with this transfer!
Hermana Whetten
Which area is she in?
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