Monday, June 24th

Okay, not too much time to write today because of craziness but let me review the last week a bit.

 

Last Monday was great. We had a really fun preparation day with our district. That district is probably the favorite I've had on the mission because we just felt so cared for and we were always doing things together. Like last preparation day we went to Veteran's park and an elder set up a slack line because he had his family send it to him the week before. So we all got to try it out and we had a great time. We took district pictures in a tree which was so much fun because there were some elders who set the timer on the cameras then hit it and in like 2 seconds climbed the tree and posed. It was so great! We had a blast. Hermana Hardy and I both got training calls that day. She was to train one and I was called to train 2 new missionaries. We were super excited and pretty positive that since I was told that I was staying and that she was going to a bike area that she would just be in the same ward in the bike area being set up. So were were comfortable and excited for everything to come.

 

Tuesday came and we got up and ready to go and we went to the trainer's training then the transfer meeting. The first thing they told us was a huge announcement that 2 new spanish zones were created and I think possibly there were 4 zones created in total. That was amazing to see because I've never seen zones created before and whabam there are 2 more in the San Fernando valley. So cool. Then they were announcing where all everyone would be sent to and it was exciting and everything. Then they came to the San Fernando zone and the San Fernando ward where I was in in Sylmar. Hermana Hardy was called and she stood up so her new missionary could see who she is. Then two other sisters were called to be new hermana training leaders there. And then they moved on. What?! I wasn't told I was moving. What?!! What was going on? I didn't pack because I wasn't told I was moving. What? Now I have to figure out a way to go to the old apartment and pack really quickly. And I have two new missionaries to juggle. And I have to figure out where I'm living. And I have to figure out everything. Opening a new area. Training two new missionaries. I was called evidently to be in the San Fernando Young Single Adult branch. That branch has like 6 active people. How am I supposed to do missionary work for a YSA branch? We can't just go knocking for YSA age people. That doesn't work. What am I supposed to do? AHhhhhh. I came to the transfer meeting very comfortable and excited about the upcoming transfers and then suddenly I was very uncomfortable and scared and not having a clue what I was supposed to do or anything at all.

 

Oh boy.

 

So I guess before I forget, here is my new address for the time being:

 

Hermana Whetten

7025 Woodley Ave #214

Van Nuys, CA 91406

 

I guess either I was a last minute change and president didn't get a chance to tell me that I was leaving or the assistants or someone in the chain made a mistake and said that I was staying when that didn't end up being the case.

 

But everything got figured out. Right now we are living with 5 people in one apartment. Luckily we have 2 bathrooms at least. The three of us work and study in the living room and the other two have their tables for studying set up in their bedroom (we couldn't because we have a bunk bed and another bed in our bedroom).

 

They are working on getting us our own apartment but the apartment they have still has people living in it and so we won't move in until July 7th or so.

 

Our area is the entire San Fernando Valley. We basically have to find less actives in the branch, invite the YSA age members from the whole valley to come, and find pretty much exclusively by referrals from members, non members, and missionaries. I don't really know what I am doing because that is different that anything I've done before. I mean my first area in Reseda also covered 1/2 of the YSA, but at that time we were basically told that almost all of our time would be devoted to Reseda, so we would support the ward in their activities etc but didn't do much work. We are basically starting from scratch and we'll be learning as we go. We feel like the branch has huge amounts of potential, but in the beginning it will be like trying to push against a boulder. When things get rolling momentum could be enormous and unstoppable, but the getting started and changing the culture will be difficult.

 

The really good part is that our branch president loves us and he is so supportive. He was basically crying at the correlation we had. He said they've been praying and fasting and going to the temple so much praying for us to come and now that we're here they want so badly for it all to be succesful.

 

My two companions are Hermana Evans who is 1/2 polynesian and is from Florida and also Hermana O'Hara who is from Utah and is actually here because she is waiting on her visa to go to Argentina. So she could be here for the full 12 weeks of training or she could be out any day. We'll just have to see how it all goes. They are both super cute. Hna Evans is 20 and had her birthday recently and Hna O'Hara is 19. Both of their Spanish is really really low right now. Like when they first started reading the Book of Mormon out loud the first day together I had to tell myself I wasn't goign to laugh because their accent was so white. It was like speaking syllables of spanish at a time. So we have some work to do there but I know they'll get better because Hermana Hardy started similar and was practically fluent by the time we were done.

 

We're still figuring things out. The dynamics of being in a trio are so different. Sorry figuring out the library with new missionaries is kind of crazy with their library cards and parking and finding the building, so I need to go. But I hope you have a great trip and I'll hear from you later!

 

Oh yeah, and we had to watch the broadcast last night in spanish because where they were going to show the other one, the air conditioning exploded. But I was super pleasantly surprised that I could understand it all because last October when we watched the relief society session of general conference in Spanish I didn't get almost anything. Yay!

 

But love you all.

 

Hermana Whetten