Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Halloween All Around


Happy Halloween Week family and friends!!! You have no idea how much I have loved driving around looking at Halloween decorations as we are out and about doing missionary work. I just LOVE Halloween!!! I just wish that I could go trick-or-treating this year ;) But we are going to be locked up in the church on Halloween night. But I will write about that next week once it happens.
Ok... So let's see what happened this week. It felt like a very long week until Saturday and then this weekend just flew by! To start off... Monday the 22nd was transfers, as I mentioned last week. It was a good day! It was fun to go to the office and be with some of the other sisters for a couple hours before heading off to our separate areas. Then that night Sister Butler and I went out and visited a member who has been less active for a few years or so that she and Sister Thayne had been working with. When we got there, Lora Lee, she was not happy that Sister Thayne was transferred. I just laughed, not because she was mad but because she got so mad in front of me. But it's ok. I understand how people can connect to some people and it's hard when they get transferred. But it was all good by the time we left. And we just went around trying to see former investigators or potentials since it was Monday night, we can't go to members houses because of Family Night.
Then on Tuesday the 23rd we had a lesson with an investigator and her husband who has been inactive since he was a teenager, Jack and Lori. They are a super nice couple! Lori is very open and loves learning about the gospel. She loves marking her Book of Mormon and reading all the pamphlets that we give her each week. Jack has some things that are holding him back and it's hard for him to relearn everything because of things that happened when he was younger. But they both really want to learn and come to church and Lori wants to be baptized. And the coolest part about it is that Jack wants to baptize her! So as soon as Lori has all the lessons and they are ready (we prayed about a date in December and now they just have to accept it...) Jack will be able to baptize Lori! It's so exciting! They are a wonderful couple! The sad thing is that they haven't been to church in two weeks :( They've had last minute plans that have kept them from coming. They tried to go a couple weeks ago when they were out of town but didn't know if they should or where it was. But hopefully they can make it this next week! They said they'll be able to so we're praying and crossing our fingers!
Also that night, just a fun little detail... We went to dinner at the Lindstrom's home. Sister Lindstrom is Del Parson's sister! (For those of you who don't know who Del Parson is, he's an artist that does a lot of art work that the church uses. For example, the picture of Christ holding the lamb in his arms...) So it was really cool to go into their home and see all of his art work! Plus, Sister Lindstrom is also an artist and her art work was pretty good too! Just a little fun detail about Tuesday night :)
Then Wednesday and Thursday we did a lot of going to see members, less actives, and potential investigators. And on Friday the 26th, after weekly planning, we parked at the church and walked the rest of the day. We didn't have a dinner appointment so we worked right through dinner and then went home at 8 pm instead of 9 pm to eat. We had a lesson with Lora Lee on Friday and it was a very good lesson! We didn't really have much prepared but we knew that we needed to talk about the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End.) But when we got to Lora Lee's house, we ended up talking about Jesus Christ's Atonement. She said something in our "opening conversation" that went straight to the Atonement and we ended up having a really good and powerful lesson on it! It's amazing how Heavenly Father really helps us to know what to say in lessons. We had planned something totally different but because she needed to talk about the Atonement and how it will help her in her life, Heavenly Father, through the Spirit, really helped us to know what to say. It was amazing!
Then on Saturday the 27th, we had the ward Trunk-or-Treat! It was put on by our ward and the Glendora 2nd ward. The Elders in the G2 ward came and set up a booth with Mormon.org cards and other church things and candy. And Sister Butler and I got a story off of lds.org/friend and a cute little pumpkin maze and we handed those out with glow sticks. It was a very good and fun Trunk-or-Treat! And there were a lot of non-members there so it helped us to say hi to them and to get our names out there and stuff! It was really fun!
Then yesterday, Sunday the 28th, was the Primary Program! It was so amazing! I just love going to church when there is a Primary Program! The kids bring the Spirit so strong! And Sister Butler and Sister Thayne challenged the primary kids to pray about and invite their friends to come to and so many of them did! It was so cool to see so many of their friends there! We didn't get to talk to many but at least they were there and they were able to feel of the amazing Spirit that was there! And hopefully that will bring up questions to the members and then we can talk to them. I know that having the kids to ask their friends was inspired! It was just so cool to see so many people there!
Also, right before sacrament meeting started, this lady came walking up to me super fast and said, "I just had to come and meet you. I talked to Lori last night and she told me about you being in our ward! I'm so excited!" haha I got this big smile on my face because Sister Mautz in the Carbon Canyon ward is this ladies (Sister Goddard) daughter. When I found out I was coming to the Glendora 5th ward, some members told me they thought Sister Mautz's parents lived there and so yeah. I was very excited! I love Sister Mautz so I know that I will love Brother and Sister Goddard too! So that made me happy :)
Well, this is another not-so-fun email, but that's about all that happened this week. There is a lot of potential with part member families in this ward and I am looking forward to that! I know that this is where I'm supposed to be! Good things are going to happen!
And to end my email, I forgot to say happy birthdays last week so happy birthday to Aunt Heidi, Uncle Maury, Jennifer Kuznicki, Cedi, and Grandma Kuznicki all last week. And happy birthday today to Aunt Debbie! Love you all!
Love always, Sister Rachel Wheatley
Sisters Wheatley and Butler at Ward Trunk or Treat
 

View of Glendora and Los Angeles
 

Monday, October 22, 2012

Goodbye Chino Hills, Hello Glendora


As you can tell from my title, I have been transferred. It has been a very bitter sweet weekend for me. I was happy because I'm moving on to bigger and better things but I was sad because that means I am leaving what I have come to love as my home. When Elder Dixon, one of the Assistants, called on Saturday at 10 pm, I  almost didn't answer the phone. I have felt for a while that I was going to be transferred but I didn't want to be. I have grown to love the Carbon Canyon ward. They have been so wonderful to me these last seven months. I have felt like they are my home ward. And it was hard. But, on Sunday when I thought that I would be a mess at church, I was totally dry, not one tear. It was crazy! Especially because if you know me, I cry over the smallest of things :) But it was good! I love the Carbon Canyon ward but I know that Heavenly Father has something bigger and better for me. I can learn from my new area, companion, and ward. So I'm excited for my new adventure. I will write more next week about today but my new companion is Sister Butler. She is from American Fork and I have been on exchanges with her a couple times. So I'm happy that we are companions!
Sisters Wheatley and Carrell at the Pumpkin Patch

Well, to start off, Monday the 15th was a very good day! We got up at 4:45 am and had to leave our house by 6 am to make it to Arcadia by 8 am. No, Arcadia is not two hours away but with California traffic you never know if you are going to get stuck or not. The reason we had to get up so early and be in Arcadia is because we had a mission tour with Elder Laurence Corbridge of the 70. It was a very good conference! We learned so much from him. But at the same time, he is so deep it was kind of hard for me to follow him the whole time. But that's ok! I took lots of notes and hopefully I can go back and learn at my own pace with them. I will admit though, my favorite part was after lunch when Elder Corbridge was gone and President Becerra spoke and we just had good conversations with him about the things we learned that day. I really love the insights that President Becerra has. And from the other missionaries in the mission! That, to be honest, was the best part of the day.

Then that night when we got back to Chino Hills, we met up with Rose and took her to dinner. I had wanted to take her to dinner for a long time and this time around we hadn't eaten yet after getting back from Arcadia so we all met up at Panda Express and had a nice dinner together!

The Elders at the Pumpkin Patch
 
Then on Tuesday the 16th, we had a big double zone Pday! It was so much fun! The Chino zone got together with the Hacienda Heights zone and we had a big game of dodgeball. The Chino zone is very small so we ended up having some of the HH zone come over to our side and help us out. But the fun part is that we got to wear our zone tshirts! Heck yes! :) I did have to laugh though because whenever an Elder would throw a ball at me and get me out, all the other Elders would boo the Elder that got me out. Then if I got hit really hard, they'd come up to me and see if I was ok. Yes! I'm not a baby LOL I have brothers! haha It was just funny! I loved it though. I had so much fun! (I was the only Sister playing dodgeball most of  the time...)

Then on Wednesday the 17th we did service at the Let It Be foundation. We made angels again for their angel tree breakfast next month. It was so much fun! I am sad that I will not be able to volunteer there anymore. We had only been in twice and we have grown to love the people that work there. I will miss them but I'm glad I got to work with them while I could.

And then we had lunch with Sister Lancaster again! I love Sister Lancaster! We have gone to lunch with her a few times and she is just amazing! I was sad because I had a feeling it would be my last lunch with her so that was hard. But come to find out this morning that she actually lives in the next town over from Glendora so she said that when she has days off, she will still take us out to lunch! I'm so happy! She is amazing!

My Pumpkin
Then that night we went to visit converts from the Carbon Canyon ward that moved to the Los Serranos ward. When she and her kids moved, they became inactive. I was sad to hear that because everyone we talk to in the ward says how amazing she and her kids are. And they say that they ate the gospel up while learning. Well, the reason we went to see her is because our investigators, Mae and Eric, speak Chinese and Sister Lin speaks Chinese so we thought she would be a good translator. So we spent about an hour over there talking to her and her two kids and really enjoyed our time there. They have such a spirit about them. They still know that the church is true but they are struggling. The biggest thing is that Sister Lin doesn't know for sure that Heavenly Father really does love her. So we focused on that a lot with her  that night. By the time we left, we felt good about going over there. I'm happy that Sister Carrell and Sister Lehman (her new comp...) will be able to go see them and help them come back to church. I know that Sister Lin knows the church is true. I just hope that she realizes also that Heavenly Father really does love her! Because He does! He loves each and everyone of us and it makes me sad to know that there are people in this world that don't know that. So I'm happy that I'm out here on my mission to help people realize that!

Sisters Wheatley and Carrell at the Pumpkin Patch
Then on Friday the 19th, our zone went to the college, Cal Poly Pomona, to help out at their Pumpkin Festival. The lady in charge of the festival lives in the Los Serranos ward and she asks the missionaries to help out every year. And it was so fun! Once again, Sister Carrell and I got the easy work haha I wasn't like super sad about that but at the same time, I have come to love working hard. So finally we found the Elders moving hay bails so we went over and helped them! It was so much fun!

Sister Wheatley and The Pumpkin Patch
 
Then on Saturday the 20th, we went back to Cal Poly and help them all day with the opening day of the Pumpkin Festival! It was so much dang fun! All of us missionaries spent most of our day in the corn maze looking for lost little kids haha But it was fun! It was a little chilly and it started to rain a little bit but it was good! We had so much fun! I'm excited to come back after my mission when it's going on and actually get to go around and have fun there! They do so much! It's awesome! The only downfall is that the corn maze doesn't have any cool design like the one at Cornbelly's has. BTW, what was their design this year?? haha

Then that night we got transfer calls. After getting home from meeting with Rose, I just sat on the floor in the front room in silence waiting for the AP's to call. I still had a little hope that I would stay but at the same time I knew I had reached my limited time in Chino Hills. So when the phone finally rang at 10:05 pm and Elder Dixon was on the other line and he asked me how I was doing, I almost said, "Well, I was doing good until the phone rang! I almost didn't answer it." But I decided that wasn't nice of me haha So I finally got my very first transfer call. I hung up the phone and started to cry. I didn't know if I was crying because I was sad or because I was happy. All I know is that as I was crying, I felt peace in my heart. The one thing I asked my Father in Heaven was that if I was being transferred, was to give me peace in my heart. And He answered my prayer very quickly after my call from the AP's. And that I am very thankful for!

Sister Wheatley, Kellie and Brother and Sister Jones
 
Then on Sunday the 21st, like I said earlier, I was surprised that I couldn't cry. I was sad to leave but no tears would come. I guess that's because whoever I talked to and told them I was going to Glendora, said that it's a very nice area and that I would love it! And that's all I needed to know. I don't want to be picky about where Heavenly Father sends me but as we were driving through Pomona the other day, I got this not-so-good feeling being there. I was just scared there. But everyone said that Glendora is nice so I'm happy about that! And not only that, Sister Mautz in the Carbon Canyon ward, her parents are in the Glendora 5th ward that I'm serving in! So that made me happy! At least I have some connection still! :)

Sister Wheatley, Sister Carrell and Rose
 
I think that hardest goodbye though was Sabrina. I did not want to say goodbye. I have grown to love that girl! She wasn't able to come to church yesterday so we stopped by her house yesterday to say goodbye. She was not very happy though. She was sad especially because first it was Sister Davidson and now it was me. But I told her that she needs to stay strong and that it's about the church, not the missionaries. But at the same time, I didn't want to leave because I want to be able to teach her more. But she loves the gospel and she knows it's true so I'm not too worried about her. It was nice though because we also got to say goodbye to her parents and we took pictures and we talked forever and it was just nice. But not going to lie, it was really hard for me to say goodbye to her.

Well, that's about all that happened this week. I don't feel like this gives you as much detail as past weeks but that's about all that happened. But before I end I want to say good luck to Bubba on Wednesday! I'm so proud of you for going on this new adventure. Just like everyone says, it will be the hardest thing you've ever done but at the same time, it really is the best thing ever! You are going to love your mission! And I'm so happy to be on a mission at the same time as you! I guess when we were younger and you said you wanted us to serve at the same time and I kept saying I wasn't going on a mission, I guess you knew somewhere in the back of your mind the whole time that we really would be serving missions together! I love you Bubba! Good luck and remember, no Bible bashing with the people you meet :)

Gotta run! Love you all! Hope things are going well for everyone!

Love always, Sister Wheatley






Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Another email...


Good morning!!!! Today we are emailing early because our zone is finally doing something FUN for Pday! We used to do something fun every week but this transfer, not so much :( And it makes me kinda sad. But the ZL's texted us this morning and said that we are having a two-zone Pday playing Dodgeball! So I'm totally stoked! So we gotta finish everything early! And our whole zone will be wearing our new Zone Tshirts so that will be even more fun!

Anyway, here's what happened this week:

On Monday the 8th we had a Family Home Evening lesson with Brother and Sister Wilson. Sister Davidson and I used to go to their house every Monday and have FHE but we hadn't been in a while. This lesson was really good! We talked about the commandments and following the prophet. And with General Conference having just happened, it was the perfect thing to talk about. It was a very good lesson! The Spirit was really strong there! I talked about my favorite talk, given by Elder Holland, and how it has helped me since he gave it. I love going over to the Wilson's because I always seem to cry during the lessons. And this time was no different. For some reason I just love to cry! It makes me feel a lot better. And I love Sister Wilson. She really cares for me and my situations. It's just nice to be able to have a mom away from home. She's amazing!

Then on Tuesday the 9th, we had another lesson with the Hoch's. This lesson was on the Atonement. We answered their questions about the Holy Ghost and the Godhead being seperate beings and then we got into the Atonement. It was really cool to see Sister Hoch grasp that concept. She asked a lot of questions about it and we did our best to answer them. We have another lesson with them tonight! So we're excited to see where this lesson takes us. We are hoping to get them on a church tour this week sometime! They are a really nice couple and they are very open but also have a firm belief in their faith, which is good that they are religious but hard when we teach them. But with the Spirit guiding us, it will all work out!

Then on Wednesday the 10th, we went to volunteer some service hours at the Let It Be Foundation here in Chino! They are a non-profit organization that help families who have children with life threatening illnesses, which usually means cancer. They got started because the Founder had a daughter who died of cancer and she just wanted to help other people as well. So we walked in and asked them if we could volunteer (Sister Barnard in the ward also volunteers there) and they put us right to work making homemade angels for a Christmas brunch they are having next week. It was so much fun! All the workers/volunteers there are amazing! We were only there for about three hours but we just love them all now! And the Founder came up to us and saw our tags and said that her biological brother is Mormon and so she got really excited and took a picture of us to send to her nephew who is preparing for his mission soon. She said he would probably freak out! It was so funny! So we are very excited to volunteer there every week! It's a great foundation and there are great people that work there!

Then on Thursday the 11th, right before we were going to go home for the night because it was too late/dark to go knock on doors, we felt like we needed to go see our investigator Sabrina. When we got there, we heard her through the doors "Oh my gosh! It's the Sisters!!" She was so excited to see us, and we were excited to see her as well (BTW mom, she was wearing footie pajamas with Disney characters from Walmart... Just a Bday/Christmas idea for you ;) So we went in and ended up talking to her for an hour. It was just so wonderful to talk to her! She told us that she had been having a rough couple days and that it was cool that we showed up. She recognized that Heavenly Father sent us there that night, just like He did on July 4th when we met her for the first time. She said that He always seems to know just when she needs a pick-me-up! It was just so cool to see that she recognizes the hand of the Lord in this! So was sat and talked about everything! But the main things we talked about was prayer and the Atonement. She said that she hasn't been praying for the last couple days because she doesn't feel like God really cares. But then, like I said above, she now recognizes that He does care about her because He sent us to her in a time of great need. And so we helped her realize the importance of prayer. We asked her if she would pray and read a couple verses in the scriptures that talk about what she's going through. And that led us to the Atonement. We talked about how no matter how alone she feels, Jesus Christ knows what she's going through and is always there for her. Needless to say, there were a few tears shed on Thursday night. But it was AMAZING!!! Going to Sabrina's house that night was just another miracle and reminder that Heavenly Father is watching out for His children. He does care about each and everyone of us. And like Sister Monroe said in her testimony on Sunday "God does not forget the one!" (Sabrina did come to church on Sunday so I hope that she took that from Sister Monroe's testimony and will remember it.)

Then Friday the 12th we were able to go to lunch with Cherryl! We were so excited! We, of course, went to The Habit. Sister Carrell had never been to The Habit so we were excited to take her there. And it was good like usual! I have been getting a salad there lately but I decided that I would splurdge and get me a nice juicy burger! And I'm so glad that I did! It was delicious! And we had such a fun time there! We just love being able to talk to Cherryl. She is an amazing person! And we just love to spend time with her. Sadly she is back in Vegas and Florida for the next two weeks and with transfers coming up this weekend, I'm sad because I don't know if I'll see her again until my farewell next September. I've now been in Chino Hills for coming on seven months and I don't know if I'm pushing my luck or not by staying here so long. I guess we'll see!

Then on Saturday the 13th we went to visit a lady we met about five weeks ago. Her son was a former investigator and we wanted to go back and see him and hopefully start teaching him again but he wasn't home when we went over. So we talked to his mom for a while and when we went back on Saturday, she was very open. We felt strongly that we needed to go see her and when we got there, we asked how she was doing and she told us that her son had gone off to basic training that week. Bingo! No wonder we felt like we needed to go see her! So we talked to her a little bit more and had a small gospel discussion (I can't really remember exactly what it was about but it was good.) And the last time we met her, Sister Carrell asked if she knew what the purpose of life was and she said she didn't really know. So we just told her that we as missionaries would be able to answer that question. She didn't have time then or really seem like she wanted to know right now but we asked if we could come back sometime and teach her. She didn't say no and she seemed pretty interested and so we will go back either this weekend or next weekend and hopefully get to talk to her. She has a strong faith and belief in God and she has a family that she loves so much that I just want to be able to help her come to know and understand the purpose of life and that her family can be together for eternity. We have this strong bond between the three of us, I feel, and I just want her to come to know that Heavenly Father does have a plan for her and her family!

Then on Sunday that 14th, right after sacrament, the Elders came over and gave Sabrina a blessing. We had mentioned a blessing to her on Thursday when we went over and she said she would really like one. And the blessing was amazing! Elder Yoshikawa gave her the blessing and it was the first time he had met Sabrina and they only talked for a couple minutes and the blessing was exactly what Sabrina needed! It was amazing! Just another witness to Sabrina, and myself, that God really does care!

Then that night we went to visit a guy named Tony and his wife, Jessica. Tony's sister joined the church about a year ago and Tony has been inactive since he was 17 years old and he wanted to take the missionary lessons again and have his wife take them as well. It's been hard getting ahold of him so we felt like we should just stop by their house. Well, Tony ended up not being there but we got to talk to his wife Jessica. It was nice to talk to her! She has a great light about her! I can just imagine an even greater light in her as we teach them and help her to come to know that what we have to teach is true and as her testimony grows. She seemed really happy that we stopped by and got to talk to her for a bit. It's yet another miracle that happened this week! We didn't know exactly what we should say or do but like the scriptures in Doctrine and Covenants chapter 33 verses 8-10 say, we "opened our mouths" and they really were filled! It was so incredible!

And the same thing happened that night with a lady who's husband is a member and he's been trying to get her to join the church for over 30 years. We felt like we needed to go see him and as we pulled up, she came outside. The miracle about that is that whenever missionaries, home teachers, or ward members come to their house, she stays in the back where we can't see her. So to pull up right as she came out of the house was just another miracle! Brother Curtain wasn't home that night so it was even more incredible that we were able to go on a night that he wasn't home and she came outside. Just amazing!

This week was just full of miracles! I have really seen the Lord's hand in all that we did this week. From the lesson with the Wilson's to the Let It Be foundation to finally getting to meet Sister Curtain, it was all done in the hands of our Lord! Sister Carrell and I really put our minds to all that we did this week and we saw miracles!

Now here's to another great week ahead! But also a tough one as transfer calls are this Saturday and every six weeks I start to wonder if I'm going to be transfered or not. The Carbon Canyon ward has really made me feel welcome these last 6 1/2 months and I have really grown to love them! I have seen so much change in the ward and in myself from being here. Sister Campbell told me this week that she and her family were talking about how much I have grown since being here. She said, "Even my husband and sons have recognized it." And that's not to gloat or anything but it just makes me feel good! It makes me feel like I really am growing and making a difference! Sometimes I feel like I'm not doing much but when a ward member that I have grown to love comes up to me and tells me these things, it makes me feel like I'm fullfilling my purpose as a missionary.

Love to all my family and friends! I can feel the prayers from each of you everyday! Thanks for everything you all do for me! And thanks to mom and Bekkah for sending my the conference package! :)

Love always, Sister Wheatley

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

General Conference WOW!!!!


Can I just say how AMAZING General Conference was?!?! I have never enjoyed conference as much as I did this past weekend! There were so many things said that I really needed to hear. It was incredible! But more on that later.

To start off... Thanks to Sister LuBean for her card! It made me smile :) And Happy Birthday to Grandma Wheatley and Nik and Erin's son, Austin yesterday! Also Grandma and Grandpa Wheatley's anniversary last week! Love you Grandma and Grandpa!

Lunch at Red Robin (YUM)
 
Ok, so this last week was a very good one! On Monday the 1st, Sister Carrell and I went out to lunch with Rachel Hendertilo and Cody Laursen. Rachel and Cody are both preparing for their missions. Cody leaves on Wednesday and Rachel leaves in November. Rachel is in the YSA ward but comes and hangs out with us on Pdays and Cody is in the ward I'm serving in. We went to Red Robin (YUM!!) And it was just that, YUM! And we had so much fun! Then Rachel spent the whole day with us as we went out and worked! It was so much fun! Rachel is going to be an incredible missionary! She has such a strong testimony!

Then on Tuesday the 2nd, Sister Carrell and I went to visit a less-active lady in our ward, Sister Bell. She hasn't been to church since they started the block schedule and she has a visiting teacher but we wanted to go see her. We ended up spending over an hour there! It was so much fun! She has been all over the world and so it was fun to talk to her about that because traveling the world is something I really want to do. And we talked about so much other stuff as well. It was just so much fun!

Redlands Temple - October 3, 2012
 
Then on Wednesday the 3rd, we had Temple/Pday! I was so excited to go to the temple. I have been wanting to go for so long! We went with Sister Williams and as we were driving, she almost just took the I-15 exit to SLC LOL Her son and daughter in-law are going to BYU so she wanted to just keep going and since we live there, darn haha But we decided it'd be better if we made our 7am session at the temple ;)
Sister Carrell.Sister Williams.Sister Wheatley at Redlands Temple
October 3, 2012
 
On Thursday the 4th, we had a really good Zone Training meeting. President Becerra has started this new thing where we have Zone Training once a month and it has really been good! This last week we talked a lot about accountability and faith. As missionaries we keep a daily number of how many lessons, less actives, recent converts, members, etc. that we talk to each day. We are told not to focus on numbers and to focus on finding God's children but at the same time, the numbers are important. So this week we talked about how we really need to pray when we are setting our daily goals and that we need to try our hardest to make those goals. And they said that when we aren't accomplishing them, what's something we need to change to meet them. So I always knew that making these goals was important but this training meeting really hit me hard and has made me think a little more about how important meeting our daily goals really is.

Then came Saturday the 6th and Sunday the 7th. OHMYGOODNESS!!!!!!! Can I just say how amazing General Conference was?!?! I learned so much! Some of my favorite talks on Saturday were: when President Monson announced the age change for missionaries, "Ask the missionaries" by Elder Nelson, Not a race but a journey by President Uchtdorf, and Protecting our Faith by Elder Anderson, Pavilions by President Eyring, Let down your nets by Elder Holland (my very favorite), Never postpone a feeling by President Monson, and Testimony vs. Conversion by Elder Bednar. First of all, I thnk it is so cool that the missionary age has changed! This just means that the work needs to more forward my quickly! Just think about it! There are so many young men and young women who would usually go to school, date, get married, etc. by the time they are 19 or 21 but now, they get to go right after high school! I think it's amazing!!! (I thought last night about all the soon-to-be or already 18-19 yr. olds in the Wheatley side of the family that can start mission papers and if we all go, there would be 9 of us out on missions by June/July of next year! How crazy would that be to have NINE of us out?! So cool!)

Then Elder Nelson's talk, I just couldn't stop laughing! I think I need to make a list of all the things people can "Ask the missionaries" about and study up on them ;)

I loved Pres. Uchtdorf's talk because I love quotes that talk about life being a journey not a race. It just reminds me that I need to enjoy things a lot more!

I loved Pres. Eyring's talk because sometimes, even as a missionary, I have pavilions that are up that are blocking my view or other things. I can't let one small thing get in my way. I need to have a clear view of heaven and a direct path for my prayers.

President Monson's talk was amazing because sometimes I feel like my feelings aren't really my feelings but one thing that I need to do is just act on those feelings and if they are right, they will work out. If they are wrong, Heavenly Father will put something in my way to where I'll know it's not right.

Elder Bednar's was amazing because President Becerra uses that a lot and I have always loved the story of the 10 virgins!

And finally, Elder Holland's talk!!! OHMYGOSH!!!!!!!! It was just so dang powerful! He said some amazing things in it! I need to really let down some nets that I have been holding on to and let the work progress here. If I don't let down these nets, I will never be successful as a missionary. I'm so thankful for that talk! It was something that I really needed to hear! I can't wait to have the Ensign come out next month! I'm sure it will be marked up in two days! haha

Well, on Saturday night, Sister Carrell and I drove out to Arcadia to meet up with her aunt for dinner. Sister Carrell got special permission for this and it was really fun! Her aunt it super nice and we had an enjoyable time! Aunt Susan went on a mission when she was 21 years old and so it was nice to be able to talk about her mission and just all these other things. We had a very good time!

Hermana Whitney Wilcox
 
And on Sunday night, we went to a baptism for one of Sister Carrell's investigators from her last area and Elder McKee told me that there's a Sister in a trio with Sister Filimoehala and Sister Harker who's from Provo. He told me her name was Hermana Wilcox. I know that Whitney Wilcox from high school was going on a mission and I thought it might be her and sure enough, she walks in and it was her! haha It was fun to get to talk to her and see her! It was a total surprise to see someone from home LOL

Well, that's about all that happened this last week! I'm just still in complete awe over conference! I just soaked it all up! It was amazing! I hope that everyone else enjoyed it as much as I did!

I gotta run but l love you all! Have a great week! (PS- I won't be emailing again until Tuesday because we have a mission conference on Monday...)

Love always,

Sister Rachel Wheatley
Our Zone at Redlands Temple, October 3, 2012
 


Rachel.Sister Carrell.Rachel Hendertilo











Thursday, October 4, 2012

CHINO BOSS!


Sorry this letter is late. We went to the temple today so that's why we weren't able to email on Monday. But that's ok. It just means that our next Pday will come super soon!!! haha So last Monday, the 24th, was a very fun day! We all met up at the church and as a zone we ordered Tshirts! Sister Davidson designed them before they left and they are super legit! I was a little too excited to get one! But they are so cool! So we all changed and wore our shirts and we played Wilson Ball. It's kind of like Dodgeball but we only use one ball and it's a Wilson brand ball (hence the name "Wilson Ball" (Elder Lindsay took a while to get that one haha)) It was just so much fun! It was nice and relaxing too! Except for the fact that the Elders did not want to throw the ball at neither Sister Carrell or I. It was kinda lame but really funny!


I RAISED HER WELL!!!!!  HEE HEE!
 

Then on Tuesday the 25th Sister Carrell and I made the drive (10 minutes) out to Diamond Bar to my old place to pick up some things that I had accidently left there. I was really surprised when I got there and Mama J was back! She had been in the hospital the week before so I didn't expect her to be back. But it was a nice surprise and we were able to talk to her for a little bit! I have missed Mama J! So it was nice to talk to her again. She didn't look very good and that made me sad. But at least she is back home and hopefully getting better.

Zone T-shirts


Thursday the 27th, we went to visit a member in our ward who was baptized two years ago. While we were there I felt like bringing up being sealed as a family but before I could even mention it, she said something about it. We have talked about it before but hadn't been over to see her in a long time so I was glad she brought it up again.


Cute Rach
She and her husband were supposed to adopt a baby girl that they have been taking care of through foster care for about three months but now her grandfather wants to adopt her so that was sad for them. But we still talked about her husband and daughter and her being sealed. They are really looking forward to the day when that can happen. Sadly they just missed the temple prep classes from the ward but hopefully we can get them to start them up again for the Trenado's.

Then on Friday the 28th we had a church tour! Sister Navas in the ward has been talking to a lady whos son is part of our wards scout program and asked if she wanted a church tour and she accepted. And as they have become friends, May has told Sister Navas that she wants something (aka a church) for her son. So on the tour they asked a few questions that have been on their mind and it turned out really good!


The back of the Zone t-shirt
We have another lesson set up with them this Friday. But as we left, I felt that maybe we need to pass May and her son Eric off to the Chinese Elders because I think they would understand what is being taught better. So we have to pray about that still and ask them if that's ok. We have had to pass people off a couple different times which is sad but at least it is all for the same gospel, right?!

Ok, Saturday the 29th was SOOO good! We didn't have a lot happen during the day but we texted Sister Knecht in the ward that morning and told her that if she needed help we'd be around (they had a big Relief Society Broadcast dinner presentation that night.) So she text us later in the day and we went and helped her. Oh my goodness! This dinner and presentation was amazing!! Sister Knecht made all the food (plus about 200 Caramel Apples for as we were leaving) and they had different members decorate tables and Sister Knecht also put together this slide show presentation of Sisters in the stake with other Sisters in the stake. It was amazing! The Spirit was there all night so strong! Especially during the actual broadcast! I just loved it! It went by too fast! I thought we had only been there for 30 minutes when it was over. I just wish we could have had more and more speakers!

Then on Sunday the 30th, church was so good! It was the Primary Program, which is always fun! The kids are so stinkin cute! And it was so cool because there's a family in the ward that we live up the street from who's part member. We wanted to go by on Saturday night to invite Brother Kuhn to watch his daughter but weren't able to get over to see them. But when we walked in, there he was! So that was really cool to see him at church!


Zone Picture
Sabrina also came to church this week after not being able to come for two weeks. She was so happy to be there! It's been a little hard because she wants to get baptized so badly but won't be able to until she's 18 years old. So half way through Sacrament meeting, she leaned over to me and said, "Only one year and eight months until I can be baptized!" She is so cute! Then after Sacrament we went up to Cody, who is leaving for his mission next month, to talk to him. Cody joined the church about a year and a half ago and I just felt like Sabrina needed to talk to him. And it was cool because his mother was also there so she was able to talk to her (his mother has not been baptized). I wasn't really sure what to say to Cody but I just knew Sabrina needed to talk to him. So after a minute of awkwardness, haha, Sabrina asked him questions about why he joined the church, how he came to know it was true, and things like that. Cody's parents didn't want him to join til he was 18 years old but when he was 17 1/2, his mother told him she was ok if he really wanted to join, if he knew for sure that this is what he wanted. So Sabrina asked questions about that and it really helped her to have faith that it would be ok. She now knows that she just needs to keep doing what's right and it will all work out the way it's supposed to.
Caramel apples from Relief Society  Conference

Well, that's about all that happened last week. For some reason as I'm writing this I'm not feeling like it was written well but that's ok!

Not a whole ton happened but it was a good week! It was really enjoyable! The weather was even kinda nice (minus the weekend when it was in the 100s).


Hope everyone is having a good week so far! And I hope that it's not too hot for everyone back home. I'm just praying I can make it through the next couple weeks of total heat! haha I'm looking forward to when I can wear cute little jackets around. It's just too hot right now!

Yesterday was like 105 degrees and last Wednesday at one point it was 115 degrees! That's total craziness!


Crazy Elders
 
Oh, one last thing... The subject of this email "Chino Boss" is because I'm the oldest one here in the Chino Zone. Not age wise but time in this zone wise. It's now been 6 1/2 months! It's been a long time but I'm loving it here! Sister Carrell tells me I can't get too comfortable because that's when Heavenly Father is going to move me and I keep saying that I'm not anywhere close to comfortable haha We'll see what happens! I swear, transfers come too often (or too fast). We are already on our fourth week of a six week transfer. Time flies when you're having fun! But it's good!

Gotta run! Not really sure what we're doing today as a Zone but hopefully it will be fun!


Gorgeous girl (Her mom said that; not Rach ;)
 
But before I'm finished, a scripture! Something that I read this week in the Book of Mormon was Enos 1:1-17. It's when Enos is experiencing the power of the Atonement. It's something that I've been thinking about lately. We all experience the power of the Atonement at some points in our lives. I think it's amazing how we can feel such comfort because we know what our Savior Jesus Christ did for us. We never have to go through as much as He did. And whatever we do go through, we can be comforted knowing that He's already been through it all for us. We never have to be alone. And what a comfort that has been for me the last little while!

Love you all!

Sister Wheatley


Goofing around just before bedtime