6 Months Say What?

WOW! I can't believe that this week I hit my six month mark! It feels like just yesterday I entered the MTC! It has gone by so fast! But when I look back at everything that has happened, it's amazing! I have learned so much! I am a different person than I was when I left. And I still have a year left... I wonder what I will be like when I get home! We were at dinner the other night at the Peterson's and we were talking about how long Sister Davidson and I have been in this area and they were laughing because when I first got here, we went to their house for General Conference and I barely talked! And they said that I have really grown! It's really nice to have people tell me that because when I look back I have seen so much where I have grown but at the same time I feel like I'm still the same person. Which is good! I've just grown in being a little more confident and a little more talkative LOL

Rach and Yendia, an investigator, and her son Nathan!
 

Well, I guess I should probably start writing about what happened this week. It was very eventful! Lots of miracles happened!

Monday the 27th, Sister Davidson and I went to the Norton Simon Art Museum in Pasadena with Sister Hruby from the ward. It was a good field trip! There were a lot of beautiful paintings! There was especially this one called Explosion or something like that where they took these flowers and froze them in some kind of chemical and then took a gun to it and they captured the explosion (hence the name.) And it was beautiful!!! I wish I could have taken a picture of it but it was in an area of the museum where we couldn't take pictures :( I forgot to write down the name of the artist but I hope that when I get home I can find it online because I would love to have it in my future home! It just took my breath away!

As we were walking out of the museum they gave us this free print by a famous artist (I can't remember his name...) of a ballerina, so needless to say I was excited for that! And that night we were going to go visit this lady that we met a couple weeks ago and as we pulled up, Sister Davidson felt like she should take this print and give it to her. She didn't know why but she took it anyway. So Mary Joan answered the door and sadly she wasn't available to talk but before we left S. Davidson asked if she liked art and Mary Joan said yes. So then S. Davidson gave her the print and Mary Joan looked at it for a second and then said, "This is my daughters favorite painting! And she just started a ballet class at school, today." Creepy right?! And then Mary Joan said, "And we just remodeled the living room and I was looking for something graceful to put on the side table." OMGosh! We couldn't believe how good creepy that was! It was amazing! Even the smallest promptings to give a picture to someone is amazing! So at that point we talked to her for another 15 minutes or so! And it was just amazing! We walked away with our jaws dropped at how amazing it was!

Making water conservation bracelets at city hall for service
 

On Tuesday the 28th, not much happened but this little bit of funny I liked! We went up to the very edge of our area/ward boundaries to visit a inactive family that we've felt prompted to go see for a couple weeks but never really felt like we should go. But on Tuesday we felt like it was right! Well, turns out the family that lived there had moved in July to Ohio. But we got to talking to the guy, John, that lives there now and we talked to him a little about what he does for a living and other things. And guess what...he's an actor. I thought that was pretty cool! And then we asked him if he's done anything that we might have heard of and he said that he was on the show "Rob" starring Rob Sneider. I kinda freaked out a little because I watched that show before I left! haha It was only on for like one season but hey! At least I knew what show he's been on and he told us what episode and I totally remember it! haha That just made me happy! But what was even cooler than that is that he's looking for a church in the area and he said he would love a tour of the church sometime! So we have to go back up and see him sometime this week! Plus his brother and sister in-law are members in one of the wards in our stake so that's cool! And he seemed really interested!

Sister Davidson made us breakfast yesterday (9/3/12)
 

Wednesday the 29th was a good day! The biggest thing that happened is that we got a text message from the Jones' daughter who has been inactive since she was 17 years old and she said that she's been going back to church the last month or so and she's wondering if we could come teach her the lessons since it's been so long! So we are very happy for that! We had dinner with the Jones' the night before and her boyfriend was over, he just returned from his mission in March, and we all had a good time! So we are happy that she is going back to church (she's going to the singles ward) and that she wants to take the lessons so that she can learn again!

Also on the 29th we had a family home evening lesson with the Monroe family in the ward. We are working really hard with the members and we felt like we should go teach the Monroe's. We had a lesson about the Gospel of Jesus Christ which consists of Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End. And that was a very good lesson! We made stepping stones and explained that you need each one of these to return to our Father in Heaven! We had Brother and Sister Monroe sit on the couch and had each of the kids try to get to them without stepping on the "lava" which was the floor. But because there were no stepping stones to start with, they couldn't do it. But then we read scriptures and had a good discussion about each of these steps and by the end each of the kids were able to walk on the stepping stones over the "lava" and make it home! So that was really fun!

On Friday the 31st we had dinner with the Dunn family! They are a part member/inactive family but they feed us dinner once a month and we had so much fun with them. After dinner we had a lesson which consisted of a tea bag, matches, and lighting the tea bag on fire and having enough faith that the fire would not touch our hands when we hold the tea bag in our hands. It was really fun! Then we went outside and played with the kids for a bit and then Sister Davidson showed them how she can balance things on her chin. And not just things but ladders! Yes, ladders! It's pretty cool! And we just had a lot of fun with them! We love their family!

After dinner with the Dunn family (Sister Dunn, Rachel, Christopher, Brother Dunn, David)

Saturday the 1st was an AMAZING day! First off, at church on Sunday, Brother Apgar came up to me and told me that we should have come over to his house to watch the BYU football game with him and his daughter on Saturday! You have no idea how much I wanted to watch that game! He kept rubbing it in my face for the last couple weeks! haha So I heard they won! Almost a shutout right? Anyway, I'm happy that mom and dad got to go to the game!

Cherryl's birthday sign (9/2/12)
 

Ok, back to Saturday the 1st. In the evening Sister Davidson and I didn't have any set appointments we had to be at so we were trying to figure out where to go. There is this family that we've been thinking about a lot lately that we met a couple months ago and have gone back a couple times in the last few weeks but they were never home or the wife wasn't home. So on Saturday we just thought, what the heck, we should go see John and Julia! So we went there and Julia answered the door and she said, "Oh my goodness, how are you guys?! I haven't seen you in forever!" haha What a welcome! So we just started talking to her about her kids and about school having started last week and things like that. Then after about 10ish minutes I asked if she had had anytime to read the Book of Mormon that we gave her a couple months ago. She said she hasn't read it but she's looked through it. So then we said that if there was a time, we would love to come back and kind of explain to her what the Book of Mormon is all about. But right then, Sister Davidson just explained in a quick couple sentences what it was. And that got her asking a couple questions and then she asked, "So I have a question... What's the difference between being a Catholic and a Mormon?" So we answered that and she understood a little better. Then right before we left I felt like I should tell her why we had come to her house that night. So I just said that her family had been on our minds recently and we felt like that night we needed to go by. I also said that the first time we met her, we felt something super strong and that we know that God has put us in each others paths for a reason. Then she looked down at her arms and she said, "Wow. I just got the goosebumps!" And it was so true! Sister Davidson and I also were getting goosebumps and the Spirit was just so incredibly strong! It was amazing! So she said she would like us to come back and she would also like to have a church tour sometime soon! So we are going to be setting that up this week! I know that Heavenly Father sent us to Julia that night for a reason. And I know He sent us to their house three months ago as well. It's amazing how Heavenly Father knows the perfect moment to send us places!

Cherryl's birthday was on Sunday (9/3/12) so we wrote her a happy birthday on the driveway

Then on Sunday the 2nd Sabrina came to church! We were so excited! She's been so frustrated the last couple weeks that her mom hasn't let her come to church and she made her mom promise that she could come this week, and she did! Her mom asked her that morning if she was sure she wanted to go and Sabrina said, "Mom, you promised! I really want to go!" So she did! And it was Fast and Testimony meeting so that was really cool! All the testimonies were so amazing and the Spirit was strong so we're glad Sabrina was able to come!

Also, Sunday was the ward fast to end our 40-day fast! And let me tell you, I have seen so many miracles from this fast! It's been amazing! And I know that there are going to be even more miracles to come! It's like Christ and His 40-day fast. After it was over, that's when He started His ministry. And that's how we feel about this area. Even though we have seen so many miracles already, now is the time that they are really going to start coming! But of course we have to do our part and work hard and be servants of the Lord! So it's just been amazing!

Beautiful night sky!

Well, that's all I have time for now! I gotta get going! But I want to thank Mandy Parrott, Brieann McDonald, and Renata Skousen for your letters/package this week! Brie and Renata probably heard me all the way in Heber get excited when I took those pictures out! haha ;)

And Happy Birthday tomorrow to Brandi and on the 8th to Aunt MaryAnn! I love you both so much! Hope you both have amazing days and you get spoiled! :)

Love you all so much! Thanks for everything! I can really feel your love, support, and prayers daily!

Love always, Sister Rachel Wheatley

RAINBOW!!!!