Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

Another week has come and gone! It was a very good week, not much happened but what did happen was good! But to start out... Thanks to Jessie Brimhall for her letter and pictures! And a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Emily Sabins on the 26th, Jonny on the 28th, and Uncle Chuck today! Love you all and hope you have amazing birthdays!!

New haircut

This week went by really fast. On Monday the 27th, after Pday, we had a Family Home Evening lesson with the Moran family in our ward. We taught about the Gospel of Jesus Christ which includes Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End. It was a very good lesson! The Moran family are very missionary minded and they brought great insights to the lesson. It was very powerful! And so much fun!

On Tuesday the 18th we had another lesson with Kellie and again, the Spirit was so strong. We had a lesson on the Plan of Salvation with our main focus being the Atonement. I know in my letter last week that I said that during her first lesson I'd never seen the Atonement work so hard on anyone, and it was the same for this week. I have really loved being a part of this change in Kellie. I know that it's been about six years since she's been to church and it's just amazing to see her turn around and come back. I've decided that if I don't get any baptisms the rest of my mission, it's ok because I want to help members of the church who have lost their way. I have loved seeing the change in Kellie. She has a strong testimony and I thank my Heavenly Father for letting me be a part of this change.

Also on Tuesday we had a lesson with some former investigators, the Hoch's. We met them about a week and a half ago and they let us come back. We had a really good lesson about the Godhead and about the Holy Ghost. They have some questions and concerns about how Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three seperate beings but we are helping them to understand better. They asked us a question about the Holy Ghost and neither Sister Carrell or I had ever asked that question ourselves or heard anyone else have concerns about it so we weren't able to answer that question. But we told them that we would study it and when we go back tomorrow we will be able to tell them what we learned. It was a very good lesson and I hope that they are coming to understand a little better what we as Latter-day Saints believe.

Then on Thursday the 19th, Sister Carrell had her interview with President Becerra in Hacienda Heights. When we got there, it was so weird because Elder McKee and Elder Williamson were there and it was like a mini district reunion haha And after her interview, we went out to lunch with Sister Lehman (my MTC companion) and her trainee, Sister Fogavai. It was so much fun to spend some time with them! I couldn't stop laughing!

Then Friday the 21st while we were weekly planning, I got a phone call from Mama J (I had called her a couple days earlier) and she told me that she was back in the hospital :( It was really sad to hear that. But she said that she is doing ok. I just hope she doesn't have to spend too much more time in there. We are hopefully going to go out to lunch when she gets out though!!



After Dinner with Sister Carrell and Emma

And also while weekly planning, Sister Carrell got a phone call from Sister Filimoehala saying that one of their investigators was back in town and she was getting baptized that night!! What?!?!? So after dinner we went to Walnut for Adri's baptism. It was so amazing! The Spirit was so strong there! Adri has come a long way. She used to be Athiest and really didn't even care about anything. But because of her friend who she met at school, she was brought to the gospel. Adri has gone through so much in her life that it was so cool to see her baptized. When she came up out of the water, she was in tears and you could just see a totally different light in her eyes. It's really an amazing thing to go to these baptisms and see the difference in people and see how far they have come. The gospel really changes people! It's just incredible to see!

Then on Saturday the 22nd, we did a lot of contacting. We went through the Area Book on Friday and wrote down names and addresses of people that we felt we should go see. Most of the people weren't home but there were a few that were super nice and we talked to them for a while and they said that we could come back!



Sister Lehman and Sister Wheatley -- MTC companions at Yogurtland in California
 

And that night we went to Brother and Sister Gute's house to follow up on a challenge that we gave them. We have been inviting the members of the ward that we have dinner with to pray about who they could share the gospel with. All we have asked is to pray and we would follow up with them before they did anything else. So when we went over to their house, they told us that they have two friends who have come up lately that they haven't talked to in a few years but things have happened where they have had contact with them recently. So that was really cool! So we are looking forward to moving forward with the Gute's on how to share the gospel with these people. We have been taught that you have to have a social conversion with someone before a spiritual conversion. You can't jump right into sharing the gospel with someone. You have to show people that you just want to be friends and from there all you do is be an example and the people will ask you about the gospel. As members of the church you have to show people that we aren't just friends to convert them. We are friends with them whether or not they accept the gospel message. So that's something that we are now teaching members. And I think that's really true! Social before spiritual and if they don't accept the spiritual, at least you can still be friends!

After Adri's Baptism
 

Well, like I said, not much happened but everything that did happen was good! Sister Carrell and I are really working hard and well together. I have learned so much from her these past two weeks! I hope  that everyone back home is doing well! I love and miss you all but as of today, only ONE YEAR left. (No I am not counting...) I can't believe everything that I have learned in the last six months and I look forward to learning even more in these next twelve! I never thought that I would be serving a mission. But now that I am, I'm so happy that I made that decision, that I decided to listen to the Holy Ghost! It's already something that I know I will never regret!

Love always, Sister Wheatley