Meetings, meetings, and more meetings!

Well, as you can tell from the email title, this week consisted of MEETINGS!!!!!!!! It was crazy! I don't feel like I got much done this week because of all the meetings we had. But I'll go quickly through the week and see what really happened.

Monday the 1st (Holy cow it's JULY!!!!) was a good day. We got a lot done, including going to buy a couple new skirts from a lady in the ward! (Yes, I spent some money but it's $30 less that I have to spend when I get home...) I am so sick of my clothes that these three new skirts give me a little more variety to wear. So that's nice! Then the rest of the day was spent relaxing and getting ready for a lesson we had that night with our investigator, Lone Wolf.

Exchanges with Sisters Chambers, Denney, Butler and Wheatley

We had a very good lesson with him that night. We talked a lot about the Priesthood and helped him understand the importance of it. We were lucky that we got to have this lesson as part of an FHE with the Lowry family who Lone Wolf has really come to love. We watched a Mormon Message on the Priesthood and Brother Lowry really helped explain a lot better and more than we ever could about it. The Spirit was so strong the whole night! And at the end of the night we asked Lone Wolf if he would like a Priesthood blessing. He is having a hard time getting over his smoking and coffee addiction so we thought a blessing would help him. It was really cool because there was so much said in the blessing that needed to be said. And Sister Lowry had a coffee substitute type thing that she gave to Lone Wolf to help him stop drinking coffee. So that was exciting! He was going to be baptized this past Saturday but because of his addictions, we had to push it back. So we are meeting with him tomorrow and we have a baptism scheduled for this Saturday but we'll see what happens. If it's not this Saturday, we have to wait til the 27th so we're crossing our fingers and sending up many prayers that he can be ready by Saturday.

4th of July District Fun.  Elders Kappen and Gracia, Sisters Denney, Wheatley, Staker and Roberson

Tuesday the 2nd we met up with Sister Ackley and Sister Lee to do a little exchange-a-roo. Sister Ackley and I are Sister Trainers together and we had a Leadership Training on Tuesday. I was so happy to spend the day with her. I want to be companions with her next transfer! Crossing my fingers on that one :) But it was a very good meeting. I learned so much! I remember when Sister Davidson and I were companions and she would go to these Leadership Trainings and she'd come back and tell me so much! I was so jealous that she got to go to these and I didn't but she would always tell me, "Don't worry Sister Wheatley, you'll be a Sister Trainer someday." I never really believed her but here I am! And I'm so excited! Not only do I get to go to these sweet-awesome training meetings once a month but I also get to go on exchanges with some of the Sisters and help them in their areas. Sometimes I wonder why me but I know that I was called of God so there must be a reason. And I'm so thankful for this opportunity that I have (at least right now... Thursday's Zone Meeting might have changed that but I'll tell you why in a minute...)

Elder Gracia adding to Sister Denney's drawing of the District

That night wasn't too successful, sadly. We had a dinner appointment and then we went to Young Women's because they were having a night where they were talking about missionary work and they wanted us to come and tell them how easy member missionary work is. They asked for us to bring some copies of the Book of Mormon and some pass-along cards so the YW could give them out to friends by the end of summer. It was a good night. They YW seem to be pretty excited about it!

And to end the night we had a lesson with our investigator, Christine. She's been taught for a couple years now but hasn't been able to get baptized til now. So we taught her the Plan of Salvation. She has a hard time paying attention and it took us a while to get her to concentrate but finally were able to do it and the lesson turned out great! We really felt the Spirit and she is understanding a lot more than she's ever been able to.

Wednesday the 3rd was another meeting day! But luckily this was a shortish meeting. It was only until about 12:30 in the afternoon but then we had to go to the office and get somethings done there and that took an hour and then we went to lunch and had to go home and do Sister Denney's 12-week program so we didn't get out to work until about 3:30 pm and even then we didn't get much done because people weren't home and I had a tiny melt down because of it. It was actually kind of funny, my melt down. Sister Denney couldn't stop laughing. I'm glad someone was laughing haha I was just frustrated because it was Wednesday and we hadn't been able to get much done so far and it wasn't looking too promising either ("oh ye of little faith" is something I guess you could say to me...) But it was a hard week thus far.

That night we started doing "splits" with the ward members and we went with Brother and Sister Linford. We couldn't do the typical splits because it was with a husband and wife but we just all went around together and tried visiting a ton of people but yet again, there wasn't anyone home :/ We kept going and finally at 8:00 pm we went to a less actives house and got in there. It was really cool! We talked for a while and then we gave a little thought on faith. As we walked away from the house, Brother Linford said, "Thanks Sisters for that thought on faith. That's something that Scott really needs right now." So that was exciting and at least something went well that day! :)

Thursday July 4th (FOURTH OF JULY!!!!) was a pretty good day! We had yet another meeting though. The zone leaders called me on Wednesday and asked me to take about 10 minutes to talk about some of the things we learned about in Leadership training. Elder Tovey told me what he wanted me to talk on and I wrote it down and freaked out a little on Wednesday because I was scared to teach but on Thursday when I woke up and did my studies, it just seemed to flow very well. The ZL's wanted me to come early so we could talk about when I would teach and when I got there, they showed me when I was talking and what I was talking about and I STUDIED THE WRONG THING!!!! I was so mad. I was so confident up until that point and I guess either I wrote it down wrong or I interpreted it wrong or I don't know what but what I had prepared was ALL WRONG!!!! I started to stress again! Dang it! But I left the room, said a little prayer and I was ok. The meeting starts and about 10 or 15 minutes into the meeting, Elders Garcia and Bangerter come walking it... THE AP'S!!!! Dang it all heck! I started to freak out again. I hate talking in front of large crowds of people. I like the more intimate settings. This was only a group of about 27 missionaries but it was too big!

Lunch with Sisters (and Elders, but they are taking the pictures): Sisters Wheatley, Ackley, Denney, and Lee

Well, long story short, it was my turn to teach and I got up and I feel like I totally botched it. I didn't say anything that I really planned and I could tell that everyone was kinda confused and bored. I even had a companionship walk out while I was teaching (turns out they got a phone call they needed to take but to me it seemed like they were bored haha) There was some good conversation while I was teaching but I sat down after and just felt sick because I feel like I failed. I've had a couple missionaries tell me that I did a good job and that it made sense but I'm still trying to figure out if they are just saying it because they are my friends and they want me to feel like I did a good job or if it's because I really did do a good job haha But that's why I say I may no longer be a Sister Trainer because I can just see the AP's going back to President saying, "Wow, why'd we call Sister Wheatley into this position, she's not a good teacher." haha But we'll see at the end of the transfer if I still have this calling :)

Not a whole ton else happened that day because it was the Fourth of July but it was a good day. We were invited to a lunch at the Powell's in the 5th ward and it was nice because I got to see tons of 5th warders there! And then the rest of the day was spent trying to find people at home, not a whole ton of success. We did have another lesson though with Christine and we finished the Plan of Salvation lesson. And after that lesson we met up with the district and went up to our pad and watched the fireworks from an empty lot by our place. It was so cool because there were about 20 firework shows going on that we were able to watch all at once because we could see so much of the LA county area. It was awesome! One of my favorite things to do is sit on a mountain side area at night just enjoying the beautiful scenery and to have fireworks going made it even better! I did miss going to the Stadium of Fire and watching that incredible fireworks show but I let everyone know every second what was more than likely happening in Provo whenever I would look at the clock haha But it was a good, fun way to end the night as a district!

Friday the 5th was pretty good! We had in impromptu District Meeting called and it turned out really well. We just talked about accountability and unity and how we can be better at those two things in our district. It was sad though because we got a new sister in our district on Friday morning. Sister Roberson sadly had to go home because of some health issues. We were all really sad! She was a good missionary and we all had fun together. But now Sister Staker is with a Spanish sister who is here waiting for her visa so she can go to Peru. So yeah, I guess that's pretty cool! Sister Staker will get to learn some Spanish, lucky her!

Then Sister Denney and I had a very long weekly planning session and in the middle of it we called the Elders and asked if they could come give us blessings. I was happy to be able to get a blessing. I'm not gonna lie, it's been hard to focus a whole ton as I am coming close to coming home. So I just felt like, after talking to Sister Denney, that it would be good to get a blessing. She needed one for some things that she's going through and we just both felt good about it! And they were wonderful blessings! I wish I could always be around great Elders who hold the Priesthood! But I am thankful that I have a wonderful father, brothers, uncles, cousins, grandpa, and friends who will be there for me when I need them after my mission. Receiving blessings are so wonderful! And they really helped Sister Denney and I this weekend!

A street in Azusa named "Durrell".  SO COOL!  I was hoping it would also be 2nd Street, but it ended before 2nd Street or that would have been REALLY COOL for Durrell II.

Saturday the 6th was a pretty good day. I went on exchanges with Sister Butler. She's about to go home but as a Sister Trainer I felt like I needed to go on exchanges with her. And it was a good exchange! We just talked about a lot of things and helped each other learn and grow. We had an amazing lesson with their investigator who's daughters were there for the weekend and the daughters really took to what was being taught and they asked a lot of questions. It was just a very spirit-filled lesson and they daughters are looking for more and they really feel good about what was taught. It was just so amazing and powerful!

All of Saturday was spent walking. I had to get new shoes last Monday because my other ones died and I thought I had broken them in during the week but not as well as I had hoped :/ I spent the day walking in these new shoes getting nasty blisters on my ankles. We had to stop at a grocery store at one point of the day and get me band-aids because the mole skin stuff that I was using didn't work :/ It was horrible. Now it hurts to walk with shoes on and I'm limping everywhere now so that I don't make my blisters worse...

Well, while I was on exchanges with Sister Butler, Sister Chambers was over in the 2nd ward with Sister Denney and they had some miracles happen and we got two new investigators! After the rough week we had, Saturday brought forth blessings!

And to end the week, Sunday the 7th was pretty good also! We had two investigators at church and it was Fast and Testimony meeting and the Spirit was wonderful! Plus the less-active that we saw on Wednesday night with the Linford's, he was at church! So it was a very exciting Sabbath day!

That night after dinner we went to visit a couple other less-actives and we went to this one apartment building and were about to go visit a member when this lady came out of her apartment thinking we were someone else. We talked to her for a minute and asked if she knew the lady we were looking for and she said no. We told her she's part of our church and she asked what church we are from. So we talked a little more and I asked if there was a time we could come see her and teach her about what we believe. She said we could and then I felt prompted to ask if she was busy right then and she said no so we went in and taught her a lesson! It was amazing! She's a very wonderful lady and we had a great lesson with her. The Spirit was there and she said we could come back and teach again. It was just amazing! I don't know how else to describe it other then that it was a miracle!

After a very long and not so successful week, blessings and miracle were brought  forth! I knew that would happen. It always seems to go that way. How lucky and blessed we were to just keep pushing on and following the Spirit.

Well, that's about all for the week. I decided to write this email first before all the Elders get here and I get distracted by their talking and it takes me four hours to email hehe And this time it only took me about an hour! They will be happy when they get here and I'm done!

I love you all and am so thankful for the love, support, and prayers! The Church is true! I could never deny it. I know it! I live it! I love it!

Love always,

Sister Rachel Wheatley