Transfer #5, Area #1, Companion #2

Well, another week has come and gone. And today starts a new transfer! I can't believe how fast the six weeks go. I feel like we just had transfers a couple weeks ago. But I am staying in Chino Hills in the Carbon Canyon ward but no I am not training, there aren't any English Sisters coming in for the next two transfers. But Sister Carrell is my new companion and she's barely off her 12-week program so I am "senior" companion...even though technically we don't have junior/senior companions here in this mission. But yeah. Not gonna lie I'm a little nervous about being the senior comp but I am excited. I have been here for 24 weeks now, I think it's time for me to "spread my wings and fly" like I told Cherryl on Sunday. So I think this will be good for me.

Ok, now to let you know what happened all this week. on Tuesday the 4th, Sister Davidson and Sister Filimoehala had zone council so Sister Carrell and I spent the day here in Chino Hills. It was funny because our ward was on the edge of their seats all week knowing that we were getting transfer calls this week so I didn't want to freak them out by going past some of their houses so I just told Sister Carrell that we would go to potential investigators and see them. Well, turns out we could have gone to members houses since Sister Carrell is now here in Chino Hills with me haha But it was a good day and we got to go by and talk to a few potentials that we've been needing to see.

On Wednesday the 5th we had interviews with President Becerra. I was really looking forward to this interview for some reason and by the time Wednesday came, the interview lasted for maybe 10 minutes. It went SOOOO fast! I was totally bummed! But he asked each of us to find our favorite obedience scripture and as I was praying to know which one I should use, I just kept coming back to 1 Nephi 3:7 where Nephi says "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded..." And I was totally confused because I didn't know what that had to do with obedience. But the more I read it and thought about it, I realized that when the Lord commands something, we have to "go and do" and when we "go and do" we are being obedient. I never thought of that scripture in that way. It is now one of my favorite Book of Mormon scriptures. And now everytime I see the word command, I think to myself, "What is the Lord wanting us to obey?" So I thought that was pretty cool!

Then on Thursday the 6th we had Zone Meeting. President Becerra started this new thing where the first Thursday of every month we meet as a zone. So I was happy about that! And the meeting was SO good! I learned so much from that meeting. At the beginning of the meeting, Elder Lindsay and Elder McKee asked us to think of a question we wanted answered by the end of the meeting. And Sister Davidson and I had been talking earlier that morning about something and she said, "You should go into Zone Meeting with a question." So I had been thinking about it and when they asked us, I really thought even harder about what question I wanted answered. And by the end of the meeting, I didn't really get an answer. But then they asked another question, or a statement, that said, "After this meeting I now know...." and as I was writing the answer, I was almost done and my hand just kept writing and by the time I was done writing, I realized that the question I had at the beginning of the lesson had been answered! I just couldn't believe it! It was something that had been on my mind for a while and I was finally able to move on from the question and be happy! After our zone meeting, we all went out to Cici's for lunch! It was so good and so fun! I just love my zone! It's been so much fun to spend time with all of them these last 24 weeks! I think it will still be fun but every companionship in our zone had a change so it's not going to be the same. But that's ok! I'm sure we'll have just as much fun together!

Then on Friday the 7th we had a lesson with our investigator Sabrina and Rachel Hendertilo from the Young Singles Adult ward came with us! Oh my goodness! It was an amazing lesson! The Spirit was there so strongly! Everytime we asked Sabrina a question, she answered it better than I've ever heard anyone answer these questions! Sabrina has such a strong, special Spirit! It's been so amazing to see how much Sabrina has grown in the last two months that we've been meeting with her. She was amazing to start with, but I have just seen so much growth! She is so happy! She has so many questions and just loves learning about the gospel. She can't wait to be baptized! Sadly she will most likely have to wait until she is 18 years old though. But she is so strong! It was just an amazing lesson!

Ok...Now onto Saturday the 8th. Transfer calls! We had a district lunch at Chili's (which I was happy about because I have been craving chips and salsa FOREVER!!!!) That was fun! Then Sister Davidson and I went tracting and went to see a family we're trying to set up a tour with but they weren't there, so we just walked around their neighborhood for a few minutes. As we were walking, Sister Davidson cut infront of me haha and walked over to a couple guys at their house. It was really cool because one of them was really interested in learning about what we had to say and he had so many questions that he had been wondering about for the last couple weeks. So we ended up talking to him for almost an hour! It was crazy because there were so many things that kept happening where we knew that it was the adversary trying to get in the way. But we were able to keep talking to him and we actually have a lesson set up with him tonight! So we're excited for that! The only sad thing is that we'll probably have to pass him off to the Zone Leaders because they are over the singles ward and he's 19 years old. But he's very happy to be meeting with us because he's had so many questions on his mind lately that he even said himself that he's been wanting answers and he recognizes that Heavenly Father sent us to him! So that's way cool!

Then that night, our district all met up at the church to see Elder Yoshikawa do the "Gallon Challenge." He wanted to drink a gallon of milk in 30 minutes! Crazy right?! But he wanted to. So we got together and he failed! :( But it was fun to watch it as he was trying! Then we all got our transfer calls! It was a very bitter-sweet time. I had a hard time with it, worse than Sister Davidson! haha She was so excited to leave because she likes change but I've never been good with change so I was sad. Plus Sister Davidson has taught me so much that I was sad to have her leave. But I know that Heavenly Father trusts me to be with Sister Carrell so it will all be good! I'm excited to still be here in Chino Hills! I'm thinking I could stay another two or three transfers and spend half my mission here! haha I've already spent 1/3 of my mission here so I'm excited!

Then on Sunday the 9th, WOW! Such an amazing day! Sabrina came to church! Cherryl came to church! The Spirit was amazing at church! Just so wonderful! I felt bad for Sabrina though because she was having a hard time knowing that Sister Davidson was leaving. We have both grown to love Sabrina and Sabrina has grown to love us! So it was hard! But at least they can still keep in contact with eachother! And having Cherryl at church, just so happy! It was just a good day! And last night we went to Arcadia for the farewell of the missionaries going home! Such an amazing Spirit there too!

Ok, I know this is a short email but we have a lesson so I had to write this as quick as possible! We didn't have much time to do anything because we were in Arcadia all morning for transfers. So yeah, so sorry this isn't as long as other emails. But I hope that everything is good back home. Thanks for the letter and pictures this week Jessie! Grace looked so happy in those pictures! And a very happy birthday to Jose last week, Allie and Mandy today, and Trent and Cameron McKee on the 14th! Love you all and hope your days are amazing!

Gotta run!

-Sister Rachel Wheatley

 

PS - Could I ask for something??? Anyone reading this... Could I possibly get conversion stories from anyone who is willing to write and send me theirs? Whether you were born in the church or you're a convert, we each have our own conversion stories and I would love to read each of them and I know that it could help having conversion stories to tell people that I come in contact with. Thanks tons!

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!!!!
 

Service anyone?

Well, from the title of this email, maybe you can tell that we did a lot of service this week!! And it was so much fun!! But more on that later!

First I want to start off by saying thank you for the letters from Jamie Webb, Tasha Wheatley, and Celeste Hernandez!! I loved each of them! :)

Ok, now to get started on what happened during the week. On Monday the 20th, that was Pday! And it was also Elder Williamson's birthday! His mom sent him a cake and we were going to make it for him but we didn't get it so sadly there was no cake. BUT we did go bowling and Sister Davidson and I went to the .99 cent store and bought him a couple things to make it good! And we had tons of fun!

Then that night Sister Davidson and I drove to Glendora for exchanges. Sister Davidson was going with Sister Ackley and Sister Butler was coming to Chino Hills with me.

Then Tuesday the 21st, the Elders asked us if we were available to do some service for someone in their ward who is moving to Utah. So we went and helped them. When we got to Sister Lamping's and the Elders knocked on the door, you should have seen her face when 8 missionaries were standing there. It looked like she was about to cry! She was so beyond thankful that we were there. She had a lot of stuff in her home! Technically she is a hoarder (she was even on the TLC series Hoarders...) But to me, it wasn't as bad as some of the houses they had on that show. And what Sister Butler and I did there was wrap pictures. We probably wrapped about 20 big pictures that day! And it was fun!! Who knew wrapping pictures would be fun! But I have to say thanks to dad for teaching me in some way or another on how to wrap breakables. They couldn't believe how good of a job we did wrapping those pictures! So thanks dad :) haha

Then that night we went to meet with Rose and we read section 138 in the Doctrine and Covenants and we talked about life after death. It was a very good lesson! And she was really interested and loved it!

Then on Wednesday the 22nd, Sister Davidson and I met up with Sister Lancaster for lunch! We just love Sister Lancaster. We always have so much fun when we go to lunch together! She is hilarious!!!! Then, after that, the Elders asked again if we could go help with packing even more stuff at Sister Lamping's home. So we did!

Not much happened on Thursday the 23rd. Except for that after District Meeting, we met up with Elder Kasteler from the mission office to look at the house that we would be living in.

Then Friday the 24th, Sister Davidson and I had to pack our own stuff up so that we could move on Saturday. So we spent all morning doing that. Then the Elders called and said that Sister Lamping wanted to take all of us out to lunch for helping her pack. So we all met at Red Robin and that was tons of fun! Then we went back to Sister Lamping's house to do some more packing (see, lots of service this week).

After dinner that night, we met Elder and Sister Kasteler at our new place for them to drop off a bed. Then we met with Rose and then waited for the Elders to come to the church. Sister Davidson was having a hard couple days and she didn't feel at first that she should ask for a blessing but after meeting with Rose, I turned to her and I asked if she felt ready for a blessing and she said yes. Elder Lindsay gave her a blessing and it was really really amazing!!! Everything that Sister Davidson and I had been talking about that day that she was struggling with, was mentioned in the blessing. And wow! The Spirit was so strong!

Then Saturday was moving day. We moved all our stuff to the front room and we were just a little worried. We asked the Elders to come and help us so that we weren't taking too many trips back to the house and they asked if they needed to go get the mission truck from Arcadia, but we said no. They walked in and laughed and said, "I thought you didn't need the truck?!" But, we didn't! We got it all in our cars! We were so proud ;) So we went to our new home and dropped everything off and then unpacked and got situated. Then we went back to Diamond Bar and did some more service because the truck to move Sister Lamping's stuff was coming today and there was still so much that needed to be done! I think the best part about helping at Sister Lamping's is that her daughter has a friend who is not a member and we got to talk to her a ton! And we got to talk to her a lot about a ton of different things that we believe. The Elders have been working with her and her boyfriend so it was just nice to talk to her a little too. And we had so much fun! She is hilarious!!!!

Not much happened yesterday (Sunday the 26th). Except for that all of church was just amazing!!! The Spirit was so strong throughout all three meetings! Especially Relief Society! We had a lesson on the talk given by Elder Russel M. Nelson from the April 2012 General Conference called "Thanks Be to God." And it was an amazing lesson!!! The second Sister Scoll said which talk she was teaching from, I just got this overwhelming feeling of gratitude for all my blessings! I started thinking about the small things and the big things. I just wanted to cry because I felt so blessed! It is amazing! And she had each of us write one thing on a note card what we are thankful for and then she handed them out to us so that we all received a different one. And everything that people mentioned, I just thought of all the reasons why I'm thankful for each thing they said, from education to modern technology to music to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I was realizing how much I really am grateful for things. I've just been truly blessed in my life! There is so much that I have been given and I know that I have and continue to not thank Heavenly Father for things but I'm trying to improve each and every day. I have grown so much on my mission, realizing not only the big things, but the small things as well.

Well, that's about all that happened this week. Not a lot happened but it was good! It was a very enjoyable week. But it was also very long! So I'm glad that Monday is here and we had a day to relax a little. I hope that things are going well back in good ol' Utah! Mom, Sister Davidson and I were surprised to open those pictures of you and her family haha That's pretty dang cool!

Well, time to go write to President Becerra, so I better run! Love you all! Thanks for all the prayers! I really can feel them!

Until next week...

Love Sister Rachel

An RC Willey's Box for a House???

Good afternoon!!!! Today has been a wonderful day so far!! We haven't done much yet but I got three letters written and laundry all done, washed the car, cleaned my room, and relaxed a little!! So this Pday has started off as a nice one! And to start off, I just want to say thank you to Bekkah and Jen for sending me the package!!! I was craving Oreos like none other the last couple weeks! So that was awesome! Then I shared the treats with the Elders and we got a text from them on Saturday that said, "This candy is AWESOME!!!!" So they really were enjoying it! haha So thanks tons! And thanks to Emily Sabins for your letter!

Well, to let you know how my week went, it started off not so good. I was still struggling with all that happened last weekend and last Monday I finally figured out what was wrong!!! During Companionship study last Monday the 13th, Sister Davidson and I were talking and we both stayed quiet at one point for about five minutes. And during that time, I think I finally figured out what it was that was holding me back. So I wrote this down,

"Why can't I get out of this slump? Am I going to have so much success that Satan's working on me extra hard?

I don't want to be depressed but I can't seem to get out of it. How can I be happy? How can I not let Satan have

a hold of me? When will I be happy again? When will I have faith again? I need to cut the strings that he has a

hold of because he's pulling the ones that make me want to give up. I CAN'T give up!!! I have power over Satan!!!!"

I know that sounds super depressing but that's how I was feeling. I just couldn't understand it! It was bothering me so much that I was feeling this way. I'm not one to give up on something that I know I'm supposed to be doing but it was just really hard. And when I realized what was happening, I had to stop it! Satan doesn't want this work to move forward. And he knows what strings to pull on people. And it was hurting me! But the rest of the day I went on doing the normal Pday stuff that we do and we had fun! But at the same time, there was still something bothering me. (More on  that in a minute...)

Then that night when we got home, we got a phone call from Mama J. We were very excited to talk to her! But the reason she was calling us wasn't very exciting....She told us that she's coming home in two weeks but that she has to have someone there with her 24/7 because she's still not able to do things on her own. And that the nurse that would be living with her would have to take our room. Which means we have to move out :( We were so bummed!! And so was Mama J. But, to help Mama get better, we know that it's the thing that has to be done. So we have til the end of the month to find a house to live in. (Hence the title of this email haha)

Then on Tuesday the 14th, I was feeling better about things but I was still not totally better. So I texted the Zone Leaders to ask if I could get a blessing. I've had a couple blessings so far on my mission but I just felt like I needed one more to help me! So we all met at the church and I received a blessing! Before the blessing, Elder McKee asked me what was wrong and he talked for a couple minutes to help me figure things out. Then he gave me a blessing. It was an amazing blessing! All the blessings I have received have been amazing but this one was extra amazing! After the blessing, I felt 100x better than I ever have! It was so amazing! I couldn't believe it! And I haven't had a bad day since! I know that Heavenly Father has blessed me this week! It's been amazing to see the difference from before the blessing and after. I'm happier. I feel like I can feel the Spirit more. I can see miracles happening. It's just been amazing!!!

Also that day, eight of us missionaires in the stake got together and got our pictures taken by the PR guy in the stake because we are putting an article/flier in the newspaper for church tours. Every Saturday from 10am-2pm we are going to have tours for anyone that is interested in finding out what the inside of a Mormon church looks like and for anyone that is interested to know a little more about what we as members of The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints believe. So that's pretty exciting! At first they were just going to have Sister Davidson and I in the pictures but we didn't feel good about having just us in them so we got eight of us together and we felt much better about that. So it will be cool! And hopefully we will have people that want to come and learn more!

Then on Wednesday the 15th, Sister Davidson and I did a lot of walking that day. And while we were in this one apartment complex, this car comes up to us and says that they lost their Yorkie dog and they were wondering if we have seen her. Well, we told them that we'd look for her and wanted to know what to do if we found her. So they told us what apartment they lived in and we were off! Sister Davidson turned to me, "Sister Wheatley!!! We are going to find this dog!!!" So we said a quick prayer and we were off! We walked for only a couple seconds and I stopped because I heard the dingaling of dog tags! So we turned and there was this cute dog running straight towards us!! It was awesome! So we picked her up (she was much bigger and heavier than any Yorkie I've ever seen... And she didn't smell very good either...) and we walked to the lady's apartment and sat there and waited for her. And about five minutes later, she comes around the corner and she sees us there with Lily (the dog) and she starts to cry! It was so cute! We were just happy that we were able to tell her that it was through prayer that we were able to find her dog! They thought that was pretty cool :) So we talked to them for a couple minutes about who we are and we gave them a tour flier and we are going to go back to her house this week. We know that it was a small miracle but it was a miracle! We love small, big, funny, weird miracles! Because it doesn't matter how they come, but they come.

Then my highlight of the week haha was Thursday! On Wednesday night I was able to make chicken and rice to get ready to make my Chicken Enchiladas for District Meeting the next morning. I was so happy to be making them! I miss cooking! I don't get a lot of time to cook but when I do, I love it!! I just felt right at home making us lunch! And then after DM on Thursday, we all enjoyed a free meal... Well, the Elders enjoyed a free meal LOL Plus, I made mom's Corn Bread that you sent me and they loved that as well. It was just nice to be able to cook for people again. I have really missed it!

Then on Saturday, we started the church tours. Sadly no one came this week but we know that as soon as it gets in the paper and we hand out more fliers, we will get more people to come. We just felt so strongly like these tours need to happen so I know there's a reason for that!

Also that night, we went and saw dear Cherryl! We haven't seen her in about a month so it's been sad for us. But she was in town for the weekend to get some things for her new job and so we stopped by and saw her! As we were talking to her, we mentioned that we were needing to find a place to live and she said, "You can come live here!!" She's out of town a lot for her new job and so it was perfect. Plus when she is in town, she was happy that we can be living with her! We have grown to love Cherryl! She told us that we've made a big difference in her life and it goes the same for her to us. She's incredible! So, we called President Gutierrez that night and told him, he called Cherryl and before she left on Sunday he went over to meet her and look at the house to see if it was ok for us to live there. We called President Gutierrez after church and he said it would be the most perfect place for us to live! It was amazing!!! We are so danged excited!!!!!!!! And so is Cherryl!! It will be good for all of us! So we do not have to live in an RCWilley's box. But we did tell Brother and Sister Jones in the ward to get ready to get us one just in case we couldn't find a place to live LOL :) So all is well!!

Then yesterday after church, it was just a wonderful day! We were able to have four member lessons which was awesome (we are working with the members a lot in this area) and we were able to talk with two potential investigators for 45 minutes! It was just a very good Sunday!

As you can see, after my blessing, things are really looking up. Both Sister Davidson and I have been struggling lately but we were both able to work these small things out and now we feel much better! I know that good things are happening in this area! We are working hard and following the Spirit! We all have rough times in our lives (like mom said in her email this morning) but we just have to keep going. We can't give up! No matter how hard it gets! We have to remember, whatever happens in life, there is one man who knows how we feel, and that's our savior Jesus Christ! We can always rely on Him. He's there for us whenever we need Him. And I've come to be extremely thankful for that! I've needed Him so much in my life, especially the last few months, and He's always been there for me!

Well, I didn't see any birthdays on my calendar this week but if I'm wrong, sorry and Happy Birthday to whoever is reading this email and it's their birthday LOL

Alright, I gotta run... We're going bowling again! Talk to you all next week! Love you all!

Sister Rachel Wheatley :) :) :)

REVELATORY SESSIONS

Sorry I didn't get this out to you last night like I thought I'd be able to. We had a dinner appointment and by the time we got done with that and got back to the library, there was only 30 minutes til it closed and they won't let you on the computers with less than an hour left.

Well, this last week was a very hard but good week. A lot happened. I'm going to leave it up to mom to decide if she wants to put this whole letter for everyone to see but I'm just going to tell it as it is. I know that sometimes people may sugar coat things but because of the week I had, I'm not going hold back in this email.

On Tuesday the 7th, Sister Davidson had a Zone Council meeting so I went and spent the day with Sister Carrell in Walnut. I've spent a day with her last month so I was excited! We worked in her area and had a very successful day. We went to a Recent Convert's girlfriend's home, Lisa and Ivan, to have one of Ivan's after-baptism lessons. It was a very good lesson! We started out teaching Ivan but in the end we taught them both. And the Spirit was super strong! We didn't really have a plan when we went in there but both Sister Carrell and I knew before we went in there that it was going to be a good lesson. We talked a lot about missions and families. Both Ivan and Lisa want to serve missions but there's something holding them back. Since Ivan just joined the church, he has to wait a year and that made him happy. He didn't feel like he was ready right now. But when we told him he's have to wait, he got this peaceful feeling that he would be ok in a year from now. And for Lisa, she's being held back because she doesn't want to leave her family. Her family has had some major struggles in their lives and she's the one that is always there when her siblings or parents need her. Well, to make a long lesson short, both Sister Carrell and I were able to use personal experiences to help them both. It was really amazing! The Spirit is real! I'm so thankful for being able to teach by the Spirit. I don't know what will happen, but I know that the Spirit was there and that if Ivan and Lisa continue to follow that Spirit, things will work out for them!

Also on the 7th, that was my FIVE month mark! Can you believe that I've been on my mission for FIVE months now?!?! Wasn't it just yesterday that I entered the MTC??? It's going by so fast!

Then while we were asleep that night, there was another EARTHQUAKE!! I woke up to it and I was so scared! It was a 4.4 earthquake. I was so worried that there would be an after shock and that it wasn't going to be good. But luckily we were safe.

On Wednesday the 8th we had an all Sisters Conference. It was amazing!!! We got all 22 Sister missionaries together and just had a very good day! It was nice because President Becerra had each of the Sister Trainers get up and talk. There are four of them and each of them talked on a different subject but they all ran together very well. They talked a lot about being too hard on ourselves, not having enough confidence, being too comfortable, and not having enough faith. It was amazing how these small things really did help each of us Sisters. There was so much said that I feel was exactly for me. Then Sister Becerra got up and talked about not being afraid and how we are all now "part of the club - the Sister Missionary club." She asked us what blessings we have received from being on our missions and how the Lord will not permit us to fail as long as we do our part. Then President Becerra got up and talked about us being double-minded missionaries and how we can't be that. We need to focus on our missions. Nothing else. Then he talked about being over-whelmed and how we need to face our problems and our fears. We need to go against our problems and we will succeed. He also talked about how our greatest strengths can be our greatest weaknesses. There was a lot more that was said that day that really needed to be heard. I'm so thankful for Heavenly Father for having President Becerra put this Sisters Meeting together.

On Thursday the 9th we had a Zone Meeting. We usually have District Meetings every Thursday but President Becerra now wants us to have Zone Meetings once a month. It was a very good meeting! Once again, there was a lot said that I needed to hear. It was a lot of the same things that I heard the day before in Sisters Meeting but it's always nice to hear things again, especially with different view points.

Then that night we went to the park to do some contacting and we met Lucy, We asked her how she was doing and then she just let it all out. She's super nice and we had an hour long conversation. Her Bible study got cancelled that day so it was nice that we were able to be her Bible study. We found out that her mom is meeting with the Elders in her area so that was funny because she said, "My mom's meeting with the guys on the bikes." haha I just love that that's how the Elders are identified. Well, we had a very long conversation with her and it's just amazing how the Lord puts us in the right places at the right times. Even when I didn't really feel like going to the park. I didn't feel like it was worth our time but Sister Davidson kept pushing for it and in the end I'm glad she did.

Then on Friday the 10th, that was a very emotional day for me. At the end of our weekly planning each week we have what is called Companionship Inventory. That's where we tell things we like about the other, what we can improve on as a companionship and as individuals and things like that. Well, Sister Davidson started and she was telling me all these things she liked about me. But at one point she mentioned something, I can't remember exactly what it was, but it had been something I was struggling with this week. So I just let it out, I started to cry. There was something built up inside me for a long time that I didn't even know was there. All of a sudden I realized that I didn't have all this confidence that Sister Davidson thought I had, or that a lot of people thought I had. So we talked for a long time about it and Sister Davidson really helped me to gain a little confidence in myself. I've come to realize that I'm struggling with teaching lessons, not sure if I'm following the Spirit or my own wants and things like that. It was just a very hard thing for me to realize. I try to put on this happy face but really, I'm struggling.

Well, there's a lot more to that Comp. Inventory but I'll write about that later because it happened on other days as well. On Saturday the 11th, we went and helped out with an Eagle Scout project for someone in the ward's troop. We helped plant fruit trees at a local company place where it's open for the public to just come and learn all these educational things. And that was cool. Jonathan isn't a member of the church but it's cool to see how much he loves going to scouts with the boys in out ward and how much support he has from the ward.

Then we went home to clean up after that and Mama J was there! She was there only for a little time because she and a couple other people were getting things ready for her to come home in a couple weeks! YAY!! We were so excited to hear that!

Then during our Companionship Study that morning, we had another Comp. Inventory session. This time it was for both Sister Davidson and I. We both are struggling. We don't really know why but we are. It's hard! We are trying so hard to be good missionaries, to be exactly obedient, and to follow the Spirit but we don't feel like we having any success. I have learned a lot about myself this last week. There were things that I was holding inside me that I didn't even know I needed to let out. I'm so thankful to my Father in Heaven for giving me a companion that is intune with the Spirit that she knows when I need to talk. She knows exactly what to say and how to help me. (There are other things that I learned yesterday but I will share that next week since I'm running out of time to write now...)

So as you can see, it wasn't really the BEST week ever but in some ways it was. We may not have had success finding people who want to hear about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, but we found in ourselves, I really found in myself, a new light. Who knew I would be having confidence problems? Who knew that one little thing said would help me to get what I was holding inside, out? Heavenly Father did and I'm thankful for that! I don't know how much longer I could have gone on holding these things in. Would I have given up? Would I have had a melt down? I don't know, but what I do know is that Heavenly Father is real. He's listening to us! We may not think He is at times but He is! I've come to realize that this week. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me. He wants me to be happy. He wants me to have a good mission. He wants me to be successful in whatever I do in life. He's real! If I didn't know that, I don't know if I would be here on my mission right now.

Well, that's about all the time I have for now. We have to go have lunch and then get going with the day. This last week was hard, but I'm thankful for that! Blessings are trials, and trials are blessings!

Love you all!

-Sister Rachel Anna Wheatley

PS - Happy Birthday to Natalia Hernandez tomorrow, thanks for letters this week from Sister Gren and Emily Sabins, and good luck to Aaron, or should I say Elder Wheatley, as he prepares to enter the MTC tomorrow! Love you Aaron! You'll do amazing things in Peru!

I LOVE PICTURES FROM MISSIONARIES!