Week 6

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy Halloween!!! Where in the world did October go? How is everybody doing?  I hope that you are all happy, healthy, and just loving life.  Thank you for all of your love and support I am truly so grateful for each of you.  You have all played such a huge part in my life, and I am here because of all of you.

We had a training this week with all of the newer missionaries, and their trainers.  The training was given by the President Weston, and the Assistants.  Before the training started President Weston said, “You are all the new leaders of this mission.  You need to learn fast, and be ready to train because we are going to need you.” AHHH I am not ready for this!!  I have so much to learn, and so many things that I need to work on.  I wanted to ask him if he realized that he was talking to me and didn’t mean somebody else!  I just want to be a missionary haha!!  I know that Heavenly Father definitely has a plan for me, and that he has confidence in me.  I know that I can do anything through the Lord.  Keep me in your prayers.  I need all that I can get. 

It has been another great week.  I continue to realize why I am here each and every day.  This gospel is such a blessing in my life.  Claudia and Ramsey are doing so wonderful.  They are still on to be baptized on November 10. During one of our lessons we were teaching them The Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We asked Claudia why she wanted to be baptized and she just started to cry.  She said, “We want to change.  We want to do what God wants us to do, we want to be happy! We aren’t just going to get baptized and then start sinning again, but we are going to change for good.” At that moment I was so humbled.  This is why I came on a mission.  If I would only change this one family it would all be worth it.  There truly is nothing greater than watching someone change because of the gospel, to see the light of Christ in their faces.  This is what missionary work is all about.  This is what the gospel is all about.  There is no greater joy!! I am so excited for them to get baptized next week, but I am mostly excited for them to be sealed together for time and all eternity.

So saying my prayers at the end of the day well let’s just say we go go go all day long, and then when I finally sit down I pretty much fall asleep.  So the other night I was saying my prayers and had fallen asleep whoops.  When all of a sudden I farted and woke myself up!! It was hilarious.  Sister Belka was asleep so I couldn’t laugh with someone ha! I can’t believe some of the stuff I tell you, but you all know I am crazy!!

I had a really great experience at the trail center this week.  A sweet lady who was all alone came in, and just looked at me and started to cry.  She said, “Wow, there is such an amazing feeling here.  The pioneers are here with us.  I needed this today”.  We both just sat there and cried as I shared with her my first experience walking through those doors, and having the exact same feeling.  This truly is such an amazing place.  The spirit is so strong here.  Each day I come, and learn more about the pioneers I grow to love it more and more.  As I learn of their stories of faith, and courage.   I am so grateful be a part of such a great place, and to be able to learn and grow and become who my Heavenly Father wants me to become.  Each day I am reminded of why I need to be here.  Not just to bring others unto Christ but to bring myself closer to him each and every day. 

One of my favorite parts about being a missionary is to back Sister Belka up in the car.  It is so great ha ha NOT!!  Especially when we are in the middle of an intersection, and she can't quite make the turn so I have to run out and back her up.  It is hilarious when she means to go in reverse, but puts it in drive.  I have come up with some really good dances to back her up.  The other day I wasn't paying very good attention, and was dancing and she almost hit me.  It made me laugh.  We both are quite the pair, but we have a good time. 

I love being a missionary.  There is nothing greater.  This work is amazing!! I am so grateful for the gospel and the happiness that it brings to me in my life.  I know that this is the only true church.  That Christs gospel has been restored to the Earth today.  That we have been blessed with all of his Authority and power.  I know that Christ lives.  That he atoned for each and everyone of us.  He is the only way back.  We must repent every single day, and become clean.  So that we can become worthy of the spirit, and be intune with those promptings from the spirit.  Strive each and every day to be a little better!!! I love each of you and hope that you have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Sister Whitt

Week 5

Family and Friends,

Another week has come.  I can't believe it.  The days feel like weeks, but the weeks feel like days. I love it!! I continue to love this work.  I am learning so much each and everyday.  It truly is such a blessing to be here, and I thank my Heavenly Father for allowing me to be apart in it.  As for this week we have been so busy as usual.  So I want to tell you a little bit about the trail center.  There is just one visitors center.  We work here 4 days a week.  We take our tours by ourselves.  So we aren't with a companion.  This has been hard for me because of the little information that I know, but they just through you in it.  I know that I wouldn't have been able to learn any other way so I am grateful for that... MOST DAYS!! We start off with a 15 minutes film.  During the film I go and pray to invite the spirit, and to also know what there needs are and prepare for the tour.  It has been such a humbling experience.  Heavenly Father truly does speak to us, and he allows me to know what these people need to know.  I had a really neat experience on tour this week. I was giving a tour to a man and his wife who are from Mapleton.  They were Brother and Sister Carter.  They used to be apart of a branch presidency at the MTC.  I learned so much from them through the tour, but was also able to watch the spirit touch there hearts as I shared stories about the pioneers, and bore my testimony.  At the end of the tour he asked me how long I had been out, and when I told him only a week he was in awe.  Now I don't say this so you all think I am great, but I say this because this gospel is so true and so real.  I know that Heavenly Father is blessing me each and every day.  As I am obedient, and do everything in my pour I am able to teach with the spirit.  I am able to do his will.  Through the tour I was able to walk hand and hand with the spirit. He is my constant companion every day.  I am so blessed each and every day.

Claudia and Ramsey are truly amazing.  They are making amazing progress.  We had the wedding on Friday and it went so great.  We finally found Claudia a dress and she looked beautiful.  It was so fun to plan a wedding, but I am glad that it is done so we can focus just on the work.  What I loved most about the night is when we sang Families Can be Together Forever and they just sat and cried.  They have told us many times that the wedding is just a stepping stone for them to be able to get baptized.  I am so proud of them and the decisions that they are making.  Being able to watch see them change, and to see them use the power of the atonement is truly amazing.  They are trying to stop chewing tobacco, and they had relapsed, and weren't telling us, but through the spirit we both knew what had happened.  So I started teaching them about the Atonement, and all of the grief and worry that shown on their faces was now gone, and replaced with a sense of peace.  They were converted by the spirit.  We continue to work with them.  They will be baptized on November 10.  I can't wait. 

So some funny things that have happened to me.  One Sister Belka and I were studying and I went to stand up, and my dress was totally tucked in my garments ha ha!! She frantically was trying to get my attention before anyone saw.  I just looked at her and said it's a good thing were best friends.  Bless my heart.  Well then the other day I was walking out of the Bathroom when the same thing happened except I was by one of the senior missionaries.  Luckily I finally realized it before I walked right infront of him.  He just laughed, and we both made a joke out of it.  I have also fallen down the stairs again.  It was literally hilarious, but the funny thing was Sister Belkas face it was priceless as she sat and tried to catch me, and then I finally got my balance and fell again.  Oh bless my heart!!  I still struggle and have my moments.

I had a really neat experience the other night.  We were going to meet with one of our investigators named Cathy, and she wasn't home.  Well in getting there Sister Belka and I was dancing and singing in the car and we missed the exit twice.  Anyways as we were leaving I had this feeling totally overcome me that we needed to get out of there immediately.  There was a cop in the parking lot. I have never felt such a strong feeling overcome me before.  I literally thought I was going to throw up.  So we left so fast.  We will probably never realize what had happened and why we weren't supposed to be there, but what I did realize is how protected I am when I am being obedient, and doing everything that I am supposed to be doing.  Heavenly Father used our dittzyness to make sure that we missed our exit.  His hand is in every part of our life, but we have to be doing our part so we don't miss those promptings of the spirit. 

Elder Watson (who is the director of the trail center) pulled me into his office the other day, and told me that I need to learn fast.  That I need to learn everything that I possibly can from Sister Belka.  That I needed to be obedient because he needs me as a leader.  This scared the crap out of me.  We have 26 sisters right now, and 20 of them will be gone by March.  I know that Heavenly Father truly is with me every step of the way, and will help me to become who he wants me to become.  Keep me in your prayers.

I love being a missionary.  There is not greater place then I would want to be.  It truly is such a blessing to be here.  I love Sister Belka.  She is such an answer to my prayer.  She is the salt of the earth, and I am grateful for her.  I learn so much from her each and every day, and am so grateful for her.  There is nothing greater then missionary work.  I challenge each of you to strive to serve somebody this week.  To talk to everyone and to love everyone.  Look at everyone as God would look at them, and find the good in everyday. 

This gospel is true.  I know it because I have found out for myself.  The book of mormon is the word of god.  Jesus is the Christ, and these are the Latter Days.  We have to be doing everything thing we can to bring others unto Christ.  I love you all, and pray for you daily.

Sister Whitt

Week 4

Dear Friends and Family,

I am in NEBRASKA!!! I can't believe that I am officially a missionary.  I feel like just yesterday I entered the MTC, and now I am in the field.  I loved the MTC, but words just can't explain how great it is to be in the field. When we first got here on Tuesday we got to hang out with President for the night.  We each had an interview with him.  I truly know that he was called on God to lead this mission.  That he is in this mission for a purpose!  He is such an amazing man who I already love.  He told me that I have the best trainer in the whole mission.  That I can be an amazing missionary if I truly learn from her.  He told me that she is the top missionary in the WHOLE mission.  I am serving in the Rockbrook Ward.  My trainers name is Sister Belka. President was right she is amazing.  I learn so much from her each and every day.  She truly is my best friend.  She is obedient with exactness, and does everything that she is supposed to do, but not only that she is so humble.  She knows that this is Gods work, and she does everything she possibly can to be a successful missionary.  She is amazing.  Heavenly Father is truly aware of me.  I was so scared to find out who my trainer was because I want to make my Heavenly Father proud, but he truly does know our needs and has answered my prayers.  My concerns became his concerns, and he has blessed me so much.  We live in a house with two other Sisters.  We totally lucked out.  Our house is very nice, and I love the sisters that we live with. 

Sister Belka has been serving in this area for 3 months, and so she has worked really hard, and found a lot of investigators.  We actually are preparing a wedding as we speak for this Friday.  It has been so fun!!  Two of our investigators Claudia and Ramzey are getting married on Friday, and then getting baptized on November 10.  They are a rock solid family.  We meet with them about everyday.  They are so humble, and so excited.  They both chew tobacco, and so we have really been working with them through this trial.  They start classes this Wednesday.  They have such faith and know that Heavenly Father can help them through this.  Sister Belka is an amazing teacher, but she allows me to get right in there and teach.  She will just pause, and I know that it is my turn to speak and bare testimony. 

We also are teaching another girl named Sharon who is so great.  She is ten years old, and truly is amazing.  She keeps all of our committments, and is really trying hard to do everything she is supposed to do.  Her mother is a less active and so we are working with both of them.  I committed her to baptism on November 17 and she accepted.  I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was.  It totally caught me off guard when she replied yes so fast!! I wanted to jump up for joy!!  We are so excited for her.

Gladys Knight goes around the US and does firesides for non members and less actives.  She directs an amazing choir, and bares testimony.  She is amazing.  We had four investigators there.  The spirit was so strong.  I learned so much from being there.  It was held in the chapel.  The choir was amazing they were clapping, and dancing!! Ah it was so great!! I wish we sang with such soul ha ha!!  Her husband bore an amazing testimony and told of his conversion story.  He grew up baptist, and so he pretty much layed the line down. He said that each of them are going to be held accountable in heaven if they don't accept this message because they have been taught with the truth.  They were so bold I loved it.  Gladys was amazing as well as she told her conversion story.  They spoke with such  power.  It was like you could cut the spirit with a knife.  I know that this played a huge role in Sharon accepting the invitation to be baptized.  Our mission received 80 referrals from that night.  It wasn't as many as we wanted, but we were so excited.  Three of those were Sister Belka's and I.  This work is progressing so fast!!

I have truly seen Gods hand in my life as a missionary each and every day.  It is amazing the people he places in our lives, and the places we go.  Everywhere is guided by the spirit.  We had an experience where we were calling to find a ride for our investigators to get to the concert, and we were going to call Sister Johnson, but then decided to call Sister Bentley.  Sister Bentley asked if we could meet her somewhere to get the tickets.  Sister Belka and I just started laughing because we had totally forgot them, and had no idea where to look.  So we pulled over because we were 20 minutes from home and called the sisters who live with us.  We then said a prayer and asked to know where to guide the sisters to look.  After the prayer Sister Belka looked at me and immedietly knew right where they were. Another experience was when we were driving to go and see the Eliwise family, and we had this feeling to stop at Claudia and Ramzeys.  They had been really struggling with chewing, and needed us at that time.  Another time was when we were driving home.  We hadn't eaten dinner because we were running around like crazy and so we decided to stop.  We kept driving for somewhere to eat and decided not to stop when we saw Taco Bell.  So we stopped in and the cashier said I am looking for a change in my life.  I want to change and have direction.  We both just looked at each other and smiled, and then shared a message with him.  It was amazing. God's hand is truly in our lives all the time.

So we work in the Trail Center 4 days a week from either 9-3 or 3-9.  When I first got here they took us on a tour.  There is a room called the memorial room that over looks the temple, and the cemetary.  I was immedietly filled with a sense of peace.  A sense of knowing that this is where I am supposed to be.  I knew that Heavenly Father was aware of me, and that he didn't want me anywhere but here.  I not only felt of his love, but the love of the pioneers.  I know that they are here in this memorial.  They are looking down on us, and helping us invite others to come unto Christ.  This place is amazing!! There is such a strong peace here that in indescribable.  I know that this is where Heavenly Father needs me to be.

They kind of just threw me right into giving tours.  I was terrified.  I feel like I know nothing about the pioneers, but I do know that if I rely on the spirit I am able to teach whatever these people need to hear.  I have so much to learn, but am so grateful for the opportunity I have learn each and every day!! I love being a missionary! I love being a representative of Jesus Christ.  I have never been so happy, and so at peace, and I know it is because I am supposed to be here.  I love this work, and can't wait to continue on. 

Sister Whittaker

Week 3

Family and Friends,

 

I can't believe another week has come and gone!! Can I just tell you that there is nothing greater then being a missionary.  My life is so much cooler than yours j/k, but no really!! Missionary work is so great!!  This week has been the changing point in my mission.  This week has shaped me into the missionary that I want to become.  Yesterday I was extremely humbled and changed for the better.  I realized that Heavenly Father is truly aware of me.  He knows I can do this and knows that I will be a great missionary, but I won't be a great missionary because of the things that come out of my mouth or the things that I do, but I will be a great missionary because I finally realize that everything happens because of God.  That this is his gospel, and through him we are nothing.  He deserves all of the credit.  It doesn't matter what anybody else thinks, but only what God thinks.  I finally realized that I needed to step it up.  I needed to learn the doctrine of christ and have confidence in myself that I can receive revelation and teach through the spirit.  I had a really neat experience happen yesterday.  Our teachers told us that we need to plan, study, and teach for our investigators that we would be teaching last night.  She told us that Heavenly Father will speak directly to us and be specific with anything and everything we need to know about our investigators.  She said you will know if they are a less active, member, or a non member.  You will know what there needs are and concerns, and you can know this before you even meet them.  That Heavenly Father will speak to you through revelation of the spirit.  This seemed a little crazy to me, and a little scary that god could really be so specific, but I realized that if this was gods will I would do it.  So sister F and I will all the faith that we had prayed for gods guidance and help that w could receive revelation.  After we ended the prayer I was immediately filled with the spirit stronger that I have ever felt.  My chest was literally filled with a power that is indescribable.  I looked and Sister F and said she will be a Less Active and she said yup!! I then said she feels as though god has abandoned her, and she needs to feel of God's love, and she agreed.  We were then asked to prepare our lesson for her.  I felt so strongly that we needed to teach her about being humble.  During personal study I studied Alma 32, and during companion ship study I found out that Sister F read the same thing.  So then it came time to go and teach our investigator.  She walked in, was a less active, and was struggling with the fact that she had done everything right in her life, but god wouldn't bless her.  I was in awe.  Everything that I had felt that she would be she was.  So we then taught her.  I taught with such confidence, and gained an instant love for her.  It truly was amazing.  I know that this won't happen everytime on my mission, but it was a huge testimony to me that Heavenly Father truly does hear and answer our prayers.  That he is aware of us, and our needs, but most importantly it showed me that I need his help, and that he is there to help me through every step of my mission.  It was a very humbling experience. 

 

I am now officially in Visitor Center training.  I am with 30 other sisters, 22 of who are going to Temple square.  Part of training we have been able to go to Temple square twice.  The first time we went we were able to have a tour.  It was such a great experience.  I have been to temple square many times, but this day was different.  The spirit that I had with me was different.  It was great to be on the other side of things.  Today we went as well and got paired up with a companion.  I was with Sister Kang from Korea.  She was great.  She has been serving for 6 months.  She struggled a little bit with the language, but she definitely had a strong spirit about her.  We only talked to members which was different.  I won't lie I am very grateful to be able to go to a prosiliting mission as well as visitors center.  I will get the best of both worlds.  It was great to be up there and play as a real missionary. I am entering the field on Tuesday and could not be more excited.  I am so nervous, but so ready to serve.

 

So as a missionary you pray a lot, and so sometimes we start to do funny things when we pray.  Last night I went to say my prayers, and I started out with Labor and Delivery can I help you ha ha!!  I do miss my job a little bit.  Sister Bullock started her prayer off my counting to ten.   Let's just saying being in the MTC does some crazy things to you, and you literally start to go crazy!!!

 

Being with a bunch of Elders is pure entertainment.  They are totally scared of the sisters and it is hilarious.  The other day I was walking up the stairs and the Elder literally threw himself against the wall.  It was a riot.  When we have devotional and you want to get in the doors all you have to say is Sister coming and they all freak out.  It gives us a good laugh. 

 

Our Elders left on Tuesday.  I never realized that I could grow to love people so fast.  We were all put into the district for a certain purpose and reason.  Heavenly Father's hand is definitely in all things.  I learned so much from each of them and will be forever grateful for them.  I was doing really good at saying goodbye until Elder English shook my hand as tears ran down his face as he thanked me for being the missionary I was.  Then I lost it.  They became my family, and I hope and pray that they will be great missionaries. 

 

Being a missionary is the greatest decision that I ever made.  I am so happy, and I know that is because I am supposed to be here.  I am so grateful for the blessings that Heavenly Father has given me.  For the trials that I have had to go through.  This definitely isn't easy, but I know that it will be worth it.  It will bless my life forever.  Our teacher asked us yesterday to realize all that Christ has done for us, and asked us what we are going to do today and the rest of our lives to pay him back.  This hit me hard. There is nobody else on this earth who will ever do as much as he did for us, but yet at times in our life we forget that.  We will never be able to pay him back for what he did, but we can definitely strive each and every day to become more like him.  I can't wait to bring others closer to christ, and allow them to feel of the love of the Savior and his Atonement.  I hope you all are doing well.  Strive to be a little better each and every day, and don't forget about the Missionary in the MTC.  She would love to hear from you, but also appreciates all of the letters and packages she has already received. Love you all!!!

 

Sister Whitt