Week 14

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy New Year!! I can't believe it is 2013.  What a great 2012 we had, and what a great 2013 it is going to be. It was such an awesome week.  I am so grateful for the many miracles that we saw this week.  Heavenly Father put us exactly where we needed to be, and when we needed to be their.  I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who knows me personally, and allows me to bring his children into the fold. 

So I had so many funny things happen this week.  On Wednesday we were going to see Sharon our recent convert.  We pulled in the parking lot, and parked not where we normally park.  We were going over our lesson plan, and then a man walked in front of our car, and sister Belka jumps out and said we need to teach him. It took me like 3 minutes to really comprehend what was going on, and then I finally got out of the car.  He was deaf, and guess who knows sign language yup you guessed it Sister Belka.  So they were signing back and forth.  He was so engaged in the conversation.  She would try and tell me what he was saying, and what she was saying, but let's just say I was just standing there looking really cool.  Well then his friends walks up, and was like what is going on here?  So we explained to him our purpose, and that we were representatives of Jesus Christ.  Well then Sister Belka just starts talking back to Eric (the boy who is deaf), and I start teaching his friend who is looking at me all weird.  Then he was like You are really pretty, and I was like oh thanks so the Book of Mormon ha ha, and then he was like No really you are so pretty can I take you on a date? So Jesus Christ? I am going to take you on a date okay?  So I went on to tell him that we aren't allowed to do that we are here to bring others closer to Christ.  Then he was like come on we would have so much fun!! Let's go hang out while they keeping talking because it is freezing here.  Here I am dying and Sister Belka is in her own little world leaving me with this creeper.  So of course I just ignored what he said and started teaching him the restoration when again he tells me how pretty I am and how there are so many nice restaurants that he is going to take me too!!  I am literally dying.  I have officially entered the awkward club ha ha!!  I never thought I would be awkward when I got home, but yup it only took me 3 months to enter into that Club.  Finally Sister Belka pipped in and told him that she was glued to my hip, and then of course he was like well let's go on a double date haha!! So then of course Sister Belka being the charitable person she is she was like yeah of course.  We would love to teach you about the gospel over a nice dinner ha ha!!!  So I never thought I would be asked out on a date on my mission, but I can now check that off my bucket list.  I am so grateful to be out of the dating world right now!! 

Funny story number two so we had just gotten done with church and we were eating our dinner in the kitchen.  I had to go to the bathroom of course because for some reason I have to pee every 10 minutes it feels like.  Drinking a lot of water is so over rated.  Well anyways I go to flush the toilet and in land my tag haha!! Leave it to me for something like that to happen.  So I of course panic, and run and grab Sister Belka, and try to bribe her into getting it for me.  Well the bribing didn't work so I finally found a plastic glove, and well I am sure you don't want to know all the details, but hey another thing to check off my bucket list.

So other then really funny things happening we have had a great week.  We actually met all of our goals for the week which we were so grateful for.  I know that it is when we are obedient, and strive to do our best that Heavenly Father will bless us more then we will ever know.  Heavenly Father placed us where we needed to be, and at the exact time that we needed to be there.  We went see a referral that came through the gingerbread, and he wasn't home, but we felt like we needed to go and see two house, and of course they wanted nothing to do with us, but then a car pulled up into his house, and a lady got out.  We started testifying to her, and teaching her about the restored gospel when she told us that she was a member of our church, but doesn't go to church anymore.  She was a total lost sheep.  She is so prepared and ready to come back to church.  We met with her again, and she is incredible.  She has such a strong testimony she just wasn't ever converted.  We had such a powerful lesson with her, and she has started to read the Book of Mormon, and is praying to know if it is true.  We are hoping to see her at church on Sunday.  The next day we met another lost sheep while we were trying to find another referral.  He just landed in our lap pretty much.  He is battling cancer, and is really struggling, and knows that he needs God in his life.  We saw so many miracles today it was so amazing, and such a humbling experience. 

Well I am sure that you are all anxiously waiting to see what happened with Transfers.  Well I actually won't know until tomorrow, but they did ask us to take the new Sister Missionaries out which most likely means I will be training.  Words can't express how nervous I am, but I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for me specifically.  I am so excited for change, and to be able to come closer to my Heavenly Father.  I just hope that I can make my Heavenly Father proud, and to be able to do all that he has asked me to do.  I love this work, and am so grateful for the blessings that it brings to me, and the people of Nebraska.  I am so excited for a new year!!! I love you all so much and hope that you have a great week!! Please pray for me this week.  I need it. 

Sister Whittaker