Teresa Arrives Back in New England

banner to welcome Teresa back to New England

Hello--

(This one is written by Mom...)

Teresa finished her mission on a Wednesday. She packed up her belongings and drove to the Sacramento airport with 3 other missionaries.

Sister Johnson (O.J.), greeting Teresa

Her brother David, attending classes at BYU Provo, was still in Utah. Not wanting her to miss seeing her brother, we as a family made flight arrangements for Teresa to have a long layover in Salt Lake City.

She arrived in Salt Lake City...to NO ONE greeting her?!?!! (It was that scene from "the RM" movie...) David, and about 6 of her mission friends who had returned, months earlier, and were in Utah because they lived there or were attending school...they all MEANT to be there on time. Instead she saw someone who looked like the dad of her old companion. He walked up to her, smiling...

T with Bro Pettey, the night before
she flew to SLC

She said to him, "You look like Sister Johnson's dad," and he said "Yes and she's ALMOST HERE!" In the next few minutes, Teresa was greeted by her brother and six other mission friends. Lots of hugging and laughing :)

T and her bro, David :)

They all went to the Salt Lake City temple, and that evening they visited Rachelle, David & Teresa's cousin in South Jordan.

back with the fam (minus David)

THEN LATER, David took Teresa back to the airport and she got on another plane at 11 p.m. or so. There were so few people on the plane, everybody got their own row. Teresa does not sleep on planes well, or at all, so she just dozed off and on. The plane headed towards Boston.

Meanwhile, the fam back in Massachusetts got a decent night's sleep. Five a.m. rolled around, they woke up to alarms and bundled up. Off to the airport! We picked up Angela on the way, then parked the car and waited at the doors.

Out strolled Teresa! And there was much rejoicing. Hugs all around, and of course we had to stop at Dunkin Donuts.

hugs all around: we couldn't be happier!

w/all my stuff! Baggage Claim

We took Angela to work, then went over to the Stake President's house. President Rollins had some kind words and sage advice, that she probably would not remember since she got no sleep while she flew all night!

hug from Mom

At any rate, we are so, so happy to have our Teresa home.

Out With A Bang

It was a bit windy when we were trying to
capture the snow on Black Butte

Last One! It's crazy that I'll be back in Massachusetts on Thursday. But let me tell you, Sister Wright and I worked SO hard this final week, to reach the goals we had set! Mainly the "go out with a bang" goal.

Brief summary of miracles from the week, and then I'll write my eulogy, the final summary of 1/836824th of what I've learned over the last 18 months and 17 days!

The District! Since I'm 'dying' (ending my mission)
my 'spirit' was the only one present

So many things happened this week! Including zone conference with Elder Clayton of the 70, Thanksgiving, the Festival of Pies, sleeping in a hammock (I had to be like Sister Taylor and do it for at least 1 night), getting lost on the way to a member's home, saying bye to way too many people, and lots and lots of miracles!

our miraculous rainy day in Dunsmuir

P-DAY LIST. CHECK! We started off the week well by checking something off my mission bucket list: find someone new to teach on our Preparation Day, during the P-Day hours. Lo and behold, we were able to start teaching Kevin! He works at the Weed Souvenir Shop and we've talked to him a few times, but this time he started asking us about the Word of Wisdom since one of the members in our ward just got hired there.

final p-day! The Pearsons took us
snowshoeing up Mt. Shasta :)

ALL TOGETHER NOW. Then, Wednesday was a power day for us! We were set on doing exactly what He needed us to do. So, we went to Dunsmuir to visit a few people and instead found not 1, not 2, but SIX new people to teach that day! We used one of the things discussed at zone conference called the "round up," as Elder Clayton put it, where you go into the house and invite everyone in the household to join in on the lesson.

We started teaching 4 of the 6 new people that way. The other 2 were other miracles in themselves. Last week we'd given out a Book of Mormon to a lady who was outside, and we decided to swing by and see if she had read it. I'm gonna be honest and say I wasn't expecting much, because it's not often you find people who remember to do things without a follow-up text. Well, we knocked and she answered and let us know that because of Thanksgiving coming up tomorrow, she was a bit busy. We asked if she had read, and her answer was "I'm halfway through it" (!!!!!) MIRACLES!!

I just love this picture with the Kirby's

DIM ROOM GETS BRIGHTER. Then, while we were still there we got a text for a referral who said to come by Friday between 2 and 3. So, we went right then instead. Shaun is the nicest guy and it was an amazing experience for me to get to meet him. We knocked on the door and it opened to a shirtless guy and a waft of smoke. We asked for Shaun, and he said "stomp on the floor." We were outside on the little porch area after having walked up a flight of stairs. We looked at him for a sec, confused, so he told us again to "stomp on the floor." Sister Wright picked up her foot and stomped twice, after which the guy yelled, "SHAUN GET UP HERE" and then invited us in.

lenticular clouds in Shasta

We checked that there was a lady home, and then stepped inside to a scary-feeling, gloomy, poorly-lit apartment. He left us there and closed his door as Sister Wright scrambled for any sort of light switch to add a few watts to the room. We found one, but the feeling in the room was still creepy. Then Shaun walked in, and I was relieved to see the purpose of why we were there :) It got better. As soon as he started talking, the spirit was almost overwhelming with how much desire he had to learn more!

final district council with the Sisters!

Saturday we were in the right place at the right time, getting lunch in McCloud from a small shop with amazing bagel sandwiches. Well, they recently hired a new worker and she's so prepared! When we told her what we do, she immediately bounced into her own beliefs, and what being a disciple means, and walking the path with Christ. It was amazing to see HER bring the spirit to the situation! And just like that, we had 8 new people found this week.

Zone Conference carpool

VISITORS. But wait, there's more... We put a huge focus on church this week and inviting people to church, as we were both speaking in Sacrament Meeting, and it's my last week. I don't know that I've ever had more than 5 or 6 people who we asked to come, visit church. So, the amazing miracles trend of this week continued, and we had 11 people come to Sacrament Meeting! I loved seeing so many people we'd worked with come to church and support us. We bore testimony of the importance of gratitude (Sister Wright), and staying on the covenant path (me).

BAPTISM HIGHLIGHT. But wait, there's more... After church we dashed over to Yreka and Steven got baptized!!! Honestly I don't know how this week could have been any better. With a half-mission Zone Conference letting me see so many people I'd wanted to see before I go home, plus Thanksgiving, plus speaking in Sacrament Meeting, plus finding buckets of people to teach, plus Steven getting baptized: I can die happy :)

pics from the hike from 2 weeks ago

So now after that novel, here's my tribute to all of my billion companions.

#1. Sister King, my MTC compadre: she taught me what it's like to be a missionary! I learned how to be bold and honest from her and let's be real, how to teach a lesson in the first place since neither of us had done it before!

#2. Sister Hood (my trainer): oh man there aren't words to explain how amazing she was. I learned patience from her and how to be guided by the spirit, as well as a foundation for my mission that has given me more strength than I ever imagined possible.

STEVEN GOT BAPTIZED!

#3. Sister Wright 1.0: how can anyone be more enthusiastic about the gospel than her? Maybe Sister Kemp, but then again Sister Wright trained her. She showed me a new way to do work and how to love people for being themselves!

Thanksgiving at the Hunter's!

#4. Sister Swensen, the sweetest, smartest soul you'll ever meet. She gave me a high standard to memorize scriptures and teach with so much power! We kept following each other around the mission. It was amazing and what I needed!

#5. Sister Kikel: the strength of her testimony taught me that you can change a heart by opening yours. Never underestimate the worth of your story!

#6. Sister Hatch: diligence despite difficulties will only bring you further than you imagined. Adjusting to a new area and new companion was hard for her but she pushed through and did what He needed her to!

#7. Sister Thorum: if she's ever my nurse I'm gonna do exactly what she tells me to, she could take on a mountain man if she needed to! Her enthusiasm to do the work and way of finding the good in any situation made for some fun moments in Auburn!

Sister Swensen...wait I was comps with her twice, in 2 different trios, what more do you need in life other than all of the Swensen?

(we tried the kicking one again;
didn't turn out as good)

#8. Sister Anderson: give yourself 5 seconds of insane courage every day and don't forget to be yourself while you do it! She is an inspiration and we were laughing the entirety of that trio! Except the first night when I told her and Sister Johnson I'd duct tape their mouths shut 'cause I was so tired from all my crazy emergency transfers and they wouldn't stop talking...good thing they still like me!

Which leads to...

#9. Sister Johnson: what a nut. I learned so many things in those 3 1/2 months but the biggest ones were how to accept love, how to have a better work ethic (we wrecked Rocklin let me tell you), and how to have fun while doing all of that. 2 1/2 transfers as comps, then serving around each other for another 2 after that makes for some ridiculous moments!

Mt. Shasta is the prettiest area

#10. Sister Nield: what a woman! The most loyal friend you'll ever have, and willing to work through a concussion makes for a salty transfer in the best of ways! She also helped me learn that forgiveness brings the peace we all need!

#11. Sister Curtis: again, there aren't words to describe even a fraction of what I learned from her, but I finally had the perfect example of how to love others whole-heartedly, leaving them no room for doubt that we have a loving Heavenly Father. I think we just spent half the transfer reading each other's minds it was great!

#12. Sister Tuha: my only child born in the wilderness. She adjusted to missionary life so well, and showed a desire I admired. Sometimes the only thing to get you going in the work is knowing you're doing it for Christ. We had so many miracles and crazy moments in the Roseville home ward and Sierra YSA! Oh, were you starting to get comfortable in your ward? Good, let's add another!

Kami, the dog that hates everyone:)
not kidding, she GROWLS at
everyone, but I've been there
enough, she's fine with me!

#13. Sister Taylor: my deep doctrine dudette, percussion playing partner, storytelling star. You name it, we talked about it! I learned SO many things and most importantly, that I had to go home eventually. Somehow she made the descent so much easier! Gave me a few good spirit slaps along the way.

#14. Sister Manning: Corning chaos! A fire led to our timely meeting, and in those 6 days I saw a missionary with so many attributes I wanted to improve on! She taught me how to find miracles through works and faith. If you see her, she'll probably come up and talk to you.

Mt. Shasta featuring a windblown Sister Wright

#15. And last but certainly not least: Sister Wright 2.0! Compadre #15...I learned pure joy from her. The simplicity of what we share is all you need. She's mastered the aspect of becoming like a child in the best of ways! We laughed for 7 weeks (1 in Corning) and saw enough miracles to fill a mission in just 6 weeks.

I'm so grateful for the time I've had, and the learning I've been able to do in the past 18 months! There is no better way to learn something than to teach it. I know this gospel is true. I know Joseph Smith restored the fulness of the gospel on the earth today, and I know Christ lives and guides us! He needs you to help people like me figure certain things out :)

Steven wanted to be part of the jumping pics

Thanks for all the support you've given and I'll see you soon!

Sister Whitesell

Beautiful on the Mountains are the Feet of Them Who Publish His Peace

per request of my mom, here are birthday cards!
(thanks for the glitter bomb, Dad)

Another week come and gone. Guess what? I only have to write one more of these. It'll be interesting to be able to talk to anyone I want to, whenever I want to soon! Too much power though, let's be real; I can't handle that. And, I had to use that scripture as a title for this area for one of my weeklies. Thank you, Isaiah, for the inspiring doctrine!

just a sample of what
our days look like
sometimes
(*DOUBLE CLICK
to make it bigger)

BACK TO BUSINESS. I hope everyone's doing well; Mt. Shasta is still the promised land, no worries! There continue to be so many miracles. I think Heavenly Father knows I'm leaving soon, and need all the blessings I can get! I love this area though. And I think we talked to everyone and their mothers this week, literally. We found out a little while ago that the son of one of the families we go over and read the Book of Mormon with is married to the mother of one of the people we teach in McCloud. Go figure. The mom said she'll come to church if her daughter does!

LEARNING TO BE A DUST BAG. I got more covered in sawdust than I ever have in my life. I sanded counters for two different service projects this week. The picture I have was for the less dusty one since the sander had a bag to catch the dust in. For the other one, my shirt was the bag for the dust. But, my CTR ring spins better than ever now! And I can say I've helped build a few more houses on my mission!

Mount Shasta peeking over
Black Butte's shoulder

Miracles come from talking to people. Christy is someone we're helping out with her fixer-upper house, and we love it! That started from us walking by one day in our dresses, and asking if we could come the next week. She was more than a little surprised when we actually came! She's feeding us on Wednesday--I'm very excited :)

"I just died in your arms tonight..."
jk she stabbed me

Speaking of miracles, sometimes you have to use an unconventional route to help those who are struggling a bit in the gospel. There's a family in the ward that hasn't come to church since about last Christmas, but they're super friendly and the congregation loves them. Missionaries have tried in the past, but this family is one to avoid pressure and they are crazy busy with sports. It's hard for us to come by since, the mom said herself, "any missionaries we see always tell us to come back to church."

Welcome to Dunsmuir!

VOLLEYBALL TO THE RESCUE. Well, we learned from the congregation members that they love volleyball and they're Polynesian. Thank goodness we're in a companionship of 1.5 volleyball players (I'm the 1/2 cause I haven't played in so long) and a Polynesian! Who happens to actually be related to them by marriage. The Bishop told us that they play at an open gym night every Monday, and that might be the key for them.

Well, we scheduled in time last week and went to the gym and there was the whole family playing, including their dad who we'd never met before! We told them we were only there to play, and they invited us to join. Sister Wright and I got to work the rust off our volleyball skills, well, I had to at least.

Sister Wright got 3 boxes of Samoan snacks;
our pantry looks more like the store shelf now!

Sister Wright literally started things off with running onto the court and making a perfect hit--it was amazing. We didn't talk about church, we just got to know them and the others who played there (almost every one of them had a friend they knew who served a mission). Then, the miracle happened. Sunday we got to church and about 5 minutes later, in walk all of the boys! Sometimes you have to do things a little differently to let people know you care. I'm excited to keep working with them, and they're actually feeding us dinner tonight too!

There was sawdust everywhere...

JOSEPH SMITH STORY. Another miracle: Noelle is someone else we have taught 2 lessons to. She fed us dinner Wednesday night which was so fun; it's not often that someone you teach feeds you! But we had another lesson yesterday and taught the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The spirit was so strong as we testified to and taught her. She's very receptive to the spirit and told us about times when she recognized the pull of something telling her to move to Mt. Shasta, and then the miracles that came after our specific prayer with her last week.

GUESS WHO CAME UP FROM CORNING!
you're right, it was Sister Curtis

One of the best parts for me was having the opportunity to tell the story of Joseph Smith and recite to her the First Vision. The spirit testified so strongly, and I could almost feel the light that comes from the truth of his account. She and her daughter were listening so closely, and you could tell they both felt something.

Is she praying or sleeping?

With our upcoming week, I'm not sure I'll have the chance to have a sit down restoration recitation like that again as a set-apart missionary. If that's the last time I have the opportunity to do that in the mission field, I'm so happy to end with that! Afterwards, Noelle told us her personal Joseph Smith story, explaining that she's been searching for truth for a long time. She would get invested in a faith, and then something would come up that cast a shadow on the light she saw, and she didn't like that.

"So maybe this is what I'm looking for; I'm excited to at least study and learn more!" She had tears in her eyes as she bore her testimony of her story and her desire to find the full truth. She also knows I'm leaving next week, and wants to come home a day early from her trip, so she can come to church before I go or at least have a final lesson with me here. If all goes well, I'm hoping she can come to Steven's baptism if she's back in time!

I'll do my normal comp pic soon,
don't you worry

STEVEN'S GETTING BAPTIZED ON SUNDAY!! Talk about going out with a bang. I'm so excited! He was interviewed yesterday and I'm so glad to get to be here as he takes that step!

Ah, man, I love missionary work. It's so cool and funny how He gives 18 to 21-year-olds the chance to be the ones to help His children progress and see the miracles for themselves. Kinda doesn't make sense, does it? He sends out people who don't even fully know who they are, to teach others, many of whom have more doctrinal background than the missionaries do; they watch His hand work wonders in bringing others back to His fold because of the meager, imperfect efforts of those late teens. It's so cool!

A FEW OTHER THINGS from this week include:
*picking up Christy's son with her from elementary school and being jealous of how amazing his classroom is

*eating the world's best bagel sandwiches

Noelle's daughter has a snake so
of course I had to see it

*being amazed that a 9-year-old has such a strong desire to be baptized and is doing a lot better than I was at her age (let's be honest)

*ran into a 17-year-old whose dad is dying of cancer and was happy and grateful to have a Book of Mormon

*learned how to make taco soup at Sister Kirby's house

Bishop Andrus, what a
ridiculous guy

*helped a 73-year-old member prepare her presentation for class the next day (she's a student, not the teacher!)

*discussed doctrine with a lady who was dead for 8 minutes and in a coma for 30 days

*walked into a lady with a tragic backstory but was willing to feel the spirit again and wants us to come back and talk to her after being inactive for years

*found Cale after he'd been MIA and crazy sick for a few weeks

Brad Munson: we love the people we
meet as missionaries!

*got "killed" by Sister Wright (finishing your mission = "death")

*talked to a young teen about Fallen Angels

*had dinner with a lady who has over 130 great-grandkids and she's only 86

*tried to discuss missionary work but ended up doing family history work instead

Rose and Ross: they leave
for a trip today! Thank
goodness we got to stop by
one more time last week!

*cleaned floors with a machine that isn't sold anymore, and

*learned a bit more about the Free Masons.

Life is as interesting as you make it! And Mt. Shasta makes it pretty easy. Anyway, good luck this week!

we can't take a normal picture

I'll probably have something a lot shorter next week, but I've learned so much in the past 18 months that has changed me into someone I never thought I could be. And the best part?

Despite all the trials, the long days that dragged on, the difficulties that had me questioning why I was here in the first place, all of that is outweighed by the eternal perspective I've gained and the infinite joy and peace I've felt since I came to Northern California. Never underestimate yourself, and never assume he doesn't have something greater planned for you! Til next week!

Sister Ingraham made
spinach puffs! Like from
Emporers New Groove,
and they were amazing
despite Sister Wright's face

Sister Whitesell

teresa.whitesell@myldsmail.net

311 Old McCloud Rd. Apt B
Mount Shasta, CA 96067

21 Years

when it's freezing out
but the logging company
still has its sprinklers on

18 months, 15 companions, 10 wards, 6 areas, 2 emergency transfers, 1 evacuation and a partridge in a pear tree. That's it, that's my mission in a nutshell! Ok, I know I don't usually talk about time but considering I hit a few milestones this week, I think I can justify it for a minute. Sister Wright hit her 6-month mark yesterday! Woo-hoo!

Oh, and I also hit my 18-month mark Saturday, and I turned 21 yesterday! Honestly I can't believe it's been that long that I've been serving. I'm gonna give it all I have for the time I have left! In the words of some famous person, "Sugar, [I'm] going down swingin!"

CTR (Choose The Right) -- that ring
has been worn for 18 months now too!

Elder Hallam needed a new picture of the
sticker on the license plate,
"preferably with you two in it"

lunch at a state park!

BEST BIRTHDAY. Sometimes I can't handle how cheesy I am; you're welcome, since you all get to read it too. Anyway, yesterday was definitely one of the best Sundays on my mission, not because I turned 21, but because I got to see the primary program at church! The primary kids, ages 4-12, sing and give short talks on what they've learned throughout the year. The music is my favorite part though, because the words of the songs teach doctrine SO simply and I love it! The spirit was so strong during the program. And since I know the families here, watching the younger ones be off in their own worlds was especially hilarious!

Enrichment Night on how to be
"good in the hood" where these 3 did a dance
to a remix of Mr. Rogers theme song!

(Shoutout to Ender Kirby for spending 5 minutes squishing everyone's heads with his fingers in front of the whole congregation. He's about 4 or 5.) The best part? Steven, the 23-year-old we're teaching, was humming along to the songs and he's never really heard them before! It was an amazing Sacrament Meeting and I got so spoiled for my official kickstart of adulthood.

our morning run view!

NO MORE KEYS. However, that also means I got booted out of the driver's seat because my license expired. As much as that broke my heart, it does mean I get to stare out the window again!

Mormon Way!

PARTY TIME. This very well may be the best ward to have a birthday in, competing with Auburn 3rd last year! Sister Smith found out it was my birthday and every time she saw me in the hall, she shouted "It's her birthday today!" so I think the whole ward knew by the end of the day. I have enough sweets to last me a lifetime now! And after our dinner, the Pearsons told us to stop by for a bit. We headed over there and about 5 minutes later, 3 other families in the ward came and basically had a surprise birthday party, and have I mentioned how much I love this ward?

Party at the Pearsons!

WEEKLY CHECKLIST. So, back to this week. I was able to check off another approach on my mission bucket list:

*"You know we're missionaries. What do you expect us to say to you?" and start a conversation that way. The man was agnostic so we decided against an argument about God's existence, but he was a nice guy!

nail fun: the glue got everywhere, and
somehow I left with a single nail painted

*We also did face paint after dinner one evening with a member's 9-year-old niece who isn't a member of the church, and we taught a lesson while helping a member do her nails. Missions lead to entertaining moments!

*Another good one: we talked to a guy who had just gotten out of his car. He looked like an adventure guy, with the scruff and backpack and Subaru, the whole 9 yards. After a bit he said, "I do wanna keep talking to you but I'm on my way out, sorry!"

This lady collects single shoes from around
the world and then puts them up on her
fence here in Mt. Shasta
Oh and that's my companion

Then he walked inside, grabbed a few things, and walked back outside where we crossed paths again. I asked him, "Do you actually want to talk to us more?" to which he said, "no, I'm not a religious guy." Thanks Devin! We appreciate honesty because then we don't have to take time to talk to someone who's not interested. But sometimes we have to be a lot more direct with how we talk to people, too. It's a fun game :)

Sister Wright also made chocolate chip
banana bread

SMALL AND SIMPLE THINGS. The focus for this week though, is the little miracles. More often than not, you won't have days or weeks that are so completely stuffed with miracles that you don't know what to do with yourself, like I mentioned in my last email. Usually it's weeks like this one: where you have to look for the little things, and recognize that the small and simple things are what will build up to those great and marvelous works the scriptures talk about.

Birthday breakfast of champions

Hey, 21 means I had to go out and party
a bit: good thing I wasn't driving!
(River City Ginger Beer is
non-alcoholic btw)

PEOPLE MAKE A DIFFERENCE. As I reflected on this week, I realized that almost every small miracle that stuck out was an interaction with someone. The difference you can make in someone's life is immeasurable, because you'll never fully understand the impact you've left behind.

There she is! Maybe we'll get some
snow on the mountain soon

I love serving as a missionary because I know there are hundreds of interactions I've had where people have influenced me for the better, strengthened me, and uplifted me. I also know that the same has happened where I've been able to strengthen others too. So instead of looking down because of what didn't happen that you wanted to, look up and appreciate what did happen because of Him!

facepainting by nonprofessionals
anyone?

Good luck this week! And also, prayers are very much appreciated for those in the Paradise area. I used to go there for meetings every week last year, and I know some of the members there who lost their homes.

Thanks for all you do, and thank you so much for the birthday wishes!

Sister Whitesell

teresa.whitesell@myldsmail.net

311 Old McCloud Rd. Apt B
Mount Shasta, CA 96067