Sister Teresa Whitesell: And Then There Were 3

I know it's a small truck but it's coveted around
the mission! Better than a malibu

We got road blocked by cows

Foresthill views!

Hello, All!

Had to be stereotypical missionary
for a bit, because
"when in Auburn..."

Sometimes weeks are just weird as missionaries. Sometimes we get into a schedule despite how different each day is, and then a transfer throws everything up into the air. So much has happened this week!

How it feels going to a new area
(kidding Mom that was a joke)

I'll start out with "Auburn is amazing!" As is Foresthill, which we double-cover (sort of). Foresthill is part-time, since it's a branch instead of a ward. It is smaller, numbers-wise. The area is HUGE!

CELEBRITY LIFE. When I got here, I could just tell that this is where I'm supposed to be, for the next little bit of my mission. And, it's in the foothills, so it's an amazing mountainy town with tons of amazing people, and even more work for sisters, especially! We have other wards "stealing us," because they need us over there for people they find.

Our ward mission leader
makes and races his own cars

Also, the area is basically a 3D version of Massachusetts...tons of trees, but there are actual mountains. Foresthill is just driving through mountains, with tons of pines, so there won't be as much color as MA, but still -- mountains!

We're almost like celebrities out here. We were eating lunch in a small store with a deli, and a lady walks up to us, introduces herself from another ward, and gives us chocolate covered oreos! They love the sisters because they haven't had them in this area for so long; it's kinda funny. *flips hair* Guess I'll just have to adjust to being famous. Kidding, but the people out here are so nice, and the ward does so much work to help the missionaries. It's amazing.

first companionship pic at the
ward mission leader's house

A few funny things. My first night, I didn't have a mattress, because they were still trying to get everything situated (the trio was a big surprise, but they had all the pieces I needed besides a mattress). I couldn't sleep on the couch, because the rules are to be in the same room at night...so I pulled the couch cushions into the room and slept on the floor. First World mission problems I know.

more Foresthill

Foresthill again--it's really an amazing area!

MEETING THE DUCK. Second thing. I go to a lesson Wednesday, to meet an investigator Haley, and she hasn't responded to the text confirming our visit so we drop by anyways. We get to the house and there's a blonde lady in her 40s or 50, standing in a canal that leads to a small pond, cradling a big white duck! I liked her straight off the bat! :)

Exchanges! 5 sisters in a car is a rarity
on missions. We were going to do some
service in Gridley

HIT THE GROUND RUNNING. Anyways, Day One here I got dropped off, and thrown straight into a lesson with a new investigator doing the church's ARP so I'm excited to do that with her! (Addiction Recovery Program.) I got to practice being confident despite knowing no one, and bore my testimony, helped teach a bit, all that good stuff. It was actually really nice to be thrown into the new companionship and have a lesson first thing. I'll be honest: I was nervous about a trio, especially with two sisters who had already been companions for a transfer. But it's been amazing so far! We teach well together, we get along, they've done what they can to explain everything to me, so it's been really good.

bedroom

Haley! She's amazing and has a few
dogs, goats, and a duck :)

A big lesson you learn when you transfer is that you almost restart mission life, but you kinda know how to do some stuff. Everything's different though. I came here confident in my capabilities in being a Chico missionary and now I get to refresh and be an Auburn missionary. For example, tracting (knocking on doors) isn't really used here, while in Chico it was relatively successful.

still have to get the hammock
up somewhere!

SPEAK NOW. So I don't really know how all that works yet, but I do know we OYM (Open Your Mouth) downtown sometimes--mind you, I've never done this before. But we went to downtown Auburn Friday night, since everyone's out, and we went into a picture gallery. Many of you know I'm not the biggest art fan, but they were displaying pictures from a trip a youth group from the local high school took to southern Utah, northern AZ and Nevada. They hit a ton of national parks and hikes! And I just started talking to people.

view from the balcony

my "stuff" room

This time was practice starting conversations, and next time I'll work on working the gospel more into the conversations. But it was so cool to see that after the initial stage fright of OYMing for the first time, you can just start a conversation with anyone, if you show that you're interested in them! So I gave out a few pass along cards, and got to hear some cool stories. Huge credit to Sister Wright, for giving me tons of ideas for questions to ask people. She's amazing at starting and continuing conversations while I struggled a lot more with that, before being companions with her. I learned a lot from her!

take a wild guess

my bed, Night One

GOALS TO GROW ON. Considering I've written an essay, I'll end on a final note with my testimony of service. As we serve others, we learn to love them in a Christ-like way, that we may not even realize we are capable of. My goal in Auburn is to be better at forgetting myself and going to work, as President Hinckley has said before. I'm excited to see how I grow as I fully focus on the people I'm with, and called to serve! During times of natural disasters and when service is needed in what seem like much bigger projects, we can't forget to serve those right around us.