That's My Worst Nightmare!

waiting for CC/Dallin to show up so we can give
them Flo (his name is Milo now though, we let
them name him)

This week was one of those that was so full of everything, that it felt like we did nothing. Also, guess what, it's almost the end of the transfer already, and my brain is just confused at time. It has felt like the shortest transfer so far, and yet it's 7 weeks instead of 6! I've been out on the mission 8 and a half (months)! Missions just mess with your sense of time.

Look at this amazing bear we found
on exchanges!

THEN SHE SAID. To start off, let me just give a bit of background to the subject line quote. We started talking to a family (church members) in Lincoln kind of randomly about a month ago, and then this Sunday we didn't have a dinner scheduled so they offered to feed us. Members are super nice to missionaries, and honestly I don't know how to accept so much kindness sometimes. But they were just really excited and put in a lot of effort to make sure we'd be able to be there. One of our rules is, since we support the Young Single Adults (YSA), that at dinners we need a member of the Young Adults to be there. So this family invited a YSA and we were all at dinner.

SISTER SWENSEN gotta love
zone conferences!

As we ate, we talked about all sorts of things, and eventually ended up on babysitting and the Incredibles, naturally. We joked about the short video Jack-Jack Attack, and just as we finished talking about Jack-Jack bursting into flames their teenage daughter shouted, "That's my worst nightmare!!" She was about a minute behind in the conversation and was talking about something else, but the timing was perfect for us to all appreciate the difficulties of babysitting flaming children. So funny!

Part of the heart attack on a door
where supposedly 'Billy' lives

NEVER MIND. This week, we have another rejection for the books! We're on exchanges, and we go talk to a girl who pulled into her driveway in her fancy Prius, right? Well she's taking forever to get out of the car so we knock the door on the house next door, then try to catch her on the way back to her car but she's already inside. Well, we knock on the door then hear a quiet *click* of the door locking. Clearly she doesn't wanna talk, but we have to knock twice, of course, so we knock again and she doesn't answer (surprise!).

Sister Trammell in all her
amazingness. And Sister
Walker trying to photobomb

We're walking away, and as soon as we get next to the Prius, the car alarm goes off! Sister Bennion just about jumps out of her skirt and I didn't even flinch, laughing at the situation...and then the alarm turns off a lot faster than it would have, had we actually set it off. Summary: this 20-something girl literally locked the door on us while we were standing there, and then turned on her car alarm to freak us out! Joke's on her, it was the most amazing rejection I've had thus far, and 100% helped me get through the day with how funny it was!

same shoes for days

LONG HOURS AND KITTY. The rest of the exchanges day was full of so much contacting and finding. We were out 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. -- it's been awhile since I've done that! But we had so many cool miracles and tender mercies. Plus Sister Bennion is awesome. Guess what I forgot to take an exchange picture again, so you'll just have to make up how she looks in your head. Blonde, a couple of inches shorter than me.

What else would you do in the
church bathroom

I also stole a cat for a bit, during our contacting. It was just laying outside and walked over when I stuck my hand out. I obviously wondered if it would let me pick it up, and it did. So I walked a ways with my cat before putting it down :) Sometimes you have to do things to make the work more entertaining. But we saw so many miracles and talked to so many people that day. It was amazing.

Obviously I learn a lot every week, and sometimes I learn the same lessons multiple times because I can be a little dense. But just a few things that really stuck out this week...
Service never goes unseen. Even if it seems like just a small act, you never know how it will affect the person you are serving. In this case, I was the recipient of some service that was really needed at the time.

Zone Conference

Yep another one

UPS AND DOWNS. Believe it or not, missions are hard and I'm definitely not happy-go-lucky all the time. Friday night was one of the tougher ones because of a series of events including an amazing missionary having to go home early. We also talked to a church member who we could feel Heavenly Father's love for so strongly, but he couldn't feel it himself or believe he deserved it, which breaks my heart. We also had to drop David our investigator, because after his third lesson he told us that Even though it feels so good, and even though he could immediately tell that Sister Johnson and I were good people by the spirit we had, he wouldn't be able to accept anything besides the Bible even if God told him it was right.

Thank you for making the day that much better
with such a stellar parking job Quinn -- most
solid recent convert into the ward congregation
you'll ever meet :)

Since coming out on my mission, I've learned to love and care for others in a way that is only possible through the help of a divine being. It is so hard to see people distance themselves from Him and only hurt themselves more in the process, or refuse to accept what's been put right in front of them. God loves each of us so much, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to feel that love for others, even if it's just a fraction of the love He feels for them. It's still hard sometimes.

Apparently me as a stuffed toy. The
Zone Leaders gave it to us because
yes that little thing sticking out of
the top is a worm, and remember
when I lost What Are The Odds?
Good times

WELCOME SURPRISE. After such a hard evening and following morning, we were getting ready to head out and then we heard a knock on the door. We live in a gated community so I had no idea who on earth it could be at 9:50a.m. on a Saturday morning. Well I open the door and there stands Brother Pettey from church, one of the most ridiculous and amazing people that I've been blessed to meet in this YSA ward congregation! He was holding boxes of donuts for us to choose from, on his way to a family gathering. Even though it was a small thing, just that act of service and his always excited personality made the morning a lot easier. So never underestimate the power in the timing of the seemingly simple acts of service you do for others!

Buckets! At zone conference during
our smaller meeting we talked about
finding, fixing and filling the bucket
with miracles and motivation.
What's your why? Is it strong enough
to keep you going even in the
harder times?

Good luck with all the weather this week, and chaos that life throws your way! When life gives you lemons, you should probably toss them because who knows where they came from.

I'll check in next week and of course, thank you for all the updates on the real world!

Sister Whitesell
teresa.whitesell@myldsmail.net

751 Central Park Dr. #321
Roseville, CA 95678

Bathtism and Compromised!

We got a new friend, his name
is Flo and he's our gift
to CC and Dallin for later

I'm running out of creative ways to start these emails; not a good sign since I've got a few more to go! Anyways, last week was AMAZING and I learned a ton! As always. But of course, every week you learn new things that only help you fit the bigger picture of how to adult, and do life in a better way.

ENVY REARS ITS UGLY HEAD. Also really jealous of all of you who have snow...I miss it more than you hate it!

world's best dog and Sister Johnson

To prove that point, Saturday morning we had one of the biggest miracles for me. I know it's not usually a positive thing for people, but Sister Johnson and I ran that morning, and walked outside to FROST! 2nd time on my mission that I've seen frost, and I was just beyond excited. Because frost is basically snow from the ground, instead of the sky. Definitely a mini miracle for me.

If I were a tree

SISTER WHITESELL PROUD MOMENT of the week! Before volleyball on Tuesday nights...we don't actually play, we just talk to people, which kills me but hey, missions are worth it... Some of the members were just playing basketball, trying to one up each other with their shots. So I intercepted one of the balls and walked it back to the 3-pointer line, tucked in my dress to be ladylike, and made it in one shot! Yessssss! Then I quit while I was ahead, and I was pretty happy about it :) Many of you know basketball has never been my strong suit so I was excited!

it just looked cool:
appreciate the little things!

The Malibu key fob has a legit key, and we never
knew where it fit in until now! Throwback to the
number of times Sister Hood and I got locked out
of the car because the fob didn't work...

COOL HIGHLIGHTS. Aside from the miracle of Sister Whitesell's basketball skills, this week was full of amazing things! First off, CC GOT BAPTIZED! Baptisms on a mission, depending on where you are, are definitely not something I take for granted because they only come after tons of hard work. More often than not, you're the missionary just spreading seeds, so to be blessed enough to harvest one is so cool! CC was beaming the entire time, and she's not one to show tons of emotion, so you could tell she was really excited!

Walmart knows what's up

Plus, the spirit was so strong as we got to hear the talks and see someone make that promise with God that they'd do their best to continue coming closer to Him. Also, all 5 copies of the Book of Mormon we had out were taken, and those that weren't members of the church came up to us with questions afterwards, it was so cool! The spirit at a baptism is something that no one can deny. I love being a part of and helping others recognize just how much Heavenly Father loves them and wants them to come back to Him.

my message to Sister Johnson
pretty much always

NEW FRIENDS. Another miracle, Sunday: we got a new investigator! Her name is Kayla. The coolest thing is we tracted into her and showed her the Light the World video a month ago, and just now caught up with her again and she wanted to hear more. That never happens, just so you know. Honestly, sometimes when we're knocking doors and someone says they want to hear more, it's so rare that sometimes we just don't even know what to say.

it wasn't actually 9 degrees, I can pretend though

But even cooler, our zone has been working on improving 'finding techniques,' and especially praying for those who are looking for the gospel to be able to find us. That was the focus during our Wednesday meeting. Well Sunday, our zone found SEVEN new investigators! And between Wednesday and Sunday night, we found 12! To bring that into perspective, we've all been trying hard but the past few weeks have been an average of 3 or 4 new investigators, so 12 is SO COOL! Prayer works!

CC got baptized!

DOING THINGS RIGHT. A big focus for me this week, that didn't come to light until yesterday, was learning that when things don't go how you planned, it's not because you are doing something wrong. I got myself into a cycle of thinking that when something didn't go the way that I thought it needed to or that I wanted it to, it was because I was doing something incorrectly. I would look for things that I thought I did wrong, to fix. When things kept changing I just kept looking for more and more mistakes I was making, to fix, thinking that eventually, whatever the problem was would be solved and I'd start seeing miracles again. Just because something isn't perfect, doesn't mean you did anything wrong.

It was amazing! :) :) :)

GROWING MORE. One of the apostles said, "May I share some suggestions with you who face...the testing that a wise Heavenly Father determines is needed even when you are living a worthy, righteous life and are obedient to His commandments. Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more (see Proverbs 3:11-12). He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit.

To get you from where you are, to where He wants you to be, requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain." So next time you blame yourself for something going wrong, don't! Look for the lesson to learn, and know that God only lovingly corrects.

Good luck this week; I know you all are killing it!

Sister Whitesell
teresa.whitesell@myldsmail.net

751 Central Park Dr. #321
Roseville, CA 95678

What Did We Even Do This Week?

My one and only Sister Hood: holy smokes I miss
her so much! Honestly this is the picture that best
describes our companionship and friendship

That's my question every week before I write this email. Also, I think I mentioned at one point that Sister Johnson and I are very similar, in that we both enjoy having pictures, but are terrible at taking them. So here we have it, I finally accidentally went a full week without taking a single picture...life gets crazy, okay? I've still got some old ones though, don't worry it's not just words this week.

Sister Wright, need I say more?

I'm just doing throwback pictures this week, to remind everyone of the amazing companions I've had so far :) I tried to find pics that best represented each companionship.
Anyway...Hey again! Hopefully you've all survived another week, and done more good than you thought.

Sister Thor (um?) #littheworld 2nd time trio
with Sister Swenson :D

PROGRESS FOR THE WEEK. One thing I love that we do at the end of each week before one of our meetings Sunday is type up a progress record or weekly report. We put down all the contacts we tried or successfully had, as well as all the lessons, and basically everything we got around to doing that week, and it's helpful for me to see that we actually do a lot of work! Granted, a lot of it is hard and sometimes you don't want to do it but of course it's all worth it, and you learn a ton every day.

Sister Swenson, Kikel and I tried
to figure out this picture for awhile.
Yo no se

MAKE YOUR BED BEFORE BED. Sister Whitesell moment of the week...we all know that usually we should make our beds in the morning. With my routine, I can manage to do that 95% of the time. Then there are apparently weeks where I just can't even do that correctly. So there were a few nights this week where I made my bed at 9:20 p.m. because I forgot to do it at 6:30 a.m. At least it was made eventually, right?

I think all my companions gave
me that smirk look of "you're
ridiculous" but I only got
Sister Hatch's on camera

Best rejection of the week: we went to the apartment of someone who we didn't know. They're just a name on a list right now, and we don't know where they're at with the church, or anything about them. That's one of the things Sister Johnson and I have been working on a lot is going through a bunch of the YSA (Young Single Adults, ages 18-30) and getting to know them, making some sort of contact with them, seeing where they're at.

Well, we knock on her door and she opens it, so of course we ask if she's Jennifer. The response? "No thanks," and she quickly shuts the door. Guess we know where she's at then! Yes, when people who used to have a relationship with God and then show that they've distanced themselves since then, it's heartbreaking. But sometimes you have to find joy in the little things too; plus we did what we could to help.

Trio for life, party in Rocklin YSA
with Sister Andersen and Johnson!

COOLEST THING from this week was...actually we had a ton of cool things, but this one probably tops the others. Sister Johnson followed some chain promptings. Just feelings that we have or things we think we should do that then lead to another idea, until you eventually end up where you're supposed to be at the time you're supposed to be there.

For some reason this became our
companionship defining pose

Well, we jumped around to about 4 places where we talked to an investigator from last week, offered help to a lady waiting outside, got told by someone that the family that lives there isn't home right now, and to come back later even though you could hear them all in the background, and then knocking a few doors and getting told to leave the complex by an older lady, and then finally, we ended up where we needed to be.

We knocked on a member's door from our huge list and instead of the girl we expected, a guy named Dakota opened the door. Suddenly we were just having this easy, normal conversation on the doorstep! It was so nice to immediately feel comfortable talking about the gospel as well as getting to know him; he's super nice, and is willing to have us back next week! We'll see how it goes, but I just thought it was amazing how easily we could talk.

We go to the same church building
as some of the elders, and overlap
church hours by a bit. Since we arrive
after them, we decided to make it a little harder
for Elder Clarke to get into his car (he's 6'6")

HOW ABOUT SATURDAY? We also had exchanges Saturday and this week, every single lesson got cancelled or pushed to Saturday. While I was with Sister Trammell, we had 4 lessons, back-to-back! Fun but exhausting. It was a stellar day though!

Miracles happen all the time, and every day we just have to be looking for them. We're given so much in this world to build our faith and make life better and easier, we just have to have our minds open to it!

He did eventually have to climb
through the passenger seat

The longer I'm out the more I'm able to see just how much He does for us. I would not have the strength to do any of what I have on my mission without His help because it's hard work. There are hard days and months, and yet somehow I'm able to keep going because of the trust He has in me to help bring others closer to Him.

Look for the little things this week, and you'll find God's hand in so much more than you'd think. Keep it real and of course thanks for all the updates!

Sister Whitesell
teresa.whitesell@myldsmail.net

751 Central Park Dr. #321
Roseville, CA 95678

Marco Pollo

Lauren fed us before we taught her
"Day 1 of my diet going well"

I never really know how to start these without sounding repetitive but then again, life's kind of repetitive regarding some things. So it's Monday again: 2nd Monday in 2018, still going strong so that's good. Haven't been to the gym a single time this year yet, so my New Year's resolution is so far successful.

BAD CHICKEN JOKE. Another great week out in northern CA. It's currently raining as we speak, which is a miracle in and of itself because I'm in CA: it doesn't rain here. Except when it does.

last Monday we got to go to
Folsom Lake!

raking gems

Chamberlains! Gotta love seeing your friend's
parents while you're on a mission

This week's terrible joke was ruined because I put the punch line in the subject, but I thought it was funny! I know some missionaries who would be proud of the pun. Anyway we were at a dinner, and the grandma had tons of rooster and chicken figurines around the kitchen, and each one has a name. Then she pointed to the one on the table and told us its name was Marco. So of course my mind went, "Pollo?" So the rooster's name is Marco Pollo now, whether she likes it or not. If you don't get the joke go look up what pollo means in Spanish.

Sister Johnson goes above and beyond
always, so she came up with this
amazing design for the Standards of
Excellence our Zone has. I helped
cut all the pieces :)

scripture picture

RAKING WITH A PURPOSE. I'll start with the biggest thing that happened this week, that shook me a little and that's exchanges. Not only was my companion who I can't spend a minute without (literally) leaving for the whole day, I had to take over the area and I haven't done that in a super long time! Definitely gave me perspective on how amazing our companionship is. But also, we saw so many miracles that day! Sister Storms is still technically in training but she definitely isn't. We made a bomb set of sisters. We were able to double up with the Rocklin 1st/5th sisters (Sister Barrows and Walker) and do another raking service.

Find Sister Johnson

This was by far the most impactful of the ones we've done previously. By the time we finished the yard, the neighbor across the street had gotten 3 trash bins from neighbors for us, lent us a leaf blower, and given us candy as a thank you. And that was just the one neighbor! The mom whose yard we raked came out and talked to us, then a member down the road came out and helped too.

more perks of a photographer
companion; she takes all the good
pics in my weeklys. Look how
vibrant the grass was though!

nametag pics of course

Everyone was grateful we were doing it because apparently the son that lives there isn't the best regarding chores and doing what he's asked. But it was so cool to see how much help we were getting, and how many people appreciated the simple act we'd done. Raking with a purpose apparently works really well in this area! In a perfect world, I'd be randomly shoveling people's driveways but guess what, all the snow is back home in MA so I guess leaves will do.

last p-day, again at the lake

all the prep for the
Standards of Excellence

ALL OF CHURCH. Coolest thing this week was yesterday at church. Lauren, the one I mentioned last week, was able to come to all 3 hours of church! Sister Johnson and I were a little unsure where she was regarding baptism still, though, because people in their early 20s are terrible at communicating and vocalizing things (me included) so we just didn't know. But during 3rd hour of church, she was making a comment about fellowshipping success in the ward, and how since she's still investigating she notices it a lot.

Anything else you want out of
our knock? Maybe morse code?

having some fun at the lake

Then all of a sudden she says, "And I guess since I have the floor, I'm getting baptized at the end of this month, so you should all come!" I don't know if my jaw has dropped so fast and my heart gotten so excited, all at once. It was the best! She's so solid and I love working with her because she's our age, and Sister Johnson and I relate to her in such a good way. She's one that I would come back to California to visit :)

Lake shots

To end, I'll share some things I've been able to reflect on especially this week. Believe it or not I wasn't going over the past year because it's a new year or a new start. The mission just gives you lots of opportunity to reflect on how you've changed and the progress you make. This seems to be a recurring theme with me, but I can't emphasize enough the importance of being yourself. I knew that coming out on a mission, I'd have to make some adjustments regarding everything, because missions are so different from just living life in college. But I didn't realize until I got out here that you truly can build yourself to be the person you want to be, and share what you know with others in your own way.

this is just our companionship

NO MOLD. Our Heavenly Father wants each of us as individuals because everyone has a different perspective, understanding, and capability to connect with and uplift others. The best way to help others is by just being yourself.

mission life is hard work, as is
stomping down leaves in a skirt

For me, I didn't fully know who I was because I unintentionally put myself into boxes like "family," "school," and "church." Each of my companions has taught me different ways to start to blend all of those together. It hit me this past week, just how much happier and confident I've become. Over time the mission has helped me realize that there are people who need my unique perspective and the quirky personality I've grown up into. You should never try to fit into a mold you think society wants you to fill. Honestly, what does "normal" even mean? Heavenly Father wants your individuality, your mistakes, and your experiences to help others. So take some time to figure out what makes you happy, and be that!

We still get amazing sunsets
even though I'm not in Auburn anymore

Good luck this week, and for those shoveling: send some of it this way! Miss you guys, and of course thanks for all the updates!

Sister Whitesell
teresa.whitesell@myldsmail.net

751 Central Park Dr., #321
Roseville, CA 95678

You Look Funny, You're Smiling

District Meeting! (zone meeting?)
btw T is right in the middle
but her head is turned and her hair is covering
her face. It's a good picture of appx 9
missionaries. The other 9 are focused on...falling,
or something else laughable in the 2nd row :P :P

Wow it's been awhile; feels like I haven't talked to you guys since last year! (not even sorry, I had to put the worst jokes in at the beginning!)

NEW YEAR. Anyway, Hey! Welcome to 2018, it's about the same as 2017 so far. Wanna know how I greeted the new year? Sleeping through it :) so good! There were also -3 people at Walmart today, because who goes shopping at Walmart at 8:30a.m. the morning after New Year's Eve? This week has been another roller coaster ride, but that's just missionary work, and at this point I've kinda gotten used to it.

post Christmas nap probably

SMALLISH WORLD. Instead of a "Whitesell moment," I'm gonna start with the absurd number of "Whitesell connections" I've had my whole month with the Rocklin YSA (Young Single Adult) congregation. The Mormon world is TINY, and apparently all the non-Utah Mormons eventually end up in California. So here goes.

We had dinner with a family whose dad was in the MTC (Missionary Training Center) at the same time as my dad.

Then I ran into one of my stellar human's parents during weekly planning (shoutout to the Chamberlains).

You can never be too safe
with Sister Johnson driving

Then during Family Home Evening (Monday night activity), I started talking to one of the girls and she just happened to be my friend's roommate in college at Utah State.

Then yesterday on the way to Ward Council meeting (Sunday before church), the Elders who are over the other ward who meets in my building tell me to "Wait here. There's someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows you." And out walks Julie Trythall, my dad's childhood friend from Virginia and my mom's friend from college. At this point I'm kinda thinking my connections are done. Just kidding!

As I'm about to go lead the music for church, in walks Maddie, one of my amazing college friends and holy smokes, was I not expecting that! She'd heard that I was in the Rocklin YSA from one of her friends who saw me at volleyball (YSA weekly activity) and she stopped by! So apparently I just need a bucket and a half of tender mercies in this area because of all the chaos my mission has been thus far. But honestly, it's been so cool to see all these people that I'm somehow connected with, and it's definitely a huge comfort and blessing to find those connections. No coincidences!

it was his birthday and all we had was a banana

RUNNING. Ok so I think I'm done with knowing people, but I'll keep you posted. First I wanted to give a huge shoutout to basically my second half at this point, Sister Johnson, because holy smokes, she pushes me way harder than I thought I could go and then makes me laugh while she does it. Plus we actually run in the mornings and I didn't realize how much I missed that until I got it back and it's so good despite kindof wanting to cry, sleep and eat while I'm going. But that's just life!

basically

LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER. Huge miracle of the week: we put Lauren R on date (for baptism)! I can't remember but I think I've talked about her before, she's a relatively new investigator to Sister Johnson and I but has been off and on investigating the church for a couple of years now. She's struggled with staying consistent with it all, but I think this time might be it.

She's said a few times that she doesn't know why she isn't baptized and this lesson sealed the deal. She actually invited her cousin Taylor, who was perfect for the timing and concerns Lauren had! We talked for almost 2 hours, going over principles she needed to hear in a different way, addressing trials and struggles and bearing testimony of how much our Heavenly Father loves us and wants what's best for us. Sister Johnson brought out so many perspectives that Lauren needed, and it was cool to watch her teach with the spirit so strongly.

didn't get this fam picture in last time oops

Then Taylor answered questions that missionaries aren't able to about personal family situations, and it was so cool to see it all fit together. I was able to share a bit too, and at the end I was strongly prompted to use a quote from my studies earlier regarding courage and tie it into baptism. We invited her, and she said a strong yes! She also said that "this time it feels different. It feels real" compared to the other times she was put on date. The spirit was so strong in that lesson, and it's definitely one of the most powerful 2 hours I've had on my mission so far. I'm so excited to continue working with her. Honestly one of the reasons I love YSA is that you make friends while you're doing the work. Lauren is definitely one I'd come back to visit CA for!

modern missionary fashion

I know there aren't as many stories this time, sorry, but just know that everything is going well out here. I love my companion, the work, the area I'm in, and the progress we're making! For example, we're getting in contact with all 17 bishops in the areas we cover, and learning about the specific YSA in each area, and it's helping so much. We're also making a big list of all the YSA because there isn't a full list yet, and it's all a lot of work but it's so cool to see how things are changing and growing.

Sister Walker may or may not have
accidentally walked into one of our
lessons and left us a note for later

BABY STEPS. The message we've been sharing the past week, because it fits with New Year's, is making a goal that brings you or someone you love closer to Christ. This church is all about making the little changes every day because that's how we can become better. When you create a goal that you expect to reach in one big step, the change probably won't be permanent and it's really daunting to try and do. So when we focus on those little things, then over time we'll become a lot better. Sometimes you may not personally notice the change, but others do. So try a little harder to do a little more and be a little better!

And of course, thank you all so much for the updates and keeping me in the loop, for the most part :) Good luck this week and remember who you are, don't let it get you down!

Sister Whitesell
teresa.whitesell@myldsmail.net

751 Central Park Dr., #321
Roseville, CA 95678