Moana and Hay-hay

our final dunks run

no one counted down! :/

Hey! Believe it or not, a lot has happened since last Monday. Then again, that's every week, isn't it? But this week in particular was a little different than any other week I've had! You already know I said bye to Sister Curtis last week, but this time around I didn't know who my companion was until Thursday. So between Tuesday and Thursday, I was companions with Sisters Embreus and Swensen.

she's already got the hang
of weekly planning

Bro Pettey being ridiculous as usual :)

SISTER S QUICK TANGENT. I don't think Sister Swensen knew what was coming when we were first companions last October in Auburn! We've now been in 2 trios together, a handful of trios and normal exchanges, AND served in the same zone/district twice. She's never getting rid of me! So we had fun Tuesday going back and forth dropping other people's things off, going to a few people's houses, and finally grabbing our companions (Sister Johnson and Embreus) when they got to the mission office about 6 p.m. that evening. Crazy day, and you BET I was pumped to see Sister Johnson!! There are so many great sisters in my district this transfer :D I've been companions with 4 of the 5! (Sisters Nield, Johnson, and Swensen, plus my new comp)

w/Sister Swensen:
We had to throwback to when we
were "young" (early in our missions)

Welcome to the CRM!
(California Roseville Mission)

Sister Embreus came down from Chico since she is also training, and we were both companionless for the day. We got to do a mix of missionary work, and planning for the new missionaries! I only freaked out once, about the fact that I get to mold a missionary to mission life out in the field...you should be proud. So lemme tell you about my new companion!

it's a girl! Fun fact I heard gunshots this morning,
only to realize it was Sister Tuha popping all the
balloons so we could vacuum

No, Sister Johnson didn't have much
stuff to bring down from her last area

BRAND NEW FRIEND. The way they assign the missionaries is: all the trainers and trainees gather in the chapel, and President Ward calls up the trainers one at a time. Then he announces their "greenie," or brand new missionary right out of the Mission Training Center (MTC). Well, I got called up first! President Ward looked at me, then looked out at all the missionaries and said, "Sister Whitesell, why don't you welcome your new companion Sister Tuha!" I WAS SO EXCITED!

M C came to church in a suit!! He's one of my
favorite people and someone gave him a suit!

She's basically the coolest person ever. She's from Salt Lake City, oldest of 7 kids, first in her family to serve a mission, loves food and sports, OH, and she's Tongan! (One congregation member told her 2-year-old, who was being shy, that this missionary looked like Moana and added, "You LOVE Moana!" hence the title.) We've seen so many miracles over the past few days, and I'm excited to see what the next 11 weeks together brings!

Joan's "confessional" window

Sister Tuha, me, Bro Pettey w/
greenie welcome gifts :)

GREENIE AND CATS. I can't think of anything overly ridiculous this week, I know I do ridiculous things daily but still. We did actually have a cat in our apartment this week, though! Not intentionally, because rules. But Brother Pettey stopped by and did the Brother Pettey thing of introducing Sister Tuha into the mission by getting a green goodie bag and green balloons. He's amazing! Holy smokes, I don't know what I'd do without a mission dad like him. But as he was standing in the doorway at 9:45 p.m., a cat all of a sudden slipped by, and into the apartment.
Fun times--we took it outside, but not without first getting a glimpse of how Sister Tuha truly feels :)

tell me how you really feel

Sister Tuha, yours truly,
Sister Embreus, and Sister Mills!

BALANCING ACT. Believe it or not, missions aren't easy. On top of that, training a new missionary is also not easy. There's a lot of responsibility, and instruction, and adjusting that you have to do, in a way that stretches you a lot further than you're used to. At least that's my experience. But I've been able to see the blessings of giving it my all this week. My recognition of the spirit is a lot more clear, and I'm able to remember a lot more of what I need to do than I would if I were doing this alone. I've had to have a lot of faith and patience to know when and what to teach, in lessons, and with my companion. We have a lot more to do than I'm used to. I know for a fact, though, that the reason I'm able to have the knowledge I do and strength needed for my current calling is because of those simple things I do each day.

Sister Fardos came to help out
with transfers on Tuesday!!!!

BIT BY BIT. When you take the time, even if it's a small amount of time, to read the scriptures and pray, you will feel his love and support in a way you never recognized before. I've learned so much about love this past transfer. The most impactful part for me is how much I've been able to accept his love for me, when I show it to others.

Are you even surprised?

Never stop trying to do a little better every day! You're not only judged for what you actually do, but for what you would do, if you could, as well. He knows that you can't fit in everything you want to in the day. Learn to accept the love and acceptance he has for YOU, by sharing it with someone else!

Sister Whitesell