Nose Goes

We got to use a power washer, and
it's probably one of the most
satisfying things I've ever done! :)

Sister Tuha is up to bat. The bases are loaded, and the fields are very white and about to be harvested. Sister Whitesell pitches straight down the line, perfectly above home plate towards the patiently waiting Sister Tuha. (They're on the same team, so why try to force a strike?) The ball and bat connect with a resounding THWACK! and it goes flying! The outfielders are running as fast as they can, but see that it's to no avail. Home run!! Roseville 6th Ward cheers from the stands as the hit brings in 1...2...3...FOUR new investigators for the week! Miracles are happening, and we're so glad you each get to be a part of it, and have helped us so much along the way! Stay tuned for next week's update, on the SportSisters.

Batman was a kid once, too

SO MANY MIRACLES THIS WEEK! Honestly, looking back I have no idea how so many amazing things happened. We had a self-referral from a former investigator in Roseville 1st Ward who wanted Sisters to teach her, not Elders, so guess who's teaching her now? Yup, it's us.

It's a girl!

We came in contact with one of our investigators who we haven't seen for weeks, we saw so many dogs in people's homes and I loved them all, and we saw how the service of celebrating birthdays can open the hearts of even members who don't want anything to do with the church. I got to answer a phone call to the church building, Sister Tuha is a BEAST and got to teach and talk to strangers like a seasoned missionary!

they're those school pictures your
mom always made you take on
Day 1...they grow up so fast!

EASY TO TALK TO. Pause for a sec here, I need a proud mama moment, okay? One thing that a lot of missionaries struggle with when they first come out is talking to strangers cause obviously, that's not a natural thing for most people. Well, Sister Tuha is already at a point where if we see someone and I ask her to start the conversation, she will! And she's amazing at it, too!

dunno how I missed this one a little
while ago...missionary mottos in
neature

The only reason I can handle all the missionary responsibility I have right now, is that she is pre-trained. :) :) The only thing we have to work on is being comfortable teaching lessons, but that comes with time and she's so much better than she gives herself credit for! Plus, we both survived the first full week together so I can already tell the next 10 weeks are gonna fly by!

celebratory dessert for a
successful day...yep, Sister
Tuha's is already gone

SUNDAY MEETINGS. One miracle I wanted to touch on...the fact that we had 0 investigators come to church. Yup, a big circle. At first, it was so hard to see that none of the people we're teaching could make it, and missed out on the growth that happens at church, but then I saw the other side of it. Looking back on it, I was able to see how much I have grown in my love for this work. I used to never understand why missionaries got so torn up when someone didn't make it to church one week. Big deal, right?

this is us

This time around, the connection I feel with each investigator means I want them so badly to feel that peace and calm that comes from being at church! It's only once a week, and the blessings that come from it SO outweigh the seeming time commitment it is. My perspective and mentality has changed SO much, even over the past few months. If you don't feel like you're making progress and can't see any, you're not looking back far enough!

another nametag pic

THE NOSE KNOWS. Another experience, to explain the title. We're teaching an amazing lady named Rosalyn. First off, I love her to death and she's hysterical, so every time we see her I leave a lot happier than when I went in. Plus she has some amazing parenting skills, and every time we see her we get stories about how she parents other people's kids, and it bugs her own kids. Her house is that friendly neighbor's house that everyone always goes to.

nametag pic

But this time, when we got there for dinner and the lesson (oh and she also feeds us??! And she's not even a member of the church??!) she was still working, so instead we got to talk/eat with her husband and daughter. Her husband, Efren, is someone we've gotten to know and he's an amazing, super nice, very kind man. He has basically refused to do anything religious with Rosalyn since they got married 11 years ago. Well as we talked, since we're missionaries, he started asking questions in our conversation.

Bro Pettey and his weekly drop-ins,
this time to deliver a few things
to Sister Curtis!

We ended up talking for 3 hours as we waited for Rosalyn, and later Rosalyn joined in! And the huge miracle from it was, he said he would take the lessons! And here's the best part. He left after dinner, before we gave our spiritual thought. We shared Ether 12:6, that talks about receiving a witness, only AFTER the trial of our faith. Well, Rosalyn liked it so much, she called him back in so he could hear it. (Rosalyn has been asking us to talk religion with him too.) He gave an interpretation of the verse, and we talked about it for a little bit.

all of us!
(click to make it bigger)

Then, we always leave with a closing prayer. Rosalyn actually brought it up, since we told her we had to leave before she went off on a tangent. "The girls have to leave, who's going to say the closing prayer?" *puts finger on her nose as she talks* so of course, Sister Tuha and I know this game, so we put our fingers on our noses too.

Playgrounds R Us

prepping for when we don't
always have a car

Efren, on the other hand, grew up as an only child and does NOT know that he's supposed to put his finger on his nose, or he'll be the one left to do the task...he lost Noes Goes, and...drumroll please...he actually SAID our CLOSING PRAYER! Yep, biggest miracle of the week. We taught him how, and he actually did it! And I don't know about you, but hearing someone pray for the first time is one of my FAVORITE things on this entire planet, because they are so pure, and bring the spirit so strongly :) It was simple and sweet, and he even prayed that "the sisters can bring other heathens like me to the light" (Rosalyn jokingly calls him a heathen all the time, that's just their relationship) -- it was SO cute! (shoutout to Sister Curtis, for adding that word to my vocabulary) I'm so excited to help them progress, and see how faith strengthens them!

after some good ole fire-hosing with information!

FAITH AND REWARDS. To finish my novel, I want to share something I learned in companion study this week. Each of us has responsibilities. Each of us is here to learn and grow in ways so we can eventually live with our Heavenly Father again. One thing I know for a fact is, that we aren't supposed to do all of that alone. In 3 Nephi 11, Christ visits the Americas, and the first thing he does is give them a witness that He is Christ, by inviting them to feel the nail prints and the wound in his side. The trial of their faith had been happening for centuries, as they waited and hoped that Christ would come as the prophets had been saying all along. In Ether 12:6 it tells us that the witness only comes AFTER the trial of our faith, and that's exactly what Christ did for those people.

even missionary work takes exercise...
with some random weights we found
behind an apartment complex

Often times, people can't recognize the tender mercies and efforts our Heavenly Father puts in for them, on their own, because we aren't used to looking for them. It's our job, as people who have already received witnesses of him, to act in Christ's place and help others to receive that witness as well. There are so many who have had their faith tried, during their entire lives!

more power-washing

MAKING A DIFFERENCE. Even by reaching out just a little, we can help someone gain a testimony and receive strength in ways we can't ever comprehend. Act as Christ did, and find a way to bring the spirit into someone else's life this week. You'll receive just as much, if not more strength than they do!

You're all amazing. Keep killing it out there!
Sister Whitesell

teresa.whitesell@myldsmail.net
5 Marcia Way Apt. 131
Roseville, CA 95747

it was a cool kind-of sunset...hopefully the
fire has been put out, though