"Get your own toothbrushes!" -- a doctor

All of my companions who are still
serving were at Zone Conference!
And this is only 1/2 the total I've had

Hey!  I got to go back to Auburn last Thursday! Honestly it felt like I was coming home because there are so many people I love there, and so many memories.

I wasn't kidding about the t.p.!

MISSIONARY PSA FOR THE WEEK. (I'm using "PSA" mostly so that my mom, and any others confused by the last time I used it, can know that it stands for Public Service Announcement). If ever a member of the church asks what you want from the store, ask for toilet paper. It's something you don't often think of until you run out, and it's so nice when you get it! The Harrises from Auburn got me some before I left, and it lasted me almost 4 1/2 months! Pretty nifty.

Selfie with Sister Fajardos phone

we need to take a picture that
describes our companionship

TOOTHPASTE. Oh, I also think Brother Pettey is aiming for a shoutout every email, so I just quoted him in my title instead. He stopped by Wednesday night and dropped off a few things for us to bring to Zone Conference, including a full box of small toothpastes from him (he's a dentist, what do you expect?). There were not, however, 72 toothbrushes to match the toothpastes. We had to give him a hard time and mention it, and the title of this email is his response! He's so great :)

An amazing end to an amazing day!
Sunsets are always a tender mercy

And, he took us to lunch this week because he's ridiculous. I would encourage every missionary to find their own Brother Pettey, because they're a necessity not only for finding joy but also for fixing teeth!

cleansing of the feet

FIRST AID. Tuesday I was on exchanges with Sister Nield! Monday night when we switched companions, Sister Nield fell and scraped up her foot and later, couldn't bring herself to wash it because it hurt. So, I followed the example of Christ and started my exchange off on the right foot (ay) by cleaning Sister Nield's foot. Quite the adventure!

Bringing back Rock City at Zone Conference!

eyebrow raise

FAITH OF A CHILD. That definitely wasn't the only miracle though! Tuesday we had gotten a lead from some other missionaries, trying to figure out if a member lived at a certain address. We knocked on the door, and it wasn't a young single adult who answered the door, as we were expecting. A little girl ran to her mom when she saw us!

We got a new pet? He's been
visiting us a lot lately

We asked if Riley lives there (he doesn't), and when we explained how we were going to share a message with him and asked if we could share it with her, she let us in! It was crazy--that rarely happens for us. We talked for almost an hour about beliefs and what's helped us regarding faith, and we learned that she used to be a member. She left when she was younger, because she didn't agree with "all that Joseph Smith stuff." Even though she didn't share that belief with us anymore, the spirit was still so strong and you could see how much faith she has in Christ!

You thought I'd forgotten to do my
companion shoulder pic,didn't you?
My mom even got us matching
Roseville shirts for it!

One of the best parts though: I asked her daughter if she wanted to watch a video, and she got really excited and ran over to me, a complete stranger to her. She leaned on my knee so she could see the screen of my tablet better. The faith that little children have and excitement they get when they know something is good, is amazing to me! Overall it was a really cool day, and I'm glad I got to be with Sister Nield for a short 24 hours!

Marge's birthday was this week,
so of course we celebrated with her!

RECEIVING CHRIST. My final tangent, as I mentioned earlier, Zone Conference this week. A big focus this time around was member-missionary work. Sister Tuha got asked to speak (she absolutely killed it just sayin', not biased!) and she started her talk by explaining that our purpose is not to help others hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, but to receive it. That's what I've come out here to do. It's why I push myself to talk to strangers, and am willing to go searching for those who might want to hear more, despite all the rejection. Our goal is that everyone has the opportunity to receive His gospel and recognize that joy, that can only come through following Christ and His example.

7/11 free slurpies, couldn't resist!

I'm grateful that I've had so much time now, to learn and strengthen my own testimony of just how much He's done for us. The more I learn, the more I want other people to know! There's nothing that brings more joy and strength than helping someone ELSE receive a knowledge that has changed YOUR life.

in honor of Sister Hood :)

That's why each of you is so important. Without you, we wouldn't be able to reach all those who need a lift! So keep reaching out, and know that you make more of a difference than you'll ever know in this life!

Sister Whitesell
teresa.whitesell@myldsmail.net

taking a few more railroad shots
a year

5 Marcia Way Apt 131
Roseville, CA 95747