Life's a trial by the mile but a cinch by the inch

Welcome back to another week of "What ridiculous things did Sister Whitesell do?" Well, first off this week felt like an eternity, so due to the celestial stretching of time, we got a lot done!

And here you have the cover of
2019's EFY album

MAKING A DIFFERENCE. Anyways, we all know how good of an influence I am on kids, right? I've gotten a teen to wear a gunny sack as a skirt to church, and convinced a 10-year-old to eat more burritos than should fit inside him...I don't know why they give me responsibility on the mission :)

Sister Rios and our clearly
productive moving session

Well this time around, we were at a member's house for dinner and AJ, the 5-year-old, wasn't eating his dinner: a daily struggle for Sister Webb. Well, one of the items on the menu happened to be corn, and that's fun to eat (albeit a little messy), so I challenged him to a corn eating contest.

Yup, whoever could eat their corn the fastest won, simple as that. So of course, Sister Tuha pulled out the camera and I now have a video of myself and a 5-year-old chowing down on corn, butter running down our chins, and corn fragments flying. I'm ashamed to say that I lost, but I managed to steal one of his croissants (delicious) so who's the real winner? Fun fact: I'm still 5 at heart, apparently.

Oh also, AJ wants to be a sister missionary one day! We're supposed to encourage children's dreams, right? So I didn't say anything to steal his thunder :)

as far as I know
the cockroach is under the cup

when in Antelope, find the Sisters

UNINVITED GUEST. Another adventure: I'm in the apartment, excited to relax and finish the day, we just got home so of course I dash to the bathroom. I walk in, look in the mirror, and suddenly feel an uneasiness build. Something's not right...someone, or something is there with me, invading the sacred few minutes of pure alone time I get in the day. I wheel myself around, looking to find the presence when suddenly, I see it. Calmly sitting against the wall on the floor is a cockroach, a little shorter than the length of my pinkie finger.

Sister Watts came up behind me and
covered my eyes to surprise me--
totally wasn't expecting to see them!

I quickly grab the cup we have under the sink for such a situation. That's where I made my mistake: I had to turn around to get the cup and when I looked back, it was gone! The next few minutes were spent searching until finally I found it. I captured it for a quick release back outside since those things are too big to squish. My cheer squad was huddled up on the bed, yelling for updates on whether or not I'd found it...Sister Tuha hates bugs so I was on my own for this one. But it's okay, we survived, and we're praying they don't come back again!

A WONDERFUL MIX. So aside from those two adventures, we:

*enjoyed ourselves at FHE (Family Home Evening, one night a week for a spiritual thought or games, etc. with the Young Adult group here). We met Brenna, and we will be teaching her this week!

THE WATTS!! Aaahh!

*had interviews with the Mission President and got a little hint about what's happening next transfer: either Sister Tuha and I will stay together, I'll leave, or she'll leave (thanks, President)...

*painted some shelves

*painted some tiki's

*cut flowers for a luau

*helped a ward member move out (maybe if we'd sabotaged it she would have stayed)

our 'double date!'

*stopped teaching about 1/2 of our people because none were progressing

*watched a 2-year-old crush it at Tball in the cul-de-sac

*got asked what's it like to teach white people (when 1/2 the congregation -- YSA -- is full of returned missionaries who served in other countries)

*went on a double date with our ward mission leader in the Young Single Adult ward (we crashed his date, and the girl he was with, gave us input on our missionary efforts: it was great!)

*Dallin Dimmitt opened his mission call where he will be going to Portugal, Lisbon mission

Still not over how perfectly sophisticated
Sister Dimmitt looks, even after
two days of traveling home

*greeted his sister and were there as she stepped in to her house for the first time, since serving her mission in Japan (and THE WATTS WERE THERE: it was amazing! Yes, the Watts from Chico last year (!!!)

and, drum roll...

*President Oaks came to our mission! (He's one of the First Presidency of the whole church; we usually only hear from him at Conference, twice a year from Salt Lake City.)

great place to be

we never liked each other
even when we were companions

INSPIRED VISITOR. Yup, the time finally came for our 'mission grandpa' to teach us! We had our conference with him on Saturday morning at the Mormon Center, which so happens to be on the same grounds as the temple. Because of that, I got to visit the temple and walk around it! My heart was so happy to be back at one of my favorite places on earth! To prep myself for President Oaks, I pondered a bit what I wanted to get out of the conference. Then we got to head in for our picture with him! (That pic is not included in this post.)

we went bowling last week

Before we started, he took the time to shake each of our hands and I probably won't be washing my right hand for awhile but that's okay. Believe it or not, President Oaks is also hysterical! He and his wife went back and forth a bit as they talked about each other and shared insights. I've never felt the spirit so strongly while someone is getting sassed :)

If you're ever near one, stop by the temple!

CHANGE FOR THE BETTER. In all seriousness though, the message that he shared is something I'll never forget. A huge piece that stuck out for me was repentance. We as missionaries, are here to call people to repentance, but when you put it like that it's almost like we are on pedestals, and we are telling people that they are wrong. That's not it at all, though. We ask people to make changes in their lives that will bring them closer to Heavenly Father and ideally, help them to live with Him again. Repentance is just change.

Look at this tiny tissue box!
featuring Sister Tuha in her natural habitat

Eternal progression happens as we work on small things every day, to change ourselves into the best person we can become. He loves us enough to constantly stay with us, and guide us when we need it. That change is something I've been privileged enough to be a part of, over the course of my mission especially.

The only constant we have in our lives is change, so don't be afraid to adjust yourself to come a little closer to Him! I'm still very far from perfect, but I know my imperfections will help strengthen someone else, just as yours can too.

After a spiritual uplift from someone
as amazing as President Oaks, you
have to take a quick nap to
regain some energy!

If you get overwhelmed by the amount of things you have to do, remember "Life is a trial by the mile but a cinch by the inch!"

Good luck this week, stay cool, and it sounds like school is picking up again for some people, so try not to fall asleep in classes just yet!

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