Let's taco 'bout this

A member has had this set up on
their wall for over a year now...
and I saw a glimpse of my future

I think I'm gonna look back at these emails in 10 years and see that all of them start exactly the same way...hey it's Monday! You made it another week, I made it another week, that deserves a pat on the back and some ice cream we all know we can't work off because missionaries only get 30 minutes of exercise time a day. Not that I worked out at home, but at least I can pretend that I was trying to stay in shape!

"winter" clouds make the best sunsets!

PLENTIFUL FOOD. Anyways, tacos. Not the stellar sketchy taco truck tacos. Like the American white tortillas with ground beef, lettuce, cheese, beans, tomatoes, all that jazz. Why do I bring those up? Because we've had them for dinner three times this week. By far the most common meal we get, not the assumed lasagna or spaghetti, but tacos. Just a little window glimpse into the lives of missionaries for ya.

Valentine's Day brownies! Such a
kind companion. I ate a little
before I remembered to get a picture

TALL GRASS. Sister Whitesell moment(s) of this week! Sometimes after doing the same type of thing for a long time, I need to spice things up a bit. That usually means indulging the impulsive side of my brain. Granted, I still keep the filter of "is this dangerous" on, don't worry, but sometimes the inner 5 year old comes out.

This was before I started laying in it.
It was tall enough for me
to actually disappear

This week it was in the form of tall grass. I didn't actually realize it until Sister Johnson pointed it out, but I lay/hid in the tall grass twice this week because it was super tall and very green. Honestly, even taking a few seconds out of the day to do something ridiculous helps so much to lift spirits! Don't forget to take time out of your day to do something out of the ordinary.

another sunset except I tried to make it look fancy

WHEN IT RAINS. We also helped dry off a stranger's car, because once again someone actually said yes when we asked if we could help! We always appreciate those days. But here's the catch: he gave us a towel and it started raining. So we dried off the car not once but FOUR times, before giving up and letting it just get wet in the afternoon shower. Pick your battles.

the progression of 'weekly planning...'

DINNER IN AN HOUR. Miracles on miracles on miracles! Heavenly Father has a way of making the most of every situation. On Friday we went to our dinner appointment only to get there and the food wasn't even close to done. As missionaries, the rule is dinner should be no longer than an hour. The understanding I have is that that timer starts when dinner is on the table because it's not your fault if the meal isn't ready yet, and you can't just shovel down food. That's rude.

basically a few hours on Friday of figuring out...

Well, we showed up and the mom apologized a ton, and let us know the food wasn't quite ready...meaning it wasn't done for another hour. At that point I was stressed, but the positive side was, it gave us an extra hour to get to know the family, as well as the friend they invited. It took us a little while to figure out that he wasn't a member of the church, but when we found out, we knew the lesson we had planned for after dinner would not fit well.

Taste the Rainbow

...what you're doing all the next week.
(it's exhausting obviously)

FAVORITES. Instead, we went around the table and each shared our favorite scripture and bore testimony of it. The fastest way to bring in the spirit, aside from prayer, is through the scriptures and sharing how they have impacted your life. It was so amazing to see just how much the Book of Mormon has helped so many people! The feeling of peace and comfort that was there was one of the strongest on my mission at a member's dinner so far.

We got to talk to Leo afterwards, and he was interested in learning more! Thankfully as missionaries, we have that opportunity to teach as well as learn. And to add to the evening, their daughter walked out with us and told us that before that night, she was really on the fence about serving a mission, but because of dinner and the spirit she felt there, she's definitely serving one! You will always leave an impact wherever you go, so try to make it positive!

Ok but seriously this was the best rainbow I've
seen in so long! You can't tell in this pic but it was
a double rainbow, and the more visible one
had all the colors TWICE!

SCRIPTURES. I know that the Book of Mormon has been a guiding source of truth and comfort for so many millions of people, and I want to back them all up by saying that Heavenly Father uses scripture to speak to us. The Book of Mormon contains His full gospel and can provide all the direction we need if we're willing to listen. It's given me more guidance than I thought possible, especially on my mission, and if you pray with a sincere heart to know if it's true, you'll be able to receive that peace and clarity that it is!

Batman, no description needed

I know it's one of the basics that you probably hear often, but read your scriptures each day, even just a verse, and it will help you more than you can imagine.

Keep pushing through this week, and: You're doing better than you think you are!

Sister Whitesell
teresa.whitesell@myldsmail.net
751 Central Park Dr. #321
Roseville, CA 95678

(P.S. The missionary bubble is so thick honestly, any updates of the real world *cougholympicscough* are always appreciated just sayin)