Adding to our Pool

so crazy to see mission friends
who don't have name tags anymore

Hey! Usually I start these out with something ridiculous, but this whole week was a blur and I can't think of anything too absurd that I did.

Sister Tuha and I got an award for Cleanest Malibu at zone conference. That was pretty ridiculous.

We drove through Orlando every time we went from Roseville to Antelope; that's a fun one.

I didn't get to run with any dogs this week: ridiculous.

Bro Pettey shoutout this week:
he made about 70 for
Zone Conference!

Brother Pettey made over 80 Tootsie Pops with a scripture on them and told us that when the mission gets hard we just have to "suck it up:" ridiculous.

I sang a duet with my 'almost' companion Sister Evans, during our zone song at zone conference: ridiculous.

I didn't end up wrestling Sister Johnson last Monday, even though we somehow have ended up doing that every Monday since we've been in the same district again: ridiculous.

Did I slow down enough?

Honestly, life is full of ridiculous moments. You just have to look for them!

LESSONS LEARNED. There were so many miracles this week, and they've all helped me ignore the fact that the transfer is gonna be over next week, and I'll be finished training Sister Tuha, and that's terrifying because who knows what's going to happen to me? So I'll share a few experiences. I learned quite a few lessons this week, and I'm grateful for everything He's shared with me because I've definitely needed it!

she's going down, didn't yell timber, just fell
really slowly and it was hysterical

To start, we had a lesson on Saturday with Brenna. She's amazing, and just wants to learn more about our church since the guy she's dating is a member! Granted, it's very much "my church, your church" but hey, she's coming closer to Christ! Well, we got there, and she and Emerson had forgotten about the lesson.

We'd texted them earlier that day but hey, that's ysa for ya. We knew they'd forgotten as soon as we got to the complex because we found them at the pool which, thankfully, is on the way to their apartment from where we parked. Well, we had a pool-side lesson and it was cool to discuss how the spirit works with us.

first black widow! Throwback to
elementary school when they
were everywhere

BOOK OF MORMON THEME. About 30 minutes later, Brenna's coworkers show up in the hot tub and something told Sister Tuha and I to stay, so we did! As we talked, David started asking us questions and we found out that he'd already read the Book of Mormon. He says that it seems like the theme to it is continuous growth. (YES! YES IT IS, DAVID!)

Then, he proceeds to explain how he's been looking for truth, and has searched through a lot of religions for the right one. He likes how some of the standards are different in our faith than the average Christian faith. He asked a few more questions, and guess what, we'll be teaching him again next week! Probably not in the pool. But it was amazing to see how Heavenly Father puts people in our paths, if we're willing to act on the promptings we receive! Miracles!

we're making wall decor about Alma 32 with
Samore and it's gonna be AMAZING

FORGIVENESS. Saturday, I learned about forgiveness. I know and teach that God is our loving Heavenly Father but sometimes, it's hard to apply that to myself. As we were driving around, I did something that is more common than you might assume: I listened to the 'natural man' instead of following a prompting. It wasn't anything major, but I could physically feel the warning and then eventually, the spirit leave as I ignored it and moved on.

The guilt that came after was enough to remind me of my purpose here, and I did my best to repent by actively searching for something I could do to make up for my mistake. The desire to change led to a chain prompting where we visited two people who weren't home. As we headed back to our apartment to do some studies, I pulled a Sister Hood moment and was able to make a few turns, deviating from our normal route, and ended up at the house of someone who Sister Curtis and I had talked to months ago. I did a loop around the block just to make sure that the prompting wasn't for someone else, and parked the car.

here's the actual zone! AND...Cousin Tyler Goodman is in
the Zone, BTW! His head is next to the "2"

As we got out, the lady pulled into her driveway! We were able to talk to her for a minute. Even though a new opportunity to teach a full lesson didn't come out of it, it was still amazing to recognize and know that the seed we planted was one of those contacts she needed to eventually, hopefully, accept the gospel later.

Through this experience, I was able to learn and have a few concepts reiterated to me in a way that I needed them.

her last ZC (Zone Conference)
and we decided she could be
taller for the day

HAND STRETCHED OUT. First, Heavenly Father is instantly forgiving. He knows exactly what we'll do, and which promptings we'll ignore (we still have our agency; he simply knows us so well he knows how we might respond to things). Despite the fact that I didn't do what was best in that situation, He still proceeded to use the desire I had to improve, and allowed the spirit to come back instantly after I repented, and led us to talk to someone who needed it!

UTILIZE PLAN B. Another lesson: God is the master opportunist. Instead of chastising us and causing us to suffer longer than we need to, He'll use the willingness we have to adjust and take us to Plan B when we don't do Plan A, which also brings the spirit, and strengthens us.

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. The third thing: He loves us unconditionally. Just because we make a mistake doesn't mean he's going to love us less. When we want to come back to Him, He won't keep us from recognizing His love, and for that I'll be eternally grateful!

at least 2 of the missionaries aren't actually in our zone

I'll finish with a huge lesson I learned this week on hope. To start, hope brings confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, patient perseverance, mercy, etc. It's a trust that the Lord will fulfill his promises to you. I know there are some Christ-like attributes you don't want to pray for, like patience, because you'll get a trying experience to really test you.

Sister Howell has crazy-fast skills
regarding shoving me
out of the frame

PRAY FOR MORE. Well, I didn't know what to expect with hope, so I've been praying for an increase of it. To truly understand it, I had to be tested. And when you're tested, it often means He takes away some of what you have, so you can grow and adjust. On Thursday evening after having such an amazing experience at zone conference, I was suddenly left without confidence in myself or the work I've done in the past couple of months with Sister Tuha. My optimism had decreased, as well as my enthusiasm for what I'd done or what I had to do.

hey this is the TV we used to have
at our house!

But I prayed to see what I needed to change to do better, and what I had already done well. I created a list, and on my short list, I found 2 things I did well. However, both were very quickly disregarded by my negative self-talk, as I told myself what I should have done or could do to improve it instead. Noticing that happening, I steeled myself and prayed again, saying I would accept whatever good things I'd done. Then by the end of the prayer, I realized that I was already dismissing any of the good things I might have done. Clearly I wasn't in the mindset to accept any hope from Heavenly Father at the time.

what else do you do in a corridor?

I said a final prayer asking what to do, and the response I got was "ask Sister Tuha and the other sisters." It took me a little while to gather my thoughts but I eventually humbled myself, and was able to push myself way out of my comfort zone to explain what I'd been told to Sisters Tuha, Hales, and Johnson. I needed to hear from THEM, what THEY thought I was already doing well. (This is something that I struggle asking about since it feels like I'm just fishing for compliments, but in the moment, I truly had no hope in my capabilities, or what I'd done successfully in the past.)

we got to help a lady move, so her son
did a lot of the lifting :)

The next day led to an experience I'll probably never forget, as our companionships met together and we discussed. I explained the situation more fully, and Heavenly Father used them as His instruments to help me see who I've become. I'd prayed to fully accept what they said, and not get too uncomfortable and you'd be proud, I only squirmed a few times! But it was amazing to feel the spirit there, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to go over His attribute of hope a bit more in depth.

Hope is a powerful thing! Without it, it's difficult to 1) understand our purpose here, and 2) have a desire to push through the hard times. But with it, you can do anything you set your mind to! If there's a will, there's a way, and hope is the key to finding that direction we need!

Good luck this week, and look for ways to share some of the hope you have with someone else who needs it!

BABY BUNNIES

Sister Whitesell
teresa.whitesell@myldsmail.net

5 Marcia Way Apt 131
Roseville, CA 95747