Miracles, Messes and Mountains

Last Bro. Pettey shoutout
for probably awhile since I'll be
super far away from him! :(
BUT, we got to treat HIM for once!
Life=made

The adopted family! Bri and Sophia
weren't home so we facetimed them in :)

Warning: this email may be slightly subpar, as it's Transfer Monday and we have 99 things to do (and stayin in Roseville ain't one!) so I will gather my thoughts the best I can.

this is where I'm going next! From
3 stakes (= appx 15 congregations?)
 in a small area, to just 1 ward
(congregation) in a huge area!

Nicole helped me make my poem amazing!
This was posted in the blog last week;
now it's officially printed and framed :)

We got to practice our mini-golf
skills! (I'm still terrible)...

...and I still don't know how
Sister Johnson and I started this
as our pose??!

Keith clan! The world's craziest,
most spiritual kids you will ever meet

"Thank you crane" -- Sister Hales after we left
"What did Ukraine do?" -- yours truly

I swear I'm gonna go back and read these someday, and (hopefully NOT see all my grammar errors) roll my eyes, because I think I'm funny sometimes but I'm not actually sure if I am. Granted, as long as SOMEone's entertained, even if it's just me, I'll take it!

You know Sister Johnson was there
when all your donuts are gone

FIXING MESSES. I don't even know what happened this week, honestly. It's been crazy! We saw a ton of people though, and so many miracles. The mess I'm referring to in the title is Sister Tuha. So many little medical things keep coming up! We had to go to the doctor Tuesday to try and fix bits and pieces, but she's a literal beast and has worked through it all despite discomforts!

MOUNTAINS... :) *imagine that as a HUGE grin* We got transfer boards on Sunday which means I finally know what's gonna happen for the next 6 weeks. And I'll be honest, since Sister Tuha and I have finished our 12 weeks together, I was stressing out a bit!

She fell asleep reading the Book of Mormon...
spiritual nap?

Well, I got the email Sunday morning and I was right in guessing that I'd be leaving Roseville 6th Ward and the Sierra YSA, and I'll be going to the MT. SHASTA WARD!! I'm beyond excited!! Even if this whole paragraph was in caps lock, it wouldn't express it! It's been the area I've wanted to go to my whole mission but never let myself hope I could make it there, because there are so many other places I could go! Dreams do come true though, and not just at Disney! So next time I email, it will be from the middle of nowhere up north :)

Miracles! So many. Things happened, people were happy, it was great. Thanks for reading, talk to ya in a week!

Ask Sister Tuha how she feels
about the doctor's

Kidding.

Matthew Christensen, probably the
most interesting man I've ever met!

(I also feel like these emails are sometimes a dialog with myself but that's okay)

SERVICE CLOTHES. I'm gonna explain what happens when Sister Whitesell goes on exchanges with Sister Hales, and we decide to do missionary work in Service Clothes. We drove down the street of the house we wanted to visit, and looked for a yard that needed some help. Believe it or not, we found one!

I saw Sister Curtis for probably the
last time for awhile and it's
super lame, but clearly we didn't
like each other anyway

We knocked, explained our reason for being there and that it was basically free labor. Despite her confusion and the look on her face blatantly telling us she thought we were crazy, she handed us a rake! We got to work, and then we heard the magic words, "Oh, did you want to watch them, Solomon?

I made a friend while we
studied outside!

Then we hear the door open, and a little 2-year-old boy walks out with his train- And-Truck onesie and Laura followed after. He spent most of the hour helping us by picking up a whole 2 leaves at a time and, with the help of Sister Hales, he was able to put them in the bin!

Samore! Coolest recently baptized
member ever! She'll send a pic of
their final product since I won't be
able to help make the Alma 32 tree

They're very inconspicuous
at the doctor's office

We talked to Laura and befriended her, and she's such an amazing human! Unpublished writer but looking for a publisher for her 4 books, stay at home mom, and has an adorable son. At the end we were able to bear our testimonies, share a bit about our faith, give her a Book of Mormon, and despite the fact that she's never met a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before, she wanted to learn a bit more! All because Solomon wanted to help, so she came outside:) LIFE IS GOOD!

Nike's newest logo?

SPARKLY ROCKS. Wanna know what's even better? Continuing to strengthen my testimony that Heavenly Father knows us perfectly, and will 100% use our strengths or personality to reach out to people He needs us to! Many of you know, I like the little things, in this case: Rocks. Well, we were walking past some houses, and the sun caught the one house's path in a different light. It wasn't concrete, but actually hundreds of pure white, sparkly (for lack of a better word) stones. So of course, I had to stop and pick one up for further inspection.

The one and only Q!
After knowing him for almost a year
I finally got to serve in his ward!

Because of my ability to get easily distracted, Sister Hales had time to glance at the house and notice the owner laughing at me. So of course, she started the conversation and is amazing and talked to him, explaining doctrine and principles that he needed to hear. I was able to pitch in my thoughts too, but let's be real it was mostly her. BUT, we gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon and he wants to learn more too! It was so cool!! There are no coincidences, especially on the mission!

The District! (NOT featuring Elder
Heaps because who needs a
Zone Leader?)

Our district in a nutshell (it was Elder Williams'
"funeral" since he goes home Tuesday)

A lot more happened but there's never enough space to explain all the miracles I was able to be a part of. I've loved my time in Roseville and with Sister Tuha! I also know there are so many more things to learn in Mt Shasta.

What missionaries
actually do on doorsteps

Sister Driggs convinced me
to avoid having 5 boys

Don't stop looking for the little things and remember, you're doing better than you think you are!

Sister Whitesell
teresa.whitesell@myldsmail.net

my NEW address is:
311 Old McCloud Rd. Apt B

I got to hold a chicken!
I felt like I had to recreate
my picture from Chico a year ago

Mount Shasta, CA 96067

Solomon helped us rake!