April 5, 2010

Hey family,

Hope you all enjoyed conference. If you didn't get to watch it make the time to. I promise that an answer to your prayers was answered this weekend.

It was a crazy week and I loved it. We are working with several investigators right now. One of our teaching appointment that was most powerful to for me and Sister Richan was with our investigator, Eddie. Eddie is 19, mom is a recent convert (august last year). He is super shy and does really give us much to go on, but he is a sponge. He absorbs everything we teach him. He thinks about it and gets it. You always here the phase "searching for something" but it is never really that visible in people's live. In Eddie you can tell that he is truly searching for something. We had a really powerful lesson with him on Wednesday. We focused on the Jesus Christ and the resurrection. We talked about knowing Jesus Christ and that it is an individual process. You have to know him for yourself. Eddie never answers questions when we ask, but he did that night. I gave a powerful response. He is beginning to trust us which is huge.

Sister Richan and I had a powerful experience this week. We have gone by and visited a less active, Jackie , last week and had scheduled a teaching appointment for Tuesday. Jackie is struggling to put it lightly. She is trying to do the best she can with her two kids. We decided that we wanted to watch finding faith in Christ. The movie is very powerful. After it was over Jackie said she felt like she had been "persecuted by the spirit." We ask how so? She said she knows that she is making bad choices and that the she knows that she needs to change. We talked about the process of coming to know our savior. Jackie has a long hard road ahead of her to get where she wants to be. Its overwhelming for her. We simply said that it takes baby steps. All we want her to do is commit to say a prayer. She was super hesitant about committing, but knew that was what she needed to do. Then, she told us about how she has no food in the house to feed her kids. She asked who do I call to get help. Of course, we had no idea, so we said we make some calls. The relief society presidency ended up setting an appointment for her with Bishop. Jackie was stressed out because she felt like she couldn't ask for help because she doesn't go to church. She went to her interview. It was powerful. She said it reminder her of why she joined the church. the Bishop challenge her to do one thing...say one prayer a day! She committed to do it. We visited her a few days later and she had been praying. Then, on Saturday right before conference she called us. Sister Richan talked to her. She said she could hear the joy in her voice. Jackie thanked us for out genuine love for her. We really do love her. She wished she was surround by people like us and could hang out with us everyday. She felt the spirit through us. It was really powerful. Sister Richan and I were feeling down because we hadn't had "success." Jackie made us realize that we were where we needed to be and the spirit wanted us to be. At the end of the conversation, she said she had prayed that morning and planned to pray that night! On Sunday morning we both felt like we should invite Jackie to come to conference. She is concerned about people judging her, not being properly dressed, and not taking the sacrament. All of those concerns would not be a problem at conference. We showed up really confident she would come. She shut us down! On Sunday night, she called and told us of her awful day. She said she should have gone with us, because she would have had the spirit with her and could hang out with us all day. She said she turned away a blessing and promised (which she doesn't ever promise to do something unless she full intends to keep it) to never turns us away. it was powerful. we told her tomorrow is a day full of choices. She needs to start making choices just for herself and her kids. She told us she looked forward to reporting her good choices of Monday to us on Tuesday.

It is truly amazing to recognize when the spirit is working though you. Sister Richan and I are loving life and love being missionaries.

Conference was especially powerful. I ate up every second of it! I do have to say that Elder Holland is my boy. He just speaks with so much power and passion. His talk was bold and to the point. Also, one little moment I loved was when they read the members of the church, 13,...,..4 members. I like to think that the four on the end was the 4 new converts her in Lynn Haven, Florida. It was really cool, because Martha Hopkins was sitting next to me for Saturday morning session. It was really powerful to had President Monson welcome the new members of the church and have one right next to me and to have an investigator on the other side of sister Richan.

It was a week full of powerful experiences. I pray for you all the time (I have calluses on my knees which I didn't anticipate) and truly am grateful to have been blessed with a the family that I have. As I meet new people everyday my appreciation for my Heaven Father for putting me with my family grows. thank you for all the love support.

LOVE YOU!

Love,

Sister Whipple

PS: I love being a missionary, because at times I feel my name tag says tell me all your deepest darkest secrets. People at random are constantly pouring their souls to us and giving us too much information. I really do love it though. I just love being in the know. I guess the name Whiskers really will stick.