Tracting

Hey family,

We had a cool experience tracting, we knock 3 doors and were turned away. The fourth house a college aged girl answers. The girl said she has never talked to latter day saints and would love to visit with us. We asked if she had time now and she said yeah come in. We sat down and two of her roommates came into the family room and sat and visited with us too. We went into the restoration and the Plan of salvation. It was all over they place, because they were asking a ton a questions. We were being drilled! We were struggling because we had left our bibles in the car. It kills your back to carry them around and you never sit and visit with people when you tract. We usually have really brief visit and they never get heavy. Well, we got into some deep stuff. I was struggling. Sister G didn't say anything and Sister H even stopped talking. I was left to answer their questions. I was rocky, but they were super cool. I was definitely guided and answered everyone the best I could and they seemed to be satisfied with that. I did a few times have to give the honest answer of I don't know. I hated having to do that, but I didn't have the materials or knowledge to answer it. They were cool and we left a Book of Mormon for them and pamphlets. They said we could come back. it was a very humbling experience. I would never say that I am confident in my scriptures, but I have become very comfortable talking about the gospel. I totally got a reality check, which was really good. It made me recommit to do better with my study. Also, I will never be caught without my bible even if it is heavy!

I love you!!!

Sister Whipple

Monday, August 16, 2010

Hey Fam,
We had a really good week on the missionary front. We had a great lesson with M. We had some good experiences with a less active. I had an incredible experience with trade-offs this week. We had three sisters sign up and each of us went with one. I went with Sister B. I love her she is the same age as Roni and is married and has a super cute little boy. She's was a really cool to hang out with. She is definitely one of my favorite people. We had a really awesome talk in the car and a really powerful visit when we were out. It was about as close as I could get to hanging out with my sister so I really loved it. We struck out on our first visit, the second person we went to visit, we drove out to the country. I didn't realize that the person live 30 minutes away. I felt bad about that. I, also, got kind of nervous, because I would feel bad if we drove all the way out there and got shut down. Well, we get out there and knock on the door. We ask for the less active and they say no one lives here by that name. My heart is crushed. Sister B starts talking to her about a sign they have on their door. The lady was about to let us go when she asked what we were doing out here. I gave a door approach which still make me nervous every time. It never gets easier. She invited us in. We sat and visited with her and her husband and his two kids for over an hour. It was so crazy! They were interested in coming to church. We talked about really a little bit of everything. It was nuts. We drove all the way out there and just have this amazing talk with a random family. Totally inspired! It was such a cool experience. It was so unreal. Sister B and I were just blown away. We both were like did that just happen! Super cool. I loved it!
I love Tally! I love the people and love working. Thanks for all that you do!
I LOVE YOU!!!

Sister's Conference

Yes, the Gator has a arrow stuck in it's back,

they said it would be more painful for his to take it out than just to leave it in.

Hey hey!!!

Let me just start off by saying I LOVED LOVED LOVED the Sisters conference. I can't thank President and Sister Jensen enough for opening up your home to all of us. It really was just what I needed. I have forgotten how to just relax. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! It felt like being at home. I just love them so much. They truly have become family to me. I really appreciate all that they are doing. they are wonderful. The conference was wonderful! Basically, all the sisters in the mission got together and spent the night at the mission home. We have 12 sisters in the mission. We just got together had chocolate fountain and made pizza, then we literally just hung out. We didn't have to be on our regular schedule, so we stayed up late. Sister Jensen hung out with us in her pjs. It was super relaxing and we got to sleep in. I loved it. I felt kind of guilty for not doing stuff, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself! It was really cool, because in the mission president's handbook it says no sisters conferences. Well, when the Jensen's met and were visiting with Elder Hales ( a member of the 12), he told Sister Jensen that she could do whatever she wanted to with the sisters. If she wanted to have a sleepover with all the sisters, then president move out of the way. Thus, Sister Jensen has permission to have sister conferences. Pretty sweet!!! I will say this much it was a lot of sister missionary in a small area. It was interesting to watch certain sisters avoid those who they have served with or watch how they interact. I had a great time. All the sisters were hanging out until midnight before any of us went to bed. It was fun and all us shot out of bed by 8! Weird! I thought for sure my body would take advantage of the extra sleep. nope! We had breakfast the next morning and hung out some more, we took some group pics, it was fun! I really loved it.

We had a pretty good week. We definitely had the spirit guiding us and inspiring us where to go this week. Our first experience was with a referral that we had received from our Relief Society President, Sister D. The woman's name was B, she's probably around her late forties. We knocked and she let us right in, before we could even get a word in. We sat at her kitchen table just talking. We were making a lot of connections because she is from California and Sister Hernandez is from there and I was born there. We were just having a really good time and establishing all sorts of connections. She started to tell us her back ground, about How Sister D stopped by with a another lady and they gave her a Book of Mormon. (It was the ward missionaries, they were looking for a less active.) Then, she told us about how she had been fasting all day and praying. She told us how she has been out of church too long and is just hungry for the word. She had said that the missionaries knock on her door when she was visiting her son in Atlanta and had answered a lot of her concerns and it was after she had gotten the Book of Mormon from the ward missionaries. It was crazy how all of these events were happening. She recognized us as an answer to her fasting and praying. We really didn't get to say much, because she was just pouring all of this out. We wants us to come back. It was a really sweet experience to see and be apart of the the lord's hand in people's lives. The lord has been working with her, so we will follow up and see what happens. The second experience was with a less active. We were driving down the street to visit a less active and on the way we passed another home that is another less active family, the P's. I felt like we should stop at the P's even though none of us had met them and none of us knew their story. We decided to stop on the way back, but I was glad when the one less active wasn't home and we head right back to the P's. We knocked on the door and no one came and no one came. We assumed they must be avoiding us. We were about to leave and Sister P answers the door. We end up having a really good conversation with her at the door. She told us about all of these health problems that her and her husband have been having. She had been taking the lessons with some of the missionaries ( not sure if they were ward or full time) and they were really pushy, so she told them that she didn't want to have the lessons. I guess what happened after that they just never came around and her visiting teachers stopped coming. She told us how grateful she was for her home teacher how comes by and is always checking in on them. It was really cool to see the impacted of a faithful home teacher. She told us that being able to talk to us really did help her feel better. We offered to come over and help her do some help around the house, because her and her husband really can't keep up with it. She told us we could come back and was happy that we stopped by. It was a sweet experience to get a prompting and act on it. Sister Hernandez and I were so grateful for the promptings that we got this week. We are still desperately trying to find people this week. We are trying, but it is slow going. We are hoping to launch a ward mission campaign next week at church to help get the members more involved in the work and get more referrals so we'll see.

We volunteer at the homeless shelter serving lunch a few days a week and told President and Sister Jensen about it. They totally came with us on Friday and again today. Way cool of them! They loved it! It is really cool to be around them as much as we have. It's really a cool experience.

I LOVE YOU!!!

Sister

8-2-2010

The work is kind of slow. We literally only have one investigator. We have nothing going on in the area. We are desperately trying to make things happen. We had some really good visits with less actives. We were able to have some great lessons this week and get into homes where we haven't been in sometime. It was really good. We are trying to find people to teach, but haven't found any yet. We are really trying. We face some challenges. The members don't really know us or trust us (sister Alston who was here before me served here for 9 months. the first 9 months of her mission. sister Hernandez had only been here a transfer before me and the sister she replaced had been here for 7 months.) We are working to get to know the members and gain their respect. We just got a new ward mission leader, Brother Brock. He's like 26 and pretty cool, We are struggling to get on the same page. It will take some time for him to figure out something that works. Our teaching pool is 1. Basically, we are starting from scratch. sister Hernandez and I have never been in this situation. We are just trying to do our best. At times is feels like we are running around with our heads cut off. We don't know how to really get things going. we are trying and hoping something will work.

Our one investigator, M, wasn't at church on Sunday, because her goddaughter had her christening. We did have a really good lesson with her this week. We talked further on the Restoration. She still isn't sure about it, but is praying and searching to know. It was a crazy lesson, because we discussed polygamy and she had concerns with race all in the same lesson as well. She really is thinking a lot about what she is hearing. She wants to learn and asks a lot of questions. She is a lot of fun to teach. I LOVE teaching her. She is coming along, so we'll see what happens. Teaching M helps me feel very hopeful. I just know I need to be doing more.I want to so badly. I know I am doing the best I can, but it's not enough. I don't know. We need to find others to teach SO bad. I want to be teaching up a storm, but can't seem to make it happen. I'll figure it out. it's just frustrating cause I just don't know how. Oh well, being clueless is the best way to be, because then your completely dependent on the powers of heaven (that's from Elder Bednar). I know that is the ONLY way that I will be able to be and do what that lord wants me to be. I'll keep working!

Love,

Sister Whipple

Also, E, who is an investigator that I taught the entire time I was in Lynn Haven, set a baptismal date. She is getting baptized on August 7! I was so excited to hear that. I am bummed that I won't be there for it. Also, K, a lady that we were working with while I was there, set a baptismal date too along with her 8 year old daughter. Totally, bummed that I will miss that too. K and I became really good friends. I was excited to hear that and I'm grateful for the small part I got to be involved with.