Letter from Whitney 4-22-213

Familia y Amigos mios! I am so happy here in North Hollywood to be a missionary and to be doing the best thing for my life. It has been a good week and am always amazed at the revealation and life-changing experiences I have had in just one week. This week we had Zone Conference where our Mission President Hall trained us on planning and teaching simply. He also told us the changes that will be coming in our mission. We were blown away by how small this mission is going to be with almost double the missionaries we have now. There will be almost 10 missionaries in each ward! WOW! The First Presidency also announced that there will be leadership positions for Sister missionaries too! How neat! Well this week we have been praying really hard to find a way to help our ward have better unity and a stronger conversion to the gospel so that they will have desires to help us in missionary work. Our answer came and it was so wonderful. We had district meeting with the 8 missionaries in our ward on Friday and our Disrict leader told us how he and his companion gave a committment to read the Book of Mormon everyday for 30 days. When they thought about it later they realized that, that is what our ward needed. The Book of Mormon is so powerful and is what we need to help them become converted and united. Hna Zepeda was asked to train us and had called a few days before trying to figure out what to train on. The morning of the meeting she changed her training to be on The Book of Mormon. It was inspired because we didn't know about the challenge until right before she trained us and so it was a confirmation that The Book of Mormon challenge was an answer to our prayers. We had a very Spiritual testimony meeting after that and we have been so excited to be giving this challenge. We'll in my thoughts about the 30 day challenge I felt like I should invite my family and friends to do that also. Just about 10 to 15 mins a day read the Book of Mormon for 30 days, then ponder on the changes that come from those few minutes it took everyday. I know The Book of Mormon has converting power to change peoples lives, no matter how many times you have read it. It has contained many answers to my prayers and many revealations. I know the days that The Book of Mormon hasn't been read are days missing divine, personal, life-changing revealation. So I "exhort" you to not miss a single day. I can promise you many blessings in your home, ward and family from taking those few minutes to do that. Don't miss out on your most needed guidance. I love you all so much and am so grateful for all that you have done for me. As always I wish I could share every moment with you! Stay faithful and Strong! Con Amor, Hermana Sanders

Message From Whit!

Taco truck pics!
So I don't have much time left but I will write you all a letter today. I got your package and Jenny's and Angie! Holy lots of chocolate and goodies! It was great! I love my socks! Thanks so much! How was your week? You look different in your pics. Everything is going great here. I feel like I'm learning more Spanish. I got an email from the visa department at the Church travel ce...nter. And they said that they check on it everyday and they they will let me know when my visa will be granted which means they haven't heard anything yet. Just know that I am happy here and know that I have a purpose here so I am not very worried about it. We believe we will be here for the whole transfer which is the next 5 weeks. I'm okay. We are learning lots. The work is hard here but we are trying and we were happy to see lots of our people at church yesterday . That was the best Easter present. I will write you a letter today! Love you all and take care. Hope you had a wonderful, meaningful Easter!
Hugs and kisses!
Hermana Sanders —

Familia y Amigos

Buenas! Como estan? He tenido una semana que fue muy interesante y bonita. No puedo creer que estoy aqui todavia pero me gusta California mucho. So this week one of the other Hermanas is going home because she is past 18 months. We went out to celebrate with frozen yogurt down our street. While we were eating our yougurts we could see film crews setting up. They came in to sample icecream and asked them what they were doing. They were shooting an episode with of a show with those twins from Disney Channel Tia and Tamara. We left before we got there but that was something interesting. California is so interesting. We have met all walks of life and we can feel the love that Heavenly Father has for all of them.

 

Sabado we had an experience when we went to go see some people that we had been teaching to invite them to Church. Well when we got to the gate a man pulled up and we were going to move our bikes to let him in and he said he was just grabbing things and then was going to leave. So we offered to help him with his things. While moving everything he owns to his car he told us that he was kicked out of the house and that they took his rent money and he had nowhere to go but to live at a park in his car. He is about 65 and is disabled so he cannot work. As we were talking with him he was saying how he wanted to change his life, that before he would normally drink when things were hard but that he didn't want to now.He said that his children won't have anything to do with him and he was at the lowest of lows. We didn't know what we could do for him. But we invited him to change his life by coming to Church with us on Sunday. We didn't promise him any help because he we didn't know what we could do other than bring him the comfort and change he needed in his life through Church. Well he came to Church before us on Sunday and wen't to all three hours. Members got together to see what they could do which wasn't much but they pointed him in the direction of places he could go for addiction recovery. He was great and told us how he felt much better because of going to Church. Later last night he called us and told us that after Church he really wanted to drink but that instead he went to the hospital instead to get help. That was amazing. He also told us again that he wanted to change his life and that he when he gets money he wants to go buy a white shirt and nice pants to go to Church to just feel clean. Also said that he was going to start reading the Book of Mormon. I have just felt that we were there at his house at the same time for a purpose. Heavenly Father has a plan for him. He still has his agency to choose but Heavenly Father has really pointed him in the right path while he is in the lowest he has ever felt. I know he has true intention. That was just one of many miracles we had this week.

I hope you are all doing well and that you know how grateful I am for your support.

 

Yo se que Dios tiene propostio por cada persona. Tenemos la albeduria para escoger el plan de Dios y se que si escogemos Su plan, vamos a tener todos de las cosas que necesitemos. Mediante la Expiacion de Jesucristo podemos cambiar y lleguemos a ser la persona que Dios quiere.

 

Les Amo muchisimo

Con Amor,

Hermana Sanders

New Letter!

Hola de North Hollywood! Its been a crazy week and we have been working lots! I'm working on getting some pictures up and going. So we had an exciting announcement this week that our mission here is changing into 3 missions . So the San Fernando mission will only be here in the Valley and there is a new mission opening up in Bakersfield , Ca and then other parts are going to Ventura Mission. This is amazing because there are so many missionaries coming out that there has to be more missions created. MILAGROSO! So I have some homework for all of you... go to LDS.org and search for the talk called "Do We Really Know What We Have?" by Scott Anderson. It's beautiful. Being here I noticed that there were many times that I have taken the knowledge of the Gospel that I have for granted by not acting the way I should have at times. People here are willing to take on a huge lifestyle change that is totally different than that of their neighbors family, friends and changes relationships they have with people. It's all for the better and they recieve many blessings in their lives for it. But , I have been thinking in Utah we take it for granted because that is almost the culture. So I challenge you to read this talk and think of ways that you can show better appreciation for what you have. Since I have been here I have struggled to speak in Spanish. Church and our lessons are usually in Spanish but everything else that surrounds me is in English. I'm understanding things better but at times I have lacked confidence to speak because I make mistakes. I know that it is prideful for me to be that way that this week I have tried to open my mouth more and listen to the words that God tells me to say. When I was studying the scriptures this week I read in D and C 1:20-24. This was an answer to many of my prayers. It talks about how God calls the weak and simple to teak His Gospel. And that He gives them the ability to teach in their language to help with understanding. Read it because I just gave a really bad summerization of it. But it was beautiful to me. I have been expecting myself to be perfect before I try. Thats not how Heavenly Father works. He wants us to try so that through the enabling power of the Atonement He can perfect us. I love the scriptures and they have been a huge source of revealation to me every day. If you are not reading them everyday you are denying yourself revealation and strength that they provide, I love California and the more I'm here the harder it is to imagine leaving .I still look forward to Peru but I want to have the experiences here that God has in store for me. Love you so much! Cuidense! Con Amor Hermana Sanders

Letter From Whitney March 1, 2013

She writes:

 

Hey, so I ran out of time on the email because I was emailing so yeah but I wanted to tell you a funny experience that we had at the library when we were emailing.  So there were these Elders that asked an elderly woman to switch computers so that they could be side by side like you're supposed to as a missionary and the woman was fine with it but this other woman came over and was like getting mad at them for "making" the lady move and was saying "What organization are you from?" and the Elders were being so calm and cool and she's like "We can take this to the front desk if you would like..." and the Elders were like "Okay".  The front desk didn't do anything and the other sweet old lady had already finished her emails with no problem.  Meanwhile I had no idea what had happened and the crazy lady came and sat down in front of me and some other Hermanas.  As we were leaving she pointed at us and was like "Disperse!" ha ha She's like "if you are loud and a disturbance, we'll call the police" and we just left.  There are some hoolagans out there but it puts spice in life ha ha.  In my email I told you about M. It was the most awesome experience for me and Hermana Arguello even said in her prayer before we left that "if it be they will, help us find a prepared woman."  And that prayer was totally answered.  I think I was lacking faith in thinking that there weren't going to be very many people that would want to listen to us.  But this message is true and God has a way of softening the hearts of people to prepare them to receive the blessings of the Gospel. 

(I can't read the next line...)

...been members.  This is such a crazy experience for me.  I carry a backpack full of books on a bike.  I can't believe it.  You would think I would lose weight but all of these latinos give you butt loads of food that gives you direahs til Easters.   Ja ja.  (can't read that word).  I haven't had direah (can't spell it) yet but I'm expecting it.  Everyday there is so much I want to tell you guys but I don't have time.  I want to hear from all of you.  What's going on?  I get short 2 lined emails I mean come on.  j/k  But serious.  Here's my address so write me a carta.  Love you so much.  Be good members.  Invite people to church and have the missionaries over for dinner.  Mom, I'll let you know if I see JM around and try to convert him too. 

Oh yeah, today we were on the street called Cuhuen, which is in that video on youtube with the lady with the koolaid and crusty-crust lips ha ha

 

El Senor vive!

Les Amo muchisimo

Con amor,

Hermana Sanders

LDS Church Creates 58 New Missions!

SALT LAKE CITY — In response to the enthusiastic reaction of young Latter-day Saints to last October’s announcement lowering the eligible age for full-time missionary service for both men and women, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is establishing 58 new missions of the church around the world.
An exclusive article in Saturday’s LDS Church News, available online, indicates that the "immediate and unprecedented" response to LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson's October announcement lowering the age of full-time missionary service to 18 for young men who are high school graduates and 19 for young women has pushed the total number of LDS missionaries currently serving around the world to more than 60,000 for the first time in more than a decade.
The number of young men and women applying to serve missions jumped nearly 500 percent after the change.
"We are thrilled with the response," Elder Russell M. Nelson of the church's Quorum of the Twelve told Church News reporter R. Scott Lloyd. "Our first feeling is one of deep gratitude for the commitment and the consecration of these missionary families."
The church is opening the 58 new missions in July, bringing the total number of LDS Church missions in the world to 405, to accommodate all of the new missionaries — including the surge expected following high school graduation this spring. Seventeen of the new missions are in the United States, including three in California and two each in Arizona, Idaho and Washington. Other locations around the world receiving multiple new missions are Mexico (eight), Brazil (seven), the Philippines (four) and western Africa (three).
All of the new missions are being created through boundary adjustments within existing missions — no new missions are being created where missionaries haven't previously been working.
For example, President William John Monahan of the Philippines Baguio Mission recently wrote to his missionaries to explain that the mission will be divided and a new mission, the Philippines Urdaneta Mission, will be formed. President Monahan will be the first president of the new Urdaneta Mission, and Anthony John Balledos has been called to take over as the Baguio Mission president.
"The First Presidency has asked me to determine which missionaries will be assigned to the two missions on July 1, 2013," President Monahan wrote. "That determination will be made under the direction of heaven during the June 19th transfer. At that transfer, those missionaries serving in the areas within the new Urdaneta Mission boundaries will be permanently assigned to the new Urdaneta Mission. At that same June 19th transfer, those missionaries serving in the new Baguio Mission boundaries will be permanently assigned to the Baguio Mission and under the jurisdiction of the new mission president on July 1, 2013."
The Baguio Mission is one of four new missions created in the Philippines. Douglas C. Tye of Murray, Utah, will be headed there in July. Accompanied by his wife, Dana, Tye will be president of the new Philippines Cavite Mission.
"I'm kind of overwhelmed," Tye said Thursday. "We're creating a new mission. But what does that mean?"
Thankfully, Tye noted that creating new missions is something "the church has done many times before."
"Under the direction of the Lord, they know what they are doing," he said. "It's nervous and scary for us right now, but I'm sure we'll be fine."
Church officials say that while the current surge in missionary applications is expected to last "for about three years," the new missions will be sustainable beyond that.
The church has already moved to add more training capacity for the new missionaries by announcing a new large Missionary Training Center in Mexico City that will be ready in the summer. It has also moved to shorten the length of time missionaries stay in the various MTCs around the world and introduced a 12-week training course for missionaries after they arrive in the mission field.
The surge in the number of LDS young people — primarily young women — leaving to serve full-time missions has impacted Utah businesses and colleges and universities. It has even had an impact on intercollegiate athletics, especially for schools that tend to recruit heavily among Mormon high school students.
But the greatest impact is being felt among young people whose lives have been forever changed by President Monson's announcement last October.
"I just kind of sat there — I didn't know what to do," said Amanda Johansen, who was a 19-year-old student at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, last October. "I have been planning on going on a mission since I was 9 years old. But it was always off in the future. But suddenly last October, I could go instantly."
Johansen said she thought and prayed about the decision for a week after the change. "We had a family fast," she said. "And then I knew what to do. I went to talk to my bishop that Sunday about starting the paper work for my mission."
Johansen enters the Provo MTC next Wednesday prior to her departure for the Argentina Resistencia Mission. She marvels at the fact that by the time the next general conference rolls around in April she may be on the ground in Argentina serving as a full-time missionary.
"I always thought I had years to prepare to be a missionary," she said. "I think President Monson's message to all of us was we need to be prepared to serve the Lord right now. It was like the Lord was saying, 'OK, I need you. Are you ready?’ ”
Unlike Johansen, Victoria Jorgensen of Riverton, Utah, wasn't planning on a mission last October. As a 19-year-old freshman at Southern Utah University, she always figured that by the time she turned 21 — formerly the minimum age for young women to serve as full-time missionaries — she would be involved in her career and wouldn't be able to go.
But as soon as she heard the announcement, she says, "I thought, 'I can go on a mission now!’ ” She says she will be submitting her missionary application to her church leaders this weekend.
"It's a huge difference," she said. "I've talked to a lot of girls my age, and they all agree. Being able to go at 19 is a lot different than having to wait until you're 21. I've had a year of school. I can go for 18 months and then come back and finish my education and then begin my career or whatever. It's a lot more convenient."
Not only that, says 19-year-old Aubrianna Schaefermeyer of Kaysville, Utah, but it's also an opportunity for young women to establish a firm gospel foundation earlier in their lives.
"For my friends and I, we've all gone from, 'Yeah, maybe someday' to 'Yeah, we're going,’ ” said Schaefermeyer, who is in the missionary application process. "I'm so grateful I get to go now. I feel like this is going to be a foundation for the rest of my life."
Lauren Beck of Highland, Utah, will be leaving for the Germany Frankfurt Mission on March 20. Her perspective is a little different than many of the new sister missionaries entering the MTC this year because she will be 21 when she starts her mission.
"At first I was kind of bitter," she said, chuckling, when asked about last October's announcement. "I had been fasting and praying about the decision to serve a mission for a year, and now all of a sudden all of these 19-year-old girls are going on missions at the drop of a hat?"
But, she says, "I humbled myself," and now she thinks it is thrilling to be part of this sudden surge in missionary service.
"Years from now," she says, "I'm going to be able to say I was a part of this huge army of missionaries who are responding to a call from our prophet. How exciting is that?"
New missions


Africa Southeast Area

Angola Luanda

Botswana Gaborone

Africa West Area

Ghana Accra West

Liberia Monrovia

Nigeria Benin City

Asia North Area

Japan Tokyo South

Korea Seoul South

Brazil

Brazil Curitiba South

Brazil Fortaleza East

Brazil Juiz de Fora

Brazil Natal

Brazil Piracicaba

Brazil Santos

Brazil Sao Paulo West

Central America Area

El Salvador San Salvador East

Guatemala Coban

Honduras San Pedro Sula West

Europe East Area

Ukraine L'viv

Idaho

Idaho Nampa

Idaho Twin Falls

Mexico Area

Mexico Cancun

Mexico Ciudad Juarez

Mexico Ciudad Obregon

Mexico Mexico City Chalco

Mexico Pachuca

Mexico Queretaro

Mexico Reynosa

Mexico Saltillo

North America Central Area

Colorado Fort Collins

Illinois Chicago West

Kansas Wichita

North America Northeast Area

Ohio Cincinnati

Virginia Chesapeake

North America Northwest Area

Oregon Salem

Washington Federal Way

Washington Vancouver

North America Southeast Area

Georgia Macon

North America Southwest Area

Arizona Gilbert

Arizona Scottsdale

North America West Area

California Bakersfield

California Irvine

California Rancho Cucamonga

Pacific Area

Australia Sydney North

New Zealand Hamilton

Papua New Guinea Lae

Philippines Area

Philippines Cavite

Philippines Cebu East

Philippines Legaspi

Philippines Urdaneta

South America Northwest Area

Bolivia Santa Cruz North

Ecuador Guayaquil West

Ecuador Quito North

Peru Huancayo

Peru Iquitos

South America South Area

Argentina Comodoro Rivadavia

Argentina Posadas

Chile Santiago South

Utah Area

Utah Salt Lake City East

 

To read this article you can also follow this link:  http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865573903/LDS-Church-creates-58-new-missions-in-response-to-surge-in-missionary-applications.html?pg=1

Whitney's First Area!

"BREAKING NEWS!!! Whitney is leaving for San Fernando, CA Monday morning! She will stay there til she gets her visa to Peru!! She just called me! She was crying and I didn't!!"

 - Joel via Facebook