Whitney's in Peru! 7/9/2013

Hey mamì! How are you? Did you chew pat out? That sounds like a fun forth of July. Hermana Kimball, Hermana Batman and I are the only gringas( white girls) in our mission. We were sad that we didn`t do anything to celebrate the 4th. All is great here. It`s a little bit hard because things are way different and funcion way different than my other mission but I shouldn`t compare. I love it here. We walk everywhere unless we take a moto which is a little cart attached to a motorcycle but it costs money. Its very dusty because there aren't roads and all of the houses are made out of cement or bricks with mudd as the cement. It looks ancient. We live in a small room with a small bathroom. Our pensionista mam'i yoavani is so sweet and makes really good food and my garments have never been so white. She also irons everything! I`m spoiled I know. There is a recent convert here that says that went Hermana Kimball and I came we answered his dreams and prayers because she was wearing clothes that he saw in a dream and he always prayed for someone that can play the piano ha ha so I have to play the piano every Sunday because no one knows how . I played this Sunday and it was horrible ha ha. So I am trying very hard to learn alot because I am co-training with Hermana San Roman because hna. Kimball is new and Hna. San Roman does all of the exchanges here with the hermanas so I have to train her when Hna San Roman isn`t around. It scares me. The work is very different here. Everything is with the Bible and my bible knowledge isn`t that great but I'm learning. How are you? How is the family? Whats going on with Pat?

Whitney's In Peru!!!

Its wonderful. I don´t have much time today but I will tell you about my experience. I came with Elder Harris friday and we traveled together to Dallas and there I flew with one of the Hermanas that was in my district in the MTC and we got in Lima at 2-00 in the morning and some man picked us up in the tiniest car and we went in the crazy traffic to a hotel in Lima and it was nice. The next morning we didn´t know what was going on but someone came for us and took us to the airport and I came to Chiclayo where my Presidente Risso and his wife picked me up and then I met my companion and since we have been doing missionary work. Lots of walking in dust with a bunch of dogs everywhere and they are some of the ugliest dogs I have ever seen. The food is really good. We have a pensionista and we go to her house every day and eat with her for every meal. We always eats 2 lunches and its huge! There is a man in our ward that looks just like Luke Stevens ha ha. They are very kind and sweet. Today we ate at the Mission Presidents home which was really yummy ceviche! I already feel so close to them they are like second parents

Letter From Whitney- June 24,2013

HI! So I got transferred this week and it feels like it was forever ago! So I am in El Camino Real, Canoga Park. Its really close to Calabasses if thats how you spell it. Its really pretty and really different. I am on bike still and its been really hot but really fun. My companion is Hermana Higley! She is from Wendover and is so cute and is a Family Consumer Science major which means that she makes me the best food ever and taught me how to make beans and horchata and Jamaica! We lived together my first transfer in North Hollywood and we are good friends so we were so stoked when we got put togther! It was crazy because we were together in the temple when we were talking to our Mission President and he was telling us how he had finished transfer assignments and that he was feeling really good about it. We didn't know then that we were going to be companions but we decided that it must have been a confirmation when we were together in the temple. Its been great because we have been having a ton of success! We got 10 new investigators which has been the most ever in both of our missions.

Yay its so cool and crazy I love it. My last area was so ghetto and this one is so clean and pretty and the people are great. I am so excited to have the support of my ward too! I speak next week in Church and get to share all of my new insights since the broadcast yesterday. It was amazing! What did you think of it?

New letter from Whitney 6/10/2013

Wow what I cool trip and experience. Those places and things are so important to me and must have been so cool to experience first hand. I have been reading in the Book of Mormon about how God said the people that would come to this promised land would be lead by His hand here and have felt so blessed to be a citizen of the country. You should ask my companions I have so much American pride its annoying ha ha. It is so beautiful and am so glad you got to enjoy those things because you deserve it! So I was so expecting my visa to come this week but it turns out that I will finish another transfer here unless it comes this week. I do believe it will come soon though. We had some amazing miracles this week. One was that we recieved a referral from elders in our district and we looked forever for this mans address and gave up and decided to go knock on a door of someone we had contacted before. They weren't home but then we were handing out cards and just outside we asked this mans name and it was the same man we had been looking for and couldn't find! We taught him this week and set a baptismal date with him and he told us that he had given a fake address and number to the Elders and that God really wanted us to teach him because we found him! That was so cool! Then the next day my companion ran over a staple and got a flat tire and we were so annoyed because we had been in the bike shop earlier that week. While we were standing there trying to figure out what to do this woman came up and told us she was a member and that she hasn't been able to come to Church because she has really bad health issues. She told us that she would like us to read some scriptures to us because she can't read and told us that in the morning she had prayed to have some happiness in her day and that we were the answer to her prayers. I just felt so blessed to be guided by the Spirit and to know that Heavenly Father has so many details in His plans ... even flat tires. It was so cool! We also got to take out the youth and do splits and go contacting. It was really fun for me to watch a young woman share her testimony and truly be like my companion! I hope the youth at home can have a chance to do that. Also we have a funny companionship. Its been a great week. We also had a lesson in the park with one of my investigators and he bought me Elote! So good! I will send pics! Anyway that was my week and I know that Heavenly Father needed me to stay here for this week!

New letter 5-30-2013

Okay so what a crazy week! Don't worry mom I feel fine. We just wanted to get it checked before I someday ( I don't know when) I got to Peru because it has been 8 months and Im on a totally different diet and am on bike all day. I'm always tired but that just is what biking in the sun does to you. Man, I did get the drivers liscence stuff but it turned out to be a huge pain in the you know what and I went to the mission office to get help from the office and basically I don't need it until I get home so its okay. I never found my wallet but I was wondering if you could look in my folder of stuff and make sure my social security card is in there I was sure to leave it home but I want to double check. So I have had such a good week with some exciting miracles! New investigators and baptismal dates! I am having so much fun seeing my area grow and learing so much from the people we teach and my crazy fun companions! So out of nowhere uncle john emailed me and said .. oh Im getting married and something about cherries. Random! Send me pics okay! I am sorry I am so behind on letters but Preparation days have been crazy and I have not been able to get stamps but I will get to it this week! Mom I love the people here and its going to break my heart to leave. I am so proud of pat and thought of him all that day. Sister Cropper called after she talked to you and said... your mom just said they had a graduation and I was trying not to cry! Just so proud. What is the status on when he can do his papers?

Pics! 05/06/2013

 

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