Week 30 - "And a Happy New Yeaaaar!"

Hello! 
Lemmie tell ya it was a week full of Christmas miracles. There's just something about the Christmas season that makes everything a little sweeter. It has been pretty cold here in Walla Walla and besides occasionally slipping on black ice, Sister Purcell and I have been doing pretty good! Christmas was a blast. I loved seeing the fam and bawling my eyes out. Haha Just kidding! It was so great. We ate gross amount of ham from the 2 dinners we attended. Sister Purcell braided my hair in Tahitian braids Christmas eve so I looked like a poodle for presents Christmas morning. We have some INCREDIBLE investigators here. We were able to meet with Xandra and have the best lesson with her. Just as we were at the most spiritual part of the lesson, CHRISTMAS CAROLERS show up to her door from our ward and she was already bawling. So that was great. We love her and are so grateful to be a part of her life! We also saw a couple miracles with some new investigators this week which just increased the importance of really teaching the people and not focusing on just the lessons. I am so grateful for the gift of the spirit and for the ability that Heavenly Father has given us to help each other out in this life. He loves us so much that he allows us to be in each others lives to uplift and love one another. HOW GREAT IS THAT? Sister Purcell and I have been pretty sick but as we've just focused on others and do our best not to sneeze on our investigators things have been going quite alright. I love serving the Lord and I love Walla WAALLLAAA

I love you all and wish you the HAPPIEST HOLIDAYS

Love, 

Sister Madeline Whetten 

Week 29 - Wishing you a wonderful Walla Walla Christmas!

Hi! Not too much to write on this week, Sister Purcell has been sicker than a dog so with all of the snow and freezing rain we've had to spend some quality bonding time inside. Its not so bad when you have an amazing comp!! Its been SO great getting ready for Christmas and sharing the joy of our Savior with everyone we meet. We had some pretty neat experiences with a couple of our investigators this week. We really have been focuisng on teaching to their needs and letting the spirit testify of truth. As we have done that the people we are teaching have opened up so much and the spirit has been able to teach to their needs perfectly  I LOVE THIS GOSPEL. 

This week we had interviews with our mission President. He is such a kind and inspired man! We focused on spreading joy and how charity and love are the most important aspects in the Lord's work. As we strive to be representatives of Christ, the love for those around us will just come with it and then we can all rejoice together! It is such a blessing to be able to share the happiest message EVER with EVERYONE! ❤

I hope you all have seen the new Christmas Video from the Church, A Savior is Born. It has the plain and precious truths about our Savior and truly brings the sweetest spirit for the Christmas season.

I love serving the Lord here in Walla Walla and I hope you all have a MERRY CHRISTMAS 

Love, 

Sister Madeline Whetten

Merry Christmas from Sister Purcell and Sister Whetten

Puppies!!!!

Week 28 - "Hark the Harold Angels Siiiing"

HI! It has been a CRAZY week. It was so full of miracles and happy reunions!  We had our Christmas zone conference and all of my friends were there! It was so much fun and such a tender mercy to be able to see my trainer before she goes home. It was a wonderful devotional and we were really able to get into the spirit of Christmas. 

Last Monday, we received a referral from Salt Lake for a girl named Xandra. We were SO excited so we contacted her as soon as we could Monday night. She immediately invited us back and we were able to have a wonderful discussion with her about how she started believing in God again and where she hopes to be. Heavenly Father is truly blessing our area as we are full of faith and willing to show our love to everyone we meet. Then on Friday, we received two more amazing referrals that both led to return appointments and new investigators! We couldn't even believe it. IT WAS A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE (quote from Mom). Remember how I said Pasco was the promised land? NOPE! Walla Walla totally is. 

Sister Purcell and I had to give a talk on Sunday about giving and receiving the Light of Christ. I chose to highlight the talk "You are my Hands" by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. I learned so much as I studied how we are called to embrace, comfort, serve, and LOVE everyone around us.

      "As we extend our hands and hearts toward others in Christlike love, something wonderful happens to us. Our own spirits become healed, more refined, and stronger. We become happier, more peaceful. and more receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit." 

I can testify that this is true. I have seen wonderful changes in myself and those around me as we have reached out to others with this love. We truly are the hands of the Savior and he needs us to love and care for each other. This is the perfect season to do that :) I know as we serve our brother and sisters with love we will all be blessed together! How great is that? 

I hope you all have an amazing week! 

Love, 

Sister Madeline Whetten 

Sister Purcell and I wish you a Merry Christmas...from the Ward Party!

The whole gang together at Zone Conference

Look who I got to see before she heads home...Sister Williams

Week 27 - Singing in the Rain

Hello from Walla Walla Washington!! 

Transfers are always crazy, crazy, but things are finally starting to settle down a little bit. The city of Walla Walla Washington is right at the bottom of the state next to Oregon. It is an older area with lots of history and TREES. Amazing. I haven't seen trees for 6 months.. hahaha ..ah. It was supposed to be the "New York City of the West" HA.. nope. I love it though. You can tell it is just full of people ready to come unto Christ. The area is full of humble people who are searching for the light and truth of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.  

Sister Purcell and I have been having a blast getting this area going. There is so much potential here and we are full of faith that the Lord will lead and guide us to do His will. We had the most powerful lessons on Wednesday and Thursday that totally set the tone for this transfer. When our transfer van pulled in on Wednesday night we had time to drop off my luggage (my stuff keeps growing it is terrible)...(sister missionaries are the worst) and start walking through the ice storm to a meeting with some new investigators. Their names are Janeth (Yaneth) and Freddie. We went into the lesson not really knowing what to expect but praying for guidance and for the spirit to guide. We ended up having such a powerful lesson with them and they committed to be baptized once they prayed to know if it was true. The spirit was so strong and you could see the light and hope in Janeth's eyes as we talked about eternal families and how she could be with her little family forever. 

On Thursday, we had a lesson with our investigator named Kim. She met us at the church for a tour and it turned into a jam-packed/spirit filled power lesson. She opened up immediately and we were able to testify of the simple truths of Christ's gospel. She too committed to be baptized. The Lord is preparing so many people! We have to be willing to open our mouths and love as he does. 

Sister Purcell and I are having so much fun. We find joy in every day as we invite others to come unto Christ and laugh as the day goes by. I am so excited for this transfer and I know that we will see so many miracles! 

The Christmas season is upon us! YES! We were able to watch the Christmas Devotional last night. It was so uplifting to be reminded of the reason for this wonderful season!

I love my Savior Jesus Christ and I love you all! 

Love, 

Sister Madeline Whetten 

It's raining in Walla!...that never happens.  So naturally, we were singing' in the rain!

We got the Christmas tree and we LOVE it!

Week 26 - Walla Walla...A place so nice, they named it twice!

Hello! 

The last week of the transfer always flies by. We were able to go to the temple on Tuesday then have Thanksgiving on Thursday and now transfers are on Wednesday. WOW. We got the call on Saturday and I am getting transferred to Walla Walla, Washington to be companions with Sister Purcell! I am so excited, but pretty sad to be leaving Pasco so soon. There are so many wonderful people here and I am going to miss them terribly. I am so grateful that I was able to serve here, even if it was just for a little while :)

Thanksgiving was AMAZING. We were invited to eat with the Hissam family who were recently baptized. They are so full of love and light and it couldn't have been a better way to spend the holiday. It was so funny because they are vegans but they knew we were coming so they made this giant (definitely not vegan) delicious thanksgiving. We also ate so much food we couldn't move, so that was great.

With it being Sister Camplese's last week as a missionary we were able to bear our testimonies in sacrament meeting. I love being able to testify of the things that I hold so dear to my heart. I know our Savior lives and that he loves each and every one of us. This is HIS perfect gospel and we are given the opportunity to live it, love it, and share it every single day.

I love all of you so much and hope you have the best holiday season!

Love, 

Sister Madeline Whetten

At the temple with our district

At the temple with Sister Brandy Lynn

Last day with Sister Camplese :(

Week 25 - May the Force be with you...

Hello everybody!!

Pasco is losing its mind. It went from crazy dust storms to crazy snow storms. Tri-cities NEVER gets snow so it's a pretty big deal. Sister Camplese and I had quite the eventful week so I will try to sum it up for ya.

We were able to go to Zone conference which was amazing of course. We focused on truly loving those who we teach and relying on the spirit to teach directly to their needs. It was amazing and I learned so much about our Savior and how he needs us to teach.

One of my investigators from Richland was baptized on Sunday! He is such a cute little kid and he is so smart and full of light. It was such a privilege to be able to teach him and witness him making that covenant with his Heavenly Father. The Lord truly knows and loves each of us individually. Christ's Gospel WORKS and it is PERFECT.

Sister Camplese and I were able to see some wonderful miracles this week. Unfortunately, quite a few of our investigators decided not to meet with us anymore and when that happens you can feel pretty down in the dumps. We knew that we needed to give everything to our Savior and stop trying to figure this out on our own because obviously that doesn't really work. It can be pretty overwhelming to be in a relatively new area and having to start from scratch...again, but the Lord has a plan and he loves us so much that he is going to help us every step of the way. I truly believe that.

So funny story! Its been getting pretty cold here and a member got mad at me for wearing a small coat. She comes back into the room with A GIANT FLOOR LENGTH LEATHER COAT. It is huge and it was so hard not to laugh. When we got back home Sister Camplese and I realized I looked like a Jedi so we proceeded to take a ton of ridiculous pictures.

We were able to have a wonderful lesson this week with our investigator Summer. She is so bright and kind to everyone around her. We originally went to teach her family but she happened to be home and we had a lesson on temples. The spirit was so strong as we promised blessings of eternal families and joy. We know she is building that relationship with her Savior and we are so excited to see her progress.

Well, that's all I've got time for! We get to go to the temple today and I am so excited. I love the gospel and I know it is true. This is Christ's church and he loves us dearly. Have the best week!

Love, 

Sister Madeline Whetten

Max's Baptism

Feeling like a Jedi

Bunny love...and some allergy hives

Going to the temple

Week 24 - Let's harvest this field from sunrise to sunset!

Hola from El Pasco!

It has been such an exciting week up here in WARSHINGTON! (they actually say that it's ridiculous) I swear the weeks just go by faster and faster. The work here in Pasco continues to progress! They call Pasco the promised land for a reason. Besides the GIANT delicious apples that everyone keeps giving us (they are amazing I never want to eat regular apples again) (how do you like dem apples?!) (hahaha) we were able to find eight new investigators this week! 8!!!! The Lord is keeping Sister Camplese and I very busy as he trusts us to further his work. We had some pretty incredible experiences that I will try my best to summarize for you all.

We have this investigator named Debbie. She was raised southern Baptist but has not been active in a church for 40 years. Her daughter and granddaughter were baptized a few years ago and she became fascinated with the church. She is so sweet and loves to take care of missionaries. She invited us over to dinner Saturday night and she made us THANKSGIVING! Oh man. Like a full turkey and everything. It was pretty much amazing. We had such a powerful conversation with her and her husband Monty. Debbie had so many questions that were so perfect for teaching her about the gospel of Jesus Christ. She is so kind and has such a light about her.

We were also able to meet with our investigator Kelsey. She had had some concerns about not fitting in to the church earlier this week and it had stopped her from meeting with her again. On Thursday night we were prompted to just go over to her house unannounced and talk to her. She came out and we were able to talk with her about some concerns she had about mistakes she had made and comfort her with the knowledge of the atonement and acceptance. She thought that everyone who was LDS was perfect....UH NOPE. definitely not! Once we explained that to her you could see the spirit calming her down and reassuring her of the truth and healing of Christ's Atonement. We have such high hopes for her and her family and we know that Heavenly Father truly does know each of his children individually and loves them dearly. He leads and guides us everyday to those who he needs us to serve.

I love you all so much! I love the Gospel and I love it here! have the most wonderful week and keep all of these wonderful people in your prayers!             2 Nephi 31: 20

 

Love, 

Sister Madeline Whetten

Sunrise over the Columbia River

Sunset over the Columbia River

Sister Camplese and I with are car "Tiffany"

Week 23 - These boots are made for walking .... in Pasco

Hey! how is it going? What a wonderful crazy week it has been! Sister Camplese and I have been so lucky to see such great things happening here in Pasco.

The work has been a bit slow in this ward for the past couple of years so it is taking a little time to get the ball rolling. We are trusting in the Lords perfect timing as we go out each day to serve to the best of our abilities.

It is getting pretty cold here and we look helpless standing on peoples porches in the freezing rain. Luckily, the holiday season is upon us and people are relatively compassionate to two shivering sister missionaries.

We have been able to meet with a recently baptized family in our ward. They are incredible and we have loved getting to know them. The husband was able to bless the sacrament this week and it was truly wonderful to see him progress and to watch their family grow together. It gives us hope to see how much the Gospel truly does bless families.

I am totally out of time today, so sorry... BUT here is a wonderful scripture I came across this morning:

 

2 Nephi 8:12

"I am he; yea I am he that comforteth you."

Trust in the Lord and lean on him for comfort for he truly knows and loves you.

Have the most amazing week! love you all!

Love, 

Sister Madeline Whetten

Week 22 - Chronicles of Pasco

Hello Family!

It's like this week didn't even happen, I swear. Time flies when you are doing something every second of the day! Sister Camplese and I had a great week as we explored some more of our area and were able to do a lot of service for people that we met! Also, we saw a house with a giant Aslan statue and a lamp post so basically Pasco=Narnia.

There was one family in particular who we have been teaching. We helped them move on Halloween in skirts during a rain/wind storm out of their apartment! (you can laugh it was funny to watch) They lived above the other sisters in our apartment complex for a while so they were familiar with us and what we do. We were able to teach them for about a week but unfortunately they moved out of our ward but not before we were able to have and amazing lesson with Jacob and Kelsey who are 12 and 16. The spirit was so powerful as we testified of Joseph Smith and Christ's love for them. They committed to be baptized and we know they are in good hands with the elders in their new ward.

Halloween as a missionary isn't so hot, but Sister Camplese and I celebrated by stuffing our faces with enchiladas at a Mexican food restaurant in our coordinating Halloween color outfits. :D

There are so many miracles that our Father in Heaven blesses us with every day. We just have to remember to look for them. As we ponder the blessings we receive we are filled with gratitude for the love and kindness that he freely gives us! When we realize this, our desire to serve those around us just GROWS.

Yesterday we were able to bear our testimonies to our new ward in fast and testimony meeting. The love that we already have for the members of this ward is incredible and they are willing to get the work moving in their area.

Another neat experience we had this week was at the home of a less active sister named Gayle. We have been visiting her and her nephew Nick who lives there with them. Last week we were able to give him a Book of Mormon and a chapter to read. When we met with him again he had read the chapter and felt so comforted by its words. Gayle has been able to participate in the discussions and you can see her light grow as she testifies of what she still knows to be true.

WELL, it was a great week for sure. Sister Camplese and I feel all of your love and support here in Pasco! Have the best week!

Love, 

Sister Madeline Whetten  

Week 21 - "Went down to the River to Pray..."

HELLO FROM PASCO!

How are you all doing? We have had the craziest week and I am so excited to tell you all about it.

Our area is so beautiful. We cover a bunch of farmland with lovely houses right next to the Colombia river. GORGEOUS! Especially, when the sun rises and sets! Oh man, it is incredible! I already love the people so much and we are excited to see the growth that will take place in the Pasco 8th ward.

My companion is Sister Camplese! She is the sweetest most loving/hilarious person and we are the tall, blonde (fake blonde) dream team! We are so excited to work together and really get the work moving here.

Sister Camplese and I were doubled in, so there wasn't a whole lot to go off of when we got here! AH! its ok. It has really taught us about patience and faith. We know that it may take some time to get things started but we have absolute confidence in the work of the Lord and the miracles it brings.

Ok, I am running out of time, but we had the best experience...

We were talking to people in our apartment complex and we saw a man moving some heavy mattresses into his apartment. We offered our help and we awkwardly carried this giant memory foam mattress up the stairs. We were able to meet him and his wife and they are interested in meeting with us! It was so incredible to see how loving and willing people are to learn!

I love serving here in Pasco and I am so grateful for all of your prayers and support!

have the best week!

Love, 

Sister Madeline Whetten

Week 20 - Viva El Pasco

Hello everyone! It was such a wonderful week and I am so excited to tell you all about it! 

We will start off with transfer calls that came Saturday night!

 BIG CHANGES. I am getting doubled out of Duportail (Sister Hansen leaves today *sniffle*) and ELDERS are coming in! I get to be doubled in to Pasco 8th ward with Sister Campleese! She seems so sweet and I am very excited! So lots of changes! The women in the ward were sad to see the sisters leave again but I know its how the Lord needs to further the work here in Richland! I am going to miss it here though. SO many people that I love and cherish are here and I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have had to be here. The love that I have for the Lord and His gospel has only increased as He has allowed me to serve some of his precious people. 

We have a new investigator! His name is Ben and he is incredible. We had the most powerful lesson with him the other day and he is on track to be baptized in the beginning of November! We are so excited for him. I love the light that is able to enter into their lives as they receive the message of Christ's restored gospel. I was reading In Ether 6 and I came across a scripture that perfectly describes what the light of Christ means to us. 

  "And thus the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness."

He has not left us alone to wander through life. He has given us light, His light to guide us and give us hope. 

We had the coolest experience on Saturday! We were walking home from dinner and we walked right up to a lady crossing the parking lot. She immediately asked us if we were the ones with little black tags. It turns out she had just been having an upsetting conversation with someone over the phone and had been comforted by a member of the church. He looked up our number, gave her the address to the church and left. As soon as she got up to go home we came walking up, not even realizing we had been placed in her path as an answer to prayers. 

The Lord is always there to comfort and guide us with his light. I love this gospel and I LOVE WASHINGTON. Adventure awaits in PASCO! WAHOO!

Love you all! 

Sister Madeline Whetten

Week 19 - Beastie at the baptism!

WOW! It has been quite the week!

 We had our mission tour and had the opportunity to be visited by  Elder Daniel L Johnson and his wife Leanne. It was such a tender mercy because I knew them when I was little and they are close with my parents and grandparents! Of course I was crying! It is so nice to see a familiar face even if it is a blast from the past. Elder Johnson was so inspired as he talked to us about Heavenly Father and our relationship to Him. He really opened our eyes to the importance of teaching that God is our Loving Heavenly Father, He is really there for us, He truly has a body of flesh and bone, we are His children, He knows us and He loves us perfectly. If there is anything He wants you to know above all other things- He wants you to know him. He then challenged us to pray and humbly ask these questions to our Heavenly Father so we can testify with conviction of their truth. WOW. I can testify that Heavenly Father is there for us. He loves us and he knows us. I know I am His daughter and that he cares for ALL of His children. That is why I am here. People need to know this wonderful relationship we have with our Almighty God. It's truly incredible. I challenge you all to do the same thing in your prayers. I promise you will strengthen your testimony and receive an answer :)

Other than being SO spiritually fed at Zone Conference we had some awesome things happen this week. Well, awesome on top of being sick.. ha,ha. Sister Hansen caught the bug after not being sick her ENTIRE mission! Oops! It allowed for some sick comp bonding time while we were quarantined in our apartment. 

We were able to meet a couple new investigators this week! One is a lady named Sarah. We met her and her husband outside late last week and we stopped in again on Wednesday! Her husband is less active and she has been curious about the church for a while. We had a lesson with her and she is just incredible. SO prepared! It is so great to get to know these people and feel such a love for them and a desire for them to come unto Christ and receive the blessing of an Eternal Family.

OK Story time.

Taking Beastie to the baptism

So there was a baptismal service being held on Saturday and we thought it would be a good idea for Rebecca to come and see what her baptism (hopefully in December) is going to be like! Everything is all good to go and then we get a frantic call from her saying she has to watch this puppy and she can't leave him home alone. Naturally, Sister Hansen and I book it over to her house (running in a pencil skirt is awful) and cart her and the dog (named Beastie) to the church just in time for Rebecca to see the service and for us to wait outside with a teething puppy. So Beastie went to a baptism! SO FUNNY 

I love Washington, I love the Lord and I love His Gospel! 

I hope you all have the best week! 

Love, 

Sister Madeline Whetten 

At the doctors...again

Me and Sister Satele (from New Zealand) carving her first pumpkin. She is so hilarious!

Week 18 - "Night Fever Night Fevveeer"

HELLO family and friends!

WOW
It was a busy busy week full of ups and downs as usual! But mostly ups of course.

General Conference was this week! We are so loved by our Heavenly Father that he calls prophets and apostles to lead and guide us today! It's wonderful and this weekend was so inspired and uplifting. Each talk was unique and powerful and directly from our Heavenly Father. I LOVED IT. But, the best part is is that the incredible people that we teach loved it as well.

Oh yeah, I had some fevers this week but no biggie, the Lord blessed me with strength and it made for a fun title. 

We had some great lessons this week that were so powerful! It is such a privilege to see people grow in the gospel. We are all working together and lifting each other up. Obviously I just want to talk about how great conference was and that was probably the most exciting part of the week!

One talk in particular that stood out to me was by Elder Montoya. He stressed 4 main ways that we can be happy and strive to be better followers of Christ 

1. Attend the temple regularly

2. SMILE 

3. Express feelings of compassion to others

4.meditate on the atonement and take the sacrament 

I know that as we help each other out and truly serve out of love for the Savior and others we can experience the full blessings of the atonement and lift one another up along the way.

 The work is steadily growing and it is so exciting to be a part of it! Our investigators are doing great and we feel your love and support here in Washington! Sorry for the short update :)

Have the most wonderful week! 

Love, 

Sister Madeline Whetten

 

Some random lady gave us purple flowers and a hug while we were walking down the street. Such a tender mercy from our Heavenly Father :)

Week 17 - Bawling like a baby in Duportail

Hello!

Well, this week was just fabulous. We were able to meet with some great people and listen to the Women's Broadcast! Overall just an awesome time. Oh, I also gave a talk which scared the living daylights out of me (which you would think wouldn't happen because I bear my whole soul to people I don't even know on the street everyday but whatever) it went alright and I hope I was able to say the things Heavenly Father needed me to say! 

I spoke on the talk given by Mervyn B. Arnold titled "What have you done with my name?" If you haven't had the chance to read it...go read it! It's amazing. So straightforward and uplifting. I was given the privilege to talk about how we can magnify our names as followers of Christ. Stumbling through those 12 minutes I was able to talk about how as we keep those promises we made when we were baptized, rely on the atonement, and genuinely love and serve others, we can worthily bear the name of our loving Savior. 

"Before you act, picture the Savior standing at your side and ask yourself, "would I think it, would I say it, or would I do it knowing He is there?" for surely He is there."

Isn't that powerful? Although the act of speaking in front of a large congregation is definitely not my favorite, I am grateful for the opportunity to study and allow my testimony to grow so I can better serve these AWESOME people here in Washington.

We had some miracles this week! As usual....just kidding! But really, some really great things happened. Here's the low down:

We were able to meet with Rosalinda again and she is so sweet. So full of light and love for the Savior. We hadnt been able to see her all week and then all of a sudden we see her 3 times in 1 day! Crazy!

We have a new investigator this week! His name is Manuel!

He is hilarious and so straight up about everything. the thing that gets him so pumped is the priesthood! he's always saying "this makes so much sense!" and we are all "YEAH it does!!!" Awesome.

We had the privilege of watching the Women's broadcast this week. Of course I bawled like the entire time which is embarrassing yes but it was incredible so, I don't feel too bad about it. 

Learning so much about our divine nature, virtue, being an example, and having faith and hope just makes me cry I guess! It was amazing and I am so excited for conference this weekend! 

I hope your week was wonderful! Love you all!

Love, 

Sister Madeline Whetten

Sister Alley and me on exchanges

Me and Sister Hansen having a good o'le time in our new apartment!

Week 16 - The PUGHUAHUA

Hello! How is everyone doing this week? Things up here in lovely Richland are going great. The work here is BOMB. Which is so fitting because the high school mascot here is the Richland Bomber. ha. ha. ha. :D

Sister Hansen and I had a great week searching for incredible people to share the Gospel with and WE FOUND SOME! Wow. 

Each day this week we were able to find someone new to teach because we were bold and able to talk with everyone we met! What a blessing it was to see the light of Christ in each person we were able to talk to. 

We had a really neat experience with a new family we are teaching this week! We were walking home and we talked to this guy sitting in front of his house. As we talked, we found out that he was not interested in learning more but he knew that his Uncle's family had been meeting with missionaries for a while. When we came back to follow up with that family we were warmly greeted and invited in. It turns out they had been meeting with missionaries for a very long time, read the Book of Mormon, attend church, and already know that this is Christs complete gospel!!!!! It was such a miracle! We are so excited to get to know their family and continuing to teach them. 

ALSO...

We were on our way to try by a potential investigator on Wednesday night and we saw a lady on her porch watching her little girl run around outside. We stopped and said hello and the little girl ran up to us and hugged on to our legs and wouldn't let us go. AH It was the sweetest thing! definitely a tender mercy. The mom thought it was so funny and we ended up having a discussion with her about the Book of Mormon. You could see the light in her eyes as we explained what it was about and how it would bless her family. She got very excited and invited us to come back but before we left she showed us her little rat dog thing. I guess its called a pughuahua which is a pug chihuahua mix. on top of that it was the runt of the litter so it is extra tiny and weird looking. The little daughter named it little rat and after I stopped dying of laughter I took a picture.

This morning I was able to study patience which is the ability to do God's will and accept this timing. Calmly and hopefully. I don't know why I never really realized that before...could've saved me a LOT of trouble haha but hey. That's life. Anyway as I was studying in Mosiah 24 I realized something amazing. If we rely on the Lord in all things he will visit us in our afflictions and if we are patient with them he will make our burdens light and bless us for our faith and hope. We will then be delivered form bondage, whatever that may be. WOW. 

I know that through the grace and mercy of our Savior Jesus Christ we can be healed and rescued. Sharing this with others has changed everything and is teaching me more and more about the attributes of our Savior. Especially patience.

I love you all dearly and hope you have the best week!

Love, 

Sister Madeline Whetten

Pictures:

THE PUGHUAHUA

Me and the wonderful Sister Hansen locked outside of the apartment :)

Week 15 - Street Tacos and an Indian Summer

Hello! 

It has been the longest and fastest week of my life I swear. We had transfers which are always busy but they bring so many blessings! My new companion is Sister Hansen! She is so wise and experienced and she is teaching me SO MUCH about how to be fearless with talking to people and getting as much done as we possibly can in our days. 

Washington is having a hard time making up its mind whether or not it is fall or summer and we had a crazy hot week that left us back out in 98 degrees sweating up a storm. It's ok though because we had SO MANY MIRACLES!!!

We were able to meet some great people this week who are so ready to increase their faith in Jesus Christ. The best part is that we are able to meet them as we are walking to and from our already scheduled appointments! The Lord is placing people in our paths everyday and he needs us to reach out to them! Its amazing what happens when we step outside of our own little worlds for a moment and serve those who have been placed in our paths. It brings me so much joy to see the light that the Gospel brings into the lives of those we contact and teach. Even if they aren't totally ready to hear the message at that time you know that their hearts were touched. 

ALSO REBECCA IS GETTING BAPTIZED IN OCTOBER AND WE ARE SO EXCITED AND SHE IS AMAZING.

OH MAN 

We have this lady in our ward who is the best example of "every member a missionary". She lives in a house full of people. Some are members and some aren't. But every Sunday she is able to come to church she brings EVERYONE SHE KNOWS. EVERYONE!!!! They take up like 2 rows. It is so amazing. When we asked her about it she simply stated that she knows its true and knows its good so why wouldn't she bring those that she loves to something that is good and true. MIND BLOWN. Also she fed us the best tacos I've had in months and I almost cried because they were so good. 

So the takeaways from this week other than 5 pounds of gained taco weight and more crazy sweaty door approaches are:

1. Sister Hansen is a rockstar 

2. Rebecca is a rockstar

3. WE are all missionaries as followers of Christ 

4. There are always people around you who need to see your light and hear about the Gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ 

I love you all so much and hope you have the greatest week! 

pray for all of us here in l'il ol'e duportail 

Love, 

Sister Madeline Whetten 

Week 14 - Last Man Standing

Hello!!

This week was great! We didn't have anything super exciting happen besides transfer calls. Sister Williams and I will have to say goodbye as she heads off to Kennewick while I stay here in Richland! It's sad but I know we both have some great times ahead of us! we had a great week being able to meet some new people and continuing to teach our investigators. We love them SO MUCH! 

We were able to meet with Aurora and Vanessa this week and spend some time talking about enduring with a hopeful heart and trusting in our Heavenly Father. Vanessa is doing so great and you can see the light in her eyes as a new member of the church. We know Aurora will follow soon as she continues to progress and grow. WE LOVE THEM SO MUCH

This week we learned a lot about patience. Many of our appointments were cancelled and it is disappointing when you aren't able to meet. We were able to stay positive and trust in Heavenly Father and his timing. I learned that patience is directly related to hope and faith. To have patience you need to humble yourself and trust in your Savior. 

All in all it was a great week and I am excited to see what this transfer has in store! I love you all so much and look forward to hearing from all of you :) 

Love, 

Sister Madeline Whetten 

*Also S/O to Kristina and Chaz for getting married I love you both*

*another to Jacob who turned 9 on sunday! WOOO!*

Below is a departing picture of Sister Williams and I 

disclaimer: I am actually on the right and she is on the left OOPS 

Week 13 - Bowling, Banana bread, and Baptisms

Hello! 

another crazy week here in lovely richland. We have had some wild wind storms that have actually made it cooler! Yes! It got rid of the nasty smoke from the fires though, so we don't smell like chimneys anymore. Walking home for an hour when it is dark and cold had sure been interesting though...lots of adventures with flashlights. :) 

We were able to go bowling for a P-Day activity last monday! It was so much fun to spend some time showing off our horrible bowling skills and laughing (of course).  One of the sisters who lives in our apartment bakes when she gets stressed out so this week we were blessed with the most BEAUTIFUL BANANA BREAD I HAVE EVER SEEN. She's great and we are glad she can relieve her stress in such a tasty way. 

WE HAD A WEEK FULL OF MIRACLES! 

it is incredible to see how the Lord uses his missionaries to do his work. It is so important to study, plan, and pray everyday so he can guide us to those who are ready to listen! We were able to meet some amazing people this week who are willing to take time out of their day and have us come back to teach. We were out on thursday night trying potential investigators that we had found in the area book. We planned to go see this man named Robert but when we knocked on the door we found out he didn't live there anymore. A woman answered the door instead and we ended up talking to her for a while. She explained how she had met with missionaries before but they had moved and lost touch with them. She was so excited that we found her and invited us to come back. It was the most amazing thing!! By following the spirit and planning we were able to find someone who is ready to follow Jesus Christ. I LOVE IT OUT HERE ...AH!

We also met tons of new people to teach and we are so excited to get to know them and serve their families in every way that we can.

We had so many people at church this week! We have had a hard time lately getting people there on Sunday morning so when most of the families walked in Sister Williams and I almost started crying we were so happy! Needless to say, it was a wonderful week as usual. Alma 29:9-10 How great is my joy! 

I love you all and hope you have the best week!!

Love, 

Sister Madeline Whetten 

ps. please excuse my baggy pants... :)

 

Week 12 - We had a baptism on Saturday!

Hello everyone! IT WAS A CRAZY WEEK. WOW. There is so much to say and so little time. AH ...First off, we are safe from the fires here in Richland, but our prayers are going out to all that are affected. Besides horrible air quality we are doing alright and praying for rain here in Washington. We started this week off with Zone conference which was awesome. We got to see people we hadn't seen in a while and learn all about how to become better disciples of Christ. A big focus was charity and it was so great to learn more about how we can have that change of heart! Moroni 7:45-48

WE HAD A BAPTISM ON SATURDAY! Our investigator Makiya got baptized! She is such a strong little girl and we love her dearly. She has taught us so much about being kind and pushing through hard things. I am so grateful for the opportunity we have had to teach her and I know that meeting her was just another wonderful blessing from serving here! 

About those tamales from last week...I ate them all and they were delicious and Im pretty sure i gained 10 pounds but it was WORTH IT

OH MY GOODNESS REBECCA COMMITTED TO BE BAPTIZED!!! she has been meeting with missionaries on and off for 17 years!!! We had a great lesson with her on wednesday where we read Mosiah 18 and just talked about what it meant. The spirit was so strong and we knew she could feel it too. She finished reading verse 10 and she looked up at us and goes "ladies I know I need to be baptized" oh man. It was so incredible. we love her so much and are so excited that she has chosen to come closer to her Savior by being baptized. This gospel is true and the work is grrrrreat!! 

Living with the other sisters is a blast. We love each other so much and can just crack each other up.  It is the BEST. You know me I love to laugh super loud so we are probably upsetting the neighbors. oohhh well. Having fun and working hard.

I love you all and hope you have the best week! 

Love, 

Sister Madeline Whetten