Week 43 - "With courage bold, let us stand"

Hello! This week was pretty normal as far as normal goes out here. Sister Quiroz and I are still going out there and trying our best to aid in bringing souls to Christ. I'm sure I've scared her by now with how much I enjoy driving crazy down the dirt back roads. 

We were able to meet with some of our new investigators this week! Fernando and his children had met with the elders before but they were never able to catch him with his crazy schedule. Leave it to sisters and intense finding skills to track him down and continue meeting with him. He has such a desire to do what is right for not only himself but for his children. He can tell that there is something missing in their lives and we have been allowing him to feel the spirit testify to him of the truthfulness of Christ's gospel. It has been such a pleasure to work with their family and serve them.  

We have also been working with quite a few less-active families. We were ecstatic when a few of them showed up for church on Sunday! Sister Quiroz and I had the opportunity to give talks and the spirit was strong as we testified of Christ and His atonement. It was hilarious because the lady who spoke before me is like 5 foot 1 and they neglected to raise the podium after she was done (face palm) So there I was! Giant Sister Whetten having to lean over the podium to give my talk. If you can picture it, it was quite funny.  

The highlight of the week was the Women's Broadcast! It was so powerful as the speakers testified about charity and serving our brothers and sisters in Christlike love. It was a call for all of us to stand together and uplift one another. I am so grateful for the opportunity we have to serve and love one another. It is truly what makes us happy. I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week! 

Love, 

Sister Madeline Whetten 

The Whetten Boys loved seeing this picture!

Week 42 - Temples and Chickens

Hello everyone!!! Sorry I don't have very much time to write today! WE had the opportunity to go to the temple again and these days are always crazy trying to get everything done. It was so wonderful to be there and serve my brothers and sisters. I know our Father in Heaven has a plan for each of us and he loves us enough to allow us to go to the temple to continue to learn and serve those around us. 

We had a great week here in the Meadows ward. Things have pretty much been progressing as usual. Hermana Quiroz was sick this week so it turned out to be pretty mellow. But OH my goodness. Everyone here has like a million chickens and they just let them roam free. Well those stinkin chickens have started to chase us. Have you ever been chased by a chicken? It is frightening and disorienting. Oh well. I'll get chased by chickens in exchange for serving the Lord. 

We have had such a great time getting to know the people here and serving them with our whole hearts. There is one family in particular that we just love. The Serta family. They are so kind and you can tell they want to change their lives so badly. They are beginning to really see how the only way to lasting happiness is through the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the way to everlasting life. We can be with the ones we love forever through Him.

I LOVE you all and hope you have a wonderful week!

Love, Sister Madeline Whetten

 

Sis Quiroz and I failing at taking pictures at the temple this morning

Picture of Me, Sis Quiroz and the ninas

Week 41 - "On the road again..."

Hello! It has been a super fun week. Hermana Quiroz and I are super busy which is such a blessing. We have really been striving to work through the members  and serve them in any way that we can. I know that as we serve our brothers and sisters that Christlike love grows immensely and missionary work moves a lot smoother. 

We spend a pretty good chunk of time in the car every day moving between our little towns that we work. Everyone is so spread out! We feel like we need to be in a million places at once. But lucky for us the Lord works with little imperfect people to make great things come to pass. Great things like finding two new investigators this week!! Charity (perfect name huh?) and Trey! We had such a great lesson with them that was full of questions guided by the spirit. I know that as they continue to read and pray they will receive their answers and know of the truthfulness of this Gospel. The awesome part is Trey works with an LDS man from Pendleton who has been talking to him about the gospel for a while now! By reaching out to someone he works with, he was able to prepare Trey's heart to begin receiving the gospel. Pretty cool huh? 

MEMBER MISSIONARY WORK IS SO IMPORTANT. It is key. As followers of Christ we make a promise when we are baptized to always serve him and be an example to others. That includes sharing the gospel with those in our lives.  We are so blessed to know what we know and as we reach out to those around us, our love for our Savior and others will increase. 

We are having so much fun here! Just trying to make the most out of our days and enjoying the ride. Literally. Because we spend so much time driving :) I love you all and am so grateful for your love and support!

Love, 

Sister Madeline Whetten

*Also If you are wondering if Hermana Quiroz and I have found the best tacos in town the answer is of course we have. Ruty's. I highly recommend it.* :)

Our District 

Best Tacos

Week 40 - Dirt roads and dusty car

Hola from Hermiston Oregon where the population is mostly Hispanic and the roads are rarely paved. I LOVE IT!!  Hermana Quiroz and I are having a blast getting to know the area and the members. Besides getting lost all the time, we have been able to really connect with the people here and love them. Unfortunately, a GPS probably wouldn't be any help. Half of the roads aren't even on the map, so it's been a lot of praying and a lot of fun unexpected road trips! 

We are working with some wonderful people. One of them is Kayla. Kayla was supposed to be baptized about a month ago but some stuff went down and unfortunately, the baptism wasn't able to happen and the elders lost contact with the family. We felt prompted to go and visit them and she was happy to visit with us and open up about what has been going on. It is incredible to see how people from such humble circumstances can be happy with the smallest things as they fully put their trust in the Lord. She was able to come to church on Sunday for the first time in a while. The spirit was so strong and we know it was exactly what she needed. 

There are a ton of less active members and part member families here so we definitely have a lot of work to do. The ward keeps us busy with tons of referrals for potential families and it has been so fun going on adventures to try and find them all. Hermana Quiroz is such a blessing and it has been a joy to work with her. 

Last night we had the unique experience to speak to the youth at a stake mission prep class. They asked us to share what we did to prepare. Rather than listing off all of the things I didn't do ( it was quite long) the spirit prompted me that I should share my experiences with prayer. I was able to testify of the power of prayer and building that relationship with our Father in Heaven. It was a blessing to be able to share why I was out and reaffirm my testimony. The Lord knew I needed that strength from sharing and the powerful witness from the spirit that what I was doing is right. I love you all and hope you have the BEST week!

Love, 
Sister Madeline Whetten 

Week 39 - Herm-town Oregon (aka I got transferred to Hermiston)

Hello! Boy it has been the most insane week. Transfer calls came last Monday and I am now serving in Hermiston, Oregon with Hermana Quiroz (ANOTHER Spanish speaking sister. I think Heavenly Father is trying to tell me something.) I will miss Walla Walla! It was such a wonderful place to be and full of amazing people. It won't be long until I am back there visiting I'm sure. My new comp is the best. She is from Alan,Texas but grew up in Mexico city so she finds it hilarious that I know all the Chilanga slang. 

Hermiston is a little town just across the boarder of Washington on the way to Portland. Part of our area includes Echo, Oregon and Stanfield, Oregon. Echo is actually part of the Oregon trail so they built a little dinky town in the middle of nowhere. I love it! Fun Fact: Hermiston is known for their watermelons, so I'll have to let you all know how they are. Being doubled in to an elder area is always fun. Especially when they haven't had sisters in a while. Our dinner calendar got filled up in two seconds! 

As soon as we got here miracles started happening. We pull up and one of the zone leaders comes up and asks me if I remembered a girl we taught in Pasco named Kelsey. Inside I was freaking out because OF COURSE I remember Kelsey! She was the sweetest lady and as soon as we met her we knew that she would accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, she was having marital problems at that time and her husband was not allowing her to meet with us anymore. It was heartbreaking but we knew that she was safe in the Lord's hands. Fast forward to now: three months later she is getting baptized in Hermiston Oregon and she asks me to give a talk at her baptism on Saturday. Talk about an emotional reunion. The baptism was incredible and I am so grateful the Lord allowed me to be a part of her life. She is so full of light and I know she will be such a blessing to her family and all those around her. I'll have to admit I did get a bit emotional during the talk but so did she so I don't feel so bad. It is incredible how PERFECT the Lord's timing is and how He cares enough to transfer me all the way to Oregon to get to witness Kelsey making such a sacred promise with her Heavenly Father. 

Hermana Quiroz and I are so excited to be here and are ready for all of the adventures the Lord has in store for us! I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love, 
Sister Madeline Whetten 

Kelsey's Baptism

Hermana Quiroz and Me

Week 38 - Walla Influenza

Hello! 

Apparently, my emails from last week didn't send so that's a bummer! Oh well! If you missed it, the Hawkins family got baptized last week and were able to be confirmed this Sunday at church. They are incredible and I am so grateful for the opportunity Heavenly Father has given me to meet them. They have blessed my life in so many ways just like they bless the lives of countless others. I know that our Heavenly Father has a wonderful plan for them, just as he does for all of His children. 

We are so excited for our investigator Candace! She is preparing to be baptized on March 12 and we are just amazed at how fast her testimony has grown! After she read and prayed with real intent, she was able to receive a witness of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. It has been wonderful to see her light grow. Being a servant of the Lord is the most rewarding work. AND IT MAKES YOU HAPPY. We love Candace and we are so excited for her! keep her in your prayers! 

EVERYONE in Walla Walla has the flu. Like everyone. And my comp is afraid of getting sick (bad news for her I get sick every transfer) so we've had to hi-tail it out of quite a few funny situations. All in all it was a wonderful week as usual (except for the looming transfer calls that are supposed to come late tonight). 

I hope you all had a great week! Love you! 

Love, 

Sister Madeline Whetten 

Bishop and Sister Grandstaff

Week 37 - Valentine's Day and a Baptism

Hello! 

This week was just short of the best week ever and lucky you get to hear all about it! first off...Happy Valentines day! We celebrated by eating lots of chocolate and I wore some pink socks. BUT most importantly our investigators Jeaniene and Candace came to church. It was a special North Western broadcast and it was exactly what everyone needed to hear. One of the talks focused on how Christ is always telling us to "Fear not" and "Be not afraid". It brought so much comfort to hear those words again and understand that as we stick with Christ we have no need to fear. I think everyone in that congregation felt that burden of fear lifted from their shoulders as we took comfort in the words of the Savior. 


THE HAWKINS FAMILY GOT BAPTIZED THIS WEEK!!!!!
It was the most incredible experience to watch this wonderful family make this sacred promise to our Heavenly Father. They were just beaming as they stepped into the water. You can tell they know without a doubt that Jesus Christ is their Savior and that they are willing to take His name upon them. I am eternally grateful to have been there to witness this family come unto Christ and to feel the love that our Father in Heaven has for them and all of His children.

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!!

Love,
Sister Madeline Whetten