after opening all my gifts Christmas morning
With Brad after his temple session
Sister Maness and I singing "Silent Night"
Monday, December 30, 2013
Letter #40 12/30/13
Well, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! I really enjoyed talking with my family. So good to hear their voices :)
Christmas Eve we got to spend with some members. We went with the Atwoods over to the Wambolt's (a part-member family) and had a feast of a dinner! It was so fun to be around all these families and join in their family traditions. At the end, Sister Maness and I harmonized in Silent Night a Capella. There was a wonderful spirit in the room. Christmas, we went to about 5 families homes throughout the day, from breakfast to dinner. My favorite though was at the Moomey's. They had invited a mother and son who are refugees from the Congo. They are so sweet and it was very touching to listen to the mom share all that she's been through. She had never heard of our church and shared that she had gone to the Jehovah Witness church back in the Congo. The Moomey's are actually from the Bay Area and had a picture of the Oakland temple so I shared that with her and talked to her about temples. She asked if there was any in Africa and I told her how they had actually just announced one being built in the Congo! She seemed excited. We had a wonderful dinner and got to share with them American traditions. The next day, we got a call from Brother Moomey saying she wanted to have the missionaries come by. Although they are not in our area, I was so happy to hear that wanted to learn more! You never know the impact of what you say can have on others! Don't be afraid to open your mouth.
The day after Christmas a special day for me as well. We got to go with Kelley Bartholomew's husband, Brad, to the Boise temple as he received his endowments. Normally we can only go to those that we taught and were baptized, but our mission president knew how much we had worked with him too to help him get back into church. It reminded me a lot of when I first went to the temple and was truly a miracle day. His sister even shared that she never thought she'd see her brother in the temple. You just never know. We can't give up on those we love. Sister Archuleta got to come up too and so it was a fun little reunion. I am looking forward to going to Brad and Kelly's sealing in the Salt Lake temple next October! This is what the work is about. Bringing families to the temple!
I am so grateful for the gospel and I am grateful for the things I learn. As I prepare for the new year, I have been thinking about goals and what this life is all about. In Alma 34:32-33, we read about how this is our "time to prepare to meet God" and that we should "not procrastinate the day of our repentance". This truly is our time to prepare. Something that Sister Maness and I are working on, is setting a new years goal to better prepare ourselves spiritually. Whether it's having more personal prayers, studying your scriptures more diligently, attending the temple more often, or simply giving religion a shot and attending church more or for the first time. It is so important that we learn about our Heavenly Father and our Brother Jesus Christ and strengthen our relationship with them now. There is a quote that "the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, and the second best time is now"! Don't feel like it's too late to start or do better. The better time is now. A man shared about how he's been training to run a marathon for about 4 years and still has yet to even sign up for one. Although he knows he has failed on his goal of doing the marathon, he knows he has not failed completely because he still trains and so he has gotten faster every year and is still more prepared than the year before. Stay positive and know that even if you don't "succeed" this year, you are still better off than not having trying at all! Isn't that true in life every day?? I love that. We are not perfect and yet we can try every day to achieve that perfection. Think about what you'd like to improve or start on this year.
I love you all and hope you have an amazing and safe New Years!
Love,
Sister Wightman
photos 12/23/13
Sister Maness, Bethany and I playing out in the snow
At Miary's baptism with Sister Maness and Miary's son-in-law
Letter #39 12/23/13
Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you are all having a wonderful time with the festivities of the season and actually enjoying it :)
This week has been fun. Monday night, we went with a family (the Atwood's) caroling to some non-members and less-actives. Sister Atwood had made some treats and it was so fun to see these families faces light up as we sang Christmas music. It was pretty fun having little kids around with us too. Adds to the spirit ;)
We had a wonderful lesson with Mary Jo on Tuesday. The last couple of visits, we've had were definitely inspired. Both times, Sister Maness and I went in with a lesson plan on what we thought we could teach her, but as we sat down with Mary Jo and just listened to her and questions or comments she's had, we were guided by the Spirit to go in a different direction. One week we just simply read from the Book of Mormon with her and helped her how to relate the scriptures to her instead of just "reading". The next time, she said that really helped and has progressed her reading and understanding immensely. We felt prompted then to teach about prayer instead of doing more reading with her. It was definitely inspired as she shared how it was a struggle for her. Growing up Episcopalian, she already had prayer in her life, but feeling comfortable to do it out loud and with us is not in her comfort zone. She asked us to give her some goals and challenges (commitments) and so it was perfect that we could help her understand prayer and prepare herself to pray at the end of our next lesson. She came to church on Sunday, as she normally does, but even stayed for Gospel Principles and loved it! I think she is feeling more and more prepared and comfortable in her understanding of the gospel.
Thursday, we had our Mission Christmas Devotional at the mission office. It was so much fun! We started off by watching "Ephraim's Rescue" which was a real treat since the only movies we're allowed to watch on the mission are ones the "church stamp" on it and that one doesn't (though it should haha). It was so good! Definitely teared up a lot. We then had a little talent show. I accompanied 2 sisters in some musical numbers (my companion and another sister). They sang an arrangement of "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" (efy version) and Sister Maness sang "Mary Did You Know". I set her up to that, but she has such a good voice, I told her she HAD to do it! Haha. I think she's looking for ways to get back at me. The other day she suggested to a girl that I could interpretive dance for her. Don't know where that one came from hahaha. I also accompanied our whole zone in "O Holy Night". It wasn't too bad. Haha. We then were spoiled with a feast of a roast and potatoes (of course), yummy salads and lots of desserts. It was a lot of fun. We ended with some words by our mission president and some gifts. One of them being a copy of the Book of Mormon and some marking pencils in which by May 2014 we are to finish and having different colored markings for the topics of "faith", "repentance", "baptism", "holy ghost" and "enduring to the end". I think that will be a neat study, just focusing on those principles and ordinances. I also took home lots of packages and letters, so thank you everyone for your Christmas love :)
Friday, it snowed. And I mean SNOWED. Around 3:30pm we were visiting wiht Kelley Bartholomew and she was telling us how it's supposed to snow between 5-11pm. Kid you not, 20 minutes later, we look outside and it is just a downpour of snow! We're all from California, so we ran out and took pictures. I'm sure people thought we looked silly. But hey, this is still kinda new/fun for us. We still went caroling with a couple that night and I think the snow helped because more people were home ;)
Saturday was Miary's baptism! It was beautiful. I was a little stressed as things were running a bit late (not in my control). One thing I am learning is how to be more patient and that I would be AWFUL as an event planner. When things don't go as planned, I get a little frenzied haha. BUT I continued to remind myself that it always works out, and it did. We had a great turnout, the entire Relief Society room was filled, and the Spirit was strong. The talks and the baptism were all done in Malagasy (as it was for Miary). Miary's daughter, Eva, and her granddaughter did a duet of "I Am A Child of God" and it was so sweet. At the end, Miary bore her testimony (as Eva translated) of how she has gotten to this point and the tender mercies that helped her even just days before to reassure that this is the right way. We have been starting to teach her English and helped her learn the last part of her testimony in English. However, she started to do it in Malagasy. We were like "nooooo" and her daughter said "english, Mom!". Haha. And she did. It was so awesome! Miary truly is a choice daughter of our Heavenly Father and I'm so excited for her to be sealed to her family in a year. She had her confirmation at church yesterday, which was also done in Malagasy, and I know no one minded that they couldn't understand because of the spirit. She has been so welcomed by the ward and it's incredible. As I pondered on this special woman, I thought of the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 18:15-16 which says "15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one asoul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!
16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the akingdom of my Father, how great will be your bjoy if you should bring many csouls unto me! ". I know that on this mission, for me I am that "one soul" and those that I have taught and seen baptized are the "many souls". I am so grateful for my mission!
We had a great turnout at church yesterday. We joke that it's out "Superbowl" Sunday as lots of people like to come for the Christmas program. The music and messages were great and we had so many less-actives and non-members come. Even ones we didn't even think would come!
I am looking forward to talking to my family on Wednesday. I will be spending Christmas day with about 5 families! But it will be fun. Sister Maness and I were talking about how even though we're away from our families for the holidays, it isn't hard because we are so welcomed by so many other families. What a blessing.
As I've shared lots of Christmas messages these last few weeks, I've been able to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. I have learned that not only is it about Christ's birth, but about His atonement and His second coming. There would be no significance to Bethlehem without Gethsemane. He came here not just to be born the Son of God, but to fulfill His purpose and provide a way for us to return Home again. I am so grateful for my Savior and His great sacrifice. I am grateful for this time on Earth that I have to learn about Him and what His life means for me personally. He is the Son of God, "Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace".
May you all have a Merry Christmas and feel the Savior's love as you spend time with your family. I love you all!
Love,
Sister Wightman
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
12/16/13 Letter #38
Hey Fam and friends!
Well, another eventful week. It all started Tuesday night. Tuesday I was at a leadership council and so Sister Maness went on exchanges with some other sisters as Sister Edstrom (my MTC comp) and I carpooled to the meeting. On our way back, we got a call from our companions that one of the sisters had fainted and that they were taking her to the hospital so we should meet them there. We luckily were just passing what we thought was the hospital that the ambulance was taking her to and so we waited, but turned out they took her to another one in Boise. We met up with our mission president there and ended up having to wait for about 4 hours until they released her. She has diabetes so we thought that was the cause, but not quite sure what really sparked it. Luckily the sister is okay, but definitely not how I anticipated spending the rest of the evening. It was a great time though to spend with our mission president and get to know him better. I keep telling Sister Maness..."welcome to the mission!" haha. She's had a great introduction: snow and hospitals.
Thursday night, our investigator, Miary, had her baptismal interview by our mission president. It was such a spiritual experience. After he went through the interview, he brought Sister Maness and I into the room and we were all able to bear out testimonies to each other and many tears were shed. At the end of the visit, President challenged Miary to learn English because it would benefit and bless her as she became more involved with the ward and evening preparing for the temple in a year. Sister Maness decided to take advantage of this opportunity and so we're going to start meeting with her almost daily to teach her English. I'm so excited and so grateful for this woman's preparations and testimony that have gotten her to this point. She asked if weren't going to come by any more and we promised her that we would still come often and now we have even more reason t do so. Her baptism is this Saturdayand I am so excited for this unique experience as it will be in Malagasy and translated for us.
With this Christmas season, we've had a lot of success getting to visit with less-active members and inviting people to activities. One of the events was a live Nativity at the Star Community Friendship barn. This was the second time the LDS and Friendship Church have done this together and it's a great opportunity for different religions and the community to come together in unity as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. Three of the elders were volunteered to be the "wisemen" and another was the angel, while the rest of us joined in the choir. It was a great turnout as we had about five 10 minutes performances. The only downfall was that our toes were frozen by the end of the night. But there was hot chocolate and it was worth it ;) I love the Christmas season! We've been listening to a lot of Josh Groban and David Archuleta Christmas music!
Our schedules are getting filled with more teaching opportunities. We are continuing to teach Mary Jo and she has accepted the challenge to attend all three hours of church instead of just Sacrament meeting. Her biggest struggle has been doubting that she knows enough (even though she attends church regularly and has LDS family so knows more than most of our investigators!) and so we know that by also attending Gospel Principles and Relief Society will help her to learn more and feel more confident. We also had a less-active member and his non-member family invite us over for Christmas dinner so we're REALLY excited about that!
We had Zone meeting this week and were encouraged on a few commitments. One is that our mission goal until January 7th is to find 500 new investigators (about 2 new investigators per week per companionship). We are praying more than ever for these opportunities and know that blessings will come. We are encouraged to have one companion prayer a day that is just on gratitude. I know that by simply expressing gratitude, it helps us to focus on what we have already been blessed with instead of constantly asking for more.
At this time of year, as we reflect more on Christ, let us be grateful for what we have been given and for how He has blessed our lives. Reach out to your neighbors and loved ones more by letting them know you love them and doing an act of service for them. Whether it's delivering cookies or helping out in their yard. We all need to feel loved and wanted. Thank you for all your love that you have shown to me. I feel the prayers and thoughts every day. I know the miracles I see are not just chance, but a result of prayers and work. Let's lift each other's spirits as we reflect on the spirit of CHRISTmas.
Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Sister Wightman
12/08/13 Photos
Sister Maness and I walking out Saturday morning to fresh snow
the Star District posing with our Gingerbread temple
Sister Maness and I at the ward's Christmas breakfast with our Gingerbread temple
Brittany and her family with all the sister that taught her (Sister Houseman, Sister Chen, Sister Roundy, and Me)
12/08/13 Letter #37
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
Ok, so I know all you back in California are complaining about the cold weather, but let me tell ya...out here it is REALLY cold. Yesterday we got into the car, it was -2 degrees and our back doors were frozen shut. Probably, not common to see your breath in the car. It's been chilly these last couple of weeks, but Friday night we had a good snow fall and woke up to about 4 1/2 inches of beautiful white powder. Sister Manes (my new companion) and I were loving it, even though it is a lot more work in the mornings. Ok, sorry I was just so excited about the snow, I'll get back to what's been happening this week.
So awesome week! Tuesday I picked up my new companion, Sister Maness. She is from SOUTHERN California - Riverside county (Everyone keeps joking..."another Californian?
We began our week with another lesson with Miary. She is doing wonderful! We taught her about the gospel of Jesus Christ and she continued to soak everything in. At the end she asked us if she could bear her testimony to us. I love it! She has had so many thing prepare for this and it's incredible to see her strength. We moved her baptism to the following week because there are a lot of things happening with the holidays in the ward this weekend, so we wanted to make sure the day wasn't too stressful. This helps in a lot of ways actually. I have never had a baptism for someone who doesn't speak English so we just want to make sure we're getting everything done correctly.
Every day this week, we have had some awesome visits and getting in a lot of doors that aren't always consistent! Heavenly Father is really blessing us with opportunities and I'm glad that Sister Maness is getting to exerience so much success. If she came 6 weeks ago, I don't know if I could have promised her the same, but Sister Archuleta and I were able to work hard and really build this area so that we can have so many opportunitites to teach and testify.
Thursday night, the Atwood's took us out to dinner for my birthday celebration. We went to a restaurant called GoodWood and I had an awesome prime rib! I think the cow was still mooing, but gotta have it medium rare ;) It was really nice of them though to take me out and help me feel special. Later we tried to do some contacting, but no one seemed to be home (guess there were some school choir performances going on). We stopped by the Slade's who are an older couple in one of our wards. The lights weren't on so we were thinking we were out of luck there too, but we decided to still knock, and they were home. Sister Slade has had some back troubles and was recovering, but she was SO grateful that we stopped by. She said she had been feeling lonely and that no one would visit her. I was so grateful we listened to the spirit and were able to spend some time and share some spiritual messages with her. Our purpose as missionaries is to invite ALL to come unto Christ, whether they are members or the church or not, active or not. We then stopped by Lonny Cooper's who we hadn't seen in a little while. We shared a mormon message called "Heavenly Father, Earthly Father" and talked about the important role he plays, even as a single parent. He expressed to us how he has had quite a few missionaries come and try to reactivate him, but how we sisters have made a difference with him and he thanked us for that. I feel that every day, I am realizing why I am here and how the Lord prepares people for us and we for them.
Friday was another incredible day. We started it off teaching Miary again, this time about the commandments. After District Meeting, we made a few more visits (this is when the light snow fall started). That evening we went to see a couple less actives. One of them was Brenda Kiser, whom we had seen occasionally before. She is a rough-tough kinda gal that is a hard worker and sounds like Reba McIntire. She's awesome. She is divorced and her 13-year old son lives with her, Kent. He is a funny kid. He is REALLY into history, especially German history and loves his German action figures. He is not a member and with his father's influence, won't have permission until he's 18. He likes to talk and challenge you a lot. This was actually the first time I had met him, but had heard these things from his mom a lot before. It was kind of fun talking to him as he questioned the things we believe (asking for "proof" about the Book of Mormon and where these people descend from). It was a great opportunity for Sister Maness and I to seek guidance from the spirit and bear our testimonies. For the most part we explained that we didn't need the proof, but that it was something we had prayed about and as we studied the doctrine, had it confirmed that these things are true. I asked him if he believed in God. He said yes, and then I asked how did he know he is real. He said, "I don't know, I just do. I can sense His presence". I said it's the same for everything else we believe. We may not have physical proof to hold, but the faith that we have and the feelings confirmed to us can help us know of the truth. Even Brenda shared that she knew these things were true too. At the end after we shared a message and a prayer, he turned to us and said he actually agreed with everything we shared, but just wanted to make sure we believed what we said. We told him we wouldn't be out here if we didn't! He liked it and said we were welcomed back any time. Glad we got his approval ;) It was a great visit and night though!
Saturday was the snow day. We went to one of our ward's Christmas breakfasts. The night before we made a gingerbread house for the competition. We decided to be creative and made it into a temple (not anyone in particular), all frosted white with a Captain Moroni made of banana and grape runts spray-painted gold :) We showed up a little late so we didn't get judged, but everyone loved it. After, we went back and helped Brother Rowe shovel the snow in our driveway. Later, we got to go to my old area to see a baptism for Brittany, who Sister Chen and I had started teaching 6 months ago. She and her family have now moved to Nampa, but she wanted to be baptized where she had been taught and had first attended. The baptism was beautiful and it was so good to see her. I couldn't help fight back the tears. Even though her progression wasn't as quick as others, to see her make this step and covenant was so beautiful. She asked me to share a few words and I testified about the hymn "I Believe in Christ". I am grateful for the variety of opportunities I am given. I know I will probably never see Brittany or her family again (now that they live out of the mission boundaries), but I am grateful to have been a part of their life.
I am so grateful for this experience I have to serve the Lord. My faith and my testimony in this gospel and in my Savior have grown immensely. I am just hitting my half way mark and it has been wonderful to see the growth that I have experienced thus far. As I ponder on the next half of my mission, I look forward with excitement to see what more can happen. Since I have been out, the mission has split into 3 missions, the new mission has grown by 70% and I have had many training and leadership responsibilities. But most importantly, I have come closer to Christ and I have helped many others do the same. This gospel is true. I wouldn't be here doing this if it wasn't. Our Savior lives and He is with us every step of the way. We just have to reach out to Him. The Book of Mormon is true. It is keystone of our religion and holds the evidence that Jesus is the Christ and that God speaks to us today as He has revealed and restored the fullness of Christ's gospel through a prophet, Joseph Smith. I know that we continue to receive revelation from a modern prophet, Thomas S. Monson and that he leads and guides as a Church. I know that our Heavenly Father hears us and answers our prayers and that we too continue to receive personal revelation from Him.
I love you all. Stay warm and stay grateful.
Love,
Sister Wightman
Monday, December 9, 2013
11/18/13 Photos
Our district at the Boise temple after our session
At Red Robin with the Simmons for Sister Archuleta's 20th birthday
Kelly and I making our pies (I still haven't baked mine yet...freezing it till Thanksgiving)
Taxidermy, of course this is common here in Idaho
12/02/13 photos
Thanksgiving dinner #2 with the Atwood's
Thanksgiving dinner #3 with the Bartholomew's
In front of our subdivision. So funny to live in the "Celestial Village"
Proselyting on the bike (took a couple days to recover)
Bowling with our Zone last p-day
Thanksgiving dinner #1 with the Miner's
12/02/13 Letter #36
Hello everyone!
Well, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. My day was stuffed (pun intended)! We had 3 dinners to attend. We started off with the Miners who have so much family come that they use the church to host everyone. It was a good sized turnout, which isn't really my cup-of-tea (I'm used to our smaller intimate family get-togethers), but still lots of fun. We played some basketball for a little bit, but I quit because my misses kept ricocheting and hitting a kid in the head and I felt bad and didn't want a law suit. Haha just kidding. But seriously. Then we went to the Atwoods. I LOVE this family. They had about 20 people there too, but it was at their home so more intimate. Our third dinner was at the Bartholomew's. We felt bad because we were so full by the time we got there, but still had enough room to have a little bit of everything and to try the apple pie I had made. Not bad for a first-timer. Maybe more sugar next time though haha. Although it can be hard being away from family during the holidays, it was wonderful to be welcomed in by so many families. I've already gotten requests for Christmas!
This has been an absolutely wonderful week. It started off Monday night as we had a lesson with Miary (from Madagascar). We taught her about the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and she soaked everything in. Her daughter translated for us and it was just a humbling experience. She explained that she had already prayed to know which church was true and felt her answers was the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At the end, we invited her to be baptized on December 14th and she accepted! We were all in tears and her daughter shared that this was something she had been waiting for for a long time. We came back the next couple of mornings to teach her about the Plan of Salvation and she just wants us to keep coming back every day and learn more! This is what it's all about!
So we are allotted a certain amount of miles each month with our cars and with all the meetings and exchanges we've had, we ran out of our miles about a week early! We were blessed to have some members drive us around, but it was probably the worst week to run out because of Thanksgiving. Either people were out of town or they had family in town. So Wednesday, we ended up borrowing some bikes and getting around the traditional missionary way. May I just say that I have such an appreciation for the elders that have to ride their bikes. Our area is huge and there are so hills, that on a bike are more like mountains, so we stayed down in the "valley", but whooo! what a day! We still had fun though :)
Today is transfers and I am staying here in Star. This will be my longest time serving in one area, but I'm so glad. I wasn't ready to go. Things are just getting going and I still feel really connected to these people. Sister Archuleta was transferred down to Meridian South and is finishing training another sister. I'm grateful for the time I had to serve with her. I learned a lot. I will be picking up my brand new missionary tomorrow night, so don't know who it is yet. That's always the nail-biting part. But I know I will love her as I have with all my companions. It will be a different way of celebrating my birthday, but when you're on the Lord's errand, those things just don't seem as important or big of a deal. Some of the members though have asked to take me out later this week for a birthday celebration, so that will be nice. Can't believe it's the big 2-5. So old. Haha.
I am excited for the new transfer and many exciting things that will happen these next couple of months. Thank you all for your continual love and support. It means the world to me. God bless you all and I hope you all feel the Spirit of CHRISTmas this season :)
Love,
Lauren
11/25/13 Photos
Dinner with some members (The Bruneels - family of 10!)
After a lesson with one of our investigators, Mary Jo (left to right: Sis. Archuleta, Mary Jo, Jessie, and me)
11/25/13 Letter #35
It's the most wonderful time of the yeeeeeeaaaaar! Or at least it's getting there! haha.
It is definitely winter here now as our car is iced over every morning, the pond in our backyard is almost ice-skating worthy, and we constantly are seeing our breath in the air. Grateful for pea coats and boots ;)
It has been a great week. We have begun teaching a sister from Madagascar. She only speaks Malagasy and her daughter and son-in-law are able to translate for us. She just moved here a month ago to live with her daughter and has a desire to be baptized. That's what we like to hear! She is so sweet and already has such a strong testimony. It is such a testimony builder to me and helps me to really slow down and appreciate the simple things. We were supposed to teach her last night, but had to reschedule for tonight and hope to extend a baptismal invitation. I love all these international experiences I am getting!
Wednesday, we got to take Kelly to the Family History center in Eagle and help her get started on doing her family's work. She is the first member of the Church in her family and has not had anyone do any genealogy work yet so she is starting from scratch, but the people at the FHC were so helpful and she found 3 family members! I have grown such an appreciation for family history work. Not only is it fun to find about our ancestors and where they come from, but to be able to do temple work for them, to link those bonds and give them the opportunity to accept the gospel so our families can be eternal. Familysearch.org is such a wonderful site and continues to show all the great resources our church has, holding one the largest genealogical database in the world! I'm excited to go back and help Kelly find more. My companion is still trying to figure out if she's indeed related to David Archuleta.
Thursday I had a trainers meeting at the mission office that was for all senior companions. We discussed how we can be more effective in finding those "elect" that are prepared to receive the gospel. There was an emphasis on talking to everyone and using things like Family History to connect to people as most people want to know more about their family. It was definitely inspired. We then got to go on exchanges and I was with Sister Houseman, back in my last area in Meridian! I guess my work is just not finished there cuz they keep sending me back haha. It was so fun though to work with Sister Houseman (she was companions with Sister Chen after I was) and to see people I had worked with before. We tried applying the things we had been taught, but had pretty much no success during the day as everyone wasn't at home. I got to see Erika again and although I keep in touch with her weekly through email, it was great to see her face and hear how she is doing as she continues to progress in the gospel. That night, we had the privilege of having our mission president's wife, Sister Winder, go out with us. We contacted a couple of families. The first were the Johnson's, who claim they're active, but don't go to church. The husband is a lieutenant and his wife is a nurse, so I'm sure their crazy schedules play a factor. It was perfect timing as they were packing up to head down to Utah for Thanksgiving week. They took the time though to have us come in and get to know them, hear Brother Johnson's conversion story and then share a message. As we left, Brother Johnson shook my hand and thanked us for our visit and message as it set the tune for their trip. That's the first time missionaries have been able to make full contact in at least 6 months with that family. We then went to see the Curries who always made us fresh homemade bread. It was great to see them again and to see how much their son has improved as he is recovering from some health issues. We talked about the Prodigal son and discussed the different views, from the son who left and the son who stayed and remained obedient. Although we may go on different paths, Heavenly Father continues to bless us and be there for us, whether we've always had it or we are coming back to it. I was so grateful to have Sister Winder with us. I thought it might be scary/more pressure, but she was just another part of our companionship.
Saturday, I got to teach Sister Archuleta the things that I had learned in the training, and then we set goals and took it to action. We decided we were going to talk to everyone we saw. It can be hard, being in a car, but we wanted to allow for extra time so if we saw someone we could pull over and talk to them. We have actually been short on our miles for our car so we had Kelly drive us around. It was fun for her to get to see what we do. It was amazing. Everyone we tried to see, we saw! And we even had an opportunity to talk to someone that wasn't part of our planned contacting. He was a neighbor of a sister we were trying to visit and was unloading his car full of groceries. We offered to help and as we walked with him, he began to share about his beliefs and how we have different religious views. I was a little nervous as the conversation began (I'm grateful we're not really a tracting mission because these situations are not my favorite) and I didn't want it to become a competition. He asked for clarification on what we believed about the Godhead and how the Atonement works and where we will go after this life. We were able to bear our testimony of the Plan of Salvation and share some scriptures in the Bible that showed why we believed these things. He wasn't convinced, but I knew that as long as I was bearing my testimony, I was doing my part and he had his agency to take or leave it. In the end, he appreciated our help in taking in the groceries and we went on our way. Successful? Some may say no, but I know that I was able to at least testify of what I knew was true :) We had the most success that day than we've had probably since we've been serving in this area (almost 3 months)!
Yesterday, we got to perform our musical number again in the other ward and also in the ward choir. It is so fun to use our musical talents. In the Beacon Light ward there was a guy who was giving his mission homecoming talk. He had just gotten back from Brazil. He did a great job, but then at the end, he did something unexpected. He had Sister Archuleta and I go up to the podium with him and talked to the congregation about what our responsibilities are and we can't do it on our own, and then he had the whole congregation stand up and said that we are all part of the God's Army and that we are all a part of this work. It was so powerful! I think everyone was moved.
Transfers are coming up this next week, and although I am nervous to hear what happens, I'm also at peace that I will be where the Lord needs me. I don't think I'm done here in Star, but I'm grateful for all the experiences I've had here and the people I've met. I know I've made a difference as I've shared my testimony and served the people here. This is a GREAT area!
Thank you for all your love. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy these times with your family and loved ones!
Love,
Sister Wightman
Monday, November 25, 2013
11/18/13 Letter #34
Well another week of highs and lows. Luckily the highs out-weighed the lows. (I'll start with the lows so that we can end on a good note ;)
First of all, my heart goes out to all the missionaries and their families that are out serving in the Philippines. It was so tragic to hear about the awful storm they had, but I am so grateful to have heard that every missionary was accounted for. My prayers continue to go out to all the people of the Philippines and their safety. How grateful to be serving where I am.
So last week I expressed my excitement about some referrals that we got and how golden they seemed! Well, unfortunately it was a too-good-to-be-true situation. Although Jamie (the one who felt prompted to stop by our church) came to Sacrament meeting last Sunday, she flaked on us on our appointment Tuesday and has not responded to our phone calls since. It is a bit discouraging, but I am very glad for how she was received at church and how everyone welcomed her with warm arms. I know it was nothing that we did, but just her choice. Another referral fell through as well which was more because of the negative influence of her husband. Maybe one day she'll desire to learn more and not deny the experiences she's had.
Tuesday night was fun as we attended one of our Relief Society's monthly activities. We learned how to make pies. Mom, you'd be so proud. It was really fun to get to interact with the sisters in the ward and we even had 2 nonmembers and a less-active attend! It was great because the less-active, Ashley, was someone we had been trying to work with. Her husband had had a baptismal date set and everything, and then last minute backed out. So we've been trying to reach out to him and also their 9 year old daughter, Izzy. But it was so great to see Ashley there, and she even won the "cutest apron" contest!
Wednesday, we got to participate in the monthly stake Humanitarian service project. We got there a little late, but were able to write holiday letters to the servicemen. Having my dad serve in the Army makes this a little more special for me and I tried to make these letters as personal as possible, helping them to know that they were thought of and prayed for. I feel that I can relate a little bit, taking a good amount of time out of my life to serve for others, leaving behind my family to bless so many others. I am grateful for all the servicemen and for their great sacrifice to our country and our freedom. Later that afternoon, we got to have another lesson with Mary Jo. She is probably our most progressing investigator right now and we just love her! I don't know if I've mentioned her before, but she is what we would call a "dry Mormon". A lot of her family is already LDS, including her deceased husband. In fact, he was kind of holding her back from joining before, but now that she on her own, she feels more of a desire to join. As we have gotten to know her, it has been so amazing to hear what testimonies she already has of the gospel and the Book of Mormon and as she has expressed her concern, it is such a comforting feeling as I think in mind, "we can answer that!". She wants to understand the Atonement better and to feel like she knows enough before making the commitment of baptism. Another thing we have to be patient about is that her daughter and son-in-law have been gone in Ghana for almost the past 8 months as they try to adopt a couple children. There have been so many struggles there and we know that she won't get baptized unless her family is all here. So we just have to keep them in our prayers. That night, we got to visit with the Karren's who are a less-active family we've been popping in on since we got here. The husband has made it to church 2 weeks in a row now with their two little girls! Although Sister Karren doesn't feel quite ready, I'm grateful her husband is setting that example for her. We shared a couple Mormon Messages with them and got to have a good visit. Although it's exciting to see someone get baptized, it is JUST as exciting to see someone come back. The Karren's haven't been active in Church since they were in their teens and having a family of their own now, they are realizing how important religion plays a part of raising their girls.
Thursday, we had Zone Conference. With the mission growing, more zones are being created and so they are breaking up the areas into smaller groups. It was a wonderful Zone Conference as we discussed the Abrahamic covenant and what the literal gathering of Israel means and includes. President Winder then transitioned into how the Book of Mormon is a sign that the gathering of Israel has begun and the importance of helping others gain that testimony of the Book of Mormon. This is not the first time we have had training on this, but I know it is because it plays such a vital part. I was reminded of when Elder Martino of the Quorum of the 70 came to our mission and shared his conversion story. He had said that he had lots of questions for the missionaries, but before they would answer any of them, they asked if he knew the Book of Mormon was true. He had not gotten that answer for himself yet and so he went into another room and prayed for that confirmation. Ideally, he wanted an answer with lightening bolts and thundering, but that would not be the case, as it really never is. However, as he prayed sincerely and realized what he needed to do if he discovered it was true, he had an overwhelming feeling come over him of peace and comfort that, indeed, the Book of Mormon was the word of God. As he shared this with the elders, they testified of his answer and began to walk away. Confused, he asked "well what about my questions?" (about poligamy, prophets, etc), they turned and simply said, "they don't matter anymore". Simply, what they were saying is that if we know the Book of Mormon is true, nothing else matters because everything else will fall into place. If we know the Book of Mormon is true, then we know that Jesus is the Christ, Heavenly Father still speaks to us today and called Joseph Smith to be a prophet to restore Christ's church and translate the records of the ancient inhabitants of the Americas, and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Saints is the true church once again on the earth today. This one book holds so much evidence and power and how grateful I am to know it IS true! On another high note, we won the "clean car" award with our new Jeep. Woohoo!
Saturday, was another day of miracles. I've been praying a lot to find success, especially since our referrals have not been panning out. So as we were out contacting, we were able to meet with a few less-actives, including Ashley, that we have not been able to get in contact with successfully before. One was LuGene who is a less-active member and her husband is not a member. Last time we tried, she quickly turned us away, but this time she welcomed us in without any hesitation. It was great just to visit with her and get to know her more. She welcomed us back and we hope that through these visits, we can reach out to her husband as well. Ashley was another successful contact. Izzy welcomed us in, showing us her new pet albino rat (joy!). Haha. Ashley told us to just come upstairs where we found her and her husband painting their bathroom. We rebuked them a little for not calling us to help, but they quickly apologized and we set up a time to help them paint more next week. We then had a great visit with Ashley and Izzy and Ashley gave us her word that she would be at church the following Sunday (which is great since Sister Archuleta and I will be doing a musical number in her ward that day too)! This was a lot more receptivity than she gave us last time. As we got back in our car, we gave a prayer of gratitude to Heavenly Father for the success that he had given us that day and softening these people's hearts. We ended that evening at our stake president's house. I love President Firmage! His energy and passion for the gospel and missionary work is so motivating. He expressed his gratitude for the work that Sister Archuleta and I have done and told us that he would have no hesitation sending any one to us to hear the discussions. Coming from a stake president, that is one of the biggest compliments a missionary can receive. He does have a couple people he has been trying to have us work with and we are very grateful for that. He informed us that in our next transfers (Dec. 2), the Star stake will be getting 2 new sets of missionaries and that 5 out of the 7 wards will have their own set of missionaries. The wards that we cover though will continue to share us. This kind of hinders my predictions, as I felt that they would split Sister Archuleta and I and I would take the 2nd ward and she would take the Beacon Light ward. Now we have no clue what will happen haha. But I will leave it to the Lord. I have loved serving here in Star and would have no problem staying longer as things are really just starting to get going.
I am so grateful for these experiences I am having on my mission and the humility I am continuing to gain. Every day I am reminded that this is not my work and that it is so important that we continue to give the glory to our Lord. My companion shared about miracles the other day and helped me to fully understand that a miracle is not defined as something that has to be huge, but can be the little things. Since then, I am realizing that we are seeing miracles EVERY day. In these season of gratitude, let us all continue to think of what we are THANKFUL for every day and then thank our Father in Heaven for blessing us with those things.
Love,
Sister Wightman
11/12/13 photos
Cool fence we drive by a lot (made of skis and snowboards)
Sister Archuleta and I with the YW wednesday night (enjoying some pie... don't worry Mom, I didn't eat any. I'm still cutting back on sweets!)
11/12/13 letter #33
It is a season for gratitude and my heart is full of it. I feel like I have been blessed with so much and especially lately, Heavenly Father has helped me to see those blessings.
Sister Archuleta and I have been praying a lot lately to find more people to teach and for those that we are teaching to progress more because a lot or stuck at a road block. As we have fasted and prayed, we have seen those answers and miracles come. Wednesday night, we were at a Young Women's activity in one of the wards in the stake as we talked to them about preparing for missions. On our way home, we received a phone call from one of our ward mission leaders explaining that that night at our ward building, a girl had come in asking about the church. She explained that as she drove by, she felt a prompting to go in. She said that she has seen how the world has been lately and feels a need to make changes in her life and to be more prepared spiritually. A brother was able to greet her and after she explained her experience, he gave her a copy of the Book of Mormon and shared with her Moroni's promise at the end (Moroni 10:3-5). She said she wanted to learn more and gave her contact info. We were able to get in touch with her the next day and she came to Sacrament meeting at church on Sunday. Although she may have stood out from her dress and appearance, she said she felt so welcomed as members came up and introduced themselves. She said she' looked into quite a few churches and never felt as welcomed as she had with us. We are meeting with her today and we are excited to answer her questions and help her to learn more. She said she's heard a lot of things about our church, not all great, but she wanted to find the truth from us and not from others who aren't even LDS. I appreciate that!
Sunday truly was a blessed day as we had Jamie along with a couple other investigators and less-active members come to church. That can be a hard thing for people to commit to, but it's so important. As they come to church they can be strengthened by those around them, they can feel of the Spirit and receive answers to things they've been struggling with, and they can learn more about the Atonement as they partake of the Sacrament. Sister Archuleta and I were able to perform a musical number in one of the wards. We had planned this a while back, but with General Conference, fast sundays, and my companion and I being sick, it had to be pushed back. Sister Archuleta was still a little sick but is a trooper and wanted to still sing. We had another song in mind, but Saturday decided to change to another song "He Knows Me Better". We downloaded the sheet music and went over to the church to practice. One thing I am grateful for with my companion is her continual encouragement and compliments of my piano skills. It truly was a tender mercy as I was able to so quickly pick up this song. Although I was nervous, as I always am when I perform, we were able to perform it well and the Spirit touched many peoples hearts that day. I am so grateful for the gifts and talents that Heavenly Father has given each of us.
That evening, we had the opportunity and privilege to go to a council made up of all the stake presidents in our mission boundaries, the temple president, our mission president and the area seventy, Elder Rowe. As we've had so much more of a focus on missionary work, they wanted to hear some experiences and conversions that have occured. We were able to stand in front of all these men with Kelly and Brad Bartholomew and share Kelly's conversion story and Brad's "reconversion" story. I am so grateful for the Bartholomew's and the journey they have had and we've had with them. We have become a part of their family and they are so special to me. This opportunity does not happen every day and so it truly was a pleasure to be a part of!
My Heavenly Father has blessed me with so much. A wonderful family, great friends, and many second chances. One thing I have learned this week is that He has never given up on me. Never. I had learned that that is why I am out here on my mission. I just want to tell everyone that same thing. That I won't give up on them because He won't give up on them. It takes time and we are all at different levels, but He is always there when we're ready to make that change. He wants ALL His children to return to Him and that's why He continues to give us so many opportunities. It takes humility and patience, but it is possible. I've seen it in my own life and I'm seeing it so many others. Don't give up, keep going!
I love you all and I thank you for your continual love and support. Have a blessed week full of love and gratitude for the things you've been blessed with. Someone's had it just as bad, if not worse, and they've overcome it. So can you :)
Love,
Sister Wightman
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