Letter #13 06/24/13

Hello hello!

There's so much to report on this week and not a ton of time, so hopefully I can get everything in...

I'm all settled in here up in Meridian North. I picked up my new companion on Wednesday. Her name is Sister Chen and she is from Taichung, Taiwan and has been speaking English for about 9 weeks now! She is amazing and we are getting along so well, even with a little language barrier. Part of my training is to help her with her English, but she is very bright and very patient. We cover 4 wards up here and everyone is so supportive and so excited to have sister missionaries in their wards. They haven't seen sisters in at least 15 years! (The other wards are jealous that they don't have us haha). It's been quite a tender mercy as Sister Chen and I have run into quite a few people who have served their missions in Taiwan and so they are able to speak Mandarin with her - and I know that brings her a lot of comfort and joy (I've never heard her talk so much! haha).

We've been doing mostly contacting this week and getting to the know the people and area. Meridian is beautiful and full of color (green grass, blue skies) - though the weather does tend to be a little bi-polar.

So, small world...when we were meeting one of our Bishops, his wife mentioned that her parents served their mission in San Jose...turns out it's the Ferguson's who served in the San Jose YSA institute for all you single adults reading this! I got to see Sister Ferguson at the Missionary Broadcast last night and it was so crazy to see a familiar face!! Seems like there's a lot more people up here that have been or know of San Jose/Cupertino.

We taught a new investigator last night who is what we like to call GOLDEN. His name is Seth and our ward mission leader met him selling a car to him. He's in his early 30's from Southern California and recently changing his life around (been involved in drugs and such and just got out of jail). He actually was sitting in his jail cell and found an Ensign (church) magazine and just had an incredible spiritual experience as he had a desire to turn his life around began to recognize the Spirit in his life. There's some things we still need to work out legally, but he accepted the invitation to prepare himself to be baptized and is excited for our future lessons.

I am so grateful to be serving in this area and can just see how the Lord has prepared this area for Sister Chen and I. We've already seen miracles and have just felt so welcomed here.

This is my last week serving with our mission president, President Cannon, as he and his wife will be finishing their mission and the new mission president, President Winder and his wife will come in, taking over what will be the new official Idaho Boise Mission. I will miss the Cannon's dearly and am so grateful to have served under them, but I know that President Winder and his wife have been prepared and I'm excited to work with them!

A theme that has been predominated this week for me has been patience. Patience in myself, patience in my companion, patience in those that we work with and patience with the Lord. I am continually amazed with how patient Heavenly Father is with me and how well He knows me and my needs. I couldn't have asked for a better companion. I know I will be learning a LOT this transfer. The Lord is so mindful of each of His children and He is always there for us. I've been praying a lot more since being on my mission, but even more so this week as I feel a lot of responsibility on my shoulders, but I know that as long as I trust in the Lord and do my best, it will all work out :) That's all He asks us to do. Our best.

Thank you all for your continual love and support!

Love,

Sister Wightman

Photos 06/17/13

At Anna's baptism

At Anna's baptism

Last district lunch with the Twin Falls South District

Amazing picture of a rainbow around the sun

Last night living with the Bateman's

Sister Hamilton and I on our last day together in the apartment

Letter #12 06/17/13

Well, great and wonderful things have been happening this week! As I think I mentioned last week, transfers are happening today and this is a big one. Where we are being transferred to is going to also decide which new mission we will be in. Sister Hamilton and I had no clue what was going to happen, where we were going to, but I was feeling that I was leaving. We were both very prayerful as we anxiously awaited the call from our Mission President announcing where we were going. In my morning studies Saturday morning, I came across a scripture in Philippians 4:11 and 13 which says "...in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content...I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.". It couldn't have come at a better time as I pondered that wherever the Lord sends me is where I will be needed and as long as I am trusting in Him, I will be strengthened and CAN DO ALL THINGS! 

So I'm sure the anticipation is killing you all now (haha probably not), but I will be serving in the Meridian North 3 area (opening up a new area) and training a brand new missionary. And this puts me in the IDAHO BOISE MISSION! As soon as I heard this call, it just felt so good. It is definitely bittersweet to be leaving Twin Falls. This is where I was born and the people here are so close in my heart, but I am excited to open a new area and to begin a new chapter. Everyone has told me how wonderful Meridian is and my mission president has told me that the Stake is so excited to have sister missionaries in the area and are ready to put us to work!

Just when I thought this weekend couldn't get any better, I was able to celebrate with a bang in a baptism! Anna Stone is someone I've been working with since I came out on my mission, she's been meeting with the missionaries for about a year now, and I was so excited to be there for her baptism. Anna is an amazing woman who is such a great example of strength, faith, being non-judgmental, and perseverance. She was raised Seventh-Day Adventist and her husband is Atheist, but as soon as the missionaries came knocking on her door (she initially agreed to clear up misconceptions of the Mormons), she felt a difference, and they were able to answer questions that no one else could. It's been an amazing journey, as we've seen her husband support her, her children have a desire to learn, and her great trust in the Lord to accept His will. She was the one who, when asked to quit smoking, set a date, quit, got sick, but has gotten better and never touched a cigarette again. Her baptism was beautiful! Her husband and kids all came to support her and there was a great support from the ward. Sister Hamilton and I were talking to Anna a little before her baptism and she was sharing how nervous she was, just couldn't believe that this day was finally here. But we reassured her that this day was well earned and the Lord was so proud of her. As Anna came out of the water and we wrapped her up in a towel, tears filled her eyes and the emotions just flowed. She expressed the great feeling of peace and love that she felt and we couldn't help but embrace her and share with her in this joyous moment. I was able to play a musical number and Anna bore a beautiful testimony of how she knew that this gospel was true. The Spirit was so strong! It was definitely a tender mercy that this baptism was able to occur my last week here in Twin and that I could be there for her. I will be forever grateful for these experiences as they continue to build my testimony. It's amazing the changes in these peoples countenances as they grow in the gospel and come closer to Christ through their faith. 

I am so grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have about my Father in Heaven and my Savior, Jesus Christ. I am grateful to know that life continues after our time here on earth, that there is something worth living for. I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ that allows to be made whole through our Savior and gives us the strength to keep enduring to the end! As long as we trust in the Lord and ask for His help, we can be strengthened through Him and we can do all things and be content with where we are and where we are going. I love you all and again am so grateful for all your love and support. Please keep praying for the missionaries, the new mission presidents, and for the work! It's progressing, people are ready, hope is out there!

Love, 

Sister Wightman

p.s. Please send any letters to the Boise Mission office (the same address)

Photos 06/03/13

Sister Hamilton and I celebrating her birthday

Lucy (Holly's daughter), Ian, Holly and me at Holly's baptism!

Photos 06/10/13

Centenniel Park

Centenniel Park

Centenniel Park

Sister Hamilton and I outside the Twin Falls temple

Sister Hamilton and I with the Shashankar's - one of the Nepali families in our ward

Letter #11 06/10/13

Hey everyone!

Well it's been a pretty incredible week. Monday night, we had a family in one of our wards take us down the canyon here in Twin called Centennial Park. It is beautiful down there with a little waterfall, a beautiful lake and a bridge that is monumental here in Twin Falls. We had a nice little BBQ and got to walk around enjoying the beautiful scenery. The only downside was the mosquitoes that decided to have a little snack on us...

Last Sunday, our whole mission had a "Finding Fast" in which we fasted and prayed to find more people who are ready to hear about the Gospel. I love fasting because I feel like it's prayers on steroids. And indeed it works, we were able to find 6 new investigators this week! A lot have been more Nepali people, which I love. They are so kind and humble and have such a strong family unit (everyone is family, even if they're not really related..."this is my cousin!" haha). If I get to stay here in Twin Falls, which I hope, I'm going to invest in a Nepali dictionary so that I can learn their language more and hopefully break the language barrier a little more. Sister Hamilton and I had the opportunity to teach the Nepali sunday school class in one of our wards yesterday and it was so fun! We were teaching them and they were teaching us, as we learned how to say certain doctrinal words in Nepali! Seriously on an international mission right now :)

We got to help out in the Bishop's Storehouse again this week, which was a little bittersweet for me. I love serving there, it's so wonderful to help out people and get to know them, but this was Elder Hansen's last week serving in the Bishop's Storehouse (he was serving a senior mission). He became like another father figure to me and I will miss him dearly, but I know that this is another life-long friend! We were able to go to the Twin Falls temple afterwards and do some work in there. I am so grateful to have a temple just 10 minutes down the road from our home and to be able to participate in temple ordinances even on the mission!

Transfers are coming up this next week, and this is basically the deciding transfer as to which new mission I will be serving in for the rest of my service! My companion and I have NO CLUE where either of us will end up, but we both know that wherever we go is where we are needed (again fingers crossed that I stay here in Twin). 

Although this has been a wonderful week, it has also been a strengthening week of patience. Things do not always go as planned, people do not always treat us how we'd like to be treated, but as we turn our faith to the Lord, asking for strength through Him, and continually loving those that we come in contact with and seeing them in their potential - not in their weaknesses, we are able to handle these situations. Life is not easy. We know it and God knows it, but that why we have been given families, communication through prayer, scriptures and prophets to continue to guide us and help us face the challenges that we may face. When it gets too hard to stand, fall on your knees. When the news gets overwhelming, turn to the scriptures. When negative things come your way, count your blessings. The Gospel is true, the Bible and the Book of Mormon are true and written for us, and our Savior LIVES and His Atonement is at our access whenever, wherever! 

I love you all! Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Wightman

Letter #10

Hello hello!

Oh what an amazing week it's been! Sister Hamilton and I have had such fun and more wonderful tender mercies this week. 

The first fun event was that it was Sister Hamilton's 25th birthday this week. We were on exchanges again (She went out to Burley and Sister Lee - Korea - came out here to Twin again) and Tuesdaynight, Sister Lee and I decorated the apartment with streamers and balloons. Sister Hamilton and Sister Hughes were going to be coming back really early Wednesday morning (like 6 am) so we wanted to make sure it would be all ready to go to surprise her. Unfortunately our alarm that was meant to wake us up earlier didn't go off, so we woke up to Sister Hamilton squealing with joy. She had been dreading this day (even wrote "D-Day" on the calendar), but still appreciated getting some surprises and birthday love. We kept up the decorations the rest of the week which was really fun to come home to every night. And we had like three birthday desserts that night (so much for going on a "no-sweets diet" haha). 

The other really exciting event that happened was...my first baptism!!!! This was for Holly who had the inspired baptismal date and, although everything seemed to happen really quickly, was something we had all been looking forward to very much! Tuesday night, Holly called and asked me if I could play something at her wedding, which of course I was truly touched and said yes. It took me a while to figure out what to play (what do you play at a wedding?? haha), but I ended playing the accompaniment for the Olive Tree and it turned out beautiful. So we were able to watch as our bishop married Holly and Ian in the chapel, and then, an hour later, witnessed her enter the waters of baptism, performed by her now husband! Both ceremonies were beautiful and the Spirit was so strong. We had a great turnout and ward support, and even one of our investigators and her daughter attended (they even had tears in their eyes)! We were able to see her confirmed and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost yesterday at church, and you could just see the change in Holly as she beamed from ear to ear. We are so proud of her and know that her new life with her new family and as a new member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints will continue to be filled with blessings from on high. I am so grateful I was able to witness these events and to be a part of it. A wonderful thing about the mission, is the friends that you make that you know will be a part of your life even after the mission. I can't wait till a year from now when (hopefully if I'm still here) will be able to witness Holly and Ian be sealed in the temple together for all time and eternity!

Another tender mercy happened yesterday. After church we went to see some sisters who we visit about every week at the Care Center. They are so sweet and I informed them that I've adopted them as my grandma's - they loved it! Maxine, one of the sisters, had asked us previously if we could help her write a girl who was like her "adopted granddaughter" because she struggles with writing now, but has been really wanting to write to her. We then discovered another issue, she didn't know where this young lady lived or how to find out her address. As we discussed this more yesterday, Maxine mentioned that she had served in the Boise temple and said she was from Colorado. Suddenly, it clicked with Sister Hamilton, and we realized that she was talking actually about a sister missionary that had just gotten home from her mission and had served in this area before. She had left such an impact on Maxine and Maxine had been so distressed because she kept feeling that she really needed to write her but didn't know how to get it to her. As we connected the dots and told her we'd be able to get a hold of the sister for her, you could just see the excitement and joy fill her face. She was almost in hysterics and told us how she had been praying so hard to be able to find this sister's address. We knew that this had been a tender mercy and were so glad to bring some joy into this woman's life!

We have been able to receive quite a good amount of referrals this week as well and it's amazing to see how people are just so ready to hear about the Gospel! 

I am so grateful for all the work out here that the Lord has put in our paths. He truly is aware of everyone of His children and wants all of us to be happy. He has given us gifts, such as our families, the prophets, the scriptures and the Holy Ghost to help guide us and show us His love. I know that without any of these gifts, we would have no direction and probably no hope. I am so grateful for my family and friends and for their guidance and who they helped me to become today. I am grateful for this opportunity to serve the Lord and to help bring joy into so many wonderful people's lives. He has blessed my life so much and I know He is just waiting and willing to bless all of His children's lives. We need to do our part and turn to Him, but He always there 24/7, never a busy-tone! Thank you again for all your continuing support and prayers. 

I love you all!

Sister Wightman