letter #68 07/21/14

Life continues to be miraculous out here. We started teaching two new investigators (one is a man in his 70's and the other a young 16 year old boy) this week and they both just seem so prepared, like they've been looking for this forever! We have also continued to work with Mikalai as she prepares for her baptism THIS weekend :D It's incredible as a month ago, I honestly felt like I'd never be a part of a baptism the rest of my mission and since then I've had one with one on the way and two more potentials! Continually learning the principle of PATIENCE haha. It has been almost unbelievable of how busy Sister Worden, Sister Hancock and I have been. It used to be that each night we had to plan out a whole day for the next day, and now we look at our planners and we just have a few hours still to plan each day. We are just getting booked with teaching opportunities. I love it! This is exactly how I want to be spending my time. 

We had a training this week on "recognizing the spirit" and I think it was definitely inspired. With all these teaching opportunities, it can sometimes be easy to get stuck in a rut, and so making sure we're relying on the Spirit really helps to make sure we are keeping these INDIVIDUALS in mind and helping them with their needs and concerns, not just teaching them. One thing we have changed as we've been teaching a lot more Restoration lessons is singing "Joseph Smith's First Prayer" instead of reciting his experience in his words. Although that can be powerful, there is something about music (and you all know how much I love music) that really sets in a special spirit. I'm grateful because to me, this part of our lesson is one of the most important parts that we are teaching because everything else really stems off of if this is true or not. I feel like with singing this hymn, it helps others to feel the Spirit even stronger and take TIME to soak in what happened as this young boy asked a genuine prayer in faith. My testimony has definitely grown stronger. We have also strived to help others learn to recognize the Holy Ghost more and that's been wonderful because sometimes we rush through that and then it's hard for them to know when they are receiving an answer to their questions. I'm so grateful for the Holy Ghost who is a companion and a guide if we allow it to be. It's pretty hard to do it alone and I'm grateful Heavenly Father has blessed us with His spirit to learn and to grow and to know more. I am so so grateful for this gospel and that I have this wonderful time to share it with my brothers and sisters. It is such a blessing in my life and I would never want to withhold others from this wonderful blessing as well. It's there for ALL!

Love you all so much!!!!

Love,

Sister Wightman

Photos 07/14/14

at the Anne Frank memorial park in downtown Boise with Sister Worden and Sister Hancock

in front of a little fish aquariam (hidden surprises downtown!)

Letter #66 07/07/14

Helloooooo!

I hope you all had a fabulous 4th of July. As always, the holidays are little different on a mission. We actually stayed quite busy that day, which we weren't expecting. We helped some members paint their bedrooms in their basement (haven't done painting in a while) and then enjoyed a nice BBQ with the sister that we live and another lady in our ward. We then visited with Minda and her husband Rod (I'll share more about them later!!!) and enjoyed a Filipino dessert (basically jell-O and condensed milk) together. That evening we had a nice dinner with some more members. We had shish-ka-bobs and fruit. Very refreshing on that hot day! We had to be in by 8, so we didn't see any fireworks. But Sister Worden and I decided to use some glow sticks that we found in our room and had some root beer floats while watching the Testaments movie. So, not too shabby. The fireworks were going off like crazy though. I was impressed that these neighborhood shows sounded like stadium performances. Too bad we couldn't see any from where we were at :/ So grateful for the freedoms of this country though, and especially right now, the freedom of religion!

Ok, so I can barely hold it in, but the miracle of the week is...MINDA GOT BAPTIZED!!!! It's crazy that last week I was just mentioning how she seemed to be hinting at that. Well, Tuesday we met with her to teach about the commandments and afterwards, she asked if she could talk to us about something. She then continued by reenacting her thoughts and conversation with her husband as she shared how the Spirit kept prompting her that she was ready, but she was nervous to bring it up her her husband. Luckily, the Spirit had been working on him too and so they both agreed to let her go ahead and do it. She literally jumped off the couch exclaiming that she was ready to get baptized!! It was awesome! We asked when, and she said if Saturday was too soon. Of course, we told her not at all and so we began making plans. She had her interview Thursday night and Saturday had a beautiful baptism service! There was a great turnout of friends who have supported her along the way. Sister Worden and I sang a musical number, "I Will" (sure am getting more used to singing in front of others...hehe). It was cute, as we helped Minda get ready after she had been baptized, I asked her how she was feeling and she said "stronger". I love it! She was truly ready and I'm so glad she acted on that prompting. Yesterday, at church, she was confirmed a member of the Church and received the Holy Ghost and a beautiful priesthood blessing. Everyone felt the spirit so strong. I think the ward really needed that. Truly an answer to our prayers and fasting!!!! I'm so happy for her and where she's going :)

I am continually reminded by my Heavenly Father to be patient and trust Him and His timing. It seems like right when I'm questioning what I'm doing and if it's making a difference, He blesses me with these tender mercies. Some are great and some are small, but they are all reminders that He IS there and He DOES hear our prayers! It's incredible and yet so simple. This gospel is TRUE!

Hope you all have a great rest of your week :)

Love,

Sister Wightman

Letter #67 07/14/14

Hey All!

Well it's quite funny because I feel that after each week I send out my letter, something big happens after. Last week it was Minda getting baptized...this week Sister Worden and I got another companion!! It was funny actually because last Monday we had another sister with us while grocery shopping and such because her companion was sick and while we were walking around, I thought about how fun it had been to be in a trio before. Apparently, Sister Worden had the same thought and then a few hours later we got a call from our Mission President informing us that another sister was coming in and that she would be serving with us. We were so excited. So her name is Sister Hancock. She is 26 (yay!) and from Flagstaff, Arizona. So now I have to companions from Arizona haha. We are all getting along well and having lots great memories together already. This morning, we went with a sister in our ward to ride the Green Belt on bikes. I did it last year with the Ingersoll's and was excited to get to do it again before I head home. We tried to beat the heat, but that's hard these days. Luckily, the Green Belt is along a lot of trees so we got some good shade :)

I can't remember if I mentioned last time that our mission is doing this new commitment where we teach every member in our wards the message of the Restoration. We have seen some incredible miracles just this first week of doing it. It's been perfect, firstly, having Sister Hancock be new to have so many teaching opportunities. We have been able to teach and set up appointments with members who haven't been very active in church, but still are letting us come teach them. And we've had some incredible miracles with the commitments we leave with the families. One of them was with the Healton's. The husband is actually not a member, but he is very supportive for his wife and loves when we come visit. As we shared the message we committed him and his wife to read from the Book of Mormon every day as a couple. Although this may not seem anything big, having him accept that was huge! I'm excited what more miracles come from this commitment :)

Although this week has been wonderful, there have been some parts where I really felt my testimony tested and strengthened. I've had people question the things I have testified of as well as others try to persuade that we are just confused and one day we'll understand (coming from a Returned missionary, so sad). Although I had moments of weakness and feeling of defeat, I received a confirmation that what I know IS true and what I know is enough (great talk by Elder Neal L. Anderson "You Know Enough" is a great reference if you're ever feeling that way). Throughout life, we might have moments of weakness where we wonder if what we've believed and been taught is true, but if you remember those spiritual confirmations that you've received in the past and remember that what you DO know is enough, than you can feel strenghtened and not have to worry. I know that this gospel and the things I teach ARE true. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and that He has a great Plan that is for my benefit. I know it takes work to accomplish all that our Heavenly Father has in store for us, but it is so worth it and it takes work to truly appreciate those things. I love this gospel and I'm so grateful I have it in my life :)

Love you all!!!!

Sister Wightman

Letter #66 07/07/14

Helloooooo!

I hope you all had a fabulous 4th of July. As always, the holidays are little different on a mission. We actually stayed quite busy that day, which we weren't expecting. We helped some members paint their bedrooms in their basement (haven't done painting in a while) and then enjoyed a nice BBQ with the sister that we live and another lady in our ward. We then visited with Minda and her husband Rod (I'll share more about them later!!!) and enjoyed a Filipino dessert (basically jell-O and condensed milk) together. That evening we had a nice dinner with some more members. We had shish-ka-bobs and fruit. Very refreshing on that hot day! We had to be in by 8, so we didn't see any fireworks. But Sister Worden and I decided to use some glow sticks that we found in our room and had some root beer floats while watching the Testaments movie. So, not too shabby. The fireworks were going off like crazy though. I was impressed that these neighborhood shows sounded like stadium performances. Too bad we couldn't see any from where we were at :/ So grateful for the freedoms of this country though, and especially right now, the freedom of religion!

Ok, so I can barely hold it in, but the miracle of the week is...MINDA GOT BAPTIZED!!!! It's crazy that last week I was just mentioning how she seemed to be hinting at that. Well, Tuesday we met with her to teach about the commandments and afterwards, she asked if she could talk to us about something. She then continued by reenacting her thoughts and conversation with her husband as she shared how the Spirit kept prompting her that she was ready, but she was nervous to bring it up her her husband. Luckily, the Spirit had been working on him too and so they both agreed to let her go ahead and do it. She literally jumped off the couch exclaiming that she was ready to get baptized!! It was awesome! We asked when, and she said if Saturday was too soon. Of course, we told her not at all and so we began making plans. She had her interview Thursday night and Saturday had a beautiful baptism service! There was a great turnout of friends who have supported her along the way. Sister Worden and I sang a musical number, "I Will" (sure am getting more used to singing in front of others...hehe). It was cute, as we helped Minda get ready after she had been baptized, I asked her how she was feeling and she said "stronger". I love it! She was truly ready and I'm so glad she acted on that prompting. Yesterday, at church, she was confirmed a member of the Church and received the Holy Ghost and a beautiful priesthood blessing. Everyone felt the spirit so strong. I think the ward really needed that. Truly an answer to our prayers and fasting!!!! I'm so happy for her and where she's going :)

I am continually reminded by my Heavenly Father to be patient and trust Him and His timing. It seems like right when I'm questioning what I'm doing and if it's making a difference, He blesses me with these tender mercies. Some are great and some are small, but they are all reminders that He IS there and He DOES hear our prayers! It's incredible and yet so simple. This gospel is TRUE!

Hope you all have a great rest of your week :)

Love,

Sister Wightman

Photos 06/30/14

At Sister Rowe's funeral service with Sister Maness, Elder Rowe and Sister Archuleta

 With Sister Rowe and Elder Rowe before leaving Star (one of the last times I saw her)

With our district, showing off our tie-dye shirts :)

Letter #65 06/30/14

Hello all! Well, I am finishing my mission here in the Meridian Stake (no changes). Sister Worden and I are staying together. As nice as it would have been to have had one more area, we have received some confirmations the last couple of days that we are still needed here. 

Last Monday for part of our p-day activity, our zone made tie-dye shirts. It was fun (I think that's my first time ever making one) and a great way to spend with these missionaries. We were all pretty tight and united so it's been a little bittersweet with some of them being transferred, but I'm grateful we all got along so well :)

We got to teach Family Home Evening to the elderly people in Affinity again. We decided to give a history of some of the hymns in our hymn book, so we picked about 6 and gave the background then sang the first verse. The Spirit was incredible there and someone said they could hear us all out in the hall and it sounded like angels. I'm glad it was a success (sometimes it's hard knowing how to please the older folk ;))! A tender mercy that evening was that were walking to our car and the Ingersoll's drove by (from my second area) and said they were visiting a family that now lived in our area. It happened to be the daughter of a lady that Sister Chen and I lived with. She was now divorced and living with her daughter. They asked if we wanted to come along and we happily agreed to :) Marika was so happy to see me and it made it such an easy way to talk to the rest of her family. It's sad to see the struggles she's going through right now, but I'm glad she's got her daughter and her family to be there to support her. Definitely some good opportunities there (her daughter is not active in the church and her son-in-law is not a member). 

The work is still continuing well with those that we are teaching. We had a great lesson with Makalai Thursday night as we taught her about the Plan of Salvation. She is truly prepared and shared some wonderful thoughts with us. It was comforting to hear that both her parents support her in choosing to follow this gospel (even though her step-mom is a little anti). She is progressing so well and we're hoping to commit her to a date tomorrow night! Lisa (the one with MS who we've done a lot of service for) came to our Relief Society activity Tuesday night and seemed to gel well with the other sisters. She also came to church yesterday (for the first time) to hear Sister Worden and I sing in Sacrament. You never know how people might respond to a simple invitation (we weren't expecting her to say yes)! 

We had a miracle happen with Minda last night. We met with her and her husband at their friend's home (the Horrocks) and talked more about temples as they were wanting to learn more so they can prepare to go there one day. At the end of our discussion, Brother Horrocks asked if they had been thinking about a date for baptism and Rod shared that he was going to let Minda choose her own date because his progression process was going to take longer and he didn't want to hold her back in waiting for him. This was an answer to our prayers and fasting!!!! We were so excited and Minda shared such a powerful testimony as she poured her heart out to us about her gratitude for all of us in helping her have a relationship with our Savior again. We were pretty much all in tears. This was a witness to me why we are still needed here. 

Like I mentioned, Sister Worden and I sang in Sacrament meeting. This was completely out of my comfort level, but I'm glad we did it. I think we had angels singing with us because the feedback we got after was overwhelming! We sang "If the Savior Stood Beside Me" and it fit so well with the talks that were given. I am grateful that we can share our message through music as well and that there were individuals there to support us and feel of that spirit!

This weekend was a little bittersweet for me as I received news on Friday that Sister Rowe (who I lived with in Star for 6 months) had passed away this past Monday. I was able to attend her funeral service, along with Sister Archuleta and Sister Maness. Sister Rowe had stage 4 bone cancer and had been such a trooper through it all. While living with her, we witnessed her lose her hair, weight and energy, but she continued to push through and always find ways to laugh. As much as it saddens me to know that she has moved on, what quickly came to my mind was of the Plan of Salvation, that she still lives and is no longer in a state of suffering, but now a state of rest and peace. Her husband was so strong at the funeral service continued to keep a smile on his face. I am so grateful I was able to be there for them and to be reunited with sweet friends. Death is not easy to handle, but when we know what this life is about and know what we have to look forward to, it can be more sweet than bitter. 

I love you all and am so grateful for you. Thank you and have a wonderful and safe 4th of July!!!!

Love,

Sister Wightman