Hola mi familia y queridos amigos!!
Well, this has been an amazing last week of the transfer! So quick
news about transfers: Elder Grisham and I are staying the same... kind
of... we're staying together, but we're also getting a third member to
the companionship, Elder Nicholas. I have no idea who he is, but
apparently he was in El Salvador for a few months and then went home
for a funeral and then couldn't go back because of some medical
reason, or something like that. That probably means his Spanish is
really good. Also Elder Faerber in the district is getting transferred
to Fairfield, not my area, but still, that's exciting and in his place
Elder Wilson will be coming who apparently is new, like this is his
second transfer. Then Sister Tyler is getting transferred to Eureka,
which isn't a surprise that she's leaving because she's been in the
Rincon Vally ward for 7 1/2 months now, which is a long time and
rarely happens. In her place is coming a Sister Carter... I don't know
her either, but people say that she's cool and that she's a good
missionary, so that's great.
Anyways, that's the most important part of transfers (mostly because
that's all that concerns me!). Now, to explain my title to this week.
In district meeting, to kind-of pump up and inspire the district for
the last week of the transfer and our last week together I shared a
quote with them from Elder Holland. I don't have the quote to send to
you because it's from an old mission president seminar, and it's a
long one so I can't type it all up right now, but it talks about how
this is God's work, and because of that we have to not only hope and
pray for miracles, but to expect them because God has promised that
His angels will be there, and that there will be miracles. Then at the
end of the quote he extends a welcome that goes something like
"welcome to the Apostolic work, welcome to the realm of the
miraculous". So I invited the district to catch that vision for this
week. I invited them to "enter into the realm of the miraculous". And
we did! It was a great week for Elder Grisham and I and for the
District as a whole!
For Elder Grisham and I we had many miracles, especially by working
with members more. For example, we did a harvest blessing with the
non-member sister of one of the members of the Branch and although she
refused the invitation to be baptized, she told us that we can
continue to come by. And also we brought one member to the second
appointment with a family of new investigators and although the
appointment fell through, the member said he knows the family we were
visiting and that he was going to get in touch with them! And we were
also able to teach 3 lessons with a member present which is as many
member present lessons in one week as the rest of the member present
lessons we've had the rest of the time I've been here in Santa Rosa!
Also, we are getting a number of referrals from members which is
something that I've always had a rough time with, but it's all coming
from loving the members more and truly putting forth effort towards
working with them. Sometimes all it takes to get a referral is to ask,
it's so easy it's hard! haha :)
The only downside of the week was that Francisco kind-of has been
MIA... he last minute canceled some of his appointments and he didn't
come to church although he said he would. But we've been in contact
with him, so I'm not too worried. We're also not too worried about his
baptism because we set a date with his wife, Elizabeth for the 6th of
September, so he'll probably choose to get baptized that day instead of
this Saturday, which I think is ok, as long as he keeps the desire
burning within. And the other downside was that we didn't have any
investigators at Sacrament Meeting, even though we had a lot that said
they would be there. We did have a few less-actives there that haven't
been for a while, which is good, but we're going to go hunt down some
of the investigators and find out what excuses they have for this week
:).
I love y'all and hope y'all have a wonderful week!!
-Elder Whitaker
Well, this has been an amazing last week of the transfer! So quick
news about transfers: Elder Grisham and I are staying the same... kind
of... we're staying together, but we're also getting a third member to
the companionship, Elder Nicholas. I have no idea who he is, but
apparently he was in El Salvador for a few months and then went home
for a funeral and then couldn't go back because of some medical
reason, or something like that. That probably means his Spanish is
really good. Also Elder Faerber in the district is getting transferred
to Fairfield, not my area, but still, that's exciting and in his place
Elder Wilson will be coming who apparently is new, like this is his
second transfer. Then Sister Tyler is getting transferred to Eureka,
which isn't a surprise that she's leaving because she's been in the
Rincon Vally ward for 7 1/2 months now, which is a long time and
rarely happens. In her place is coming a Sister Carter... I don't know
her either, but people say that she's cool and that she's a good
missionary, so that's great.
Anyways, that's the most important part of transfers (mostly because
that's all that concerns me!). Now, to explain my title to this week.
In district meeting, to kind-of pump up and inspire the district for
the last week of the transfer and our last week together I shared a
quote with them from Elder Holland. I don't have the quote to send to
you because it's from an old mission president seminar, and it's a
long one so I can't type it all up right now, but it talks about how
this is God's work, and because of that we have to not only hope and
pray for miracles, but to expect them because God has promised that
His angels will be there, and that there will be miracles. Then at the
end of the quote he extends a welcome that goes something like
"welcome to the Apostolic work, welcome to the realm of the
miraculous". So I invited the district to catch that vision for this
week. I invited them to "enter into the realm of the miraculous". And
we did! It was a great week for Elder Grisham and I and for the
District as a whole!
For Elder Grisham and I we had many miracles, especially by working
with members more. For example, we did a harvest blessing with the
non-member sister of one of the members of the Branch and although she
refused the invitation to be baptized, she told us that we can
continue to come by. And also we brought one member to the second
appointment with a family of new investigators and although the
appointment fell through, the member said he knows the family we were
visiting and that he was going to get in touch with them! And we were
also able to teach 3 lessons with a member present which is as many
member present lessons in one week as the rest of the member present
lessons we've had the rest of the time I've been here in Santa Rosa!
Also, we are getting a number of referrals from members which is
something that I've always had a rough time with, but it's all coming
from loving the members more and truly putting forth effort towards
working with them. Sometimes all it takes to get a referral is to ask,
it's so easy it's hard! haha :)
The only downside of the week was that Francisco kind-of has been
MIA... he last minute canceled some of his appointments and he didn't
come to church although he said he would. But we've been in contact
with him, so I'm not too worried. We're also not too worried about his
baptism because we set a date with his wife, Elizabeth for the 6th of
September, so he'll probably choose to get baptized that day instead of
this Saturday, which I think is ok, as long as he keeps the desire
burning within. And the other downside was that we didn't have any
investigators at Sacrament Meeting, even though we had a lot that said
they would be there. We did have a few less-actives there that haven't
been for a while, which is good, but we're going to go hunt down some
of the investigators and find out what excuses they have for this week
:).
I love y'all and hope y'all have a wonderful week!!
-Elder Whitaker