Lost in Hollywood

Family,

This week was another super crazy week. We were all over the place from East Los Angeles to the Hollywood Hills. We also have a someone who is preparing to be baptized this Sunday November 2nd!!! So just to quickly tell you what happened....

-My first exchange (as a Sister Trainer, I go stay with different sisters and help them) with a sister from Korea!

-Went on an exchange with Sister B and Sister J in my old area

-Traveled out of the mission to North Hollywood to film for the Church again!
-We went to the Visitor's Center with S and her family!

I don't think I have had a normal week yet here in SFS. It has been kind of stressful but I know that the Lord would not have assigned me to the a Sister Trainer if he didn't know that I could grow from this experience and come closer to him. So I welcome the challenges that being a Sister Trainer has brought me so far and can't wait to see how much more I can grow as a person. One thing that my brother wrote me today is that, "Your mission, will simply just make you a better person." I want to be a better person who is a stronger in the gospel so that my future family will be blessed by the gospel as well.

This week I have been stressed about our area because we have not been in our area very much. My companion Sister B helped me to realize though that I need to redefine again what it means to be a successful missionary. So I am working on that. I am also just trying to continue to be me and realize that everything here in SFS is new and that with time I will understand the area and be able to be more effective. I have just been struggling with the fact that I don't know everything and that I have to rely on my companions more to help me figure things out. Which sounds bad but since I like knowing what I am doing it has been making me feel like I am just following Sister F around instead of leading or having a co-companionship. Today is a new day though and I am so thankful for both of my companions because we balance each other out and I feel so comfortable and am able to share what I am thinking and how I am feeling. I am so so so thankful for my companions. 

In other news...I went to NORTH HOLLYWOOD, it is somewhere behind the Hollywood Sign. My companion Sister F and I were asked by President Weidman to film another training segment for new missionaries. Of course we said yes and on Friday we spent all day filming us teaching. It was such an amazingly exhausting experience! So we ended our week by going to North Hollywood and we were filmed teaching the commandments of our Heavenly Father to investigators. We only had 9 hours to film and so we taught each of the commandments in 10 minutes or less. As we did that, I realized how simple we need to teach as missionaries.

We also went to the Visitor's Center yesterday with S, she is 9 and is getting baptized this Sunday! Her father is a less active member and her mother is an active member. S is so excited to be an example to her family and help bring them all back to church so that they can be sealed as a family. 

This week was amazing and I can't wait to see what this next week will bring. I hope everyone is well and I want you all to know how much I love you!!! 

Love, Sister Weller

RE: First week in SFS

Hi Family!!! This past week has been full of first times in LA moments....It was such a great week and so busy at the same time. I am so tired but it is a good tired. I am just trying to find my way into the grove here in SFS and then I will be back to normal. Right now I just feel out of place and awkward again which is not the funnest feeling in the world but life as a missionary means you change a lot and so here we go to changes because the challenge was accepted. A short version of what happened this week is: *Transfers happened on Tuesday and I became a new Sister Training Leader *I started Halloween by eating a PUMPKIN doughnut (which was amazing) *My view on Wednesday morning was the temple, sleep over in Santa Monica!  *TRIO-LOVE, I have two companions again *I was asked to FILM in LA *I know how to jump a car now *Prayers are answered always *My testimony grew even more this week about the Plan of Salvation On Tuesday I went to my second transfer meeting ever. The first one was when I arrived in LA and the second one was this past Tuesday. When we were driving down to Torrance, I was getting more and more nervous for the next 6 weeks because I allowed Satan to make me doubt my abilities.  Transfer meeting was amazing though, I was able to share my testimony about the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's and how they had to defend and stand up for what they believed in, their convent with God as they were killed and murdered by their wicked brothers. I was also able to share a story about one o my recent converts named N, she told us how she has never had her religion more questioned then this year. She said each and every time someone asks her why she is Mormon, she get's laughed at but that she doesn't allow them to bring her down. It reminded me so much of this story in the Book of Mormon and how much we have to defend our testimonies and what we believe. We have to be willing to sacrifice anything for what we believe because if we don't who will? The Lord already paid the sacrifice for me to be here and serve the Lord and for each and every one of us to have a testimony and be able to live with our Heavenly Father again. On Tuesday night we got a call that we needed to go and pick up a sister because her companion was going home due to a medical issue, so we went up to the temple and picked up m new companion Sister B!!! We were actually serving in the same ward 3 transfers ago. So we went and picked her up and then stayed in Santa Monica with a Senior Missionary couple. I had a follow up check with my head doctor. I am so happy to report that I am not having headaches anymore so I am doing so much better. Which is so good because I need to continue to work to be happy and continue to help people come closer to Christ.  After my doctors appointment on Wednesday we got called to do an interview with a small film crew that is associated with the church. The Missionary Department was filming interviews about Faith, Repentance, Baptism, the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. So our mission president asked us to go and film a segment with them this past Wednesday. So we did. It was so cool and such an amazing experience. My companions and I each filmed different little segments. I was asked so many questions about Repentance and what it means to me to live and understand Repentance. I was able to share my re-activation story with them and how I am a missionary now because 2 sets of missionaries taught me the missionary lessons. I have such a strong testimony of working with less active members. We filmed for about 5 hours on Wednesday and it was super cool to hear the testimonies of my companions and I can't wait to see how everything turns out.  (P.S. We got asked to film again this week, we are super excited). This last week I was really able to reflect on how much my testimony has grown of the Plan of Salvation. It was such a hard week because Dad's birthday was yesterday and I just wanted to think about him and how happy he must be to live in Heaven with our family members up there but I really miss him a lot too.  This week I was able to grow my testimony a lot more though, we are currently teaching a women named I, she lost her husband two years ago. She has been so sad each time we talk about the Plan of Salvation and the hope we can gain from believing in the word of God. Last night we came to the temple and shared with her how she can have this hope in her life too. She said she could feel peace each and every time we see her and meet her. We are so excited to continue to teach her and can't wait to see her again this week. I know that this Gospel is true, if it wasn't I wouldn't have a hope that I can live with my father again.  Love Sister Weller One of my favorite videos this week is: https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2010-09-18-continue-in-patience?category=mormon-messages/mormon-messages-2010&lang=eng&cid=HPWE101514487

2037 - My companions

2044 - Me filming

2047 -  With he film crew

Savor the moment

Family!

How is everyone doing? How was General Conference? Who was your favorite speaker? Which message touched your heart? I love them all. They were all so inspired and literately they just spoke to me. I loved conference this OCTOBER. Really I love Conference every October. Tell me what your favorite conference talk was and why?

This week started with one of the most amazing nights ever at the Visitors Center here in Los Angeles. We went with a family we have been working with P & O. They took all of their girls too. It was such an amazing MONDAY night at the Visitors Center. No one was there so we were able to go where ever we needed too in the center. We started in the family room and P just started crying as she saw the video there. (Go and see it, if you have not in awhile). It shares how we can be a happy family and that we have the hope that if we continue on this path of righteousness, that we can live with our heavenly father again. We also looked at pictures of the temple and what happens there. P and O are so excited to go next October and have their family sealed to them. This weekend they also went to General Conference and P told us that all of her questions were answered by the apostles and messengers for God. She said that she had a testimony before but now knows for sure that they are called of God. She is getting baptized this Sunday by her husband O! He is also going to baptized their daughter N. This family is such an example to me. 

Their family is why I am supposed to be here in Los Angeles. Lately I have been struggling with worrying about the unknown after my mission, like where will I work? will I work? What will I study? When will I get married? Satan just needs to stop because I have 6 months left and I need to help even more people while I am here! One of my old companions shared with me that she focused on being excited about where she was, so that she wouldn't get distracted or discouraged. I took that and put it into practice this week. I also read something this last week in the Ensign for this month, that said "Savor the moment". So I decided to do that and recommit myself to my mission. I am going to put my trust in the Lord and not going to worry about what might or might not happen after the mission. One thing  I know for sure, is if that if I can't trust him...I can't expect my investigators too or my new members too. So I am putting my trust in the Lord, committing myself to my mission call every day and focusing on Savoring the Moment! I decided to follow Henry B. Ering's advice and Choose This Day to serve the Lord again! (https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2009-09-37-choose-this-day?lang=eng) 

I found that this applied really well to this week, as one of our new members who is 12, got an F on this test and he asked us, why would the Lord allow this if I studied before the test, read in my scriptures, and prayed every night. Why would I get a bad grade on my test? When we stopped by on Sunday afternoon to see why he didn't go to church with his mom and sister he told us it was because he didn't believe what we had told him. That if he studied and followed the commandments the Lord would help him to recall what he had learned. I felt sorry for him, he seemed to try. When we asked him how long he studied he said for 15 minutes before his test and when he took the test he couldn't remember anything. As I reflected on this today, I realized that he needs help relying on his testimony and how he can obtain a knowledge of this gospel when he applies himself. So that is what we are going to work on this week with him. So that this weekend he can come to church and renew his baptismal promises. 

Oh and I almost forgot to tell you about MEET THE MORMONS (http://meetthemormons.com/)!!! We had a conference this past week and watched Meet the Mormons with our Mission President, it is such an inspirational movie that is literately full of who we really are. I invite everyone to go and see it. It comes out this Thursday on October 10th and all of the money will be donated to the Red Cross. It is such a great movie and pretty funny as well. 

I love you all so much and am so thankful for your support!!!

Love, Hermana Weller 

I cried about pan dulce...

So this week has been another amazing week here in California. It rained, I cried while driving and we are teaching some amazing people.

Our little house on Santa street is like a little heater oven. It gets so hot in there and we have these two amazing box fans which sometimes just blow around hot air. :) It was so amazing on Sunday morning when we walked outside and it was raining. I just wanted to dance but instead we ran and got in the car lol. 

I went to the diabetic doctor this past Friday. She said that everything looked good for my A1C, it was 5.6, which is the lowest one I have ever had. She told me to check my blood sugar more often so that I can adjust my medicine when I need too. So I am working on that. I have to check it 4 times a day now...which is way more than I ever have. I go back in two weeks to see her again. Before that I am going to work on being more motivated to work out. So after my doctors appointment we were out near one of my favorite Mexican bakeries and I realized that I couldn't eat any more amazing pan...so I just started crying. My companion asked me what was wrong and I told her and all she could do was laugh. She said the look on my face was priceless. I wish she would have recorded it for me so that I could see it now because I had tears just running down my face. LOL. Apparently I am addicted to pan dulce. jk.Back to missionary things...

The Lord has been blessings us. We have been working with the P&O family! The husband named O is working on receiving his priesthood so that he can baptize his daughter N and wife P. They are the husband and wife that were married about two weeks ago now. They have been coming to church for the past month and they are making so many changes. They want to come closer to Christ and know that the Lord will continue to help them as they get through all of these challenges. They are super excited for this coming Sunday with conference and all. I can't wait for October 12th when O can baptize his daughter and wife, so they can continue to make the steps they need to in their life. To return to live with our loving Heavenly Father. We are going to the Visitors Center with this family tonight and we can't wait! I am so excited about going so that they can see what their big goal is. 

Their two nieces who we have been teaching for the past two months, named A and N also accepted to be baptized on October 12th! We are so excited to help this entire family come back to the gospel and be baptized so that they can live together in the eternities. 

We also meet this amazing mother and her 10 year old son named R. They were playing with some rubber tennis rackets in the park, we started to talk to her and played with her son R. She told us that he suffered from down syndrome, so we stayed and played a little at the park with them, while we shared with them about the great plan of salvation. R mom invited us to come over this week to share more with her. We are so excited to see them!

This week has been amazing. Hermana B and I are having so much fun talking with everyone and sharing this Gospel with our Brothers and Sisters. I am so excited for Conference which is coming up this next weekend. I hope that you will all watch it and enjoy it. 

Love you a ton, Hermana Weller

P.S. I apparently didn't take any pictures this week but I did get one of some candied apples I bought to celebrate Halloween a bit early lol. You all know I love the Holidays.

Can I say "I do"?

This week has been so amazing. First the hot LA weather is starting to cool down. Today it is only 75 out which is pretty amazing. Last night I slept in a sweater because I didn't want to sleep with my blankets. The weather here is kind of nuts. Even though it gets super hot during the day the nights are still pretty warm. It probably doesn't help that we only have box fans but that is life. I am just grateful that there is a Walmart close by and that they sell Ice Cream for $2.50 a gallon and sugar free Popsicle for $2.00 for 20. It has really been a blessing :)  To start we set a few more baptismal dates with a young man named J and a young woman named S, they both couldn't make it to church this last weekend which was a real bummer because they both wanted to go so much and then they just decided to do something else instead of go to church. It was super sad really. Sister B and I were sad for them and that they let themselves be so easily distracted.  This week I have been studying one of the Ten Commandments, which is not to put "Other God's before God" and I read this talk which was pretty great. I thought I would share a little from the talk by Elder Dallin H. Oaks: What other priorities are being "served" ahead of God by persons—even religious persons in our day? Consider these possibilities, all common in our world: • Cultural and family traditions • Political correctness • Career aspirations • Material possessions • Recreational pursuits • Power, prominence, and prestige If none of these examples seems to apply to any one of us, we can probably suggest others that do. The principle is more important than individual examples. The principle is not whether we have other priorities. The question posed by the second commandment is "What is our ultimate priority?" Are we serving priorities or gods ahead of the God we profess to worship? Have we forgotten to follow the Savior who taught that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments? (see John14:15). If so, our priorities have been turned upside down by the spiritual apathy and undisciplined appetites so common in our day." This talk is exactly what I needed to read this week, because it breaks my heart each week when people have a desire to change and repent and then they let other things get in the way, like friends, or what others think. One thing that I have learned on my mission is that Salvation is FREE and Christ paid the price so that we could be here and experience, learn, and grow in this life. This morning I was reading in Mosiah chapter 14 verses 1 to 9 in the Book of Mormon, which says, "  Yea, even doth not Isaiah say: Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground; he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb so he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgressions of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no evil, neither was any deceit in his mouth. I saw what Christ's atonement and sacrifice meant for one family this week as P and O were married. They have been together for 11 years and have 5 children. O was baptized when he was 10 and then fell away from the church. It wasn't until May that I had the amazing opportunity to teach his girlfriend P. She has such a strong desire to have her family sealed in the temple! They have came to church for the past 3 weeks and are working towards being baptized in the next few weeks. One of the most touching things from their wedding was that O's mother was there. She is not a member, she gave me the biggest hug and told me, "thank you for changing my son's life." That was the greatest GIFT I have received on my mission. I couldn't have asked for a better week this week. It was pretty amazing. I am so thankful for your sacrifices for me too, to be able to serve right now at this time in my life. I am so thankful that the Lord has allowed me to come and serve here in LA. I am so grateful to be a missionary. I am so grateful that we have a prophet who lives on the earth today and I can't wait to hear him speak on October 4th and 5th! Will you watch conference with me? Love you a ton! Your daughter, sister, and aunt, Hermana Weller P.S. Mom wrote me the sweetest thing this week, she was just answering my prayers. :) Although, you are out there working for him (the Lord), you are working for yourself.  What a great way for your to grow in your testimony.

Roller coaster kind of week

                    

Hi!

Family- I heard that you had so much fun this past weekend. I am so sorry I missed the blessing but what can I say I have helping other families come closer to Christ through me. Pretty crazy to say really. That is what I am doing though. Helping other families have the same blessings that our family already has. It is so exciting! Such a great work to be involved in. 

This week has been a roller coaster...let me just start with...do you remember the M family from last week?

Just a little flash back from last week...One of the families is the M family, we started teaching them the week I got to this mission back in April, we taught them and the mother had a baptismal date for June but at the last minute things were super crazy with their family situation and they decided to take a break from our lessons. The Lord truly blessed us though because we were out the other day and me and Sister B both looked at each other and said let's go visit them and just see how they are doing. So we stopped by and they opened the door and were happy to see us again! We started to see them and we had the 1st counselor in the Bishopric go and see them last Wednesday to give them a blessing. After that we visited every day with a member and on Sunday when they came to church everyone was so happy to see them there. It was super awesome! The Lord has been so great to us.

Well this week, on Monday we had planned to go and visit with them and share with them about how their family could be together for all time and eternity when they prepare to go to the temple! When we got there with two members from the ward, P came out and told us that her and her family were getting kicked out and they they had not been working so they didn't have money to find another place. My heart was literately breaking as she told us what was happening. I had no idea what to do, and so I said a prayer in my heart and little did I know that the Lord has blessed us with such a great Ward Missionary Leader, because he called the Bishopric and told them what was happening and on Wednesday they had a meeting with the bishop. On Tuesday they went out and looked for apartments with a member and they are still looking. What I have seen this week is that members are amazing and that they help us so much! On Sunday P and her whole family went to STAKE CONFERENCE. We also meet with them this week and we set a baptismal date for the 27th of September. We are so excited for her and this change in her life. Her husband O has been a support to her this time as well. He is making Sunday their family day and is not working so that they can spend more time together. It is so amazing. I just love this family!

When I went home on Monday night I just cried and felt so at a loss of what to do for P and O and their family (the M family). I just felt so helpless and then I remembered I have given them the best thing I could, that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have shared with them a part of my heart and they will always be there in my heart. I wasn't really sure why I was sent here to the Los Angeles Mission when I decided to get re-assigned but I now know. I know it was to meet and have the opportunity to teach this family. To help them have the same happiness I have been blessed with in my family.   

I just love that I have the ability to share this with others. I hope that you have such a great week. Love you all so much!

Hermana Weller