Aug 4- Loving It!

I heard that there is a new baby in the family again! How great. I can't believe our little family is growing so much. Baby after baby. I am just waiting for someone else to tell me they are pregnant too. So I am sure that will happen next week. 

We had some changes this past week. I am now only training Sister B. Sister M got transferred last Tuesday to a new area. It is okay though it is what the Lord wanted. Our area is still just bursting at the seems with work and I just love it. I love being a missionary and someone who can invite others to come closer to him. I realized something pretty significant the other day that no one else here except for Sister B and I can invite our investigators to be baptized. We are the two missionaries who are here in our area to invite the Lord's children to come back to him. 

This week we saved a baptismal date, or the Lord worked through us to save it! One of our investigators came to church two weeks ago and then went to Girls Camp. We heard she had a great time and really enjoyed it but then last week she didn't come to church. When we talked to her we asked her to continue to meet with us so that we could help her to learn more about the Gospel. She agreed.  We had such a great lesson with her and felt the spirit. Then we invited her to try our ward again and she did and loved it. The girls she made friends with at Girls Camp were all there and they made her feel so comfortable. She accepted a baptismal date for August 17! 

M who was baptized two weeks ago was confirmed on Sunday. He also set a GOAL to go to the temple in 2015 exactly a year after he was baptized. So excited for him to continue on this journey. 

Right now we have two investigators who are working towards their baptisms for the 17th of August! Two great girls who are already in love with the Young Women's Program and who love coming to church. Pray for them, their names are A and D. 

Love always, Sister Weller

P.S. Check out the new mormon.org in Spanish. I love it! mormon.org/preguntas.

July 28-

I hope that you are doing some fun family things over the summer. Summer doesn't even feel like summer here. I am just now realizing that July is going to end in just a few days and then we are in August. It feels so unreal. Time is going by so fast. I have heard that it will just get faster and then before I know it 2014 will be over. I hope that isn't the case but I guess it means that I just need to cherish every waking moment...

The Lord has blessed my companionship so much. This last Sunday we had a baptism for M. Last Sunday we gave him a baptismal font tour and then this Sunday he was the one in the baptismal font getting baptized. He finally found the peace and comfort he was looking for. He even got up and bore his testimony after he was baptized. He is such an amazing man. An example to me. His family did not want him to get baptized or to meet with us anymore but he worked through all of that and overcame his fears. Replaced it with trust, and allowed the Savior to work in his heart. He is getting the GIFT of the HOLY GHOST this coming Sunday.

F who is another one of our investigators came to church this weekend. He finally asked us to set a baptismal date for him. We are now working towards the 10th of August. I can't wait to see him all in white. Just waiting for the Lord to forgive him for everything. 

This week being in a trio-companionship again has been amazing. I couldn't have asked for two more prepared sister missionaries with me and they are both from Idaho which is amazing. We are just representing the great Northwest. This has been one of the best weeks every! I am absolutely loving being in a TRIO. Earlier this week, I felt like okay I have this. I can do this the Lord is trusting me with two amazing missionaries. This week has totally proved that to me. 

Sister M was so prepared for this. She teaches so simply already and she has a great way of telling people her experiences. Sister B is also my companion now. She is finding the blessings in the work. We taught MODESTY to one of our investigators and we got them to commit to wearing modest shirts. We are still working on the short shorts, but one step at a time. The mission at first is super hard to get used too but I am just helping them both to take things an hour at a time. We just sit small goals and then do everything we can so that at the end of hour we can say, wow we just did that. We have done that today and talked to so many people already. This week, we had 229 open your mouth conversations out of 200. We are setting the hastening of the work! 

We are having so much fun together. These sisters are full of love, they love our investigators so much and want to see them come closer to God through faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. It is so great!

We are just having fun, that is all I can say. I am just so thankful that the Lord blessed me with these two great companions!

Sister Weller

July 21-Prayers Are The Answer

Well we are at the end of another transfer, I have been here in the California Los Angeles Mission for 3 months already and absolutely love it. I could not have asked the Lord to allow me to serve in a better mission. This week has felt like our area is on fire. We have so many people that the Lord has blessed us with. We don't have time to see them all. it is like we need another set of missionaries just for our little 3 mile long 4 mile wide piece of East LA. We have been working with our four investigators that have a baptismal date.

The Lord has been answering our prayers all week. On Saturday, we were a little short on a few of our goals and we had LA English, our ward correlation meeting, and then a trip to the Visitor's Center, so before we left to go running we said a prayer that the Lord would bless us with 5 conversations, 1 new investigator, and 2 referrals. As we left to go running, we just talked with anyone. We ended up finding 3 new investigators that we are going to visit this Tuesday and also got 2 referrals and have 6 conversations. This all happened because we prayed and asked for them. The Lord is continuing to bless us because we are being obedient. 

On Sunday we did a Baptismal Font Tour with M after church and I think that really helped him to overcome his fear of the unknown. He even stayed for church and he was running a fever. He had his baptismal interview after church too and he is so ready to be baptized this coming Sunday. Pray for him that he will continue to learn more in the gospel and that he will be rely on the Lord to help him overcome his fears. 

We have also been blessed with amazing MEMBERS because this past Saturday we went to the Visitor's Center with F so that he could feel the spirit and learn more about the Holy Ghost and really what Jesus Christ did for us. The spirit was so strong through the entire tour, we were blesses with the most amazing Sister Missionaries to help us. We started in the Room called the Savior of the World and watched a video about how he gave us the ability to repent of our sins. Then we watched a video about how the Holy Ghost can help us in our lives. As we sat in the Special Witnesses Room, I felt the SPIRIT so strong. As we watched the video I thought of a scripture about how if we believe in these things, come unto him and receive his help. As I read that scripture to F, I felt a strong impression to invite him to be baptized this Sunday the 27th. He said he wasn't for sure because he still felt like he wasn't worthy. We asked him to pray to know if he should be baptized. He prayed and said that he would continue to think about it. When we went to visit him on Sunday, he said, I want to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized. So BAPTIZE ME. So now we are setting up his baptism for this Sunday. There is so much power in the Visitor's Center and the amazing spirit that is there. 

I also finished the BOOK OF MORMON in English again! My goal now is to read it in Spanish by December 31st. I sent a few of you a mark read along thing to read with me. I am so excited to read the Book of Mormon in Spanish, I end up liking different verses because in Spanish things are explained a little differently. I am so excited!

Oh almost forgot to mention, with transfers and all. Sister J is leaving me and going to another spanish area here in our mission. I have loved being here with her. I am staying, still driving, and will be training 2 new sister missionaries! What! Yes, I am training. I am super excited. I find out who my new companions are tomorrow at our transfer reunion. I'll send a picture next week.

I just love being a missionary and being a servant of the Lord. 

Love, Hermana Weller

July 14th- If You Love It....Do It!!

How are you all doing? What fun summer adventures have you had? Are you all getting ready for the fair coming up at the end of this month or next month? Sister J and I saw a little carnival in a store parking lot today...to bad it is so off limits haha. So will someone please go to the WC Fair and get an all day ride bracelet and ride until you get sick? Please. Also eat an elephant ear for me. Has anyone been camping yet this summer? Summer is already half way over just in case you were keeping track so go have fun. 

We are doing so great here in BG. The members here are so great! They go out with us a few times a week. We are still working harder on going out with people from the Young Men's and Young Women's organizations but little by little we are working harder and harder to go out with them. We are seeing miracles from this as well. One of the less active girls we are teaching named A is getting started on her Young Women's Personal Progress and she loves it. She is so excited to get more involved and start coming to the Wednesday night activities. I wish I would have been more involved with the Young Women's Personal Progress when I was in that young. It is so great and so prefect for young women. 

We have also been working on getting our investigator A involved with Young Women's so she can feel more and more comfortable at church. She has been coming to church for 3 weeks and has been going to the Wednesday night activities. One of our recent converts has been going to appointments with us too. She is 2 years older than A but they have really clicked and are going to things together now. Yesterday they  went with us to the temple and it was so great. A is feeling a little nervous about her baptism this weekend and not feeling ready but I know that through the help of the Lord that we will be  help her feel prepared. 

We also had a random less active member miracle this past week. We were in a trailer park and contacting people as we were looking for a less active member on our ward list. We talked with everyone we passed. Well turns out one of the ladies that we spoke to was baptized 13 years ago in a different area and hasn't been to church in 10 years. We started visiting with her this past week and her daughter now has an interest in learning more (she is not a member)! 

Right now we have three people who are working towards being baptized, A, M, and F, they all have a goal to be baptized this coming Sunday the 20th of July. They each have unique backgrounds but I just know how much the Lord loves them and wants to see them come closer to him. The only way that we can go back to live with him is to be baptized and start our way down the straight and narrow path to Eternal Life. In 3rd Nephi is one of my favorite scriptures. 3 Nephi 27:20 - 22. Please pray for all three of them!

 20 Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.

 21 Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do;

 22 Therefore, if ye do these things blessed are ye, for ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

This past week has been super hard for me. I am working on trying to stay focused on my investigators. Last week I heard from my old companion that one of our converts who is only 9 years old lost both of her parents. I have been so worried for her but I know that the Lord is protecting her and watching over her. This week I have been praying for her and really focusing on the blessings that we have to know that we can live together forever. It was so special to go to the temple yesterday and walk around it. I also got a fortune cookie this week that said if you love it, do it. Which pretty much gave me the boast I needed in my spirits this week. I love my mission and couldn't imagine doing anything else so I am just going to leave each morning and do it. 

I love you all so much! Also, had me some In and Out this last Monday. It was perfect. Such a great California tradition.

Hermana Weller

July 7-The Year is HALF OVER!

What, I can't even believe that July starts and that means that the year is almost over. It is so crazy to think that just a few months ago I was in Ecuador celebrating New Years Eve and now I am in the States and celebrating the 4th of July. We were in our house super early that night for safety reasons, so we got home about 6pm instead of 9pm Which was good because people got a little crazy. By 10:30pm I was passed out in bed and couldn't hear the fireworks anymore. Luckily here the fireworks I love, mortars are not illegal because everyone had them. They looked so pretty. The little park down the street from us had a big firework show too. So that went from like 6-9pm it was so loud but super pretty. We go to watch from the house. We took pictures so check those out. I am so happy that you all go to spend time together for the 4th of July too. The pictures look so fun!

This past week we have been on bikes part of the time. I have not been on bikes for like 15 years. My body hurt so bad after we rode bikes one night. Luckily it was night time but wow so hard. I just keep telling Hermana J that I want to trade my body in for a new one haha. Too bad I can't do that. My skirts are not working for bikes though lol. Missionary problems. I love pencil skirts but a pencil skirt + bikes = immodesty. So I am looking for longer skirts that are flowy so that I can ride a bike and be modest. We still have a car but we can only use so many miles so that means that we are on bikes during the hottest time of the year here in Los Angeles! We are also walking more which I actually don't mind, reminds me of my time in Ecuador. 

I have been studying a lot about our existence before our time here on the Earth. Our life with our Heavenly Father and how each and every one of us chose the Plan of Salvation, which means we all had agency in Heaven as well to pick and chose. It was because of this, that we were all born so that we could gain a body so that we could experience things for ourselves and chose again to return to live with our Heavenly Father. So our Salvation is our choice. What are we all doing to chose it again?

I love you all so much. Sorry this letter is short. I promise it will be longer next week. I hope everyone in the family is doing great and that you are all having such a great summer. It is super hot here and we live in a little house full of ants and heat. Lol. Not sure why we have so many little friends but that is that. 

I love it here in the most international mission on earth. I can't wait to see what this weeks brings us. 

Love your missionary. Hermana Weller