Sister Wiser arrived in Texas

To the family of Sister Wiser,

   We had the privilege of meeting Sister Wiser yesterday when she arrived at the McAllen International Airport. She looked great and appears very anxious to go to work.

   We are grateful to have Sister Wiser  in the Texas McAllen Mission. Already she has impressed us as a well-prepared young woman with a great spirit and a desire to serve the Lord. She has had excellent training and orientation at the Missionary Training Center in Provo in preparing for missionary labors here in South Texas. Your support from home will be of great value to her as she serves her mission.

   Sister  Wiser's first assignment area is in the McAllen Zone in the city of  Donna, Texas.  Her first companion is Sister Sanders from California.  Sister Sanders is an outstanding missionary, and Sister Wiser will receive excellent training under her direction. Their Preparation Day is Monday.  You should hear more from Sister Wiser then.

 We are confident that Sister Wiser will bless the lives of many people here in South Texas while serving as a missionary. May the Lord bless you abundantly while she is in the mission field and always.

With warm regards, 

Stephen J. Trayner, President

Sister Sandy Trayner

Texas McAllen Mission

LAST WEEK IN THE MTC!!

Hola personas!!

 

How is everyone??  This week has gone by so fast. it is seriously insane!  I only have three days left in the MTC! I am freaking out a little! time flies when you are having fun and learning about the Gospel! So as you can guess, i got my travel plans to texas!  I leave the MTC at 5:00 in the morning.  I will end up at the SLC airport sometime around six.  Then with check in and all i think i should be able to call between 6:30-7:45 AM.  So be ready for a wake up call!  I think i will just call the home phone so you all can have a handset.  I am buying a calling card here(it is like five dollars) then i will call and we can chat.  I have no idea what i will even talk about.  I am stoked though! Our flight leaves at 8:00. and we do have an hour layover is dallas. Then on down to Mcallen! i am STOKED!!

 

Guess who showed up for Tuesday night devotional!!! ELDER RICHARD G SCOTT. It was AWESOME.  nobody knew who was coming, but the moment people saw him walk in the room everyone stood up and it was dead silence.  You could just feel the spirit enter the room.  it was really really cool.  He talked on the power of prayer. He said that we have the opportunity to talk to our GOD, to our creator, and the creator of many worlds.  and the best part is that our Heavenly Father wants to talk to us.  Prayer is honestly such a beautiful gift.   here is a quote i really liked- 'REFUSE to be discouraged. BE obedient. properly USE agency. HAVE confidence in our God!!' Another thing he said was this- "answers seldom come when you are on your knees. They usually come in quiet moments during the day. FIND quiet moments so you can be instructed by the LORD."  I just loved it.  His talk was a blessing for me.  It is crazy the amount of love i felt from him as he encouraged us and gave us a peaceful message.  He is truly an apostle of God.  It was wonderful to hear him.. My favorite part though was after he was done talking.  The sister saying the prayer got up after the song and was at the pulpit, and Elder Scoot stants back up, tells the sister to sit back down and then gave us an Apostolic blessing.  The last thing he said was "REMEMBER, YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED." It was just really really awesome!  oh just remembered-one last quote from him. 'the greater the faith, the stronger the Character.'

 

Wednesday i got to be a host for the new missionaries!  It was really fun. I remember my first day, being wisked away and getting shoved into the swing of things.  Remember how my host was Samoan? haha ya, still have no idea what she was staying to me that day.  i just remember walking around like a lost puppy. then knodding my head occationally and saying yes.  Haha what a funny experience.  So anyways, i escorted three sisters from the curb, to their residency hall then to the classroom.  You should have seen me trying to pull their HUGE suitcases.  There is apoint in the drop of where they go in and get their name tags and stuff, so i would be left with THREE huge suitcases.  It was quite comical after.  AND it was windy.  I had a few embarrassing Marylin Monroe moments. haha OOOPs.  That awkward moment.  But it was really fun!  haha now that i am leaving the MTC i finally know where everything is without getting lost. (oh crap, i missed my turn) haha.  YUP still happens in the MTC. SoThat was fun.  I see one of the sisters around all the time and she always says hello to me. =D fun fun fun.

 

SO- i am singing in relief society on sunday!  Infront of ALL the sister missionaries and the branch presidency wives. I am excited! a little nervous too- i will admit.  but it is all fun!  I will let you know how that goes. pray that i dont freak out and have a voice crack or faint or trip on my way up.  haha.

 

We had our last lesson with one of our progressing investigators on wednesday night.  our teacher-Hermana Valdez- plays the part of the investigator, (she was also Alijandra-our first investigator)  It is amazing to see how far Hermana Garry and I have come in the past four weeks.  Even in the opening prayer that Hermana Garry gave-  it was really beautiful-AND all in spanish!  It made Amanda (our investigator) cry.  Then we went on and really just applied the things that we have learned here.  We really were able to listen to the investigator and answer her questions and teach to what she needed.  It was awesome.  By FAR the best lesson that we have taught. I ended up sharing my testimony- and we just cried together.  It was beautiful and the spirit was there.  It was a great last lesson.  I can speak spanish!! sometimes!! haha =D I am so excited to get out and start teaching REAL live spanish speaking humans.

 

Yesterday ALL day was in-feild orientation.  It was great.  Basically they taught us all the things we need to know about the outside life of a missionary.  I am excited.  I am so GLAD that we have  preach my gospel and the MTC that we have today.  Our leaders truly are inspired with all the things they teach us.  I loved it.  we learned ALL the things.

Hahaha when we were in one of the classrooms hermana Garry was called on to give a personal experience.  Both her parents are Converts to the church and her extended family are not members.  Anyways she was telling about her family dynamic and how it is hard to share the gospel sometimes with her extended family because they are not always accepting.  So she says "ya, my uncle is a Born Again Christian Pasture..." then she pauses... and looked at me and mouthed the word "Pasture?"(like a feild for sheep..haha)  haha i just smiled at her and said PASTOUR.  she continued (her face as red as a beet) "oh i really meant Pastour.. i can never say that word." and continued on with her story.  She is the greatest.   I am going to miss her! ah. haha oh! remember the picture i sent home of the little sister missionary that is from Honduras? She can't speak much english and i can't speak very much spanish- but i was talking to her during one of the breaks, and she was telling me (yes in spanish) that she was overwhelmed because she couldn't understand anything because they were speaking too fast in english.  So i offered to translate for her.  So I sat by her  in the next meeting and translated it into spanish for her!  THE GIFT OF TONGUES IS REAL!!.  It was really cool, and my spanish wasn't perfect, and i would throw in english words sometimes.  but it was cool to be able to hear english and know what to say in spanish.  I loved it.  And i just loved the little sister.  I already love the HECK out of the people in my area and i havent even met them yet!

In on of the other classrooms we were practicing contacting.  And i seriously felt like i was doing summer sales. haha "hey my name is Shayna, i have just been chatting with some of the folks in the ward..." haha It was really fun.  Contacting in English is a peice of cake!  I just hope i will be able to do it in SPANISH. haha I can talk about Gospel stuff in spanish, haha regular stuff is probably going to take some time though. HAH. =D oh it's great!  wassup spanish!

 

On tuesday (sorry this email is crazy and everywhere) We had our last TRC(when volunteers that are members volunteer to come and be taught in the missionary's language)  but this week we taught a 40 minute lesson to some little abuelitos(grandparents).  They were from guatamala. I think they did most of the teaching.  It was awesome.  They told us their conversion stories and we just talked back and forth.  Sister Milano(the little grandma, and i mean little, she came up to my shoulder) told us how she was baptized and found the church.  sinch she was baptized her mother, husband, and two sister(i think she said two..in spanish..idk) were all baptized and her sons have served missions.  It was really neat! THEY TALK SOOOO FAST!.  I was remided of a quote from the movie RM "uh elder...what was she speaking?" "that was dutch." "uh...that wasn't the dutch they taught me in the MTC!"  sometimes i feel like that.  Ha its all fun!

 

Being a Sister Training Leader has been SO SO fun! We just get to visit all the sisters every night.  I love all the sisters our zone.  I am going to miss them! i really have the coolest zone EVER.

 

Hahahahaha can i just say really quick  that i LOVE people! I went into the bathroom yesterday and someone taped a sign on the back of the Toilet. it sait "THIS WAY TO THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC".  Oh Harry Potter LOVERS.  I love people.  that little sign made my day.  I use that bathroom every day now.  haha.

 

Well, I love you all! sooooooooooooooo muuuuuuuuuucccchhh! I can't belive i am going to be in a real life place on monday! wish me luck!  I have really loved my time here at the MTC- to all you future missionaries- soak up your time as a missionary.  You will never again in your life have 24 hours a day to devote to the Lord.  It is the BEST feeling ever.  I love it. I have learned more here about my Savior and our purpose on the earth than i have in all my time in seminary.  The Lord's work is hastening and moving forward fast!  Prepare to be a part of it.  It brings soooo many blessings. I have a firm knowledge that we have a Heavenly Father who loves each and every person individually on the earth.  We are HIS children. he gave us a plan so that we can return to live with him again.  Jesus Chirst is central to that plan.  Through Christ's atonement we can overcome every thing in the world.  All we have to do is have faith and put our trust in him.  there was a quote that really stood out to me this past week, from Elder Scott. he said "Don't fear repentance, repentance is Help."  I know that through the atonement we can be made clean, pure, and whole again.  Chirst can HEAL us, he can take away pain, sorrow, worry, guilt. You name it- He has already covered it.  All we have to do is open the door and let him in. This gospel is a gospel of happiness! SO LETS BE HAPPY! TODOS LOS DIAS!

 

Love you all! have a wonderful week! if you want to write me- write to my texas address!! (mom will you post that on the blog? thanks)

 

besitas!

-Hermana Wiser

 

PS- Dad- every letter i have got has been a reminder to write you, haha did you not get your birthday card?  Write me back!

PSS-Shelby- killer job in the play! i am in the process of writing you back =D glad you had fun! it sounded amazing!

PSSS-MOM- you are the greatest! thanks for the face stuff.  I like the little machine.. can't remember it's name right now... but it is great. I can see improvement already.  Is the face wash stuff sample size?  I think it is working. i will let you know. and thank you for the blueberries. soooo yummy. by far my favorite snack (thank you Costco). And the Picture book is my favorite thing i own! the pictures turned out soooooo good.  I love it so much. you are the best.  and everyone in my zone loves the pictures too. most common comment i get from them is "you have a beautiful family, full of models, really short models." haha love us. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE.

Stanton-Keep up the good work with selling! you got this bud! just smile and wave boys, smile and wave!

Sterling- keep getting ready for the mish! hah good luck with your classes, i am praying for you.  You got it in the Bag.

 

LOVE YOU WONDERFUL FAMILY!! WRITE ME.

 

CHOA!!

District temple walk yay!!!

Love the sisters in my District! 

Hermana Cooley couldn't reach Canada.. so I became her stool

I found Sister Esplin

District Matching Day!!! freaky huh! haha we love to match =D

Wassup companion matching! 

the second picture is my name tag. and me being artsy

We love gluten free muffins and Packages!! 

This monstrocity is me and hermana Andersen... Yes we both fit in the hoodie her mother sent her.  haha yes i look like a creep asian. its fine. hahah 

This is easter as well.  The elder in the back is Elder miller. glasses elder is elder Jensen. Awkward Squatter is Elder Bennett and the other is elder Jones.

This is classic Hermana Garry and Hermana Wiser.  Wassup Ring pop! 

This one is cute too. 

If i had a profile pic.. this would by it #hotsistas #eastermorning #todoslosdias #missionary4life

this is the little sister from honduras that i talk to in spanish and she talks to me in english. 

Ope there it is- haha This is my ugly face. love ya.

The second one is all the sisters in my district!  on easter

These are the easter packages that Sister Garry sent to us!!!

First picture is of me and hermana garry- we got to go to the outside world to get retainers for her.

Hola mi Familia!!!!

How is everyone!!
This is a Shout out to SHELBY LEE WISER!! Good luck in your show! You look darling! mom showed me a picture!  Lovely! I am expecting a letter! I want to hear all about it! Break a Leg and remember to keep your beautiful smile! I am so proud of you! AHHHHH. love you.

The trip looked SOOOO fun! I loved the pictures. Hahaha Shelby, i see you found my shorts. =D you're welcome. haha. I loved the pictures of you in your wet suits.  sounded so fun!. I also loved the picture with Stanton all up on the wall and it looks like sterling is holding him up. Classic wiser  boy phote. loved it.

DEAR STERLING- YOU ARE HILARIOUS!!! Hahah i am excited to see your wisdom teeth video someday.  hahah i laughed so hard. 
 
Daddy- SO sorry that your birthday card was late. i hope you it found you. and i hoped you liked it! Happy VERY late birthday.  I love you.

OKAY-  SO this week has been a crazy one here at the MTC.  I have been out for a month!!! can you believe it? I can barely believe it.  It is crazy.  I only have 9 days left in the MTC.  Then i will be in the real world. speaking real spanish. talking to REAL people!  IT is nuts.  I am excited.  a little scared.  But mostly excited.  I am supposed to get my travel plans tonight! so i will let you know when i have to leave and everything. 

I hope you all enjoyed General Conference.  it was AMAZING.  It was awesome being here at the MTC with a million other missionaries.  I just remember sitting and listening to President Monson and just having the overwhelming feeling that he truly is a PROPHET of God. He was called to be a prophet.  it was such a neat experience.  Conference was so amazing.  i wrote down a list of random questions.  and every single one of them was answered.  I know the Lord is concerned about me and my questions.  It was really neat.  And really really neat to be in the MTC when they announced the astonishing number of missionaries! 65,634 full time missionaries, 20,000 more with calls, and 6,000 more in the interviewing process! AH!  IT IS SOOOOO COOL!! I am obviously stoked about it. =D hahah.  I love being apart of the work- and Sterling- I met some elders that are in your mission... haha the only problem is that i can't remember their names. oops.  But it is great!  I really felt like all the talks were inspired.  I would a letter from each one of you about the things you learned (and wrote down ;) ) in conference. I loved Sister Dalton's talk ~What e're thou Art, ACT they part~ I though her talk was amazing. Craig A Cardon's talk on the atonement was absolutely amazing as well! one thing that stood out to me from his talk is 'all believers see the truth of the atonement'.  I loved how he empasized that the Savior has already payed the price and that he wants to forgive.  And OBEDIENCE was a major theme.  Obedience is so important.  when we are obedient we can truly become instruments in the lords hands.  And life is just soooo much happier when we are obedient.  I loved conference!  It is always wonderful to hear from our Prophet and apostales( wow i can not spell this word in english... so here is how it is spelled in spanish)  OH and David A Bednar cracked the whip with his talk.  it was awesome
You remember  Elder Enrique Falabella?  with his spanish accent? -first off his message was wonderful.  But i just kept picturing Dad pausing the TV and doing his nacho accent. -especially with the poem his little wife wrote him.  I love you Daddy and Family.  Haha i enjoyed that mental picture-did that actually happen??

So this week Hermana Garry and I were called to be Zone training sisters (kinda like the female version of zone leaders)  So we are over all the sisters in our zone.  it has been really fun and a great experience.  We have got a bunch of extra training.  They told us that in the actual field that they are putting in Zone Training Sisters all over because of the HUGE Influx of sisters.  IT is awesome.  And missions presidents- instead of having AP's they are now having missionary councils or something like that- so Sister leaders are going to be included soon.  I am not sure exactly how it works but they are having to make some changes due to all the sisters coming.  Wassup Sista Power!!

Man, i can't even thing of anything. haha all my days are starting to MUSH together.


Oh here is the latest funny story-  SO since we are the new ZTS (zone training sisters) we have to put on a skit for tall the new sisters.  Elder Jenson and Elder Bennett are the zone leaders. they are hilarious.  so we were getting ready to go and give the welcome presentation to the newest district that came on monday and Hermana Garry and I stopped into the rest room really quick ( haha of course, oh and there are no urinals involved this time.. luckily)  haha so anyways we do our buisiness and start coming out of the bathroom doors and elder Jensen scares the crap out of us.  Hermana Garry was so startled that she fell of the floor and skinned her knees on the carpet, And my first instinct was to punch him.. haha OOPS.   anyways so Hermana Garry was giving them crap for her scraped knees. and elder Bennett (who is totally innocent and would never do anything innapropriate) went to look at hermana's knees and went to live up the hem of her skirt.  Hahah he didn't even get past touchng the hem of her skirt before hermana garry Screamed "ELDER MY SKIRRRRRTT!' he litterally jumped back and fell out of his chair.  Elder Jensen and i were seriously laughing our heads off. we are still giving him crap about it today. and elder bennett just kept appologizing because he meant nothing from it.  anyways it was just funny. and awkward things are always happening. it's great.   I wish you could all see the funny things that are always happening.   

Well i have to go! LOVE YOU all.  Have a wonderful week!

I am expecting letters about your conference experience!  MUCH LOVE!!
LES QUIERO!!

LOVE,
Hermana Wiser =D 

Wassuppp week 3!

Hola familia!

 

How is everyone?  I heard your San Diego trip was great!  I would love to hear more about it!

 

Everything is great here at the MTC.  I have been here for almost a month!  It's crazy.  Time flies when you are having fun! =D  Oh good news!  They have a new mission rule! We are allowed to email friends and family for longer periods of time. I only have about a half hour longer, so not very long, but that is nice. Letters are still easier to respond to because of the limited time.  But I just thought that was cool.

 

Easter weekend here was amazing! On sunday morning we had a MTC wide sacrament meeting.  They passed the sacrament to 3,000 missionaries in the same meeting.  It was awesome! Then the general bishop -Bishop Causse and his wife gave awesome talks about the savior.  One thing he said that really touched me was : 'Repentance in not just for big sinners.  It is for all people on the earth.  Especially the worthy and exellent people on the earth. Repentance is an every day process. Repentance is a positive process.' I loved this because it is sooooo true!  Repentance should be a positive experience because we are bettering ourselves, progressing, and becoming closer to the Savior.  Since i have been here i have really realized how important it is to use the atonement EVERY day.  Not just for when i make mistakes, but for progressing.  The enabaling (excuse the spelling...uh..)  power of the atonement is just as real as the healing power of the atonement.  Throught the atonement we are able to do everything in this life that we need to do in order to return to God. It is great!. Ahhhhh i love it!

 

THEN... Sherry Dew came and talked in our sunday night devotional!! It was absolutely amazing! She is seriously crazy amazing. She talked a ton about missionary work.  But the one thing she really stressed was this: 

 " Christ isn't our last chance, he is our ONLY chance. Our only chance

 -to feel hope

-to be healed

-to overcome weakness

-to deal with fear

-to forgive

-to be forgiven

-to repent

-to successfully deal with the temptations of the adversary

-to avoid anger/jealousy

-to find peace

-to return to live with God

-To REPENT

the list goes on and on and on! 

I loved this- because is goes back to the missionary purpose- Invite people to come unto Christ. ( look up the purpose, its in preach my gospel, page 1 in a little box)  Christ is the light in the darkness, he is the ONLY way we can ever attain happiness, progress, and live with God again.  I wish i could do justice to all that i am learning and becoming here.  I am learning so much.  I really believe that Everyone should serve a mission.  Because even though i am 'sacraficing' and giving up time in my life, the Lord is more abundantly blessing me.  In ways that i will never be able to repay.  I have heard people say that serving a mission is paying a tith on your life, but in reality it is just a Big Fat HUGE blessing.  I honestly feel SO blessed.  ALL the people should serve missions! IT is ALL worth it! pinkie promise.

 

So basically you can tell that i LOVE sundays. and Easter was soooo amazing.  I loved it. And this weekend is GENERAL CONFERENCE!! I am so excited i can hardly stand it! I have always loved conference, but I have come to realize that we get to hear from a PROPHET Of the Lord!  A real live prophet.  AHH it's so cool.  The lord loves and blesses us SO much.  Man, i am just a happy camper.

 

Okay.. So i have some really good embarrassing stories from this week. Well every day i have about 20. and EVERYONE in my district seems to remeber them.  But here is the best one from the week

-So, Sister Garry and I were going to the bathroom.  And the bathroom used to be a Men's bathroom- due to the large increase of Sister Missionaries it was changed over- ( and there are STILL lines.. such is life)  Anyways this is the layout of the bathroom- so as you walk in there are two stalls on the left, and right after the second stall there is a urinal (bah) and then there are two sinks right next to that.  It is a PUNY bathroom.  anyways so i finish my buisiness and i am waiting for Hermana Garry ( who is in the second stall next to the urinal) and i was wondering how a urinal looked when it flushed.  So, natrually I went to go flush it. As i flushed the urinal, buckets-i kid you not- BUCKETS of water started pouring out of it and swirling onto the floor.  I was screaming and Hermana Garry- who was in the stall sitting on the toi toi- was screaming. (she got soaked...) .  Luckily there was a drain on the floor.  But seriously i have never seen so much water come out of such an awkward looking toilet.  The best part was that a district that whoose classroom was right outside the bathroom went and found sisters to come in and see if we were okay.  Haha -due to the screaming. AND the next day the entire bathroom was closed.. OOPS! now i know why they say 'curiosity killed the cat'.  At least i will never wonder what a urinal looks like when it gets flushed again.  =D

 

Oh man, funny things happen ALL the time.  I love my companion, and my district, and my zone.  We just have oodles of fun.  its great. =D

 

So, as you know we are now teaching our teachers lessons.  Out teachers Hermano Christoffersen, and Hermana Valdez pose as investigators and we give them lessons and practice spanish.  And this week has been a LOT better.  Hermana Garry and I have changed how we prepare our lessons and changed how we study spanish.  it is awesome! The spirit is there in the lessons and i am SOOO excited to teach real humans.  I hope and pray that i will be ready in 2 1/2 weeks when i leave.  it is crazy!  we should be getting our travel plans in about a week and a half.  We shall see though!  AH this up coming week we will be the oldest district.  I never thought three weeks would make me OLD.  I feel like i just got here.    

 

Well i have to run! But i love you all. and i love letters =D just saying.  Write me and i will write ya back!  LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE you all! have a wonderful week.  And a wonderful conference weekend! -Sterling and Stanton and Shelby- Get the study journals i gave you and take notes during conference.  This can be awesome Missionary prep- But it will also help you record personal revelation that you will be receiving from the Lord.  Seriously write things down and you will get SOOOO much more out of conference. When you write things down the lord will bless you with more personal revelation and personal insights.  It is one of the first steps to recognizing and receiving personal revelation.  When you write down thoughts or impressions in study or in conference or church, it shows the Lord that you want to remember it and that you are ready for more.  it will bless you i promise!

 

La Igleasia de JesuCristo de los santos de los ultimos dias es verdadero! Jesucristo is el salvador y redentor.  Dio ama todas las personal en la tierra, y porque Dios nos ama, Dios dio un plan.  Jesucristo es central en el plan de Dios.  JesuCristo se muerte entonces podemos vivir.  el evangelio  puede ayudarnos en nuestras vidas, si guardamos los mandamientos y sigamos la camina.

 

Le quiero!

 

-Hermana Wiser

 

PS- FRIDAY is p-day for me here not saturday =D

 

MTC Week 3

Hello Wonderful Family!!

 

How is it going?  We are officially going on 16 days! It is crazy how the time flies here.  I wake up and sit in class all day then next thing I know it is P-day. =D It's great =D  So last week on friday we got to go to the temple here in Provo.  It was beautiful! and our entire zone got to go through the session.  It was awesome.  I am glad that I got to see what the inside of the ogden temple used to look like. It's super pretty.  I'm kinda sad that they are changing it actually. Anyways,  I love going to the temple! Go to the temple all the time! Because it is the best!  And you can honestly feel complete peace there that you can't really get any where else.  It really is awesome being surrounded with missionaries 24/7 too.  Sometimes i see the missionaries and think 'Oh sweet! there are the missionaries! We should say hello!' Then i remember that i am a missionary.  It's sooooo cool.  Sterling-Stanton-Shelby (and all those getting ready to serve someday) Be excited! Being a full time representivie of Jesus Christ is awesome.  Bah! I just love it.

 

Sooooo.. As you know- my companion is awesome.  We have way too much fun.  And- here in the MTC- ALL the sisters have ALL the same clothes.  So we decided to have a 'match your companion' day.  So- Hermana Garry and I have the same blue skirt from down east, a cream shirt with a peter pan collar, AND (Mom) remeber that scarf you and Auntie Karrie made me? Ya Hermana Larrabe's mom made her one out of the same exact material.  So hermana Garry and I matched perfectly.  Curls and all.  Ha you can imagine the wacked-out looks we got all day.  ha we got to the point where we started counting how many people did double takes.  It was really entertaining.  And all the other sisters in our district matched as well.  We took pictures, so I will send a some. Oh! this matching day happened on sunday. And we forgot that we were in charge of the music during sacrament meeting.  So I played the piano, and Hermana Garry lead.  In our little matchy-matchy outfits.  I also got to accompany the special musical number.  It was really good!  I love sundays here! they are the best.   

 

I love my zone as well.  Everyone is so great! It has been way cool to hear everyone's stories out here, about why they are here, and if the age change effected them.  Everyone is so stoked about the work!  Which is awesome.  i am super excited to get out to texas and start serving the people there. 

 

Our teachers -Brother Christoffersen (i can't remember if i told you that he is Elder Christoffersen's nephew) and Hermana Valdez are amazing.  We are now teaching each of them as investigators (Amanda and Jaun), then the rest of the time they teach us grammer and ALL sorts of missionary stuff.  In our lesson last night we were teaching the plan of salvation (in spanish, of course). and this entire week they have been focusing on the importance of keeping lessons simple and easy to understand. So we go to knock on the door, and our teacher (posing as Juan) pretends not to know us!! and i had no idea how to do the door approach in spanish! so I totally blew it. and then i was embarrassed. so i turned around to leave, so then i could come back and start over but then i realized that i couldn't just do that! So it was embarassing. and hermana Garry ended up saying 'uh.....ENTRAR??" which means TO ENTER?. and he was like... UH... Ya... Sure....  So that was awkward, then we started teaching about the plan of salvation and how because God loves us he made a world for us and a plan... ect.  And i said "Ya, Jaun, You can become God." and he just looked at me like i was crazy.  And yes, what i told him is true, we can become like God.  But i meant to say that we could live with God again.  Anyways it was just a really  awkward, and I am glad that we get a chance to practice here on people that arent real investigators.  It's been a really cool experience though.  Because even though they aren't real investigators, we treat the situation as real as we can.  And we really feel love for amanda and juan, and really study to help them.  It's great. =D  and i want to share it with EVERYONE. 

 

OH! There is this thing here called TRC.  It's where members volunteer to come and be taught by the missionaries. And so we prepare a thought about whatever and go and share it!  It was AWESOME they are just little cute grandma's and grandpa's that come and try to understand our spanish.  But the spirit was there so strong.  and at the end Hermana taylor (one of the volunteers) was learning spanish, and wanted to say the closing prayer, and she prayed for us and for our families.  And i felt SO loved. I just cried. and hugged her.  It was just like hugging you Grandma Bassett and Grandma Wiser. It was a really beautiful experience. Ah i just love it. 

 

Happy easter weekend! It has been such a cool experience being here during easter week.  I have been reading in John.  Chapters 12-21. And it is all about the build up before the resurrection.  It really has made the atonement real for me.  Yesterday was the day the Last supper Happened, and when christ atoned for our sins in the garden of gethsemani.  Today is when the crucifixion happened.  The thought of that has made the atonement SO real for me.  I know that Jesus Christ lives, and that he died for us because he loves us.  He died so that we may all live again. And be free from guilt, pain, sorrows, sins. The atonement is REAL and it works.  You just have to have enough faith to use it, and to try it out.  One thing that i have learned here at the MTC is that this gospel is a gospel of PROGRESSION.  We don't have to be completely perfect, yes we can be someday, but we don't have to be perfect now.  God gave us a plan and the atonement to help us become like him through our own mistakes and experiences.  We are here to choose to make good decisions and to do our best.  And those things we cant do, after we have tried our best and given our all, the Lord makes up the rest.  it is a wonderful and beautiful plan.  It brings SO much hope.  And i love that we can all learn things at our own pace. It comes little by little, precept by precept. Really take time to focus on christ this weekend, especially Sunday.  Ready John 12-21, and i promise it will bring you closer to Christ.

 

I have to run! Love you all! and you are in my Prayers. Have a Wonderful Easter Weekend! 

 

Until next week- Onward and Upward!

 

Love,

Hermana Wiser

Haha soooo, i forgot! my bad

 

I tried out for a devotional here and made it!  I sang 'make me whole' from Rob Gardener.  It is such a good song.  And i feel so blessed to have the oppurtunity.  I will probably be singing at one of the big devotionals.  But i don't really know when.  I guess they just send a letter to my mail box and tell me to come to a sound check.  So yup!  It was way fun.  When i was trying out, the music fell off the piano.... so we had to stop and start again.  But it worked out great!

 

Katie was supposed to tell ya. and send ya a little video of me. did ya get it??   Haha =D oh-hope San Diego was fun for you all! send me some pictures!

 

Love ya!!

MTC Week 2

HELLO!!!

 

First off-- Thank you for all the letters and love and support! I am going to write back i promise! Eventually ;)

 

SO... Week two! I made it through the first couple of days!  I absolutely love it here.  It is such a wonderful place.  You can literally feel the spirit in every single room.  It is amazing.  I have learned so much about myself, but also about my Savior.  He is real! and He lives. I know that if we let him in and give him our problems, worries, fears, weaknesses, He will make us strong and help us through.

 

This week has honestly flown by.  We basically study here. ALOT. ALL the days =D All the time. =D  Our branch presidency is super awesome.  on the first night we were here they came and welcomed us and our Branch President (President Claybaugh) told us to read Jacob 5- which is the allegory of the olive tree- and told us that the last 7-8 or so verses is talking about us! and the last time the servants go to work in the vineyard.  I feel so blessed to be apart of the work and to be able to serve other children of our Heavenly Father.  I got chills when i read it.  AH--so good.  Y'all should read it. 

 

SO remember Alejandra?  Our first investagator?  She is actually our teacher!  We taught her for the last time on wednesday night.  It was such an awesome experience and we learned so much.  We now have two teachers- Brother Christofferson (yes his uncle is Elder Christofferson) and Sister Valedez (who played the part of Alejandra)  For the rest of our time here we teach pretty much everyday to help us get into the habit of planning, and studying personally, companionship study, and language study.  It also helps us to study for investigators.  Everything we do is for the investigator.  If you read in the first chapter of preach my gospel you can see the exact purpose of missionary work -Invite people to come unto christ by helping them through faith in jesus christ and his atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the holy ghost, and enduring to the end.  ( i have it memorized in spanish... haha so i just had to a translation when i wrote that! cool huh?)  It is really awesome.  Our goal is to help others come unto Christ so everything we do is centered on that.  IT is so awesome! and i am PUMPED to get to texas to share my testimony and serve.  I have a lot to learn still, but i am looking forward to it!

 

In our last lesson with alejandra (sister Valedez) We invited her to get baptized (in spanish of course) and the spirit was so strong!  We had to 'overcome her objections' by explaining the word of wisdom and tell her that this was the first step into becoming closer to christ, but it was an awesome experience.  I really LOVED it.  The coolest part was that she looked so happy.  You could tell that she really wanted to have the gospel and WANTED to progress and become closer to christ. Man i am excited to be apart of that with real life investigators!  ( by the way, Alejandra was a real person in Sister Valedez's past, we treat all our teaching experiences very real)

 

Hah okay here is the funny for the week-  SO, remember how i couldn't find the book of James in my spanish scriptures? And how Alejandra was like 'my boyfriend's name is santiago and the gringos call him james'.  That was how i learned where james was in the spanish bible.  Anyways, alejandra cracked a joke in about it and my companion-Sister Garry- said "oh si!! Somos embarrasados!!"  She was trying to say that we were embarrassed, but in reality she said that we were both pregnant.... so that was awkward.  haha it was funny and we all had a good laugh about it.  We both felt so dumb though... blushing and what not. =D

 

AHH my time is out! SO i have to run.  But i love you all sooo much!  Enjoy the pictures! Remember - the most important thing in this life is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  When we do the things we should and keep our covenants we are abundantly blessed.  The Gospel is true! We have a loving heavenly father.  He loves us so much that he gave his only begotten son.  Jesus died that we may live. and so that we can all become like him. I heard a cool quote that was something like 'Yes, we all want to be perfect someday, BUT we will not attain complete perfection in this life.  The important thing to strive for is PROGRESSION.  progression will in turn help our personal conversion to Christ and bring us closer to our Father in Heaven.'  Remember that we don't have to be completely perfect, but our Heavenly Father does expect us to try. and to progress.  I know that when we do our best to be the best we can be, the Lord will meet us when we have gone as far as we can go, and carry us the rest of the way. 

 

LOVE YOU ALL!! HAve a great week =D

 

-Hermana Wiser

 

-PS- Mom if you could just dear elder your response to me that would be awesome. i don't have time to read your email and email back.  Will you dear elder your response from last week and your one from this week?  I want to read your emails but i don't have enough computer time!  Thanks. and i will write you back the answers to your questions.

 

-ALSO- my P day is on saturday while i am at the MTC. so expect email from me then!.  

 

BYE BYE =D