SO GOOD TO TALK TO YOU!!!

Hey fam! 

It was so good to talk you on Christmas! It was truly perfect, so thank you. Except that I missed the Rudds and Jill...so. You best be there in March. 

And BLANKET THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE PERFECT GIFTS. I'm horribly spoiled and so overwhelmingly grateful. 

I love you all so much! The church is True. God knows us and loves us. Read the e-mail below.

Love,

Sister Wells

P.s. Pics next week.

Hello President,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I hope you enjoyed Christmas with your family. Ours was wonderful!!

Of course I'll join in the fast next week, and of course I plan on being in an eternal friendship with the Weidmans!  I'll keep you on a semi-regular e-mail list.  

I don't have the "Consecrated Missionary" talk in front of me to compare, but I do recall a specific section about flirting, etc.  It was the theme of our zone conference earlier this year, so the assistants should have a copy. Let me know what you think.

I'm feeling humbled by your request that we maintain a higher standard of modesty than of late. I have felt myself slipping a bit in my mindset regarding the matter, and I am excited to re-commit to being a more obvious representative of the Lord.  

Companionship report:  Sister S and I are bonding.  I feel her becoming more comfortable with herself in general and especially in teaching situations.   During the busy time in the Visitors' Center, we have had a lot of opportunities to teach on our own--which she was nervous to do at first, but has done really well with.  Now we're working on teaching in unity.  We had a great experience in companionship study last night where we practiced teaching the Restoration as simply as possible.  I feel her confidence growing with each practice.  

I gave a talk in sacrament meeting yesterday about Charity. I included some of the thoughts I shared with you in last week's e-mail.  Thanks again for letting me share, and for being excited about the novels I send every year!

Church was a little bit disappointing.  We had expected 3-4 investigators and were once again saddened by the 0 that actually attended.  Though I suppose it is important to take into account the holiday season and the fact that very few members were there either.  

MIRACLE:  

After district meeting on Friday, we rushed to an appointment that we had made the day before while tracting (probably my 5th time tracting in my entire mission...I know. Pride. I'm repenting.)...only to be told that ***** was not actually that interested so we didn't need to come back ever again.  Disappointing.

Our back-up plan was to go home and make calls/organize some of our area/make a Progress Record, etc.  So, we get to our apartment at about 2:15pm or so (our Visitors' Center shift starts at 3pm), but on the whole drive home, I have that heart-racing feeling that we needed to be street contacting...and that we needed to go over to the Veteran/Ohio-area where street contacting was actually effective.  But of course, this would contradict our plans--which we had prayed about the night before. So I ignored it for a while until we actually walk into our apartment.  While we're pulling out the things we need to organize, I'm still feeling indecisive and anxious. So I grab one of the little note cards from my stack (Before my mission, I had all of my friends write words of advice/scriptures/quotes/jokes/etc. on a few hundred note cards for me to read on each day of my mission. It may sound trunky, but it has turned out to be one of the better ideas I have ever had in my life. Loads of tender mercies and miracles. Like this one)...and it says "Follow the spirit. Keep it up."  So simple. Had I read it at any other moment of my mission, I likely would have been a little disappointed.  But instead, I throw it down and tell Sister S that I feel like we need to go out and contact.  She, of course, is totally game and feeling the same way!  So, we go to Veteran's Park.  We easily pull into a typically hard-to-find parking spot and I receive yet another confirmation that we're in the right place.  We pray, and then we immediately start talking with every person we see.  Sister S even starts some of the conversations, and she does a PHENOMENAL job.  But unfortunately, none of the first 6 people we talk to are even remotely interested. Some are even mildly rude.  But of course we pray for them anyway...and as 2:40 hits, we decide we need to start heading back to the car. So, I say a prayer and let Heavenly Father know that we know we're supposed to be here...so we can happily leave and hope that we did something He needed us to...but that if He wanted to let us know what it was exactly, that'd be great...And as I finish this little prayer in my head, we see ****** pushing her little son in the swing nearby.  We go up and start talking to her. She said they just moved there and that she'd love to come try out the church on Sunday.  And then we go over and start talking to her husband sitting nearby and he tells us that he has always wondered about God and families and stuff.  So, Sister S briefly teaches him the Restoration (in one of the most effective summaries I have ever heard) and we set up a return appointment.  

...and that's how we found the family we have been praying for.

They didn't call us back to confirm the appointment, so...who knows what'll happen now. BUT we know we were in the right place at the right time and that they needed/need the message we shared/will continue to share. 

I love the work more than ever.  Praying to be more consecrated than ever, and just...figuring it out, you know? 

Thanks for everything. I look forward to interviews soon. We love you and pray for you both!

Love,

Sister Wells

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Pictures: 

Christmas Devotional w/ the Weidmans (Love them so much)

Christmas Devotional w/ my "posterity"  (judge me. I swore I'd never take one of these.) My new companion is just to the right of me. SO CUTE. Sister Stratford. From Riverton, UT. Age 20. Cheered in high school and loves One Direction & U of U Football. She's a girly girl and she OWNS it, so it's just adorable, you know? She is also very real and has a beautiful testimony. 

And...2 random sisters at the Patron Apartments. Sis. Thomson and Sis. Lopez. 

President Weidman,

My heart is still overflowing from the Christmas devotional.  Thank you and your beautiful wife for the thought and inspiration that was put into that.  The spirit was strong and I received personal witness of the Savior's love for my weak and simple self. 

And thank you for our lunch conversation about charity.  I feel like I am often blessed with those extra opportunities to talk with you one-on-one so often.  I really appreciate it.  Especially since I was asked to give a talk about charity in church this week :)

My thoughts about charity continued as I read in 3 Nephi 28 (I'm behind, but I'm going to finish by Christmas!) about the 3 Nephites.  3 Nephi 28:9-10  "...and all this will I do because of the thing which ye have desired of me, for ye have desired that ye might bring the souls of men unto me, while the world shall stand.  And for this cause ye shall have fulness of joy; and ye shall sit down in the kingdom of my Father; yea, your joy shall be full, even as the Father hath given me fulness of joy; and ye shall be even as I am, and I am even as the Father..."  and then it goes on in verse 18 to talk about what they actually did:  "they did go forth upon the face of the land, and did minister unto all the people, uniting as many to the church as would believe in their preaching; baptizing them, and as many as were baptized did receive the Holy Ghost."  

...There it is. Our missionary purpose.  I'm just prayin' for that level of consecration, you know?  And yet I'm not sure if my heart wants it enough to be willing to pay the price for it.  The capacity of joy which equals the capacity to love as the Savior did...but I feel like that capacity to love comes with the price of increasing our capacity to endure suffering.  But perhaps not. I need to ponder that out more. Just wanted to continue our thoughts of the other day.  

Jesus

Others

Yourself  (But J & O are kind of the same, right?)

We're working on our 20 conversations a day!  We made an especially concentrated effort on Saturday, which was really our only day in our area all week.  We didn't quite make it to 20 with the time that we had, but we did find a new investigator who seems pretty open and interested!  We're trying to decide if we need to make our conversations more efficient or if that would make us sloppy and out of tune.  We just need to practice more, I think.  Sister is doing well in contacting.  She was confident, genuine, and friendly.  I could see the blessings of that first day training you put them through.  

Sister S is wonderful, of course.  Her testimony is so real and sincere and honest. I thoroughly admire that about her.  She's a sweetheart.  I hope you get to hear her conversion story sometime. 

We have barely started the 12-week program due to the Christmas schedule in the Visitors' Center, but we're hoping to get caught up this week. Because we'll technically have 7 weeks this transfer, I'm not too worried about getting behind.  Though we will definitely make it a priority so that she can feel more comfortable in teaching situations.  

By the way, I thoroughly appreciated those new missionary trainings. They were efficient and inspired.  I even enjoyed the "Lock Your Heart" talks given.  I really appreciate that you took the time to emphasize these principles from the very beginning of their missions (and to review them fore those of us older folks).  I'll be honest in saying that while I'm a "fan"/have a testimony of the doctrine behind locking your heart and keeping your whole self focused on the work, I find the actual "Lock Your Heart" talk slightly less than inspiring.  I feel like it gives extreme examples that allow me in my pride to exempt myself from some of its teachings.  My struggles on the mission regarding this particular principle have more to do with keeping all of my heart focused on my purpose (and allowing the Lord to consecrate my heart--as discussed in Elder Callester's "Consecrated Missionary" talk) than keeping myself from clipping toenails and other extreme instances of disobedience.  I think it would be more helpful to frequently review the appropriate relationships between elders and sisters...or to find a way to teach it that spiritually motivates rather than scares.  

...On the other hand, I think we all caught the jist of the principle you were trying to emphasize. So maybe a change is unecessary. Just wanted to give you my thoughts.  I hope you read them in the most humble voice your mind could muster...because I really did appreciate those talks. 

Miracles:

We have been praying for ****, our former investigator with a back story that's too big to share in this e-mail.  So, after a month and a half of no contact, she walked into the Visitors' Center a few nights ago with her boyfriend, *******.  After chatting with her briefly, she less-than-subtly implied that she's ready to start things up again. She even attended the Westwood 2nd ward with her boyfriend on Sunday.  We couldn't be more thrilled!  We'll keep you updated.

On Thursday, we literally had a total of 2 minutes in our area outside of 1 appointment we went to...and in those 2 minutes, we managed to contact 2 people who were both interested in learning more.  The Lord consecrates the time, President.  It's a real thing.

The Visitors' Center has been packed, but I feel myself still being able to teach and talk with people by the Spirit.  That's been a beautiful experience. And a miracle.

Thanks for all you do, President. I pray you have a wonderfully merry Christmas with your family! 

We love you!

Sister Wells

"And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?"

 --Genesis 18:13

5 kids. It's like I'm Mormon or something. 

Mormon. Barefoot. Pregnant. And old. 

If you don't get the analogy, don't worry about it. Basically, I'm training again. And I'm actually really excited about it :)

But still. Pray for me. 

Love you all so much! 

Sincerely,

Sister Wells

P.S. Mom, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PACKAGE. That's good stuff. I'm going to divvy it out and deliver presents these next few days. I'm so excited :)  

Dear President Weidman,

I'm so glad you enjoy my letters as much as I do. I have sort of treated this time as my "accountability to self" time as well as "accountability to President" time...and I talk to myself a LOT. Which is part of why they're so long. It's just a nice opportunity to reflect. So, thank you.

For example...as you're well aware, I'm training again. I can't help but wonder if this is a direct answer to my most recent e-mail/prayers in which I complained about becoming an old, "stale" missionary. Either way, I'm grateful and nervous and excited all at once. I'm starting to love her already. Of course I will sorely miss Sister Fthough. She is so solidly GOOD and great all at once. She'd be a great leader/trainer.

...as you're also aware, I won't be working with Sis. L as Visitor's Center Sister Trainer anymore. This was the more shocking surprise of transfers. I'm sad and nervous and excited for the change. 

Sidenote: Sister L told me about how she found out she was being released, and for the record, I find the ambiguous & confusing "thank you for your service as VC Sister Trainer" release phone call completely amusing. Don't be afraid to be bold, President. We can take it. :) 

As always, thank you for being inspired and prayerful about all of these changes. This is probably the most surprising transfer any of us imagined, which means it has to be from a higher source.

This week:

We're working with two part-member families on very different levels. One, ***** (age 9), has a baptismal date for February, and is the cutest investigator I have ever had. She has such a genuine desire to read the Book of Mormon and come to church every week. We're working on helping her family to be a little more active--which is largely through the fellowship of other families in the ward who have kids the same age. We're hoping to plan a combined FHE for next week. The other part member family may be more of a long-term project. Technically the wife is a new investigator because we taught her some of the principles from PMG and she invited us to come back next week (which, we discovered from the sisters in her previous ward, is a big deal for her)...however, she said that she's not interested in the lessons right now. The lesson we had with them was powerful stuff. I feel her trust in us, and we have high hopes and faith that our relationship with turn into something more.

We haven't been able to contact a few of our other investigators, which is always sad, but I look forward to doing some faithful finding with my new companion this week. We'll let you know how it goes. 

Another neat miracle this week was the lesson we were able to teach in Relief Society. We were called and invited to teach on Sunday morning, and though it was an intimidating prospect, we were grateful for the chance to serve and get to know our Relief Society sisters better. After as much prayer and preparation as the few hours we had would allow, the lesson turned out pretty well! I feel more trust from the members now. 

I went on exchanges with Sister O this week, which I attribute many of our miracles to (we had 2 member presents and 1 LA lesson that night! It was very fulfilling). One of our member present lessons was with a new Chinese investigator (it was a transition lesson), and though he seemed a little intimidated by the 6 of his on his doorstep (2 sets of missionaries and 2 members), it turned out beautifully. Everyone taught and testified and I feel that the faith of every person present was deepened.

Ironically enough, my favorite night of miracles was on the night of Friday the 13th. And it's funny because I was sort of having an off day until darkness fell and the Visitor's Center became packed. There was a non-member Latino couple that came into the center and wanted to be shown some of the exhibits about Christ. The wife remembered coming there 10 years ago w/ a friend and when her husband was having a bad night, she surprised him by bringing him here. I had the chance to show them the Christus and Savior of the World, and Jesus (the husband) was crying through both exhibits. He wanted to feel clean. He wanted to be healed. After teaching briefly about the Restoration, I testified of how we can experience True and complete cleanliness and healing through Jesus Christ. They accepted a missionary visit and a copy of El Libro de Mormon. 

So, I was happy about that. That I got to be the one to testify and be apart of this incredible miracle was a miracle in and of itself. I literally felt Christ healing and calming my anxious heart as I invited others to allow Him to do the same. (Again, it's almost silly how well He meets all of our needs at once). 

But THEN...I had 2 more miraculous experiences. One with a non-member family who was about to leave the center. Two older-ish parents (probably late 30's) and a young boy in a pirate's costume. It was a brief conversation, but they told me about how much they love being parents and how they had put it off for so long because they never knew what a joy it would be. The father had left the house in a pirate's hat that morning just because "there are only a few years of your life where you can do that" and he didn't want to miss out. It turns out they have been meeting w/ missionaries here and there and found out about the church through one of their member friends. They're still "on the fence" but they said they would most certainly be coming back. I told them that this is a place where they can get answers. ...I'm not sure why that was such a miracle to me. But it was.

And THEN...I talked to a couple who had both been recently reactivated. The girl was about to serve a mission, and over the course of our conversation, we were able to create a personal mission plan for her and two of her non-member friends. And same with him. I was able to share some personal experiences with them about how all of their past experiences--mistakes and trials and weaknesses included--could be consecrated for the Lord's purposes. Alma the Younger status. It was just a great MOMENT you know? It was so easy and natural and I felt the Lord consecrating my experiences for THEIR good, and...I don't know. It's just all so TRUE and love-filled. 

I love the Gospel. I love my mission. I love you and Sister Weidman. Thanks for everything! 

Sincerely,

Sister Wells

Sister E and I in the Christus. Good friend who's on her way home...

"I know. I have been to Utah. They are different from us." --Comment in RS last week

Hey fam!

Lovin' life:

Christmas chaos in the VC. Private Public Affairs events where I got to wear heels and shake lots of fancy hands. *****'s baptism (where I finally had THAT moment, you know? When it's like..."OH. This is what all those RM's talk about...").  Ward Christmas party. 

...installment #2 to come. W/ pics.

Dear President Weidman,

Things are picking up! 

We found three new investigators this week--two of which were through less-actives or part-member families. We met the third on the street, but he lives in an apartment building with an active member missionary, which is why he even stopped to chat with us in the first place. Though we may end up needing to transition a one of them to the Chinese elders, we feel incredibly blessed to have a little more of a teaching pool now. We also have a lesson scheduled with a new PMF in the ward as well as a less-active and her interested friend. 

Possible reasons for the change of tide: 

1) The ward Christmas party was a HUGE success. A good handful of less-actives and part-member families were there and that's actually where we found one of our new investigators. Our WML sent out personalized invites to each of these focus families with a note from the bishopric, which made a big difference. 

2) We worked and planned better this week, which I suppose accounts for some of our success. We tried to maximize our finding, teaching, baptizing time. 

The real reason for the change of tide:

Heavenly Father answers prayers. And I think He just enjoys blessing us overall, which I'm really grateful for. In that regard, I can't help but sigh when I think about this past week. He knows what we need and when we need it. I sometimes hate that my own personal needs are so high on His agenda because I was supposedly here to serve HIM. But I just can't seem to stop NEEDING things from Him. Just praying for my needs and desires to match His. 

We're trying out this whole Deep Faith, High Expectations deal. Friday evening, we prayed to find a new investigator who was ready to be baptized and who would help bridge the current gap between the RC Misfits of the ward and the rest of the ward. (We were told to be specific). And then on Saturday, before and during the ward Christmas party, we made that our focus. And a few of the people we met and set appointments with may fit the description! We'll see how it all works out. 

Personal tender mercies:

I got to return to my beloved Mar Vista ward on Saturday afternoon to see one of my investigators, *****, get baptized. It was inspiring and an answer to prayer on every level. She is a fiery recent convert who is a direct fruit of member missionary work. I'm going to convince Brother J to do a little documentary on YouTube about her conversion story as part of the Hastening of the Work of Salvation effort. I love her more than I can express, and am so grateful I got to be apart of her story.

There was a moment at the ward party where I finally felt like a missionary in the Westwood 1st Ward. As we were coordinating fellowship and talking with everyone and contacting referrals and making appointments, I realized all at once how much I love these people. I know I have said that I love them already...and I did. But I feel more like I belong here now, which is a tender mercy. 

Moments I got to testify during the fancy party (the Public Affairs event) at the Visitors' Center on Tuesday Night. I had one Jewish guest directly ask me about my personal conversion. :) 

Current goal:

I feel stale and old. It's taking way more energy than I thought it would to fight the 1-year plateau effect. In lessons and at the VC, I find myself saying things I've said a million times and even though I know the spirit will still testify...I just don't feel the power as strong as I did the first time I said it, you know? So. I'm working on it. Applying trainings, setting new goals, acting with faith to bring forth miracles. 

Other blessings that are helping me through this icky plateau thing: 1) My amazing companion, who helps me to feel good about myself during this weirdly self-conscious period of my mission and who teaches & changes me by her humble example. 2) My calling in the VC, which forces me to consistently and constantly "step up my game" as I learn from and for the other sisters, who I love and admire more than ever. 

I love the work, President. I say that in every letter, but I mean it differently every time. 

I know that Heavenly Father loves me and He loves you. We are so grateful for what you do for us, and love you and Sister Weidman so dearly.

Sincerely,

Sister Wells

 ...A whole lotta pics.

Some of the fancy party at the VC and of party decorations. Sis C in the purple dress (we came out together). Sis E in the black dress. Sis F in the blue sweater.

***** and I after the Christmas party...the J's and Sis E and L (Mar Vista missionaries) and ***** and I in front of the JOY sign. So fitting, no?  And my compa and ***** and I at the baptism (***** is a RC we're working with in Westwood 1st ward. She's in the red dress). And...the Creche exhibit (part of the Christmas merriment here at the LA VC. Lights, free concerts every night, nativity display, and MADNESS).

My compa in W. Hollywood. She's a rockstar.

Beautiful sunrise on Thanksgiving morn :)  

Sis. W and Sis F and I on Thanksgiving (big family party=so fun). 

*****, Sis F, and ***** playing the piano at *****'s house for dinner. Weirdest night of my life.  It will require its own episode of the VC Sitcom. (also on that night: Street contacting a group of male models in tuxes who just finished a photo shoot. They are that good looking in real life. FYI. And as sad as you would imagine them to be. )

...Life is a blast! Love you all!