The Last Letter (Danielle)

Heyy everyone…The Last Letter as a full time missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

So the departing missionaries for their last Friday in the mission, they go to the Salt Lake Temple. The temple trip was beautiful. It was my first time to go inside. That temple is amazing and the spirit is strong. So we go there to feel if the Lord accepted our mission or not. We say a prayer in the Celestial Room and President said that we will have a feeling come upon us. It was one of the most beautiful feelings. I know that the Lord accepted my mission. He made that manifest to me. ❤

The Departing Fireside was really good. For the people who are not sure of what that is…it’s a Departing Testimony Meeting for all the missionaries that are leaving! It was a sad, but I got to see a lot of people who I haven’t seen in a long time! It was really good and I received a lot of support and love too. I LOVE the mission!

Thank you everyone that supported me on the mission! I love you all! ❤

I am beyond grateful for my mission. That sentence is a complete understatement. The mission helped mold me into the person that I always wanted to be. I know that I still have a lot to learn but I’m on my way. The Lord is my life, my salvation and my song! He lives! He’s there! I will testify of Him and His grace forever!

Love you all always and forever!
Hermana Whitney

Matthew 25:23
His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant;…

PS.  Now I have to reteach myself how to wear heels! Hahaha

 

 

our zone

The Warner Family

The Busdicker Family

My companion Hermana Smith and I.

What happened was …

Heyy soo everyone…have to say, everyone and their mom thought that I left the mission because of Eishelle’s homecoming video! Everyone thought it was me! So when members saw me they were like, “I thought you left without saying goodbye!” And one Elder was like, “Hermana Whitney is home? She’s definitely still in the mission. o_O”, he thought.  Hahaha. Some sisters knew that it was my sister  but still….DANNGG! So, “I was like so what happened was….remember my sister? Yeah she returned from the mission.” 😛

So weird…I got my itinerary! It was weird  to look at it.

We reached the Standard of Excellence again this week! Woot woot! It was seriously a miracle that we hit it! We prayed really hard and worked really hard and the Lord provided! So we have an investigator, his name is A__. He’s legit! He moved here from Arizona. He’s been through a lot and he’s only 19! He’s turning 20 at the end of the year. When we first met him he told us that there was a reason that he came to Ogden and that he’s here to figure it out. The other day he told us that he’s coming closer to knowing why. He was like, “maybe I was supposed to meet you two and we were like, that’s exactly why you came here. Then he wrote a rap and we were in it It was seriously one of the realest raps I ever heard. He’s a cool dude and wants to change and he’s doing everything he can to stop his addictions.

Funny story… we told our investigator F__ to read the next chapter of the Book of Mormon and she agreed. It’s 1 Nephi chapter 4. We read chapter 3 with her and we left it on a cliff hanger and it was exciting. Then we have the lesson and we asked her if she read and she said, “No I wanted to wait for you. It will be better with you.” Hahaha. i couldn’t even be mad  that she didn’t read because she wanted to read it but she waited patiently for us to read together. It was the cutest thing ever! I love her soo much! I DIED laughing and she was like why are you all laughing? hahahahaha. She was serious. Hahaha.

I know that the Lord is so aware of all of His children. He loves each of us.

This week is my final interview with President and we go to the Salt Lake City Temple too. I’m excited for the temple trip. This Sunday is my departing testimony meeting. Keep me in your prayers because I will be needing all of them! 🙂

Peace and Love!

Hermana Whitney

Miracles upon Miracles (Danielle)

I can’t believe that Eishelle is going home tomorrow! I mean Hermana Whitney! She will be Eishelle tomorrow! CRAZY!!! Be good Hermana! I love you!! Yah did good kid! Hahaha

Heyy guess who I saw this week!? Whitley and Tami came to visit me at the temple and it was super good to see them! We were able to talk for some time! It was good to catch up on life. I love them both!!

So we had interviews with President and it was soo good. That was my 2nd to last interview with him. I love my President soo much! We were laughing and having a good time. He asked me if I had any questions and I asked him, “How will Sister Whitney be remembered in the mission?” And the answer that he gave me was very sincere. I felt the sincerity in his words and in his eyes.

So Bertita got baptized on Sunday!! It was a beautiful service! So when she came back in after she got dressed, she was waving her hands around and saying, “I’ve arrived, I’ve arrived! God can take me up now!” Hahahaha. Of course this is all in Spanish because she doesn’t speak English. Everyone was laughing and I was DYING!!! Hahahahahaa She was saying all of this when the Elders were giving a presentation of the Restoration. Hahahaha. Her testimony that she gave was very beautiful! She said that, “I knew that the message that the missionaries were telling me was true and I know that this church is true. I have a lot of faith in God and I have a lot of challenges coming my way because my son is a preacher and my other son is a Christian (from other religions). I just hope that they can understand why I did this.” She closed correctly too! It was beautiful! She’s is going back to Guatemala on the 9th and I’m leaving on the 8th. That will be a hard goodbye.

So another miracle…We have been visiting my recent converts Fabiola and Jovani! They were my first baptisms. So the thing was she couldn’t go to church because she’s a single mom and she had to work. So we talked about the importance of reading the scriptures, praying and going to church. So ever since we (Hermana Arnell and I) left she told the missionaries to stop coming by to her house. So she’s been kind of closed. But she came to church on Sunday and she told me that she quit her job! She told her boss that she couldn’t go to work because she needs to go to church and she quit! WHAT!?!? For her to do that, is saying soo much!! It was soo good to see her again and her children! I love them soo much!!

Miracles upon miracles are happening! It’s amazing how the Lord is blessing our area immensely! The service that we’re giving at the temple is seriously helping. I love the Lord and this work! I love being a missionary!

 

Love you all always!
Hermana Whitney

August 19,2014

PS.  Eishelle, no boys until after I get home!

 

My new companion Sister Smith

Bertita’s baptism

Michael DeRosa (my friend from primary in NY and his family) attended the Ogden temple open house.

 

Miracle Week (Danielle)

How’s the fam bam doing!? How’s everyone? I hope that you’re all doing well!

Soo this week was a miracle week! We hit the Standard of Excellence! We actually passed it! Woot woot! It’s a great accomplishment! Hermana Smith and I have been working really hard! There’s no time to waste, literally! we are soo busy!! I’m being sleep deprived. Hahaha. But it all works out. Being at the temple everyday for 5 hours puts a toll on your body! Because you’re standing for most of the time, sometimes the whole 5 hours. You get like 2-5 minute breaks though. It’s better than nothing! My body and my feet ache a lot. But it’s all in the service of God so I can’t complain. 🙂

So our investigator is going to be baptized this weekend! She knows that this church is true! It’s really amazing to be apart of a conversion process for someone. I love it! I love being a missionary! Our investigators came to church again!! The same 2 that came last week. The others couldn’t come! 😦 But F___ is the other investigator that has a date and she is doing great! She loves to talk! but it’s all good!

Ooh miracle! So we had dinner with this lady. I assumed that she was a member of the church because she signed up to feed us and you sign up at church. So we go to this lady’s house…her name is J.G. I had the strong impression to asked, “why did you get baptized?” So I asked and she told us that she wasn’t baptized! But everybody thought that she was! WHAT!? How does this happen!? So she told us that she couldn’t be baptized because she was living with her boyfriend. She wanted to get married but he didn’t so she was like, “okay if you don’t want to marry me, then move out!” So he moved out and now she’s able to be baptized! So right then and there we set up her baptism! She will be baptized on the 24th of Agosto and the Bishop will baptized her. She accepted everything soo willingly.She told us that she has been praying and praying to be baptized and now it’s her time and we made that known to her. She’s amazing and a great example to me. 🙂 Her faith never failed her. Amazing.

Sad story…she lives in the Elder’s area so it’s their investigator. 😦 It’s okay…she’s getting baptized!!!!!

Another miracle! So we had a lesson with this one guy, F__. We met him contacting. When we went to his house there were a group of drunk men! I never seen soo many empty cans of beer in my life! It literally filled almost the whole front yard!

My first reaction was like, “yeahh I’m not going…”

Then it was like, “you have to go!”

then I was like, “they’re drunk though!

Then the spirit was like, “Just go!”

So I went.

That was going through my head when I saw his house.

He was in the back sleeping. He wakes up and we have the lesson in his backyard. He was a grown man. He was telling us that he wants to change his life…that was the first thing that he told us. And that he drank alot. Then I understood why the Spirit was telling me to go. It clicked. He cried like a little child. It was soo sad to see that. He was really humble. Only the humble accept. Sometimes you just have to obey when you don’t always understand why.

God is so aware of all of His children. He knew that F__ needed us and that’s why we went. I’m so grateful for Him and His Son Jesus Christ. Because it is through Him and only Him that we receive a remission of our sins.

I love you all!!

Hermana Whitney

August 12, 2014

 

Ogden Temple is beautiful! (Danielle)

Heyy everyone!!! I hope that everybody is doing well!

So for my week…

The Temple Open House is amazing! That is one beautiful temple, inside and out! You really do feel something different. So the tours actually started on the 28th of July and those were for the VIPs. I met Elder Ballard and his wife! He’s a funny guy. He told me to be nice to the non-members that come and like don’t scare them off, they’re good people. Hahaha. I kept my promise 😉 Also I met Al Fox yesterday!! If you don’t know who she is….she’s the tattooed Mormon…look her up on facebook, she’s awesome!! She’s a LDS motivational speaker. I have also met and talked to one of the seventy…is the tall African guy. He’s really wise. I talked to him and his wife. They’re sweet people. So the temple tour is that you first watch a video about why temples are so special, the sister missionaries do that, and then you take the tour…it’s huge! Then there’s an exhibit tent where there are sister missionaries there to answer any questions that you may have and also there are displays of Jesus Christ. Also there’s a Cristus (I think that is how you spell it) in the tent…So anyone who is not sure of what that is…its a statue of Jesus Christ. They have one in Temple Square. There is also music playing in the background. The piano plays by itself and everyone is amazed! Haha it’s cute. So people take pictures with them and the Cristus and something that I love is that the children recognize that He is Jesus Christ and they touch His hands and His feet. When I saw that, the spirit was really strong because that’s how the Nephites were when He came to visit the Americas! My favorite part of the Book of Mormon. Some children hug it and say, “that’s Jesus!” It’s soo cute! It’s just reminds me of the day that we will actually get to do that but it won’t be a statue but a Beautiful Glorified God, that died and lived, and lives for us. It’s a Beautiful thing.

The temple is somewhere where we can feel close to God and really feel how close He is. You can feel the love of Him. The temple is a symbol or a representation of who God is because God is Love. I love to see the Temple.

Our investigators are great! They came to church on Sunday! Woot woot!! I love being back in the area because I get to see my recent converts!! I had a lesson with my first recent convert and it was super fun! I love them soo much! I missed them a lot. The kids grew up a lot! So many things happen in a year!

Okay I got to go now! I love you all! I’m ending strong! God lives and He loves you!

Love always and forever!

Hermana Whitney

August 5, 2014

 

I Love To See The Temple (Danielle)

Heyy!!

So a lot has happened this week! I hope that all of you are doing well! And the week begins…

I said bye to Hyrum…one of the hardest goodbyes ever! I haven’t cried like that in a long time! Now I’m in Riverdale…in the Buenaventura Ward! The ward has changed soo much! It doesn’t even feel the same but the people were happy and so was I to see each other again. Sister Smith is my companion and we love each other! We get along great! She probably my fastest companion that our teaching together is so smooth.

So we had the Pioneer Day Parade again. Remember from last year? That was fun. It was good to see a lot of my friends on the mission.

Then on Sunday we had the meeting for the Temple Open House! It was super good. They spoke to us for a little bit. When they were speaking to us I felt like a Temple Square Missionary. Hahaha. We can’t proselyte a lot! Which is a lot harder than I thought. I had to learn how to continue a conversation without asking, “have you met with missionaries before?” Like bringing up things you would bring up in a contact like baptism, the next appointment, etc. We really just have to look really pretty and have our spirit touch their spirit and our light reach out to their light. It’s really cool. Then after we had a tour of the Temple…OMGOODNESS!!! That was probably the most beautiful temple that I have ever entered! To all my friends that live in Utah or by Utah…come to see the Ogden Temple! I felt the spirit the most in the Celestial Room…tears were in my eyes when I first saw it and when we walked in it. Speechless. Beautiful. You could not deny the feeling a lot. I love to see the temple.

I know that I am where I need to be at this time. I know that this is not a coincidence that I’m here with Sister Smith. I love her and I love the Lord. I know this work is the work of the Lord. I am so grateful for Temples! They are literally a piece of heaven on earth!

Be strong! Keep the faith!

Love always!!

Hermana Whitney

July 29, 2014

This Hermana Whitney returns back to … (Danielle)

Sooo guess what!!!!……

This hermana is going back to the Buenaventura Ward!!!!! In Ogden!!!! So recap…I whitewashed one of the areas in the ward a year ago and I trained Hermana Arnell with Hermana Gaines and then Hermana Gaines left and it was just Hermana Arnell ❤ So now I’m going back to that ward but I’m in another area called Riverdale!!!!!! I’m soo excited and grateful to go back to the ward, I know that Heavenly Father knows all the desires of our hearts and my true desire for my last transfer was to go back to Buenaventura because I felt that I needed to go back there. I didn’t want to say anything because I knew that the Lord knows all things and he knew what I wanted and where I needed to be and what would be best. I know that He knows me personally.

Since I’m white-washing Riverdale…I know and have a firm testimony that there is someone who needs me and is waiting for me and I’m so determined to find he/she/them! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to white-wash! That shows me that there’s a lot of trust and I won’t let the Lord, my President, and my companion down. I’m so happy that I’ve never left an area that I have said, “I could have done more.” I’m so happy for that. My new companion will be Hermana Smith. I never served with Hermana Smith, I never even served around her but I’m excited for what thing transfer can bring. I know that we’ll see miracles. I have a perfect hope for that.

Spanish Hyrum is doing well. They have a baptism for August 2nd. I will absolutely miss that area. In that area, a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. I grew the most as a missionary in that area and because of that Hyrum will always have a special place in my heart. I love the members there! They are some of the best people in the world to me.

I love you all!! Keep the faith!!

Love always,

Hermana Whitney 

July 22, 2014

PICTURES of members of our ward, Hyrum, Utah and my companion and I:

It’s like the bad days never happened. (Danielle)

Heyyeveryboddaayyy!! How’s it all going?

Well, this week has been a testing and trial. Haha. It was a hard week to say the least but it was still good at the same time. I love all the trials I have in my life, I love all the bad days because I realized…that every bad day I have, it just makes me love the good days more. When missionaries have good days, it’s like the bad days never happened. Also I feel that God is preparing us for something a whole lot bigger. That was the impression that I got a couple of days ago. The last time I got that impression I was with Sister Arnell, my trainee. We were in Ogden together and when we were there…we had miracles happen and we also had baptisms! So I’m not worried. I have too much trust in God to worry. 🙂

Zone Conference was really good! I loved it! It just another strong reminder that the church is true, that this is the work of the Lord! I love being a missionary!

This is the last pday until transfer pday. I’m wondering what will happen. I want to stay but I the thing that will make me the happiest is just doing what the Lord wants. I’ve been here for a long time and the Lord knows where I am needed.

I love my companion soo much! She’s absolutely the best! She’s so good to me. Her Spanish is improving soo much! When I first got her, she didn’t speak nothing! But now…she can teach lessons! It’s amazing to see her improvement. I promised her a blessing that if she does everything that she can do with the language that she will be able to teach all the lessons in Spanish. And after the first transfer, she was able to. It’s amazing. This is just a testimony to me that the Lord provides in everything that we do.

A highlight of my week…

I saw Whitley again! She came by to Hyrum and she took us out for ice cream. It’s soo nice to talk to her and catch up with her. Love you Whit!

Love you always!!

Hermana Whitney

 

July 15, 2014

Whitley took us out for ice cream. Love it!

Miracle Sunday (Danielle)

So it was fast Sunday…you all know what that means! 🙂 There was a huge miracle!

This Sunday we changed buildings. We were meeting in Hyrum but they are fixing the roof and the air conditioning stuff so they moved everyone to different buildings. Now we’re meeting in Nibley, which is right next to Hyrum. It’s awesome because a lot of our investigators are in Nibley and church starts at 1:30! I love when church is later because investigators come to church the later it is. Well, it’s that they’re more likely to come. They really have no excuses. All the branch members hate it but I LOVE it as a missionary. If I wasn’t a missionary, yeah I would hate it too.

An hour and a half before church started, Hermana Garcia and I go to all of our investigators homes and invite them to church! So one of the people that we invited was Z___! Her story is that she NEVER came to church before and So the whole week, she told us that she was coming to church. So we go over there and she was like I’ll try and being so iffy about it. She was the least promising person that would come to church. But right before the sacrament and during the sacrament prayer she walks in the chapel! Never thought that it would happen! She is an eternagator! We dropped her and now we’re picking her back up. Huge miracle!

I was thinking a lot this week about all of my mission and especially in this area because I have stayed the longest in this area. I am pleased with my mission and the person that I’m becoming. We have zone conference tomorrow and the for the missionaries that this is their last zone conference, bear their testimonies. I will be one of those missionaries this time around. Sad truth. But good things to come. I love the Lord and all of you!

Love yoU all always!

Hermana Whitney

July 8, 2014

Pictures:  We went on a hike to the waterfall.  It was so much fun!

Music speaks directly to the soul. (Danielle)

Hey family! How’s it going!? Thank you for your emails! I love when I receive them!! It makes my heart smile!

We went to a RODEO!! That was fun. I was surrounded by cowgirls and cowboys in their uniform! It was cool and my companion and I were in church dress! We got a couple of stares hahaha but they saw the tag so that should have explained everything.

We had another musical fireside last Sunday! In my opinion it was better than the other one. Not as many people came but the Spirit was super strong. A good amount of members, less actives, and former investigators came to it! It was super good to see them! I sang my solo for I’m a Child of God the best I ever sang it! It was super good. I got to see a lot of people from my other areas! It was BOMB!

I also sang in sacrament meeting and I sang an arrangement of “I Know that My Redeemer Lives.” It was a very pretty and went very well. I cried when I was singing it! Who knew that tears could bring the Spirit stronger? Hahaha jk I knew that… but I tried not to cry but I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I didn’t realize that almost everyone was crying as well until I came down to sit back in my seat. I saw that old people were crying. Old men! The people who seen everything in life, people who experienced the war in Vietnam! Hahaha jk. Idk about that. But you know what I mean. Overall, it was probably one of the most powerful sacrament meetings in my whole mission. I can still feel the same spirit I felt in the meeting.

It’s so crazy how music can hit a person, stronger than any words ever can because it speaks directly to the soul. Brigham Young said, “There is no music in hell because all good music belongs to Heaven.” I’m grateful for my talents of music that I have to invite people to come unto Jesus Christ. Everything good always comes back to Jesus Christ. Everything is Because of Him. 🙂

LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Hermana Whitney

July 1, 2014

PICTURES: