Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Sad to leave MTC :(

I'm sad that this is my last week in the MTC. :( I've grown so much! Sister Loefke and I are SO close! We're pretty much best friends. :) We were talking the other night about when we have to say goodbye. We almost started crying haha. I'm so glad that we are going to the same mission. The picture that I sent was of Elder Nowland. He is pretty cool! He's going to Belo Hortizonte! I'm getting my reassignment on Wednesday or Thursday! So make sure you are home! I think I only get 5 minutes to talk on the phone? I don't know, but I'll find out. My toe is getting better. Did you like my picture hahaha? It looks gross huh? I have to wrap it everyday like in that one picture. And I also have to wear flip flops too. Some missionaries give me weird looks when they see me wearing flip flops, but I don't care. I'd rather be comfortable than in pain. I'm going to see the foot doctor this week for a second check up. The Portuguese is coming along great! I've taught myself that it's okay when I mess up and to always try again. Brother Cannon has been a great help! He has become my study buddy :) I hate how I can't hug my Elders and Brother Cannon! They have become like my brothers. Today was Brother Cannon's birthday! :) I have a picture of him along with my district. Do you remember in my last email how I talked about the feliz box? Well, I love it! I got 2 compliments that made me smile. The Elders call me Sister Ninja fyi. It said "Sister Ninja, You scare all the guys with your German and your crazy skills lol. But we love you so much and you will be missed." and one from Sister Loefke "Sister Whitnah, You teach me everyday to love, be patient, to be happy, and to be positive! :) Love you companiera! :)" I love how everyone in my district is like family! We have become so close in only 6 weeks! I know I will cry when I have to leave them. For memorial day, we watched Sister Monson's funeral. It was so sad to see President Monson's face. :( I've been praying for him everyday. Sister Loefke and I had a great lesson with Silvio! We committed him to be baptized! He is a hard core Catholic, and he said YES! I was so happy for him! It was our first time asking an investigator to be baptized. It was a great experience! One thing that was really cool about this week was we found out that we have a Portuguese tutor! He is from Port Alegra, Brazil and his name is Brother Goody. His dad is in the seventy! Brother Goody gave a presentation about Campinas and Belo Hortizonte missions. It was fun to hear about the cool facts about my mission. Nothing really has happened this week. Just the same thing as last time. I'm trying to live up this last week in the MTC. I hope you have a great week! And I'm excited to actually hear your voices in a couple days. Okay talk to you soon! Eu amoro voce! (I love you!) Love, Sister Whitnah

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

visa to Brazil may come soon!

Hey Familia! It was so cool to see Russell M. Nelson last Tuesday! He gave some great advice about missionary work! One thing that stood out was he said "Having character is being a character. And we people ask about what you do, you only need to say 4 words. We Follow Jesus Christ." It was powerful! The language is coming along! I finally can express a little bit more of what I want to say! Last Thursday, we had TRC. It's where you give a lesson to real members. This time we had 2 members. Each lesson was about 20 minutes. I really liked our first lesson. But our next one was really hard. This guy asked a lot of hard deep questions that I couldn't answer. Most of the vocab was advanced too. I tried my very best to tell him my thoughts. Loefke translated what the guy was saying. He even told her to not help me at all...which made it worse. I could understand somewhat of the conversation, but not all of it. At the end of the lesson, he told us that he did okay and gave us "tips" on how we need to work harder at learning Portuguese. It made me really frustrated and upset because, I was trying my very BEST! I cried after the lesson. I saw Sean that same day and told him about this guy. He thinks that this guy was trying to be a jerk. By telling us that our Portuguese wasn't good enough for him. He said the same thing happened to him in Germany. I thought about what this guy said and it gave me motivation to try a little bit harder for my next lesson with Silvio. Loefke and I had a great lesson with our investigator Silvio on Friday. I talked a lot during the lesson and it felt great! AND he could understand EVERYTHING that I was saying! :) I've been forcing myself to create sentences in my head and then speaking it in Portuguese. It has helped me a lot! I can definitely feel Heavenly Father hands in helping me through this! :) I have learned so much about the Savior this week. On Sunday we watched the movie The Testements. Towards the end of the movie, it really got me! Our Savior has done SO much for us. To be here on this earth and to gain experience and to find happiness in this life and after this life. I could not be anymore grateful for what he has sacrificed for me. I love him so much! I also love how everything in PMG is about Christ! Our district has come up with a new goal for this week. We are writing sweet notes to each other! If someone says something mean about someone, they have to write another note about them. We are putting all of the notes in a box. We called it our "feliz" box! :) This morning my district and I went to the temple! I didn't get a chance to go last week, because Loefke had a doctors appointment. OH about my visa! On Saturday, everyone in my district wanted to check up on their status for their visas. I saw that it changed from being received to authorized! I'm SO EXCITED! I could be in Brazil in 2 weeks! :) I wasn't the only one that got that. Elder Anderson's status said the same thing! Everybody else's visas say received. Hopefully I'll get it this or next week! I see Sean pretty much everyday! I always say hi to him when I get the chance. We have lunch together once a week. It's nice to be able to talk to him about mission stuff. A couple of missionaries in my branch think that Sean is my boyfriend haha. I play along just to see their reactions! It's pretty funny. I'm sending some pictures that I took this week! So enjoy them! :) Oh I got the 2 skirts and the dress! I love the Down East polka dot dress and it fits perfectly! I also love the green polka dot skirt too. The other skirt doesn't fit right... meaning it's too tight, so should I mail it back? I will let you know how my doctors appointment will go. Keep an eye out for an email tomorrow morning. Yeah I saw Kindra once and I saw Cody at least 2-3 times. I also saw Daniel Stevenson too! It feels like I've been in the MTC forever! But not really...if you know what I mean? That's cool about Matthew and Jessica! They will LOVE the MTC! I have seen so many different tags around the MTC and it makes me grateful to be speaking Portuguese! It would be so hard to speak an Asian language or a language that looks impossible to read. It makes Portuguese look easy! Well, I hope you have a great week! Eu amor voce! I love you! :) - Sister Whitnah

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Loving the MTC, Week 3

Familia! I can't believe this Wednesday will be my 4th week! It's weird to think that I have 2 weeks left in the MTC. I've enjoyed every minute here and I'm kind of sad about leaving soon. The last time I wrote home, I only had 20 minutes. Sorry if it was a short email. And yes, my P-Days are on Tuesdays...FYI. Sister Loefke is 22 years old. She loves to be active! She loves playing volleyball and soccer. Nobody from my district is from Utah! I think it's kind of funny. Most of them are from the West Coast or from the South. Sister Ware is from Kentucky and Elder Wilson is from Georgia. I forgot to tell you that my last name is pronounced Whitch-na in Portuguese! I've gotten use to being called that instead of Whitnah. There were a ton of cool things that happened this week! On Saturday, it was Irma Steinbeigle's birthday. We had a surprise party for her. We decorated the classroom and had Irmao Cannon buy a cinnamon/caramel cake! It looked awesome! And the cake was yummy too! :) I also recorded her coming into the classroom. We sang Happy Birthday in Portuguese. We also gave her a present. She told us that she loves chalk. So we bought her chalk for the chalkboard! She loved it haha. On Sunday, we had a special speaker for Relief Society. Guess who?! It was Janice Kapp Perry!! We sang 6 songs from the primary book. Love is spoken here, Armies of Helaman, I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ, I'm trying to be like Jesus, I love to see the temple, and a Child's prayer. It was really cool. She is coming out with a sister missionary album. She created a song called The Sisters of Zion. Gearing towards the sisters. It's the melody from As Sisters in Zion. We were the first missionaries to sing it! It was way cool! :) In sacrament meeting, every hymn we sing is in Portuguese. My favorite one so far is I Stand All Amazed. You should look it up! It sounds really cool! Sunday night, my district and I watched a talk from Elder Holland. It was called Missions Are Forever. What struck me the most about his talk was he said "You will never get an opportunity like this to serve a mission at this age and time again. Take advantage of it now! I promise you that it will change your life." That made me think of why I needed to go at this time. To take that chance and become more like Cristo and serve him. He had a lot of other good things to say, but I don't have my journal with me. This week I had the opportunity to teach a lesson in Portuguese without my notes!! IT WAS SO HARD! Loefke and I were teaching about faith and families. I tried my very best. The investigator could tell what we were saying which helped. The language is getting a little bit easier but not by much. Yes I got your package on Friday! Obrigada for the German chocolate and the other stuff! :) I'm excited for the next package! There's a rumor going on about tonight's devotional speaker! It might be from the quorum of the 12! I would die if it was Jeffery Holland, Dieter Uchtdorf, or President Monson! I'm excited to find out! All of the sisters in my district hope it's Holland. I'm just so grateful to be serving a mission. All of the counsel and advice I've been getting has changed my life. Even the people I meet and my district. We have become even more close this past week. We realize how much time we have left together and want to make the most of it. I hope everything is going good back at home. I know Heavenly Father is blessing me and you guys. He wants us to be happy always. I hope you have a great week! Tudo Bem, Ciao! :) Love, Sister Whitnah

Monday, May 13, 2013

Halfway through the MTC

Bethany will reach her half way point at the MTC this Wednesday. She is doing great! The language is coming. It is difficult, but she is continuing to work at it and is loving her time in Provo. She has yet to receive her visa for Brazil. When a missionary goes on a mission, they are told to "lock their heart". This means to focus totally on their mission and the work they are going to be doing. If Elders have a girlfriend at home or if Sisters have a boyfriend at home they are told to not focus on them as much. (easier said then done). Bethany is learning WHY it is so important to lock her heart and she is glad she doesn't have a boyfriend to think about while being out. There are 2 Sisters in her District, they are amazing missionaries,however, these 2 Sisters continually speak of their boyfriends. Bethany has felt impressed that these 2 are not able to stay focused because they are not giving their whole heart to the work. Bethany told me the night before she was set apart as a missionary, that once she was set apart, she wanted to give every second of her 18 months to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. She wanted to give her all. I am impressed with her willingness to let go of worldly things and give her all! Last week she wrote and sent some pictures of life at the MTC. It is Spring time there and she wanted to capture the beauty of the areas around the MTC.. There are a total of 10 missionaries in her District. 4 Sisters and 6 Elders. Her companion, Sister Loefke, will be going to Campinas, but Sisters Ware and Newell will be going to a different mission in Brazil. They have all become fast friends and hope to stay connected. Two sets of Elders will go to Campinas and 1 set will go to another Brazilian mission. Here are some photos that Bethany sent of her and her companion and well as the other missionaries. This is Sister Loefke. She is a little bit older than Bethany and is from California. Bethany loves her and her attitude. She works hard and makes Bethany want to always do her best. these are the other two Sisters who will be going to another mission, Sisters Ware and Newell along with Bethany and Sister Loefke. Bethany loves going to the Temple, while at the MTC she is able to go every week. Here are a few snapshots outside of the Provo Temple with the other missionaries. this Temple is probably one of the busiest Temples, with all the missionaries that go here each week. Sisters Ware and Newell after a Temple session and the whole District . Here are some other photos that Bethany sent, some I posted on facebook, others I didn't. Life as a missionary in the MTC, especially when studying a foreign language makes for long days. Missionaries that go on foreign speaking missions will study foreign language and Gospel teaching until 9pm each night. . Of course, you always need time to take a break :) Sister Loefke taking a photo of Bethany and visa versa :) Sister Ware. Bethany was given a special gift from her sister Becky. It's called an Evidence book, or as Becky referred to it while she was on her mission, her Angel Evidence book. Becky felt that she needed to write down when miracles happened and when she felt the literal presence of Angels that were helping in the work. I think that it is so cool that Becky made a book for Bethany so that she too could write down special events that will occur on her mission. Here is the book that Becky made along with Bethany's tag on it. This is a special time at the MTC in Provo. Never before have there been so many Sisters. Never before have their been SO many missionaries! President Monson announced in October Conference the age when Sisters could serve would be lowered from 21 to 19, I believe this has had a greater impact then Elders who can now serve at 18. Areas in missions are being opened to make room for missionaries, areas that had been closed are reopening, missions are being divided. As a matter of fact, Bethany's mission, The Campinas Mission, is one of the 50+ missions to be divided. The work is continuing. It's exciting that Bethany, along with so many others can be a part of this great work as it continues in greater effort!

Friday, May 10, 2013

Bethany has been in the MTC in Provo since April 24th. She has LOVED it! It has been challenging and yet the Spirit that she feels there has been great. She is working hard to learn Portuguese and getting to know the Sisters and Elders in her District. She has seen her brother Sean quite a bit as he works at the MTC. Last Thursday she was able to have lunch with him and he gave her some great advice on being a good missionary and working hard to do all she could to learn the language and work with her companions. I have been S L O W at getting this blog updated. I wanted to add some photos that were taken in the past few months. A couple that were taken in March while she lived in Salt Lake as well as the night she was set apart and the most recent photo she sent while in the MTC, the first day to be exact :) . I loved these pictures and how well they turned out! The night she was set apart was special. Good friends Vickie and OJ Hansen were there for it. I have known the Hansen family since 1973 when I first met OJ. I later met Vickie in 1975 and Vickie was the one that introduced Wes and I. Bethany and OJ became good buddies when she was 12, they have been good friends ever since. It only made sense for them to be there when she was set apart. We had a family photo taken, minus Becky and Sean who are in Utah, but Becky was able to pick up Bethany at the airport the day she flew in and they were able to spend some time with Sean that day. Our Stake President, former Bishop and family friend, Jeff Wight set Bethany apart as a missionary on Sunday, April 21st. It was great to get a photo taken of the two of them.Bethany has always felt close to her brother Robbie, Robbie gave her some awesome advice. He told her, 18 months go by fast, he reminded her that while she had "the mantle of a missionary" to learn to listen and follow the Spirit. He told her this would be great for her as she serves her mission and even after her mission. Early on the morning of April 24th, I think Bethany and I had only slept 2 hours if that! She was busy packing and calling everyone she possibly could before she left! This reminds me of what Robbie did before he entered the MTC as well. Wes, Bryan and I took Bethany to the airport where we saw other missionaries, also heading to Brazil.:) There were a total of 12 on her plane heading to Salt Lake. How cool is that. Her most recent photo she emailed to me yesterday. This was taken the day she entered the MTC. You can't see her tag very well, yet notice the other Sisters tags and the orange "dork dot". The orange sticker is put on tags of all new missionaries for the first day they are in the MTC. I am so proud of Bethany's decision to serve a mission. It wasn't one that came easy and yet once she made the decision, she knew with certainity that this was the course she needed to follow. She will meet people in Brazil and be able to touch their hearts and change their lives forever. She will also have a chance to be a great influence with those she serves with. I know she'll be awesome! I wanted to write and share how and what brought Bethany to the point to serve a mission. Last Fall she began school at LDS Business School She was in love with a young man and planned to marry him. She knew with all her heart that that is what she wanted. Little did she know that Heavenly Father had a different plan for her. On the morning of October 6th she would hear something that would change her life forever. President Monson announced at the beginning of October conference that all young men could now begin missionary service at age 18, he then followed with a even more dramatic announcement. All Sisters who had the desire to serve a mission could now go at age 19 instead of age 21! Wow, what an amazing change of policy and how this change has influenced SO many young women. Bethany was one of those young women who was struck by this. It took her 2 weeks to come to and recognize that this is what she needed to do. She literally fought against it. However, once she finally knew it was what she was supposed to do, she felt a peace and calm come to her that she had not yet felt. She felt an excitement and a happiness as she quickly prepared. She began her medical and dental procedures while still in Utah as she felt the "need" to go! She told us on the October 21st of her plans to serve a mission. A month later, on November 21st, she had received her call. She was going to Brazil. A month later she was able to go to the Portland Temple and receive her Endowment. She loved the Temple. She always has but even more now. She went back to LDS Business in January, studied Preach my Gospel as well as study and learn more about preparing to teach and serve in Brazil. She met with the Sister missionaries on Temple Square in Salt Lake and talked with the Sisters from Brazil often. They were great to her. They told her many things about Brazil and the area in which she would be serving. She became more and more excited as she considered the course her life was taking. Who would have known a year ago that her life would change so much? AND that her life would change in such a dramatic fashion? It has been truly a wonderful thing to witness her growth and her love and desire to serve for 18 months. Giving up all of her own personal desires to serve Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. She will be profoundly blessed for this righteous desire. As her Mom, I can only say how much I too admire her and am thankful for her example to so many of making a tough choice and with that choice taking the leap of faith and doing what Heavenly Father wants her to do instead of what she wanted to do.