9/18/2017

Hey Everyone!!

This week has been a blast. We had to make the trip down to St. George
for a meeting and I got to see lots of people I haven't seen in
forever because I am in the boonies and not a visitor center sister.
It was great!

We also had interviews with President Smith, which is always good. He
pretty much told me that I was going to stay in Cedar West next
transfer which I am perfectly fine with. I am probably getting a new
companion however which I am not so happy about. Sister Taylor is an
amazing missionary and we have had a blast together! I guess we will
just enjoy the next few weeks that we have with each other.

Tuesday was a busy day for us! We taught 6 lessons! It was great. We
taught Dan and Susie Lopez and we asked them if they wanted to be
baptized...but they don't and in fact they don't want to meet with us
again. But that is alright because we planted some good seeds and the
next missionaries who came along will help them further along the path
toward baptism.

Troy is also progressing! He is still set for baptism on the 23rd so
we are super excited about that. He is an amazing young man with a lot
of potential and deep thoughts. We asked him the other day why he
wanted to be baptized his answer was that he didn't want it to change
who he was, but the direction his life would go. I have never really
looked at it that way but it is so true! Baptism, and taking the
sacrament, does not change who we are, but it can change the direction
of our lives as we apply the covenants into our lives by doing small
and simple things.

At the end of this week we will be going to a meeting that will fully
explain the missionaries role in the temple open house and give us
some training. We are so excited for the temple!!! I can't put into
words how excited we are to be able to help out. Still don't fully
know what we will be doing but we got official flyers from the church
this week about times and such so that is a step in the right
direction.

Thanks so much for everything! I love you all!
-Sister Waite

9/11/2017

Hey Everyone! :)

This week we had the chance to teach a man (Dan) and his mother. His
mother has been sick lately and hasn't been able to to do much, but
with this inability to do anything she decided that she wants to go to
church. Haha, she says that she will walk there if need be (once she
is all the way better). We are excited to get to teach them!
We had an amazing lesson with Troy this week. He is still progressing
towards baptism and wow. He just has this really special spirit about
him.

On Friday night we were also able to have an amazing experience withRula. We walked into her home and there was just their happy spirit
about it. Her husband, who is a trucker, was home finally and we
learned that he is working on getting a job down here so he can stay
close to home (which was a huge answer to Rula prayers!) and then Rula
was telling us that she knows. She knows that Christ is her Savior
which is big considering she is Muslim. D&C 46:13 was pretty much
exactly what told us and how she believes. However, with that she is
making the scary step these next few weeks in telling her family. We
will see how it goes but we are sure praying for her!

Sunday was a regional Stake conference and it was so good. We had the
chance to hear broadcasted this conference out to most of southern
Utah (256 stakes). We had the chance to hear from Elder Stevenson fromthe the Quorum of the 12 and he gave some amazing advice. There did
not apparently used to be missionaries in Utah, they very first tried

it out as an experiment with just two elders when Elder Stevenson had
just started his mission. And now look at where it is. 9 missions, 800
missionaries, and even more investigators. Wow, it is amazing to watch
the hastening of the work go forth today.
In this Stake conference we also heard from Elder Uceda who gave an
outstanding talk on doing the small and simple things. He talked about
reading the scriptures and praying and how, when we pray with a
sincere heart, then we have a moment in the heaven. The Lord does hear
and answers our prayers. That is something that I know without a doubt
and He always answers, even if we don't always understand or recognize
right away.

I love you all!!
-Sister Waite

9/4/2017

Hey Everyone!!

This week was pretty good. Pretty slow as well but with it being Labor
Day weekend what does one expect?

Exchanges were this week as well. Sister Taylor when with Sister
Williams in YSA while Sister Zhang (my pal!)  came over to Cedar West
to chill with me. Haha, we had a blast and a lot of doors opened up
for us. None of them were interested but they opened. That is
sometimes an accomplishment in and of itself.

One of the more interesting things that happened this week was that we
almost had dinner in a tattoo parlor. Our Ward mission leader had
assigned us dinner with a less active trying to return couple who run
a tattoo business in their home. When we knocked on their door and
they opened we realized that they must have forgotten (when we called
to confirm we got a voice mail of a tattoo parlor and we were really
confused because but we just thought we had the wrong number) so we
played it off as a door contact and she invited us in. We had an
amazing discussion about the temple though. Their goal is to be able
to be sealed in a temple for time and all eternity and I loved hearing
about how hard they were working toward that. Not always making it,
but they were continuing to get up each time they fell down. And truly
is that not what this is all about? Getting up each time we fall and
realizing that we can do better but being able to relay on the
Atonement of Jesus Christ when we do make mistakes. We didn't get any
dinner that night but we did feel the spirit with them and who knows,
maybe the couple in the back getting tattoos in the back felt it as
well. ;)

We were able to teach Troy twice this week! Man, that boy has some
amazing, unique insights on the gospel. We asked him how the Book of
Mormon was able to change his life and he said that it was teaching
him how to trust. Another time he said that the Book of Mormon helped
him feel potential and I think that is so true. The Book of Mormon is
filled with ways that we learn and grow and have a greater potential
in life. Guys, the Book of Mormon is an awesome thing.

I love you all and thanks for everything!!
Sister Waite

August 28th

Hey Everyone!

This week was super good, bitter-sweet, but good. It was hard to see
Sister Lapine go, we had a lot of fun together but it was great to get
to meet Sister Taylor! She is super awesome. She is from Springville,
UT and she is excited to be here. Haha, going to Utah I never would
have guessed that any of my companions would be from Utah, but she is
the second.

We had a bit of a hectic day Wednesday. We went down to St. George
(where is was like a reunion! It was great I got to see a lot of
people)to get everyone where they needed to be and finally got back to
Cedar about 6:40ish before we had a lesson with Troy at 7. That was an
awesome lesson you could just feel the spirit there. He has this
spirit about him that just invites The Spirit. He also agreed to bebaptized in September, so that was exciting to here,

Then on Thursday we also had the chance to see Rula!! Man, nothing cankeep that woman back from coming to Christ. She wants it so bad and
you can see that because she is really starting to know this is all
true. We were talking with her about the open house of the temple and
what the temple is for and she wanted to know if  even though she
wasn't a member if her cousins work could be done. That was cool! That
is one of the most amazing parts of the gospel in my opinion is that
we can do work for those who have passed on. It is a so amazing that
we have this unique and special privilege. I am also super excited for
the temple open house. It is going to be amazing guys!!!

Being so close to the temple (and having a Ward mission leader who
works on the temple) has allowed us to hear a lot of stories justabout how perfect the house of the Lord must be. They used to vacuum out the sawdust and such every single night, they wipe down all the

steel that they use before it goes up and after, they can and will
redo something that may have cost thousands of dollars because it is
the house of the Lord and it should be treated as such. It is so
cool!!

Thanks for all you do and I love you all!!
-Sister Waite

August 21st

Hey Everyone!

This is going to be quick because we don't have a lot time because
transfers are happening this week. I am staying in Cedar West and my
new companion is Sister Taylor. I'm not sure where she is from but I
am excited to get to know her.

Sister Lapine is going down to St. George along with Sister Ellis.

This week was good though! We had a lot of opportunities to talk to
people who aren't ready yet but will be soon. :)

I love you all!!
-Sister Waite

August 14th

Hey Everyone!!

This past week was amazing! First off... I got to go home to
Richfield! Literally, went home. We went up the night before because
the other sisters had a meeting that started at 7:30 so we stayed with
the Chappells.  Highlight of the week for sure. We had a bi-zone
conference there were two members of the 70 came and spoke to us.
Elder Pearson and Parrella. They were amazing. Elder Pearson was like
an Elder Holland in training as he, just like Elder Holland, "got in
our faces, but just enough to singe our eyebrows". It was quite
intense. But it was alright because he taught us some really amazing
things. He talked a lot about agency in a new way that I have never
heard of before and how it is more than just choice. It is choosing to
act instead of being acted upon.

Another really cool thing that he talked about was how most people
need about 7 positive contacts with the church before they will
listen. Even if we aren't baptizing, as long as we are trying to
change a 1 to a 2, or a 5 to 6, then we are doing what the Lord is
asking. Just do what you can to improve people and the world in
general around you.

We also did exchanges this week. I stayed in Cedar West with Sister
Ellis while Sister Lapine went with Sister Zhang to the YSA Stake. We
saw so many miracles! Sister Ellis and Zhang cover the young married
Stake as well which covers all of Cedar so one time they were looking
for dinner, but found this really hidden basement apartments so we
went and knocked those. Seriously, you would never know they were
there unless you were lost. Anyway, we talked to a 15 year old by
named Chris who was super open. He says he doesn't know if he would
ever convert (haha, the spirit can change that...) but he is willing
to listen.

Sister Lapine and I were also able to start teaching a 17 year old boy
named Troy. His aunt is a member of the church and he is staying with
her for the school year. We are excited to get work with him. He says
that he wants to be baptized but we are going to have to help him work
through some things first, he has had a rough life.

Anyway, I love you all! Thanks for everything!
-Sister Waite

August 7th

Hey Everyone! :)

This week has been...interesting to say the least. I got to experience
lots of new things in life, like taking my companion to the ER.

Sister Lapine, for whatever reason, decided that drinking water was
not a necessity in life. Or at least not drinking enough water for the
fact that we are WALKING and we were spending ALL DAY out in the
HOT sun...so we ended up in the emergency room Wednesday morning. We
almost took her on the night before but the mission nurse told us not
to so we waited. Dehydration and heat stoke all mixed into one was not
fun. Two liters of fluids and lots of drugs later fixed most of her
symptoms. She is not longer about to pass out if she walks a few feet
and she is keeping food down, oh, and her vision is back so that is
good. Apparently she still has killer headache but that will go away
hopefully as she drinks water. Haha, I think she is sick of everyone
telling her to drink water but she deserves it. If that is the worst
she is going to get out of it then life is fine.

Because of the above reason Sister Lapine has spent pretty much all
week inside and I have spent all week calling people to try and find
people to go out with me on splits and a place for her to stay at
because she also had to be with someone 24/7.  But we did have the
most amazing experience with Rula this week.

My split and I went over to help her out with something this week and
afterwards we sat down to chat. Zain, her 4 year old, was miraculous
asleep so we didn't have to worry about him running around. I don't
remember how we got on it, but she started telling us about this dream
that she had. She said that it was realer than anything she had every
experienced on earth. She was in heaven, and she knew, for lack of better
words, that she was an eternal being. And Christ was there, and
apparently she spoke with Him and he told her that she was a child of
God. The thought that she might be a child of God had never even
entered her thoughts before but after that she knew that she was a
child of God because she could not deny her 'dream'. It was so
amazing!! We truly are blessed with the knowledge that we have we have
Heavenly parents who know and love us. We are truly children of God
and it is a knowledge that we need to share with people. Remember
that, though, that you are a child of God.

Thanks for everything!
I love you all!
-Sister Waite