Pictures from 11-11-2013

Pictures from Tyler's baptism!! 

Tony Laversa, an awesome guy in our ward!

Haley, Tyler's sister

Mia! The cat from the shelter. 

Letter from 11-4-13

Helloooo e'rebody, 

This week, two men from our ward came and gave our investigator Tammy a Priesthood blessing- it was sweet. They didn't know anything about the rough situation she is going through right now, but they said very specific things she needed to hear and has been wondering about, things she hadn't even told us. It was a testimony to me of the power of the Priesthood and that those blessings are really from God. 

Something that really stuck out to me this week as I re-read it is part of the definition of "Prayer" in the Bible Dictionary. It says, "As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are His children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7:7–11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings." 

God is willing and waiting to grant us blessings. We must pray that we can know and do HIS will so that we can receive the greatest blessings He has in store for us, not the lesser things that we think we need and want from Him. This is something I'm slowlyyyyy starting to learn... I will be happiest when I follow His plan for me, not when I am pursuing what I think is best for me. Which reminds me of Elder Oaks' talk from conference, No Other Gods Before Me... or something like that. Check it out, it's a bit humbling. 

I hope everyone is loving life. And as I heard in the song that all the little kids sang at a baptism this week, "I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain." Do what you gotta do to make your life that clean!

Love, Sister Welling 

Letter from 10-28-13

Tyler is the one standing behind Sister Welling.
 Hayley is in the white sweater next to her.

Helloooo Everybody,

This week has been a good one. My companion and I got a CAR THIS WEEK. Considering it is a 28 mile round trip just to the church building and back, a car is going to be pretty helpful. We have burnt out the members asking for rides. Which we will continue to do... but maybe on a smaller level.

This week we were able to go over the baptismal questions with Tyler and he had his interview yesterday after stake conference. He passed! :) We are so excited for his baptism on November 8. He asked both me and Sister Westling to speak, and since Tyler and I are both runners I am fairly certain my topic of choice will be enduring to the end :) Tyler is an awesome 14 year old. We got to be there on Saturday when his sister Hayley got her mission call to Spokane, Washington. It was pretty exciting! She reports on New Years Day.

This weekend was stake conference, and the missionaries were commissioned to attend the adult session for the first time. Turns out that the theme for all of conference was "Hastening the Work." WOOOO. Conference was amazing. Our Stake President, President Watson, is a complete stud. His talked was based around the butterfly effect, and he read a story from the book called "The Butterfly Effect". What it came down to is that small things we do ("flapping out wings") can ripple out and have amazing effects. He said that there are no insignificant moments and no coincidences... We have all been called here at this time to flap our wings and help those around us come to the knowledge of the gospel. It was an incredible talk.

The other thing I learned at conference is to see yourself as Christ sees you. Part of the purpose of the Atonement is that it gives us the ability to change. We need to see ourselves not as we currently are, but remember the potential we have and remember that that is what God sees in us- what we can and will become.

"Everyday is a day of decisions, and decisions determine our destiny."

Love, Sister Welling 

Letter from 10-21-13

Hello Everyone! 

This week was transfer calls. Me and one of my companions made it out alive, but Sister Hall did not. So the trio will be no longer, and I'll stay in Wells/Sanford with my other trainer Sister Westling. I had a few paragraphs typed up about some trivial things we did this week but it wasn't important. Today I want to bear my fervent testimony about the Church of Jesus Christ. 

I'm grateful for this gospel. I'm grateful for the comfort and peace it brings into our lives. I'm grateful that we can know of it's truthfulness for ourselves through study, prayer, and the Spirit. The more you study it and live it, the simpler it is and the more it makes sense, and testifies of a LOVING God in Heaven who wants EACH AND EVERY ONE of His children to be happy.

The Introduction of the Book of Mormon says that if we pray about the Book of Mormon we WILL gain a witness of it's truthfulness through the power of the Holy Ghost, and "those who gain this divine witness from the Holy Spirit WILL also come to know by the same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is his revelator and prophet in these last days, and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the Lord's kingdom once again established on the earth." This is a promise to every honest seeker of truth. All we must do is study it out for ourselves and ask God with a sincere heart, and real intent, if it is true.

This church is true. It is headed by the Savior himself. We don't ask people to take our word for it, we ask them to find out for themselves. I have been called by the prophet to literally represent Jesus Christ, to say the things he would say and do the things he would do if he were teaching the same people I were. As a representative of Jesus Christ, I declare that I am Christian. It is only through the grace of Jesus Christ that we are saved, and all he asks is that we "come and follow [him]." My testimony and love for the Savior and his eternal sacrifice for me personally is deeper than I can express. Jesus Christ is the son of God and the Savior of you and me. 

Love,

Sister Welling

Letter from 10-14-13

What is upppp friends and fam,

Alot has happened this week (if you can even imagine a lot happening in the state of Maine). Our ward's 40 Day Fast ended on Wednesday, and the blessings have definitely been flowing. We (the sisters) have a baptismal date with Tyler and the elders in our ward got a baptismal date this week as well, with a less active lady's husband! They are young and have young kids and it's been cool to see how her testimony has strengthened throughout his learning process and how it's helped with marriage. 

ALSO this crazy (in a good way) lady in our ward called us and told us that she had two baptismal dates for us... she is the cub scout leader (master? mother? whatever) and she has a boy named Connor in there who isn't baptized, and his mom Gene isn't a member either. We have been trying to get appointments to come teach them but Gene is really shy and nervous and never says yes, even though they come to church basically every week. WELL, crazy Sister Meyer called them up and asked them to be baptized haha. Apparently it worked because starting today, we are teaching them 3 lessons a week so they can be baptized before November... wahh! The members in our ward are awesome about member missionary work. The Sanford ward hasn't had a baptism in over a year... in fact, we opened up the baptismal font the other day and there were tons of dead spiders in it haha. But because of the faith and effort of the members, we have 4 baptismal dates. SAWEET. 

The miracle for this week is as follows: My comps and I were out walking at 8:40 pm (you go in at 9 pm) and we walked up to this girl and guy having a smoke outside of a gas station. The girl told us she's an athiest and wasn't interested, but the guy, Stephen, was really interested and really nice! He's 21 years old and was just telling his mom the week before we saw him that he wants to fix up his life and he wants to go back to church, but he left his old one because he felt judged for making some wrong turns in life. We taught him about the Book of Mormon and he was excited about reading it. We taught him the Restoration the next day and it went really well. We are excited about him because he seems really genuine and has a desire to learn and change. 

Today my comps and the elders and I volunteered at this community event full of free services- hair cuts, massages, nail painting, free clothes and other supplies, free lunch, flu shots, help with resumes... everything. My comps and I ended up painting peoples' nails for 3 hours, so that was fun to talk to all types of different people from town while we were doing that haha. It was a great way to kind of get out in the community and help people in need. 

Holy long email.... congrats to anyone who made it this far :) That is what we call enduring to the end. 

Love, Sister Welling  

Letter from 10-7-13

Helloooooo Everybody,

 

Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes, it was an exhilarating day full of tracting. We didn't even have time to hit the bars (I kid, I kid). Some highlights of the week, bullet style:

 

-Our investigator, Tyler Hastings, has a baptismal date for November 8, the day before his 15th birthday. Adorable. He is the coolest 14 year old I know so I am really glad he's going to be able to have the gospel in his life. Last night we taught him about the commandments of church, prayer, and reading our scriptures and then after the lesson, he spent 20 minutes showing me cross country race results and all of the running shoes he wants to buy. I feel like I have a little brother :)

 

-On my birthday, I happened upon a Buckeye tree. God is a funny guy sometimes :) (As our neighbor Joan would say)

 

-GENERAL CONFERENCE WAS WICKED (that's what they say out here in Maine). And I kid you not, as the Elders and us were setting up the screen in the chapel, we were looking at all of the apostles taking their seats and they showed Elder Holland (my personal favorite) and I waved at him and said, "Hi Elder Holland!" and he most DEFINITELY looked right at me and waved back. It was pretty freaky, but really awesome haha. I loved Ulisses Soares' talk about meekness, which I realized I really need to work on. The Savior was meek, humble, teachable, patient and submissive so we need to try harder to be like that as well. I also loveddd Richard Maynes' talk about endurance running related to enduring to the end :) Tyler was there for that session, I'm glad he got to see that even apostles were athletes... back in the day... haha. Is your testimony is good spiritual shape??

 

-Last but not least, this week we had the opportunity to help our next door neighbors cut down a giant bush. It turns out that Russell, the realllyy old husband with a walker and beautiful blue eyes, MADE THE KEYS OF THE ORGAN IN THE TABERNACLE AT TEMPLE SQUARE. Like, what? So cool. I was just like, nahhhh Russell you're messing with me. But he really did make them... I met a man who will go down in history!

 

Well, that's about all I have time for.

 

"Don't forget to look up." :)

 

-Sister Welling

 

Letter from 9-30-13

Hello Hello!

First things first, happy birthday on Thursday to the best twin brother I've ever had! Elder Welling is tearing it up in Boise and I couldn't be prouder. 

Worldy Highlight of the Week: On Saturday we had a ward cookout and before long, some ultimate frisbee ensued and I just couldn't resist. I must've gotten a little into it because in a split second decision, I found myself diving for the frisbee... in my skirt... It was one of those decisions where everything slows down and before I even hit the ground I was like, "Oh, poop." Well everybody thought it was pretty funny and I have some nice grass stains on my shirt to show for it. Elder Whitehead also got some pretty sweet stains on his white shirt so I wasn't alone. I also ended up elbowing a kid in the stomach and knocking over some other girl. I think they will think twice before they invite me the next ward function. 

The REAL Highlight of the Week: We've been teaching the Hastings family, a part member family whose daughter Haley (19) joined when she was 14 and is currently waiting for her mission call. They are sooo cool, I love them alot. They are big into running and Roger and Penny (the parents) have lost a combine 100 pounds or so in the past year, they are total studs. The son, Tyler, is 14 and runs cross country and I just love him to death, we always talk about running for 20 minutes when I see him. We also dominated frisbee together but that is besides the point. Yesterday (fast Sunday) my comps and I fasted for Tyler that he would be able to progress and have the courage to act on his knowledge that the church is true. Last night, Haley called us and told us that Tyler wants to be baptized and is praying about a date in November. He asked her if I was still going to be here at that time because he wants me at his baptism... ADORABLE. I wanted to cry because I was so happy. Fasting + obedience + faith = miracles. I hope Tyler gets a strong answer to his prayer that he needs to take that leap of faith and be baptized because I know how much having the gospel will help him through high school. Keep praying for Tyler and the Hastings family!

I INVITE EVERYONE (LDS or not) to take the time to watch General Conference this weekend. It is on BYUtv or can be watched from lds.org and/orbyutv.com? Something like that. It is Saturday AND Sunday 12-2 and 4-6 Ohio Time. Come and listen to a prophet's voice and hear for yourself of the many blessings that the gospel brings into our lives. What better blessing can we receive than 8 hours worth of inspired men and women bearing testimony of Jesus Christ and his church? 

Love, Sister Welling