First week in Maine!

Hey friends and family,

Sister Aeschbacher!

I am in Wells, Maine. It is near the New Hampshire border, and it's on the coast- I can see the ocean from my apartment. We live in a pretty touristy area. Fun fact: my fourth grade teacher Mrs. Femia lives in my area, so I am gonna try and go see her one of these days! I also got to see my BYU roommate, Jena (Sister Aeshbacher), the first night I arrived at the mission home. 

Everyone, please update the address on the business cards I gave you. My address is the mission home address, stuff will get to me just as fast. For packages use Priority Mail. My address is:

Sister Johanna Welling

New Hampshire Manchester Mission

2 Bedford Farms Suite 208

Bedford, NH 03110-6525

Some interesting facts about Maine:

-Everyone in Maine has cemetaries in their yard. Like... everyone used to just bury their dead family members in the backyard. So you're driving down the street 

 and there will be 4 random tombstones just chillin. It's the weirdest thing. Talk about yard decorations. 

-The three states in my mission (VT, ME, NH) are the three least religious states in the WORLD, and Maine is the least religious out of the three/the entire country. 70% of Mainers claim no religion. They like to sit on their front porches on Sundays.

-While all other religions in Maine are declining, Mormonism has doubled in the past decade there. Interesting. 

-When we try to talk to people or knock on their doors, they say "I'm all set." (Means they're Catholic).

Her companions, Sister Westling and Sister Hall

I am in a threesome companionship, my trainers are Sister Westling and Sister Hall. We're all pretty different but we get along great so that's a relief. Sister Westling was in High School Musical 1 AND 2. In #2, she's the one that runs up to Sharpay to get her to sign her yearbook as they are leaving school for the summer (opening song of the movie). So I guess you could say my companion is famous.

This week has definitely been full of ups and downs, missionary work is not a walk in the park, especially with some of the rules I'm trying to get used to. For Fast Sunday yesterday, I fasted for increased faith because I was feeling down about how slow the work is here. I thought that right when I got out here, I'd be teaching lessons left and right but that is not the case. In Relief Society yesterday (the class at church for all the women), the lady who gave the lesson talked about a CES Fireside given by Elder Bednar in March I believe (I remember watching it with my roommates). I learned that faith is not dependent on getting outcomes we want, but rather it needs to be dependent on our willingness to submit to God's will. Having faith isn't a one way thing... we can't only have it if we get what we want out of it (aka teaching lessons left and right). True faith is being willing to take whatever hand God deals you, whether it's happy or sad. She said that "Having faith in God's will frees us from worry." It is so true. If we have faith in God's plan, no matter what it is, then we can be at peace knowing with whatever happens to us. Easier said than done, but it's something we can strive towards. It's the same talk where Elder Bednar asks the 23 year old newly wed guy if he has the faith to NOT be healed. A lot of people have enough faith to be healed, but do we have enough faith to NOT be healed? Do we have enough faith for things to NOT go our way? Or to NOT have any progressing investigators?

Yes, the work here is slow. But we have to remember that God's timing is different than ours. The work IS progressing, just not quite as quickly as I might have hoped. BUT, the church is still true. My testimony is still strong. The Atonement is still very true and I know that God has prepared someone out here in the beautiful New England for me to bring the gospel to.

Miss you all and have a great week,

Sister Welling 

Sister Welling in the MTC!

Well hello family and friends,

 

I've been hit by a truck. A large, spiritual, stressful, overwhelming, oddly satisfying truck.

Stats:

-I entered the MTC with 800 other missionaries the day I went in

-54% of the missionaries in the MTC are SISTERS. booyah.

-by the end of the month, there will be 75,000 missionaries world wide

-the new west campus MTC (to accomodate the wave of missionaries) currently has 350 missionaries... by August (less than two weeks) it will have 2100 missionaries... OH MY GOSH

 

People I have seen/met:

-a Sister Hart from Bountiful, Utah who is Abbey Wilson's roommate at college. If any of the Wilson clan see this, she says hi to Abbey and her email is samantha.hart @myldsmail.net

-Elder Tyler Welch from the Columbus area

-Sister Jenny Miller from Colorado, Laura Keeler's  friend that I met at their wedding in Houston.

-MOST IMPORTANTLY... AUSTIN ALPETER!!!! His stay has been extended because his Visa hasn't come... it was a happy encounter :) (see picture) He's going to South Carolina to wait for his visa.

 

Well, this week has been crazy and stressful and every emotion in the ENTIRE book of life. My district (the group of missionaries I have classes with, etc) is AWESOME. Love them. All of their testimonies are unique and powerful and each one of them have had trials and hard times in their lives but that's why they are here- the share the hopeful message that the gospel gives. Every night we kneel in prayer as a district and it ends with each one of us in tears. We have 6 amazing elders and 6 almost as amazing sisters :P I've known them for less than a week but they already feel like family.

 

Sister Welling's companion

My companion is Sister Beus and she is from Highland, Utah. We are way different but get along great and are trying to work hard to have the spirit while we teach and know what the needs are of our "investigators".

 

On Sunday Night we listened to a devotional by Elder Bednar called "The Character of Christ". AMAZING. It was all about how when each of us would turn inwards and focus on ourselves, Christ turned outwards and served others even when he had just suffered in Gethsemane and while he was suffering on the cross. On my notes I have "GET OVER YOURSELF" written in big letters across the page- this work is not about me. It's the Lord's work.

 

SO SORRY i literally have 20 seconds left to send this. MISS YOU AND LOVE YOU ALL!

 

Sister Welling

 

Her district!

The cream soda tree!

Trying to escape, and getting caught. :)