Jesse Email - December 30, 2013

Happy new years!!!! well it turns out that i didnt get transfered! so i will have 6 months in my first area:P it is crazy to think that i will literally have 1/4 if my mission in one area! i didnt think that was going to happen, but i know im here for a reason! we also baptized 2 more people this Sunday:) a father and son the father is Ariel. and the son is tobias. Ariel is one of the coolest funniest and sharpest men i know. yeah he has his past but who doesnt! his desire to learn more and to better his life is incredible. he is the one who alwasy had questions and everything clicked perfectly with him. when he came out of the water, tears and joy filled his eyes and the spirit was very strong! i took some pictures with the guys for christmas but i still have the virus problem!!! but once i get it fixed you will all have a bunch of pictures headed your way!!!

Diana - Email - December 30, 2013

Hello Everyone!!!!

I hope everyone had a good Christmas. My Christmas was so much fun my companion and i woke up did are studies and then we opened presents. Than Sister White made goodies while I sat and watched. We also had to do laundry that was not fun. Then we went to a members home and i got to talk to my family!!!!!! I miss all of you so much and it was so good to see everyone!!! Then after we talked to our families we stayed with the Ete family for the rest of the day and we played oranges to oranges, and Hawaiian charades. Thursday we a did normal missionary stuff saving souls, sharing testimony just saving to world. Friday started off like any other day and then a dog deiced he wanted to eat my hand off. So we were going to go see this guy who said we could come back and we go and knock on the door and we where standing there for a while and we turned around and and there was a really cute dog and we started to pet it and is was so lovely and then i tried to see what its name was and out of no where it bit me. I am fine it didnt even leave a cool bruise but I know the Lord was protecting me lol the worst part if this hole thing though is when we had to go back to this home where they really dont like us and tell them there dog bit me and ask if its shots are up dated. We decided we are going to leave that house for the next set of missionaries. Saturday we had another really good day just saving souls but the girl who was on date for January 4 Juliann wasnt able to come to church so she cant be baptized but we know the Lord has a plan for her and she just might not be ready for the gospel yet. Sunday we went to church and we had a less active come and that was so amazing!! His name is Dom and he was baptized in Samoa and he moved to America and went less active but he has a desire to go on a mission so we have a goal for him. Sunday night we had the most amazing thing happen my companion and i followed this car home one day because they looked Samoan and we decide to go an knock on there door and do you what was on the other side of that door? A miracle Jubi is a 24 year old guy who met with missionaries before but moved and  lost contact with them and we ask him to read the book of mormon and he asked us about who Joseph Smith was. it was the most amazing thing i have ever seen its people like him that make the mission worth it. He is on date for January 18 please pray for him he is so ready and you know how satan is when people find God and the Gospel. I just want to leave all of you my testimony  I know this church is true i know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God I know that being a missionary is the best thing in the whole wide world being to share me testimony with anyone who will listen is the best thing ever. I love this Quote by Elder Holland " Missionary work isn't easy because Salvation is not a cheap experience" I love being a missionary i love the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I love My savior so much please if you havent read the book of Mormon with an open heart and ask God if it is true and i promise you that Our heavenly Father will answer you and tell you it is true. God lives and i know i will be with my family forever!!! love you all so much!!!

Love sister whetten 

Jesse E-mail December 23, 2013

well it sounds like everyone was busy this week and that everyone had a great time! everything down here is normal... hahaha

okay so this week we saw a cop chase! there was a car full of young adults who were running from the police for who knows what reason! they were pretty far ahead of the police and getting away when a bus pulled unto the road and blocked there way. that's when things were pretty interesting. one of the guys inside pulled out a freakin gun and told the bus driver to get out of the way. he did as he was told, which was expected. he had a gun pointed at him, and then they just continued their little chase and i never saw them again:P ohh and probably the best thing about this week was the baptisms that we had yesterday! we baptized two people. one of which was Maxxi`s younger brother! thats not the best part either. his younger brothers name is pablo and he wanted me to do his baptism. and not that i didnt want to do it but i had a better idea. we went and talked to bishop and asked if maxxi could receive the priesthood:) so about 30 min. before the baptism maxxi received the aaronic priesthood! and he then went on to baptize his younger brother. just thinking about it makes me tear up a little bit, and the joy that i felt was so much stronger than if i wouldve done the baptism. and then we also found out that pretty soon here he will be called to be the assistant to our new Missionary leader! its just great to see the effects of the work and the difference it makes in peoples lives! we also baptized a young girl names sofi, she is one of the smartest little girls ive ever met! all the lessons clicked with her and she had questions and just paid attention to everything. this little girl reminded me of minnie:P she is only 9 years old but has a very good supprt to go to church and everything. both baptisms were yesterday along with another one from the other half of our area. haha ill go ahead and save some of this stuff for Thursday so we can have something to talk about! but i love you all and cant wait to talk to everyone! and im trying to get pictures sent to you all but i have to remove this virus:P until Thursday! i love you all remember that!

love your son, brother, grandson:) Elder Whetten!

Diana E-mail December 18, 2013

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

 Things are doing great here in the Great Northwest we had a Christmas party as missionaries and we ate and sang Christmas Hymns and acted out the Christmas stories. it was a lot of fun. i am so in love with the Samoan people the mebers are really nice and they love to make fun of my lack of Samoan. 

the weather doesnt bother me anymore and i havnt worn a coat for two days but that was a really bad idea my companion was sick and now i think i am going to get sick which is not good at all.

well i just want to share my testimony with all of you I know that Jesus Christ is my savior and Redeemer I know that he was born in a manger long ago and he came to this earth so he could live a perfect live and show us the way and then to suffer for me and everyone who will ever live who has lived. I know that The Book of  Mormon is another testiment of Jesus Christ and brings us closer to him. I love you all and hope you have a great Christmas. Love Sister whetten

Jesse Email - December 16, 2013

this week was pretty interesting! we found this great convert whose name is Ariel Nimo. as soon as we started teaching him he was understanding the lessons and asking questions. these kind of people are the funnest to find but also tricky because  we really have to be prepared for their questions and what they want to know. but just yesterday we had a lesson with him about the plan of salvation, he couldnt get enough of it and the lesson went great! he understands everything and really wants to change his life. we asked him to say the closing prayer in the lesson and midway through, he asked if heavenly father could forgive him for the things hes done wrong and to help him where he lacks, he started to cry and the spirit was just strong. sometimes there just arent words to describe the feelings we get out here doing the lords work. ohh and we also got robbed...by our mission leader!!! turns out hes not who he appeared to be. heres the story-> we were going to have a elders quorum activity so we prepared to buy food and calculated that everyone had to pay 20 dollars so we did. well Thursday he came over and cooked food in the apartment like he does every other week, and he asked for elder davis`s and Elder Brush`s camera because he was graduating from school. so they trusting in the mission leader let him use them. well turns out that Saturday came for the activity and he didn't show up. we called and everything and he never answered. well turns out that he left back to Paraguay. and he had also "borrowed" 15,000 pesos for school  from a member 200 from another and with the money from the activity he left to go to Paraguay. without paying his rent with the cameras, a laptop, and who knows what else he took but hes gone:) and the weather, yes its a lot hotter now that is summer,there are some nights when i just cant sleep because we dont have the privilege of air-conditioning:P that's what happened this week.

Diana - E-mail - December 10, 2013

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

 Oh my goodness I love being a missionary so much!!! my new compainon is sister white and the Samoan people have a heck of a time trying to say both of our names lol she is so amazing i love her so much!!!! she is such an amzing missionary and we have so much fun together!! It has been so cold not as cold as flag staff but man its cold. i have to wear two pairs of tights and they are getting so worn out lol its all the walking we do.
  

Sister White likes to make fun of me because i have been in rich areas my whole mission and we are in the ghetto she is always telling me that i am not in Bellevue anymore. its a little scary some times but sister white has been in this area for 6 months so she is really smart about where we go and what we are doing.

 I am getting a little sick but i am taking care of myself i have been taking on guard. I cant believe its almost christmas time its so crazy but i love this time of year.

EXCITING NEWS!!!!! we have some one on date for baptism for January 3!!!!!!! my first baptism!!!! we had an amazing lesson with her last night and we had some young women with us and man the youth are so amazing they brought a spirit that we as missionary's cant do that is why members and missionaries have to work together. I am so grateful for being a missionary and being able to share the good news with everyone that will listen to me last night we had family home evening with some members and i said that i wish i could be a fulltime-missionary for the rest of my life because i love being so close to the spirit and seeing that hand of the lord work in these peoples life.
 

I love you all so much and i hope you are having amazing Christmas season!!!

Love Sister Whetten 

Pictures from Argentina