28 June 2010

So, this week was really good. At district meeting last week, Sister Hegarhorst made chocolate chip cookies to share with the zone, and she made them thanks to Mom’s blog (here's the recipe). Thanks a million Mom. It was good to eat a good old chocolate chip cookie rather than an alfajor.

This Saturday we had our baptism. Norma and her adopted daughter Victoria got baptized. Norma recently moved from Maldonado, another state, to Rocha, where her kids live. She wanted to be closer to her family. She went to church with her son, and then we got a golden reference. Her son baptized her. It was really special and it was my companion’s first baptism. But the baptism gave me a question to ask. Is the baptismal prayer the only time in our church where we do something in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost? Just something I was wondering.

Another special thing that happened this Sunday was I had a spiritual epiphany. I was sitting on the stand in sacrament meeting because I was leading the music. Yeah, can you believe that? I was sitting there and I could see the entire congregation. Sister Pizarro was speaking, a sister that remembers Grandpa, and I realized that I love the people of Uruguay. As I realized that the Spirit was very strong. I love the people with whom I serve.

And Dad, you’re welcome. It’s the least I could do. I’d like to see how it turned out. Anyway, I’m still working on my goals. At least now I’m remembering to pray for help. I hope one day I can get to the point where I change and never fall again.

Well, I think that’s it. I’m going to send this and see if the pictures sent correctly.

Thanks for all the support. I love you all a ton. When people ask, you can tell them I’m doing great.

Love, Elder Whitaker

21 June 2010

Thanks for the pictures. It looks like Nauvoo was fun. And I’m glad Brad’s all fixed up from surgery. And Steven, good work on your shoe. Just last week I had some work done on a pair of shoes I have and they’re as good as new now.

So, I found an interesting scripture this week. I’m studying the New Testament and in the light of the restored gospel it all makes sense. It’s interesting that every Christian church on earth has the Bible and using the same book they get such different doctrine. For example, the Bible teaches us that we need to pray to saints but it also teaches us the God the Father is actually Jehovah. Hmmmmm. But thanks to the restoration we have all the truth.

In Philippians 4:11 I learned that we can learn to be content. It was something that has helped me. Paul was a stud of a prophet.

So, last week in sacrament meeting a drop of water landed on my suit pants during the sacrament, and it helped me remember that when I was a kid just about every week I would drip a drop of water on Dad’s pants and he would always point it out. Why is that an interesting thought? Because as early as I can remember I spent my Sundays at church. Thanks.

So Uruguay plays against Mexico in the World Cup tomorrow. It’s going to be interesting because my companion is Mexican. I hope it doesn’t affect our daily lunch with the members. That leads me to a question for my brothers. Where did you mission companions come from? I’ve served with an Argentine, Honduran, Chilean, Paraguayan, Mexican, and Provoan.

We’re really excited for this week because we’re going to have a baptism. We finally found someone that was spiritually hungry and thirsty. A mom and daughter, Norma and Victoria, are planning to be baptized this Saturday.

Dad, I hope you had a good Father’s Day and liked your present. And I think that’s it for this week. Love you all and thanks for the emails and prayers.

Love, Elder Whitaker

Oh and Steven, my companions say we look exactly the same. You're a lucky man. Have fun being 17.

14 June 2010

Thanks for all the letters and emails. I got to open letters today, so that means I got a letter from Elder Tyree. He’s doing well. Thanks for the pictures and the talk. I’m going to read it as soon as my companion starts doing his email.

So the other day I realized that I never saw a picture of Megan where she was visibly pregnant. Was Megan never “big with child”? At least for me she never was. That’s exciting that Wyatt is home. Have fun with that.

Oh, and Stevo, I hope your birthday was smashing. It just so happens that one of our investigators had a baby on your birthday. Carolina had a boy. Unlike Weston’s, he came a week late and is really ruining her chances of going to church. Lucky for us the other kids in this family are great. Two of Carolina’s kids have come to church with us and this week they invited their cousing. We’ll see how that all goes.

So this week was another miraculous week at church. We had 6 investigators – 3 kids from Carolina, a member’s mom and sister, and another lady we found this week. This other lady should be a member because her son is serving a mission in Nevada. Unfortunately, she smokes and is not married.

So, this week I had an interesting insight and I saw how something I did was prompted by the Spirit when I didn’t even realize it. There is an inactive member we visited. The first time we visited him he was yelling and really grouchy at us. We went back because we said we would. We wanted him to feel the Spirit again. At one point this brother was a member of the branch presidency and endowed. He was offended and inactive ever since. We talked to him about the Book of Mormon and bore our testimonies. Then I shared Brad’s testimony with him. Brad sent me his testimony in Spanish one time. That morning I looked for the piece of paper and put it in my backpack, don’t know why. In the lesson the Spirit told me to read it, and I did, and the Spirit was strong. Then the Spirit taught me something that this brother needed to know. Why are missionaries transferred and come to an area knowing nothing about the people? I told the brother that I don’t know why he’s inactive, and frankly I told him I don’t care why. It doesn’t matter why. All I want is this guy to go to church to get the blessings the Lord has ready for him. That is how the Lord feels. He doesn’t care what happened before. He just wants us now. It was an interesting insight that I never thought of before. And the Spirit was really strong.

Mom mentioned that I had been gone a year. That’s true. It goes by really quickly. I’m not the same person I was a year ago. I’ve grown in ways that would be impossible to achieve in any other way. It’s an incredible work. Thanks for supporting me and encouraging me.

I love you all.

Elder Whitaker

7 June 2010

Wow, that’s some big news! Congrats, Wegan. Very congrats.

Mom, I’m staying warm. It’s winter, but not super cold yet. There are days of cold then really pleasant Thanksgiving-type weather here. I’m thinking about buying a sweater today. We’ll see how that goes, and we’ll see if I pay with my debit card or cash, who knows?

So, this week we had a huge miracle. We had 5 investigators go to church! And for two of them it wasn’t their first time! So, the work is picking up and after a lot of patience and hard work we can see the blessings come. When we gave our weekly reports to my district leader, he was very impressed with what we had done. We’ll see what happens next.

What else has happened? I don’t really remember. I’m still a bit sick, but I felt good enough to cook myself lunch. You could put this on your blog, Mom. I made rice and steak and vegetables and it was good, and I made a ton for to eat later.

But wow (he he), that’s cool that I’m an uncle now. That wasn’t what I was expecting when I woke up this morning. Congratulations. I’ve been waiting for this moment a long time.

I’m almost out of time. I love you all. Thanks for the pictures from Kyle, Mom. Tell his mom Hi for me. I sent him a letter the other day; we’ll see if he ever gets it.

Love, Elder Whitaker

1 June 2010

So this week I got to speak in sacrament meeting. It was fun and I learned a lot. I spoke about conversion – Alma, Paul, Joseph Smith – it was good. It was funny though because a sister fell asleep during my talk and started snoring, which made it hard for some people to focus. But I think it’s ironic payback from all the times I’ve fallen asleep in church. It’s hard to stay awake some times and I know how this sister feels. Lucky for me, I haven’t fallen asleep in church for some time.

The other really cool experience that I wanted to share happened last night. We visited a less active member. She doesn’t go because she isn’t married. I shared 3 Nephi 18:32, I think. It talks about inactive people coming back and being healed. Jesus said this right after he instituted the sacrament. We invited her back. Then I read her, in 1 Nephi 21 I think, “I will never forget thee, O house of Israel. I have graven thee on the palms of my hands.” This scripture has always been a very powerful one to me. But yesterday it had never been more powerful. We can put our name in the scripture where it says “O house of Israel” to personalize it. The Spirit bore witness to me last night that the Lord will NEVER forget us. He CAN’T.

And what made the experience even more powerful was something Elder Bednar taught us when he visited us last November. He taught us that when an apostle quotes from the Doctrine and Covenants, he is reading it under the same authority from which it was given. Joseph Smith received the revelation as an apostle in the Melchizedek Priesthood, and an apostle reads it under the same spirit of revelation. That thought came to my mind. As a missionary, if you read the literal words of Jesus Christ, as a personal representative of Jesus Christ, you are reading it under the same authority that he used in saying it originally, and that is why I felt the Spirit so strongly as I shared those two scriptures.

But thanks for the email Dad. Your advice helped. We had some awesome miracles this week.

We also got transfer calls. I’m staying with Elder Gomez in Rocha.

Steven, Happy Birthday, Biscuit Head! I would send you a card, but you don’t deserve one until you’re an Eagle Scout. Have fun on the SAT – don’t know why you’d do that again, I thought you were already going to school for free.

Michelle, stay beautiful, and I guess that’s good advice for my sisters-in-law.

Love you lots,
Elder Whitaker