Bringing Down the Powers of Heaven

Wk# 8

3/18/10

Hey Yall!

It was good to hear from you all! I love to hear all about how you’re all doing. The mission this week was way out of whack! We had Our Zone conference yesterday and I had to attend a Leadership Mtg. We got wailed on by President for the lack of work. It was crazy, I didn’t realize how intense it is to hold a leadership position! CRAZY! It was a good Zone Conference though, we had a lot to go over and President gave us a lot of challenges, but it is totally possible to complete them!

So Claudia passed her Baptismal Interview. I know I came to Texas to baptize her. I have never felt a stronger love for a family than I have for theirs! We had a sister’s conference and we all came together as sisters in the mission to have a little lunch and spiritual lesson, it was great! So Oscar the man from Guatemala- He smokes and drinks coffee. So I gave up soda for him... it will be good for me! NO DIET COKE!

So I got sick of listening to excuses this week about why people won’t listen to me when I knock on their door...So o got bold and said:

Me: Hi I’m a missionary from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Do you know why we are here on earth?

Him: Uh no
Me: So you can get baptized in this church, you need to be baptized and I’m here to baptize you.... What’s your phone number?

Him: hum... ok ... (then he gave me his number)

I got guts :)

I am jealous of the Clippers game! haha! Also Brooke you should write the elders in TX, they keep bugging me to have you write them. I’m just telling you now you will like Elder Hatch more, just email him please! Mom, don’t worry about the thing to Preston, no big deal I wrote him a letter instead!

Things are moving slowly and the Lord is helping me in every way I need! I finished the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price this week! I am so excited to start the BOM!

Mom I can’t find Grandma Dawn's address, can you let me know what it is? Tell her I love her and I say hi!

I have had to use my credit card like once a week. I hope you don’t kill me, we are only given 150 a month and with the costs in TX and the fact that we are required to eat out with our district and zone once a week... it’s expensive! But we are starting to get fed more by members which it nice! I hope you have a good trip in Utah! I hope the Blessing goes well, let me know if she is from the one and only amazing tribe of EPHRAIM! haha!

The mission is amazing and my testimony is growing every day, stronger and stronger! I have a strong testimony of the love our savior has for us, even the times we feel like we can’t go on the Lord always provides a way!

So we did some service this week and helped Claudia and Noe paint the kids room, it was fun we really enjoyed it, By the way, I ate cow face tacos... hahah don’t you love the weird stuff I eat... It was good! I hope you all are sill reading the scriptures and praying daily! I love you all!

Whitney

"WHAT THE TURKEY IN TEXAS"

3/11/10
WK# 7

AHHH HI Ya'll!

Well the title of my e-mail very well fits my week! I'll explain in a minute!

So many amazing miracles happened this week and I don't know where to start! So Ill return the answers to the questions and emails I got from you all and then tell you about my week.

So to start off, are you all ok? I heard that there is going to be a horrific earthquake in Cali... knowing we live on the fault line I started to freak out, basically crying when a member told me about the terrible stuff happening because the Chile earthquake.

I have something to tell Brooke, tell her I have emailed her every week and just sent her letter the other day so simmer and stop crying about it! I love her and she knows it, that’s why today I just showed her picture to all the elders in my zone so she can have a missionary to write! So Brooke, write Elder Hatch... yes his name is Hatch! Eric Hatch... his email is (removed for privacy).... He is cute and will be home in 2 months to Utah and perfect for you! Also there is an Elder Bishop, my Zone Leader, he wants you to write him, just hand write my mission address but put Elder Bishop instead of my name!

Now that I have that taken care of and the Elders can stop bugging me, Brooke I want to tell you how proud I am of you and the desire you have to live the gospel. The Lord's plan for us is amazing and his atonement is available only if we take it into our lives. I want to know how your Patriarchal Blessing goes! Mine has been a source of comfort and love from the Lord in my life. In the CCM we were told to write down the blessings and the counsel in our blessing to help remind us of the things that will guide our lives!

So this week has been great, the weather is insane if you all only knew the craziness, So one day it was sunny I was so excited, FINALLY SUN! Then we go inside after working out and I shower and actually straighten my hair and then curled it with my curling iron, I was ready to get all tan and so I put on summer clothes and then after studies, I look outside... to my dismay, I here thunder, and I see lightening.... It was raining as hard as it did in Guatemala.... AHH you can imagine how I felt.... ha! I changed out of my white skirt and played in the rain lol! I love Texas and its randomness (guess what the word random doesn’t exist in Spanish, which is a bummer because I use it a lot.)

Dad, I can’t believe your birthday is already here again...guess what that means.... Mine is coming up haha! Remember how we would share a birthday cake ha. So I can’t believe its March madness... how is basketball going dad? Ok so are you ready for the top events for the week....

Drum roll please...
# 5) So we were going to our dinner apt (we get fed almost daily…who wouldn't want to have me over for dinner, haha) and we talk to whoever we see right?!? So there was this man and he was working on his car. We strike up a conversation with him and he was way random saying he has talked to missionaries before, yada yada yada... So we are sharing a bit with him and he stops us and said; " Donde esta JesuCristo" ( translated: Where is Jesus Christ?) ... Me having a sensitive humor, starts laughing... He was serious that’s the bad part. But the way he said it was so funny. I’m like WHAT... Well I guess in heaven... I’m dumbfounded by such a random question, and I start crying because I’m laughing so hard to the point that I had to excuse myself and walk away. Hna Vasquez had to finish the contact. Let me just tell you how I just laugh too much in the mission.

# 4) So today we went bowling as a Zone, I have the best Zone ever! We went bowling for skittles... It’s where you pick a skittle and then bowl according to a chart they make up, like if you get red you have to act like a ballerina then bowl, it’s hilarious. We had sooo much fun! I am actually feeling a little sick from eating too much skittles!

#3) So we were contacting before our apt last night and we were all denied at this house so we just keep walking. You know me and my loud voice can wake anything from the dead (the elders always make fun of me being so loud, I just say be glad you haven’t met my sister, she is louder). So we walked to the next house then all the sudden a turkey flies from the tree above us and then starts running. So I’m laughing, practically going to pee my pants it’s so funny. The best part is that Hna. Hinton starts chasing it with her camera. But she isn’t just chasing it she is walking like a turkey and making noises. I’m just rolling I’m dying of laughter... It was an interesting night!

#2) So, I set another Baptismal date! YAAY! Bringing souls unto God how great shall be my joy… It’s pretty great! So I have an investigator, FROM GUATEMALA! So we were teaching him one evening this week and had gone in there planning to set a date. We get to the door and I start freaking out... He made Platinoes fritos for me ... remember the big banana thing I made yall. I smelt it standing at the door, I was in heaven! So we get in there and teach him and Sister Hinton was “FABULOUS" and asked him to be baptized... The down fall is he is going to Guatemala for like 3 weeks, so we had to set it at the end of April. But we feel it’s perfect for him and we couldn't be more blessed! So we are just amazed the Lord really blesses sister missionaries haha!

#1) TEMPLE TRIP IN DALLAS! That’s all I have to say really! So we went to Dallas and did a session, the one time in the mission I can be completely selfish and pray for myself. I had a lot to enquire of the Lord, I was so inspired in so many ways. I have the most amazing testimony of the Temple. In my Patriarchal Blessing it said I would be like this…and I am. I can’t wait to go very often when I get home! My goal once a week! I couldn’t have been at more peace then when I enter the Holy house of the Lord. The Lord gives us such a marvelous opportunity in this life to do the work for our ancestors. By the way Elder Doss and I are in fact related....Through the McAllister family line...I have a packet of stories that he gave me to send ya so I will this week!

There is nothing more I want in life then to let you all know of my testimony of this Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have the strongest love for the Lord and the amazing miracles I get to witness daily. If you only could walk in my shoes for a day you could see the amazing witness of Christ I have become. I get to wear his name on my heart and become stronger every day through him. The atonement is such an amazing blessing in our lives; we all can be sealed to our spouse for time and all eternity and become heirs to the throne. The Plan of Salvation is key in our lives and some don’t even know it. I am so grateful to have this opportunity to teach, preach and work... as missionaries do. There is nothing I want more then to tell all the family who isn’t a member or who is but not active, this is the true church I testify it is, without a shadow of a doubt. But of course we Invite all to pray and know for themselves! I love my life! I love you all! Bryce good luck on your test!

Hermana Whitney Dawn Robbins

*** Preston- I got 2 of your letters finally after 7 weeks. I will be responding quickly, and about your email, and the recorder no worries I’ll take care of it. Look for fun stuff in the mail! Be good and work hard! ***

In a trio companionship...AGAIN, but now Training.

WK# 6
3/4/10

Hey Family and Friends!

Well guess what! So I get a call this week about transfers that I and Sister Vasquez need to attend the “Trainer and follow-up trainer” meeting. Then later that night we get a call that we are co-training Sister Hinton... YES! SISTER HINTON and it was the best news ever! So we are her follow-up trainers and we love it! Sister Hinton and I are going to room at BYU-I when we get home, basically we are like sisters! I love it! The mission rocks! So here is my top 5!

5. A hick man with overalls and a straw hat chewed me out. I was contacting and I said I was a missionary and he said what are you selling and I was like “we’d like to talk to you about salvation.” He then chewed me out. He wanted to see my panhandling permit and wanted to basically make me feel stupid! I told him to simmer and I walked away.

4. So I saw a baptism that the Elders had in the English ward. The lady was black with weaved hair, and when she went under, her wig fell off, it was hilarious!

3. Its amazing…I am staying in Ft. Worth, we had transfers yesterday and I am training Sister Hinton... I told you that but it is a top priority!

2. I set a Baptism date with Claudia... Well we moved it up so she is getting baptized on the 20th and she is sooo excited! I am going to go to the temple a year from now and see them get sealed!

1. So our investigator was sent to the hospital last night. I had a feeling to call them to bring the men over from the ward to give them a blessing and strangely enough when I called his wife was crying, they had just taken him away to the hospital. Her daughter was hysterical and so we raced to the hospital with them and they gave the man a blessing. It was so spiritual and amazing. I love the mission.

It’s amazing that you’re doing the scripture challenge. I am going to the temple next week! yaay! Well I hope yall are doing great. I couldn’t be better! I am glad you enjoyed the pictures!

Whit

P-Day Bowl

AN AWESOME WEEK!

Picture #1) Hna Hinton & Robbins. #2) Hna Robbins, Savage, & Hinton. #3) Whitney's first baptism in TX is of Steven, age nine. #4)District at Steven's baptism. #5) Hna Robbins & Hna Hinton.

P-DAY FUN =)

Pictures: #1) Hna Checketts, Vasquez, & Robbins. #2) Hna Vasquez. #3) Whitney-Dope! #4) Whitney Shopping. #5) Vasquez & Robbins.

Rancho Vista's better!