Date: September 24, 2012
Area: MTC
Companion: Hermana/Sister Randall
Holaaaaaaaaaaaa familia!
I am in my mission!!!!!! And I am so happy to be here. Well there is a lot to write and I have a bit more ime than I did at the MTC so I am going to try and write everything important but not too much. Haha. Well first of all I LOVE Sacramento! They call it “The City of Trees” for a reason and I love the GREEN!!!!!!!! It is really beautiful and lots of fields as well. I am actually in the Manteca area which is the most southern part of the Sacramento mission. They just opened the smaller area of this area (if that makes sense, haha) called Tracy and that is actually where I am. I don’t think that is on the map of the mission because they just opened this area 6 weeks ago, so there is A LOT OF WORK HERE! And it is amazing. I already love being here and let me tell you the field is WHITE. My trainer and I are working hard every day and we hardly need totract or t track because there are already so many people we are working with.
Well speaking of my trainer (because Mom I know you want to know everything about her already, haha) her name is Hermana Tysha Randall and she is from Georgia. But her family lives in Saudi Arabia right now because of her dad’s job. We get along SOOOOO WELL and I am so happy we were put together! It is going to be really amazing to work with her here because we are already really close and can teach/work/find/live really well together already. And she teaches me really well. I appreciate that she treats me as an equal companion and not just a trainee (which is what I am, haha). So that is really nice.
Hna Randall will make me breakfast while I am in the shower!!!! It’s so nice. She is spunky and a talker which is good because I like listening.We live at a member’s house which I LOVE I am so happy that we live here! They are the Smith family and they are so nice. Their youngest daughter goes to BYUI so they are currently empty nesters. I was secretly hoping that I would live with member’s for a majority of my mission and I found out that there is only one area for Spanish sisters that they live in apartments, the rest live in member’s homes. Wahoooooooooooooooooooo! I am SO happy about that. Because it is just so nice to live in a home and I love getting to know the members, they are so kind to us. I am completely SPOILED here. It’s unreal how kind they are and how much they give to the missionaries. And how much they WANT to serve us. I have been so blessed to be here. We are very well taken care of.
Hna Randall will make me breakfast while I am in the shower!!!! It’s so nice. She is spunky and a talker which is good because I like listening.We live at a member’s house which I LOVE I am so happy that we live here! They are the Smith family and they are so nice. Their youngest daughter goes to BYUI so they are currently empty nesters. I was secretly hoping that I would live with member’s for a majority of my mission and I found out that there is only one area for Spanish sisters that they live in apartments, the rest live in member’s homes. Wahoooooooooooooooooooo! I am SO happy about that. Because it is just so nice to live in a home and I love getting to know the members, they are so kind to us. I am completely SPOILED here. It’s unreal how kind they are and how much they give to the missionaries. And how much they WANT to serve us. I have been so blessed to be here. We are very well taken care of.
We are teaching lots of people! And it is so nice to be busy and teach them because people here are READY to learn. We have had at least 2 lessons each day and holy cow I love teaching!!!!!! It is so amazing to just be able to sit there and testify of the things you know to be true with the authority that comes from being a missionary…because I know that it does not come from us individually at all. It is from the Lord and I can FEEL that difference. It’s incredible. It is also incredible that I can actually speak and understand these people! I had the impression that I would not know anything when I got here and I
would forget all the Spanish I have learned (well maybe because everyone in the MTC said that would happen, haha) but NO! I absolutely LOVE teaching and talking to all the Hispanic people here. They are so kind and receptive to the gospel. We are teaching a lot of people who are just so ready to here it. A lot of the people we are teaching are Catholic, a lot are just Catholic “by belief” and a lot are strong in their church. It’s interesting because a lot of them have doubts about the doctrine such as the trinity, infant baptism, praying to the saints, priesthood authority, who Jesus IS and so we come in and say look! This is the truth. And it clears out doubts. Some of them hardly even know the doctrine of the Catholic church but have that Christian base which makes it practically easy to teach them. Not that it is easy to baptize them… but we are working on that. This area (well in Manteca, the old boundaries of our new area) has not seen a baptism for 6 months! Which is a lot for this mission because they convert people like crazy here! So Hermana Randall and I are going to CHANGE THAT! We are determined and we have at least 2 transfers together. So we will make it happen because there are so many people that are close to the waters of baptism but not quite there yet.
would forget all the Spanish I have learned (well maybe because everyone in the MTC said that would happen, haha) but NO! I absolutely LOVE teaching and talking to all the Hispanic people here. They are so kind and receptive to the gospel. We are teaching a lot of people who are just so ready to here it. A lot of the people we are teaching are Catholic, a lot are just Catholic “by belief” and a lot are strong in their church. It’s interesting because a lot of them have doubts about the doctrine such as the trinity, infant baptism, praying to the saints, priesthood authority, who Jesus IS and so we come in and say look! This is the truth. And it clears out doubts. Some of them hardly even know the doctrine of the Catholic church but have that Christian base which makes it practically easy to teach them. Not that it is easy to baptize them… but we are working on that. This area (well in Manteca, the old boundaries of our new area) has not seen a baptism for 6 months! Which is a lot for this mission because they convert people like crazy here! So Hermana Randall and I are going to CHANGE THAT! We are determined and we have at least 2 transfers together. So we will make it happen because there are so many people that are close to the waters of baptism but not quite there yet.
My first lesson we taught was Wednesday night, right after I got to my area. Haha. We taught a woman named Yesny (pronounced Gensey, that’s how I always write it in my planner, haha) and I got to testify is was AMAZING. That same night we went to visit a less active family and that was amazing as well. AND I am actually not as tired out here in the field as I was in the MTC. Maybe it’s just being here my first week (and trust me I am still really tired, just not as exhausted as I was in the MTC) but hopefully it sticks? At least for my first few transfers? Haha well we will see. But for now I am feeling GREAT! It is
nice to plop into bed each night feeling completely exhausted of energy though because you know you worked your hardest that day. I feel so blessed to be here and I’m so excited to be able to SERVE! If I ever get tired or lazy as a missionary, remind me of this email. Haha. I thought that I would be more scared/nervous to do all of these things as a missionary but I really just love it so I’m thankful the Lord has allowed me to have the opportunity to be here. I find it easier to be here than I did at the MTC, ha! Although I did still like the MTC and learned a lot there. INCREDIBLE things are happening!
Grandpa THANK YOU for the story you sent me, I absolutely loved it. Also the Moleko family sent me a letter and some drawings which was SO SWEET of them. Well I need to write my letter to the President (ahhh I didn’t even get to tell about my first day on Tuesday! Well it was really great and I love President and Sister Lewis, I am glad they are the ones in charge). I love you family!!!!!!!!! Be safe and I want to hear from you soon!
nice to plop into bed each night feeling completely exhausted of energy though because you know you worked your hardest that day. I feel so blessed to be here and I’m so excited to be able to SERVE! If I ever get tired or lazy as a missionary, remind me of this email. Haha. I thought that I would be more scared/nervous to do all of these things as a missionary but I really just love it so I’m thankful the Lord has allowed me to have the opportunity to be here. I find it easier to be here than I did at the MTC, ha! Although I did still like the MTC and learned a lot there. INCREDIBLE things are happening!
Grandpa THANK YOU for the story you sent me, I absolutely loved it. Also the Moleko family sent me a letter and some drawings which was SO SWEET of them. Well I need to write my letter to the President (ahhh I didn’t even get to tell about my first day on Tuesday! Well it was really great and I love President and Sister Lewis, I am glad they are the ones in charge). I love you family!!!!!!!!! Be safe and I want to hear from you soon!
Con amor,
Hermana White/Aud.
Ps.
OH I FORGOT TO SAY! This mission is actually THE most diverse mission
in the world (so I’ve been told), there are missionaries called to serve
here in 16 different languages! Not including ASL! WOW. My
anthropologist heart is happy. On Wednesday we are having a language
conference with the missionaries that speak Cambodian, Lao, and
Hmong…. I am excited.
Audrey's Mission Blog 
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