Updates!

a valentines picture!

(such a goofy girl!)

Family!

Valentines Day sounded fun!  It was a normal day for us, so it was good.  That night there was a program at the visitor center, Night of Music and Inspiration.  It was all about the Book of Mormon and it was super good.  That lady, Alice didn't come to church, and now we don't remember where she lives, but I'm pretty sure we'll be able to find her again, no worries.  Also, we got a new investigator, Rose.  I gave her the Book of Mormon, pictures, and testimony the primary gave me to give to someone.  She was very appreciative.  I'll keep you updated on her.

Honestly, the visitor center is kinda boring right now just because it's not busy.  We do call people, so that takes up some time.  When we're on the floor waiting for people to come in, I've been doing new sister training.  So it's been good.  But just for the future, sisters at the visitor centers hate it when you tell them you're members so you don't want a tour.  They still want to talk to you about the gospel when you're a member....so don't follow my example by avoiding the sisters.

later in the week.....

We have a new baptism date!  Rose.  She is from Camaron Africa.  Africans love God, thus I love Africans.

Mission is still going good!  We're still teaching and finding and it's Great!  Love you all!

Love, Sister Wankier



Combined District Meeting
(I think Sis. Gordon is just as goofy and cute as Sis. Wankier!)



Sitting quietly waiting for meeting to start.

Teaching/Learning/Role Playing

She's Livin' the Life!

Evidence!  She really did get off the plane in DC! (I assume!)

Isn't that a great picture?  All the new arrivals!  If you use your imagination you can see the temple in the background!  There is an Elder from Centerville, one from St. George, and one from Sandy.  I'd like to hear if anyone knows any of them!

The one Sister that flew out with her.  She is from France!

They line them up then assign each one their trainer.

Hailey is, of course, assigned Sister Gordon.  Do you recognize her Chelsea?


Experiences from her first week there!

Family!
Everything is great here.  We have visitor center shifts, so no matter what area I'm serving in I have a visitor center shift.  I've been there four times already and it's doing good.  I have tracted a little bit.  There was a lady we went to check on the other night and when we found out the address was non existant, we decided to knock on the first door with a light on.  The lady that opened the door was nice, but she was on the phone with her son long distance, so she was kind of hurrying us along.  As we walked down her driveway she called us back and asked us if we were Christian and when and where our church was.  She wanted to come to church on Sunday, so hopefully she comes.  It's been really good doing the work.  The visitor center is good, but super slow right now.  Last night we had two tours, and no one that I know of just wandered in.  When summer comes more people will come.  We do have a car and we drive everywhere.  The sisters we room with are in a bike area, so they get the close stuff and we get outside of that.  But they even have a car to get to the visitor center.

The longer I'm here the more I realize how much I need to learn and grow, but it's good, I like learning and growing!  Well, family you're great!  I love you!  Love, Sister Wankier

She Made It!!!!!

Hailey arrived in DC safe and sound!  After a couple failed attempts (on our end!) of calling us from the mission home she emailed us and told us how wonderful it was to be there!  Some of the highlights of her letter:

"When I got off the plane, President and Sister Matsumori, along with the assistants were waiting to greet the ten of us.  The Matsumoris are amazing!  I can't even describe them to you, just amazing!  The are super spiritual, super nice, super personable, super down to earth, super Christlike, super great.  They first took us to the temple where we had time - the last time until we're off our missions, to be alone and make commitments with the Lord about our missions.  We then ate at ihop, which was fantastic, but not quite as fantastic as our nap we had at the mission home afterwards.  We had the day to talk about the mission, eat dinner, meet with Pres. Matsumori, and play ping pong around the world.  Sister Matsumori even played a couple rounds with us.

Today I met my companion, it's Sister Gordon.  She is leaving soon and all I hear about her is how amazing she is.  On Sunday she had 9 investigators at church.  I'd have to agree with everyone, she's awesome!  Okay, but first of all I find out where she's from and guess where it is?  Mendon, Utah!  Pretty sure all the people I've met from Mendon I am automatically friends with and they are Awesome.  Yeah, also she went to USU.

Okay the weather here is super good.  Honestly it's not supposed to be this good.  I think they said it should've rained today and usually it's super cold.  Today and yesterday was seriously in the sixties.  We ate lunch outside. Also it's just great I'm here!  It's so beautiful here and all the houses are beautiful and it's not like Utah at all (I love Utah too, no worries, but picture Utah and know it's nothing like where I am then maybe you can understand a little better what it's like).

My area is Laural.  I haven't been there yet, but I hear it's great and I'm sure it is.  This mission covers everything in DC.  The only monument that's not in my area is Arlington, but we do get to go there once before we leave.  I'll be in the Visitors Center three maybe four times a week for a six hour shift.  Pres. Masumori asked me to get my flute out here so I can play.
Love you all so much!!
Sister Wankier"

Do you think she's excited?!

She mentioned in another letter that the MTC was more difficult than she had imagined, but she expects that the mission field will be too.  I think she's up to the challenge!

Pictures have arrived.  Unfortunately, no names or stories with them.

This is a lot of the pictures, but I put all of them that she sent in her facebook pictures if you want to look.

Help!!

First of all - Hailey called Monday night from the airport.  She was so excited! She was so anxious to get to DC.  She assured me that pictures are on their way.  So I am hoping to be posting some in the next couple days.  We got a couple calls from the mission home on Tuesday but we missed them and no one answered when we tried to call back.  I'm hoping/assuming they were letting us know she made it safely!

Next.  I need help!  As you know, I'm a very new blogger.  If you notice on the top right of my blog is a grey patch.  How do I get rid of it?  Also you've probably noticed a few changes to the blog over time.  I went in to fix something and in the template design part where the blog is on the lower half of the screen?  It's like there is a white covering over the blog.  I can see the bottom and the right side of the page, but none of the blog so I can't see what I'm doing to fix things.  What did I do to mess myself up?  If I do it on someone else's computer it shows up but not on mine.  I would love any advice anyone can give me.

More Updates!!!!!

Hey family,
So I got two pdays this week because my schedule switched to visitors center training, so I get to write to you twice this week.  Also that means I'm not sure when my pday will be in the field, so I'm not sure when I'll be writing next.

Well, this week was like the first week of the MTC all over again.  Wednesday we went to Temple Square and got a tour and the sisters showed us kinda what they do.  We were told they are not tour guides they are missionaries, which is true, but they teach as they take people on tours.  It was fun to leave the MTC for a while, but it honestly made me super happy that I'm not going to Temple Square on my mission.  They told me that at Washington DC I will be in the Visitors Center for six hours a day and in the field six hours a day.  It should be fun.  We're going to be working with chat too.  So we talk to people online from mormon.org and answer their questions.  We can teach them the lessons up till baptism.  What we're supposed to do is after chatting with them the first time ask them if they would like missionaries, then get their info and send missionaries to them.  After referring the missionaries we call or continue chatting every couple days or so and teach them that way until the missionaries can make it.  I'm pretty excited about that, it should be good!

So I leave Monday night and I'll be able to call home, but I'm not sure when. How is everyone at home!  I hope you're all doing well.  Oh yeah, so I just got a package from Chelsea.  It was a shirt .....probably the best thing I've ever received in my life.  It was hot pink.  I worked out in it yesterday, it was super awesome.  Well, have a great week!  Love you all!  Love, Sister Wankier

Updates on our Sister Missionary!!!

bits and pieces of recent letters:

"My district has a goal to not use casual words like 'guys', 'hate', 'shut-up', etc.... and if we use them we get a mark by our name.  Whoever has the most marks by the end of the week has to give the lesson on Sunday.  Guess what?  I won!  Well, actually, I kinda lost.  I have the most marks.  I have a hard time with the 'g' word and the 'h' word.  I guess I'll be giving the lesson.  Oh well!"

"The longer I'm at the MTC the better it is.  I think it's because I'm getting used to the schedule and long hours.  I'm also getting used to teaching and understanding how to do it better.  I've learned that it is 100% relying on the Spirit.  I need to study, know the lessons & scriptures, but when I go to a lesson it's teaching to the person's needs, not a lesson. 

"Honestly, though, the MTC is kinda like prison, except you feel the Spirit and it's more fun.  But each building to get into you have to swipe your card and there's a fence surrounding us and the sidewalks are covered overhead so we don't see the sky.  After getting through the first bit and getting used to everything, it's not bad at all though.  It's good."

"It has snowed a little bit here and every time it does I remember Logan and miss it.  But yes, I do run out in it and make snowballs and if there were enough snow I'd make a snowman!  We have gym time almost every day.  I've been running some days, playing volleyball, playing four square, and I played basketball one day.  It's super fun.  It always feels good to be in normal clothes.  So I leave on the 31st at 12:30 am.  Which means I leave the MTC on the 30th and fly through the middle of the night.  That'll be super fun!  We had our last class yesterday and the elders in my district leave tomorrow.  On Wednesday we're taking a field trip to temple square so I'm excited for that.  The rest of the week is just visitor center training.  Last week I was a new missionary host.  I got to take around a sister that was in my institute class in Logan.  That was really good.  Also, my friend Kevin Butler just got here last week, and randomly a sister saw me and I guess I know her and she looks familiar, but I have no idea who she is!  She definately knew who I was, so I pretended to know who she was.  Every Tuesday we have devotionals, which are all fantastic, but apparently someone from the first presidency is coming next Tuesday and I will miss it.  Lame!  Thanks for your letters and support! Love, Sister Wankier"

The Joy of Missionary Work!

This is my beautiful niece Anika!  She just returned from the Mesa Arizona Mission.  Incidentally, she returned the same day Hailey left for her mission!  Anika began her talk in church by saying "I LOVE being a missionary!"  I know that just about everyone who has served a mission feels that way, but as she said it, the power of those words really hit me.  The gospel is so amazing, shouldn't we all feel that way?  We should all be so excited to share the message of the gospel whether we are set apart as full time missionaries or not.

Hailey didn't have a lot to say this week.  She must be staying pretty busy!  Here is her update:

Hey family!!!
On Tuesday Elder Nelson came and spoke to us about the scattering and gathering of Israel.  It was really good!  He didn't want to focus on teaching the gospel, just the doctrine.  It was good!  Well, I'm half way through the MTC.  I'm excited to get out there.  I for sure leave on the 31st.  That is my date of departure.  This past week we've just been roll playing and in class a ton.  Tuesdays are my pday till I leave the MTC.  We get to go to the temple every Tuesday and there is a devotional at night, so that's always super good!  All my roommates are going to Temple Square except my companion who is going to Nebraska.  There are other sisters going to my mission though.  I know of two I think.
Dad, thanks for the aggie update.  It's good to hear from the outside world.  I told my companion about aggie basketball games.  I told her she should definately go to one in her lifetime if she gets a chance.  Since she lives in Japan I don't know if she will though.
Everything is going good.  Tell everyone hi when you see them.
Love you family!
Love, Sister Wankier