Elder Whitney's Dr. Has determined that he has been having a series of mini seizures and that he needs an MRI. The Mission Department has determined that the best course of action is for him to come home and receive whatever medical care he needs. They will send him to Utah where he will most likely be staying with Brooke and McKay again. We will update with further information as we receive it. Thank you all for your prayers and fasting in his behalf. We feel that God has a plan and are confident that things are happening according to His will.
Thank you for all of your support for Elder Brett,
The Whitney Family
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
April 8, week 6 of Transfer something or other
Hey there family and friends!
This morning I got to go to the L.A. Temple for an endowment session,
which moved pday to today instead of yesterday. I had some really
wonderful experiences there, and throughout the course of my
preparations to enter the Lord's house. Most of them pertained to
Grandma Whitney and my relationship with my immediate family and
grandparents. It was truly a purifying, testimony building time for
me.
Anyways, back to what I was saying about Paris France:
Monday 3/31/14 - we had an interesting pday with the Korean elders,
who were nice enough to take us shopping. In the evening we met with
Adrian and had a real good lesson on the doctrine and covenants.
Tuesday - We were finally able to sit down with a less active member
we've been trying to work with for about as long as I've been in the
area. He's a really great guy, and has a wonderful family. He really
needs the Savior right now, so I'm happy that we could meet with him.
We tried to visit with an assortment of people in the evening that
we've been missing. Couldn't really find 'em though.
Wednesday - we did a lot of walking around the poorer end of the area
in the afternoon, but even there people just weren't outside (which is
where we find people since we don't tract here anymore). In the
evening we were able to meet with a couple of less active members who
have about as Mormon a home as you can, yet don't come to church
anymore because the ward is "not as friendly as Spanish wards are."
Thursday - Zone meeting was all about planning and how as a mission we
suck at it. But, that just means we know where the most growth can
come from for all of us right now. In the evening we watched "Joseph
Smith: Prophet of the Restoration" with Adrian and he said a really
great prayer asking for answers at the end of the lesson.
Friday - Pretty much none of our Friday plans worked out, but we did
have a really good dinner at a member's house. They're a really cool
family that has had to struggle with some pretty difficult stuff in
the recent past. I think one of their coping mechanisms was to get
very close to the missionaries, whoever they have in the ward.
Saturday/Sunday - general conference! Woohoo! I've been looking
forward to this for a long time now :) we watched all five sessions of
conference with Adrian and we got to see him overcome several hurdles.
So that was pretty cool. Equally awesome was the announcement that my
current mission president will be serving as an area authority in Utah
once his mission ends. Turns out he was in Salt Lake for conference
and he has already been set apart as a Seventy. Some of my favorite
thoughts from conference were:
There is always a price for being a true disciple of Christ.
Christ did not teach easy doctrine, no matter how hard other
Christians try to make it so.
Sustaining our leaders comes with a responsibility to share their burden.
The world will not glide calmly to the second coming of the Savior.
The heritage of hope we leave for our posterity by joining the Church
is one of the greatest reasons we have to enter into, and keep,
covenants with God.
Faith is the antidote to fear, not just the opposite.
Trials bring us face to face with our faith.
50 million people are perfectly capable of screwing up in unison.
Our family history centers are now in our homes,
Sometimes you need to forget about your rights, and fulfill your responsibility.
The Restoration is NOT complete. It is still happening right now
Pray hard and intensely. Serve secretly and humbly.
The equation for gratitude does not contain any variables pertaining
to how blessed we are, our circumstances. It is a truly independent
function of our ability to have an attitude of gratitude regardless of
our situation.
Do not make every crisis a crisis of faith.
The bottom line is that our reasons for acting without love don't
matter. None of them are good enough. Blame keeps wounds open. Only
forgiveness heals.
Much of what we know cannot be taught, but it can be learned.
Concerning Joseph Smith: In his haste to know he is not hasty. He
prepares to talk to God.
If you are seeking truth, look for the cloud of dust marking the
struggle of evil to defy and cover truth.
The resurrection of Christ is the fundamental principle of truth. All
other things pertaining to our religion are mere appendages to it.
As you can see, there was quite a lot I liked about conference :) it
was a really good one. I especially liked the priesthood session
choir. You could tell Wilberg was going for it in every single
arrangement.
Well that's all for now, love you all! The church is true!
Elder Brett Whitney
This morning I got to go to the L.A. Temple for an endowment session,
which moved pday to today instead of yesterday. I had some really
wonderful experiences there, and throughout the course of my
preparations to enter the Lord's house. Most of them pertained to
Grandma Whitney and my relationship with my immediate family and
grandparents. It was truly a purifying, testimony building time for
me.
Anyways, back to what I was saying about Paris France:
Monday 3/31/14 - we had an interesting pday with the Korean elders,
who were nice enough to take us shopping. In the evening we met with
Adrian and had a real good lesson on the doctrine and covenants.
Tuesday - We were finally able to sit down with a less active member
we've been trying to work with for about as long as I've been in the
area. He's a really great guy, and has a wonderful family. He really
needs the Savior right now, so I'm happy that we could meet with him.
We tried to visit with an assortment of people in the evening that
we've been missing. Couldn't really find 'em though.
Wednesday - we did a lot of walking around the poorer end of the area
in the afternoon, but even there people just weren't outside (which is
where we find people since we don't tract here anymore). In the
evening we were able to meet with a couple of less active members who
have about as Mormon a home as you can, yet don't come to church
anymore because the ward is "not as friendly as Spanish wards are."
Thursday - Zone meeting was all about planning and how as a mission we
suck at it. But, that just means we know where the most growth can
come from for all of us right now. In the evening we watched "Joseph
Smith: Prophet of the Restoration" with Adrian and he said a really
great prayer asking for answers at the end of the lesson.
Friday - Pretty much none of our Friday plans worked out, but we did
have a really good dinner at a member's house. They're a really cool
family that has had to struggle with some pretty difficult stuff in
the recent past. I think one of their coping mechanisms was to get
very close to the missionaries, whoever they have in the ward.
Saturday/Sunday - general conference! Woohoo! I've been looking
forward to this for a long time now :) we watched all five sessions of
conference with Adrian and we got to see him overcome several hurdles.
So that was pretty cool. Equally awesome was the announcement that my
current mission president will be serving as an area authority in Utah
once his mission ends. Turns out he was in Salt Lake for conference
and he has already been set apart as a Seventy. Some of my favorite
thoughts from conference were:
There is always a price for being a true disciple of Christ.
Christ did not teach easy doctrine, no matter how hard other
Christians try to make it so.
Sustaining our leaders comes with a responsibility to share their burden.
The world will not glide calmly to the second coming of the Savior.
The heritage of hope we leave for our posterity by joining the Church
is one of the greatest reasons we have to enter into, and keep,
covenants with God.
Faith is the antidote to fear, not just the opposite.
Trials bring us face to face with our faith.
50 million people are perfectly capable of screwing up in unison.
Our family history centers are now in our homes,
Sometimes you need to forget about your rights, and fulfill your responsibility.
The Restoration is NOT complete. It is still happening right now
Pray hard and intensely. Serve secretly and humbly.
The equation for gratitude does not contain any variables pertaining
to how blessed we are, our circumstances. It is a truly independent
function of our ability to have an attitude of gratitude regardless of
our situation.
Do not make every crisis a crisis of faith.
The bottom line is that our reasons for acting without love don't
matter. None of them are good enough. Blame keeps wounds open. Only
forgiveness heals.
Much of what we know cannot be taught, but it can be learned.
Concerning Joseph Smith: In his haste to know he is not hasty. He
prepares to talk to God.
If you are seeking truth, look for the cloud of dust marking the
struggle of evil to defy and cover truth.
The resurrection of Christ is the fundamental principle of truth. All
other things pertaining to our religion are mere appendages to it.
As you can see, there was quite a lot I liked about conference :) it
was a really good one. I especially liked the priesthood session
choir. You could tell Wilberg was going for it in every single
arrangement.
Well that's all for now, love you all! The church is true!
Elder Brett Whitney
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Earthquake! Or, week 4 of transfer 5, Mar. 31
Hi everybody! So first things first. Earthquakes are pretty legit. We
had quite a few this weekend, and while the locals are praying for
them to stop, I have enjoyed every single one of them. The first was
definitely the best though.
Monday 3/24- we had a zone activity in la puente where I learned how
to play tomahawk ball, which is pretty fun. On a basketball court, you
play ultimate frisbee with a football and the goal is to put the ball
in the hoop. It's a pretty fast paced game. In the evening we taught
Adrian again. He had some questions about family, and wanted us to
explain some of why we need to be sealed in order to reach the highest
degree of glory within the celestial kingdom.
Tuesday- we taught Adrian again, except for this lesson he asked that
the sisters take the lead in teaching him the restoration. Which was a
little weird, but it was still a good lesson. We met with a less
active member from Thailand in the evening and we were able to teach
her the restoration as well. She really appreciated us coming by, but
a few days later called us and told us not to go by anymore :(
Wednesday- we were able to find Andre at home. He was pretty sick last
week, but is better now. We talked with him about reading the Book of
Mormon. We saw a few other people throughout the day, but nothing real
exciting to report.
Thursday- district meeting this week was on planning to find people to
teach. Hopefully the sisters got something useful out of it. I often
worry that they won't take me seriously since most of them have been
out much longer than I have. After some in-n-out we met with Adrian.
We read ether 2 and 3 and talked about the three different ways the
Lord answers prayers. He agreed that more often than not, He tells us
to figure it out and tell Him the plan so He can help us grow. Adrian
also took us out to eat as a social experiment. He said he wanted to
know what the stares felt like.
Friday- we had a pretty good weekly planning, then we got some intel
from the sisters that some formers needed some help with yard work. So
we went over there and helped out for a while. They weren't all that
interested in learning again though. Then we went into la puente to
find some people. One less active we found was really glad to talk to
us. She wants to feed us this week, and hopefully we can get them to
watch some of conference. Friday night, just as we were gonna start
planning, was when we felt the first earthquake. It was a 5.1 centered
in La Habra which is pretty close. The whole house has a lot of glass,
and everything was shaking and rocking back and forth for a good 15
seconds. The power got cut out for about 30 minutes too. It was
awesome. We had a few aftershocks that were pretty good too.
Saturday- On Saturday we were at the church when the second big one
came. It knocked a few things off the wall of the church. Some members
asked if we were okay, and we just replied, "yeah we're good. Just
getting some revelation that's all!" It was a pretty sweet one. Not as
forceful or long as the first though. We taught a couple less actives
in the afternoon/evening. I think we can get one of them to come to
church again.
Sunday- We had Adrian and Efrain (finally back from El Salvador) at
sacrament meeting. It was fast and testimony for us stateside Mormons.
The whole ward was fasting for a member of the bishopric who got in a
pretty terrible motorcycle accident last week. Apparently he flew 140
ft from where the car hit him. So that's pretty scary, but he's in
good spirits and starting the long road to recovery. We taught Virgil
about the Book of Mormon after church and Efrain in the evening. Both
lessons went pretty well.
That was my week, I hope you all had a good one too! I also hope that
you've been figuring out what questions you need answered at
conference. It makes it way more meaningful. Love you all!
Elder Whitney
had quite a few this weekend, and while the locals are praying for
them to stop, I have enjoyed every single one of them. The first was
definitely the best though.
Monday 3/24- we had a zone activity in la puente where I learned how
to play tomahawk ball, which is pretty fun. On a basketball court, you
play ultimate frisbee with a football and the goal is to put the ball
in the hoop. It's a pretty fast paced game. In the evening we taught
Adrian again. He had some questions about family, and wanted us to
explain some of why we need to be sealed in order to reach the highest
degree of glory within the celestial kingdom.
Tuesday- we taught Adrian again, except for this lesson he asked that
the sisters take the lead in teaching him the restoration. Which was a
little weird, but it was still a good lesson. We met with a less
active member from Thailand in the evening and we were able to teach
her the restoration as well. She really appreciated us coming by, but
a few days later called us and told us not to go by anymore :(
Wednesday- we were able to find Andre at home. He was pretty sick last
week, but is better now. We talked with him about reading the Book of
Mormon. We saw a few other people throughout the day, but nothing real
exciting to report.
Thursday- district meeting this week was on planning to find people to
teach. Hopefully the sisters got something useful out of it. I often
worry that they won't take me seriously since most of them have been
out much longer than I have. After some in-n-out we met with Adrian.
We read ether 2 and 3 and talked about the three different ways the
Lord answers prayers. He agreed that more often than not, He tells us
to figure it out and tell Him the plan so He can help us grow. Adrian
also took us out to eat as a social experiment. He said he wanted to
know what the stares felt like.
Friday- we had a pretty good weekly planning, then we got some intel
from the sisters that some formers needed some help with yard work. So
we went over there and helped out for a while. They weren't all that
interested in learning again though. Then we went into la puente to
find some people. One less active we found was really glad to talk to
us. She wants to feed us this week, and hopefully we can get them to
watch some of conference. Friday night, just as we were gonna start
planning, was when we felt the first earthquake. It was a 5.1 centered
in La Habra which is pretty close. The whole house has a lot of glass,
and everything was shaking and rocking back and forth for a good 15
seconds. The power got cut out for about 30 minutes too. It was
awesome. We had a few aftershocks that were pretty good too.
Saturday- On Saturday we were at the church when the second big one
came. It knocked a few things off the wall of the church. Some members
asked if we were okay, and we just replied, "yeah we're good. Just
getting some revelation that's all!" It was a pretty sweet one. Not as
forceful or long as the first though. We taught a couple less actives
in the afternoon/evening. I think we can get one of them to come to
church again.
Sunday- We had Adrian and Efrain (finally back from El Salvador) at
sacrament meeting. It was fast and testimony for us stateside Mormons.
The whole ward was fasting for a member of the bishopric who got in a
pretty terrible motorcycle accident last week. Apparently he flew 140
ft from where the car hit him. So that's pretty scary, but he's in
good spirits and starting the long road to recovery. We taught Virgil
about the Book of Mormon after church and Efrain in the evening. Both
lessons went pretty well.
That was my week, I hope you all had a good one too! I also hope that
you've been figuring out what questions you need answered at
conference. It makes it way more meaningful. Love you all!
Elder Whitney
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