I ate 12 slices of pizza....In one sitting.

Well, the work is going forward! We taught more member present lessons this last week than we ever have before in a week! And we did the booth at Citrus! And that was something I'm pretty darn good at. Cause of journalism interviews and such.

I lost my name tag. Shocker right? I never lose things;)  And I have been "Sister Wheatley" for about two weeks now. I ordered a new one three days before I lost it. So that was revelation on Sister Wheatley's part. But I  have been called "Sister Wheatleys" or "the other Sister Wheatley". It was a bit embarrassing at first that I lost it. And I would try to cover up the last name with my hair or part way under a shirt. But now I'm proud of it! 

There were a few amazing moments in the week. One occurred when our investigator Deborah...who I wasn't sure how much she was getting...said that we are answering her questions. In my head, I was like, "what answers?" Cause I had no idea that we were. 

She's a bit like Joseph Smith in a major way. She has been confused, searching for answers, and not getting them. And she has a ton of questions. And like Joseph Smith...she is young! (19) And now, like Joseph Smith she is learning about the restored gospel! Pretty amazing! 

Timing has been an amazing miracle several times this week. Things just happen at the right moment. Like, if we had come an hour earlier or an hour later we would have missed the person. But our timing is impeccable. God sends us exactly when we can meet a person and have the opportunity to talk with them.

Our zone leaders promised on Tuesday that if anyone could get a new investigator that day....cause it was the end of the month...that they would get free lunch on them! We had only gotten two investigators the whole month, but we did it! 

Not that the lunch mattered...but it was a miracle in itself that we met a lady from our potential investigators list...and she let us in...and we talked about family for a half hour! And we gave her a dvd...which I put on later...and it ended up being very cheesy. But still, we are coming back this week! (so I hope the movie doesn't scare her away) And this week is going to be incredible! 

Oh, and this is quote we have been sharing with EVERYONE(not really but lots of people): 

“We know that Jesus experienced the totality of mortal existence in Gethsemane. It's our faith that He experienced everything – absolutely everything. Sometimes we don't think through the implications of that belief. We talk in great generalities about the sins of all humankind, about the suffering of the entire human family. But we don't experience pain in generalities. We experience it individually. That means He knows what it felt like when your mother died of cancer – how it was for her, how it still is for you. He knows what it felt like to lose the student body election. He experienced the slave ship sailing from Ghana toward Virginia. He experienced the gas chambers at Dachau. He experienced napalm in Vietnam. He knows about drug addiction and alcoholism. On a profound level, He understands about the hunger to hold your baby that sustains you through pregnancy. He understands both the physical pain of giving birth and the immense joy. He understands about rape, infertility and abortion. He understands your mother-pain when your five year old leaves for kindergarten, when a bully picks on your fifth grader, and when your daughter calls to say that the new baby has Downs Syndrome. He knows your mother rage when someone gives your thirteen year old drugs, when someone seduces your seventeen year old. He know the pain you live with when you come home to a quiet apartment where the only children are visitors, when you hear that your former husband and his new wife were sealed in the temple last week, when your fiftieth wedding anniversary rolls around and your husband has been dead for two years. He knows all that. He's been there. He's been lower than all that. He's not waiting for us to be perfect. Perfect people don't need a Savior. He came to save His people in their imperfections. He is the Lord of the living, and the living make mistakes. He's not embarrassed by us, angry at us, or shocked. He wants us in our brokenness, in our unhappiness, in our guilt and our grief.” (Chieko Okazaki, Lighten Up, 1993

It's definitely worth the time to read. AND read out loud. Gave me goose bumps several times.

Oh yeah...this is the park that our district ate at when our zone leaders bought us lunch....OH YEAH!

And this was at the bowling alley on P-day! Cute, right?

God loves us and he has a plan for us. We mean the world to him. And he wants us to help his children find joy and happiness in life.

I'm so grateful for Mothers...especially mine. Being a missionary is nice. But it pales in comparison to being a Mother! Nothing is as good and does as much good for the human race as being a good mother does. So if the choice is between motherhood and missionary service....I say pick motherhood. Happy Mothers day Mom! I love you! Your the best! I'd much rather have you than the nicey Mormon moms, and I wanna be like you!

Happy Birthday Dad! I hope it was amazing, and I hope you didn't party too hard. And happy anniversary! 21 years!!! WHOOOA! That's long! 

Love you all!

Sister Staker