Sep 10

Hi!

How are you all doing? How is life treating you all? So... I am in my new ward and area now! This was my first transfer and my second white-washing of an area that I have done so far on my mission. I am located in the University City 2nd ward in La Jolla,CA... it is beautiful here! well for the city at least. the best part about it right now is walking outside our apartment or even looking out our apartment window and having an amazing view of the temple!! I love it!! I will be sending a picture taken at nighttime of the view that we are privelaged to have. Love it!!

This week has been crazy busy, well for the most part, with a lot of organizational things to do. To start off with, transfer meetings are always exciting! If you go with the right mind set and everything you can really learn and take away alot that will help you later on.

"Greatest joys will come when you forget about your troubles and focus on others."

"Prepare now for the future." "I am here called of God, a holy calling, to do His will."

Those are a few of the things that I took away from transfer meeting. So, a little background story is necessary to help you all understand my shock and suprise with what happened at transfer meeting. When your Zone Leaders give you the call, and tell you that they love you and to pack your bags and be at the transfer meeting; they will tell you if you are training or whitewashing. Well, I was just told that I needed to pack my bags and be there. When President Clayton was calling off all the new companionships and everything he said the ward UC 2nd first and followed by saying it will be whitewashed and the new missionaries that will be there are: going full Prosselyting (she was a Mormon Battalion sister, they do half prosselyting and half at the Mobat. they each have a chance of spending two transfers being full pross) Sister Pagel and (he started to tear up, which is Not normal) Sister Twitchell.

Let me tell you.... I was shocked!!! I had no idea that I was going to be whitewashing with a full pross Mobat sister!! but,I know that we as a companionship being here is meant to be, that we have a very real purpose of being called to this ward. Which everyone has told us that it is a tough area/ward, but I think it all belongs to the attitude that you have for it. I am determined to have a positive and optimistic attitude all the time about life. Why not? But! It has been really different so far. It is a FAMILY WARD!! Yay!! I get to learn how teach kids and all that instead of just single adults :) It definitly has been an adustment for both of us, we both have served our whole missions with YSA wards. Sister Pagel has to change the most of all, she is used to spending half a day in her ward; so spending a whole day is really different. But, so far we have worked things out: and will continue to do so.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to teach families? Like fun ideas to get the kids interested?

Church on Sunday was great! They had the Primary program, which was soooo cute!! Our members seem to be all really smart, they are either working on a Ph.D (or two of them at the same time), or working, or Post- Doctorates. It has been really fun getting to know all of them ;) A lot of them have served missions also, a few met on their missions. Crazy!! We are finding that the biggest success in this area is going to come from ditching the car and using our legs and feet! Street contacting!! yay! We are going to try to park the car somewhere and just walk everywhere for half a day or so, there are soo many people that walk around here! I am excited to learn something new and for this new experience. In fact, just before we emailed (we walked here) we contacted a girl from Nepal going to UCSD and she said she would love to have us walk around the temple grounds with here and to talk with her about what we believe. So amazing!!

I also learned this week that the Lord works in a lot of ways. Yesterday was a rest day for I got really sick. I slept for half the day, studied for the rest of it. I really didn't have an apetite to eat anything at all, so I just had bread. I called the Mission doctor and she told me to do the Brat diet (Bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast).... and a bunch of other things. but I learned that the Lord wanted me to learn how to be a better teacher. I was reading in an Ensign a Leadership Broadcast about teaching. How to teach with the spirit and how to teach towards people and not at them. I also learned when studying that, that I think it will be amazing to be a seminary/ CES teacher. I learned a lot of other things, read a chapter or so in Jesus the Christ. But it is amazing how the Lord works. I ended up getting a blessing last night, which is a story within.

We walked and met up with our district leader, Elder Masse and his companion Elder Fraughton. They can't go in our apartment, so we were waiting to hear back from their ward mission leader, who lives in our apartment complex. But it was taking too long and there was a time crunch, so we walked towards the temple and to a different apartment area. Elder Masse walks up to a door and knocks on it. We all look at him kinda think 'what is he doing?' and he just says that he is trying a new kind of tracting. what?! I pushed aside all fears and just thought that if it works it works. A guy answers the door and Elder Masse says "Hi! We are missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, can we use your living room?"..... guess what.. the guy let us in! but we found out that he was already a member of the church. wow!! but seriously, good idea?? It was great and I know that the Priesthood Power is very real. I may not feel totally 100% better today, but I am going to go about doing the Lord's work; and He will carry me through it.

I love you all and hope that you have a great week! I know that no matter what, the Lord will watch over you :) Thank you for all that you do and for the love that you send through email or letter or however... love it! You all are amazing and I love you!!

with love,

sister shelby twitchell

p.s. my district leader is a chef! crazy!! and my companion is a hair styliest ;)