This email was sent by Sister Welker on August 28th.  We received it on August 27th.  It is an account from 1 week ago (August 21st).

Week 54: 4 question survey, Zone Conference, and Road trip to Hamilton!!

We had Zone Conference last week, and Sister Mavea, Sister Jabeque, Sister Meas and I partied in the car as we followed the Zone Leaders to Hamilton!! That's definitely a plus to being in Taranaki--you get to go on road trips!! We turned the music up and we were dancing in the seats of our car, and snapping and clapping to our gospel jams haha.  We stopped at McDonald's for dinner and the other sisters who were following us admitted how they could see some of our dance moves, haha.

When we arrived in Hamilton, the other district had interviews that night with President and it was only 7 pm.  SO there wasn't much we could do, until the AP's told us to follow them.  They guided us to a mini theater and had us watch "Meet the Mormons" and "On the Lord's Errand."  It was super fun!!  A road trip and a movie night in the same day!! :D.

We then stayed the night with some visitor center sisters and went to Zone Conference the next day.

The training is always cool, but my favorites are always Sister Cummings!! She played us a small clip entitled "biggest failures" in the world and it was slides of amazing people.  People like Micheal Jordan, who was considered a failure when he didn't make a basketball team at a young age, and ended up being a basketball legend.  People like Walt Disney and Steve Jobs, who are some of the most successful people in the world.  They all had a "failure" in their life at one point, but used persistence to follow their dreams.  It was a really cool training and opened my eyes to the someone I can

become.

The day after Zone Conference we were just visiting the normal.  We pulled the car over as we passed a less-active sister's home, and just sat and stared at the world in front of us.  I leaned my chair back and just complained about the work.  We both shared our frustrations and just sat there wishing the work would progress.  After of a couple of minutes of pure disappointment, I got this random surge of energy.  We then collected crazy ideas on how we could find new people to teach.  One of those ideas included doing a 4 question survey.  Sister C is the one who I originally heard the idea from, and I had always wanted to try.  We then came up with 4 questions:

1) Where in the world is Sister Meas from?

2) If you had an interview with Christ, 5 minutes from now what would you ask him?

3) If we told you your family can be together forever, would you believe us?

4) Now that you've meet missionaries, would you like to meet with them again?

You'd be surprised how much more effective the survey has been.  Since we've done it, we've had 3 potential new investigators.  Even for those who don't want us to come back, some at least take the time (or 30 seconds) to answer our questions.

Thanks again for all your love and support.

Sister Mandy Welker

I can finally attach pictures now!! :D

Sister Welker and her companion, Sister Meas

This email was sent by Sister Welker on August 14th.  We received it on August 13th.

Week 53: Exchange, and Welcome Surprise

Not too much happened this week.  We had exchanges with the Hawera sisters this week.  They use to be in the Samoan program in South Auckland, but they are in the English program in Taranaki for now.  I went with Sister Cole to her area, and man is their flat nice.  They are currently staying in the senior couples home, since they don't have a senior couple at the moment.  And man, missions treat senior couples well.  It felt so flash that I didn't feel like I was a missionary, haha.  It felt too much like a home.  Sister Cole is cool though.  She comes from a big family in Missouri, I think.  And she loves books and fairy tale stuff, as well as some popular crime shows that mom loves to watch too.

We visited a former investigator of theirs and were surprised when she invited us in.  She was a super cute girl and had meet with missionaries before.  She even had a baptism date at one point in her life, but felt she wasn't ready and canceled last minute.  We reviewed the Restoration with her, and by the end of the lesson she was flipping through pages in her scriptures looking for a specific verse.  We helped her to find the verse she was looking for, and it just happened to be about baptism!!  I'll have to follow up with Sister Cole to see if she progresses or not.

We were also knocking doors (not my favorite, but we're pretty desperate).  We knocked on this one door and a Maori lady answered.  She asked us "What makes our religion different?"  I was then able to briefly summarize the message of the restoration, and to our surprise we were invited into the home!!!  That like never happens, so we were pretty excited.  We then took 10 minutes to explain the message of the Restoration in more detail.  By the end of the lesson, she wasn't sold, but she was curious to learn more.  

That's about it for this week. Hope you all have a good week, and talk to you again next week.

Sister Mandy Welker

Book of Mormon, Alma 26: 11-12
      "I do not boast in my own strength, nor in  my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God."

      "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."

(Sorry about not having pictures for the last couple weeks.  Hopefully, we'll have some next week.)

This email was sent by Sister Welker on August 7th.  We received it on August 6th.

Week 52: 4 hours to Hamilton, and Sister Meas Birthday Surprise

Most of our week was spent traveling.  My companion is the STL, and so we needed to drive up to Hamilton for MLC.  We had to drive up the night before, then we stayed the night.  She went to the meeting while I went proselyting with other sister missionaries.  I thought we would be staying the night with some other sisters in Hamilton, but instead we stayed the night in a flash home.  I think it's meant for senior couple missionaries, but it honestly looked like a hotel.  I'll attach pictures one day when I get a new SD Card Reader, but I won't be able to attach anything this week. :(  But the flat had a great view of the temple!!

On the drive up, we had some pretty heavy fog in some parts, and we would just roll down the windows and feel the cold air as we tried to touch the fog.  It was so much fun!!  As we got closer and closer to Hamilton, you could see the temple in the distance.  It was the only thing that was lit up and was easy to see.  Because of the fog, the temple had a light that pointed toward heaven and you could easily see the beam of light because of the weather.  It was absolutely beautiful!!

Lastly, it was my companion's birthday this week!!  I think she is my only companion that I've been with for their birthday.  The only other birthday I've celebrated on the mission is my own, haha.  So it was cool to be able to celebrate her birthday.  Sister Meas is only able to eat certain foods because she has a health condition.  So I tried being creative, and carved out "Happy Birthday" in carrots so she could boil and eat them, haha.

We also had a plan to surprise Sister Meas with the other sisters.  They called pretending they were arguing and needed Sister Meas help.  They were actually just using it as an excuse to have Sister Meas come to their flat, so that we could surprise her with a party.  As we drove over to the sisters, my companion was worried that she would need help to resolve their conflict, but as she opened the door, they shouted "Happy Birthday!"  They had decorated their flat, made her a brownie and lunch, and then bought her a present!!  It was so much fun, and Sister Meas was completely surprised!! :D

Hope you all have a great week.

Sister Mandy Welker

This email was sent by Sister Welker on July 31st.  We received it on July 30th.

Week 51: Good-bye South Auckland, and Companions Around the World

So it's official, I got transferred from Manuerwa, South Auckland to New Plymouth, Taranaki!!

Saying good-bye was one of the hardest things in the whole wide world.  I found that I'm really really bad with good-byes.  I'm in denial up until the last possible second.  It's not until I physically can't see the ones I love, that I begin to cry helplessly, realizing that I may or may not ever see them again until the next life.  Keep in mind, I've only ever been transferred once before in my entire mission so I'm kinda new to the whole transfer thing.

Even though my heart may have wanted to stay in South Auckland, I knew that I needed to look forward to the future and start a new chapter in my life.

My bus left at 8AM on Thursday morning.  We made a quick stop in Hamilton, and another stop somewhere else, and then we finally arrived in Taranaki.  When we stopped in Hamilton, I was reunited with two of my former companions, Sister Reynolds and Sister Garbutt.  They were at the bus stop helping other missionaries transfer out of the area.  It was so good to see my former companions.  I haven't seen Sister Reynolds in 6 months, and it has been 4 months since I've seen Sister Garbutt.  They both look so happy!!  It was sad that I was only able to spend 5 minutes with them before I had to get back on the bus.

Speaking of former companions, my companion Sister Jabeque is now serving in Taranaki too!!  We'll be in the same district, and I'll be able to spend even more time with her.

Around a year ago, my trainer, Sister Johnson, was serving in the same branch that I've been called to serve.  Small world right?  Within 24 hours, I was able to see all but two of my former companions, and I find that my trainer served in the same area a year before!?!?  What are the chances?

Taranaki is beautiful!!  I haven't taken heaps of pictures and sadly the computer can't read my SD Card reader.  So I can't show you how pretty it is, but I can kinda tell you or you can look it up and see for yourself.  Taranaki is unlike any place I've ever been before, but I also haven't done too much traveling.  Tarankai looks like San Fransico with the close knit homes and the view of the beach.  Then in the distance, there's a giant mountain covered completely in snow and looks like a mountain you'd find in Tokyo, Japan.  But it feels like Canada!!! Haha.  Ironically, I haven't been to any of those places, but that's kinda what Tarankai looks like.  Looks like San Fransico, California; has a mountain that looks like Tokyo, Japan; but feels like Canada (At least when there's a cold wind)!!

The day I arrived, it was pouring rain and was one of the coldest days they've had in a long time!! So within 24 hours of being in my new area, I got the cold.

I serve in a branch, but there's just about the same amount of people that attended church in South Auckland, so it doesn't feel like a branch.  Church was good.  So far the people are nice, but the work is slow, and there is little to no investigators.

My new companion is Sister Mea.  She is from Cambodia.  So now I've had a companions from Nevada, Utah, Idaho, the Philippines, Tahiti, Mongolia, and now, Cambodia.  How cool to have companions from all over the world!!  She's a humble and hardworking missionary.  (This is her last transfer before she goes home.)  She has 3 sisters and has been a member since she was 16!!

That's about it over here.  Just a crazy change and trying my best to not get cold and get to know the area.

Hopefully, I can send pictures next week.

Hope you all have a great week!! Thanks again for all the prayers love and support!!

Sister Mandy Welker

This email was sent by Sister Welker on July 24th.  We received it on July 23rd.

Week 50: Oh My Mission Life, Jamie at church, and Charity 101

So no, I'm technically not transferred yet.  We find out on Tuesday night the rest of the details, but this will definitely be my last week in Alfriston Ward.  My best guess is Hamilton, Taranaki, or Gisbon.  Who knows, we'll just have to wait and see!?! 

We had exchanges this week.  We had another strange theme, but I guess that's just crazy Sister Welker.  I was with Sister Ventayen in Mountford, and my companion was leading the area with Sister Kafoa.  The theme was take a chance.  I took some time to create a mini board game called "Oh My Mission Life," styled after the board game "Life."  Every once in a while one of the sisters would land on the "take a chance" spot and would draw a card with a real life mission situation.  For example, some cards would say "God answered your prayers," and others would say "Your companion got sick."  By the end of our short game, I was able to explain how sometimes we're not always happy with the cards we've been dealt in life, but we need to try and make the most of what we have. There was a talk related to the topic in an Ensign article called "Making the Most of What We Have" (https://www.lds.org/ensign/2017/02/young-adults/making-the-most-of-what-we-have?lang=eng).  Each sister read the talk and tried to stretch their faith by taking a chance and seeing where it would take them.

We had a less-active member come to church!! That was super exciting especially since I've seen her once a week since FEBRUARY!!  I hope she continues to come to church, and that she can feel the spirit in the chapel.

We taught charity to a struggling active couple in our ward and challenged them to show their love in creative ways this week.  We promised we'd follow up.  To our surprise, they not only kept their committment, but they went to the temple and they are the happiest I've seen them!!  It was a blessing for me to see some of the fruits of my labor, before my time is finished here in the Alfriston Ward.

I'll be sure to tell you all about my new area next week.  It may or may not be my last area?!!? Who knows?  Crazy to see how fast time flys!! 

Hope you all have a good week!!

Sister Welker

1 John 4:18
Ther is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment.  He htat feareth is not make perfect in love

Celebrating Sister Ventayen's 6 Months on the Mission with more ice cream!!

"Oh My Mission Life" game inspired by the board game of "Life"

A member family let me take a picture wearing a $500 Cook Island Cap!!!

Playing Water Balloon Volleyball for District Meeting :D

This email was sent by Sister Welker on July 17th.  We received it on July 16th.

Week 49: Ice Cream in the Winter, and Trunky Transfer

Nothing super exciting this week.

You know you're a weird person when you're wrapped up in a winter coat and scarf and walk into a shop and ask for ice cream.  We got the weirdest looks, haha.  What kind of a person eats ice cream when it's freezing cold outside?  Either way, it was TOTALLY worth it and supper yummy!!

Mission life is pretty slow right now.  We have little to no investigators and little motivation to tract out in the cold, so we spend most of our time working with members and less-active members.  Hopefully, it's making a difference in their lives.  If not, guess we'll just keep visiting them anyway haha.  You never know what difference you could be making in someone's life.

One of our less-active members invited us over for dinner on Saturday.  Usually we only see her on Wednesdays, so we were surprised but we agreed to come back.  When we came back on Saturday, she told us of a video she watched on patience with marshmallows.  I knew that she must have been on lds.org watching Mormon messages, and was excited that she was even on the website at all.  While at the same time, we had the movie "Prince of Egypt," playing in the background (which is a very good movie by the way).  Sadly, we can't watch it while on our mission, but this less-active sister told us of how she was explaining to her kids what was happening and why Moses was fighting with his brother and stuff like that.  So that was exciting!! Then by the end of dinner, she asked us "What time is church?"  I was super excited!! I would have never thought she would ever ask that question.  She didn't make any promises, but that fact that she wants to come (even if she didn't come yesterday), is really a big improvement for her!!

And transfers are next week.  I'm 200% sure I'm getting transferred.  It's rare for someone to be with a companion for as long as Sister C and I have been together, and I've also been in the area for 6 months which is usually the max for someone to stay in one area.  I have no idea where I'm gonna go.  I keep guessing the South Island or the Cook Islands but that's out of mission, haha.  So I'm not sure where I'm gonna go, but I'll go whereever the Lord wants me to.

Hope you have a good week.

Sister Welker 

Ice Cream in the Winter

What winter looks like in New Zealand.  Trust me--it doesn't look cold, but it's cold!!

And my companion LOVES bananas so I decided to make her this one morning.  She loved it :D

This email was sent by Sister Welker on July 10th.  We received it on July 9th.

Week 48: Is it a sin to be weak?, and Great South River

Well the best days this week were definitely Tuesday and Thursday.

Tuesday we had one of the best district meetings ever!! The whole district was laughing and having fun, but were able to settle down when it was time to be spiritual.  We started the district meeting with the normal opening exercises.  Then we played a game in the gym and did Elders vs Sisters three-legged soccer ball with a beach ball.  It was pretty great to watch everyone walk around with their companions and try and kick a beach ball around the gym, haha.  Then we had a training where we had to use our white handbook to find sticky notes hidden around the chapel.  After following the notes, we found treats at the end.  Then we had a training on finding.  We were asked to find all the letter "f's" in 1 Nephi 1:1.  I won't tell you how many, but I definitely missed over half.  Sad, but true.

Then we had exchanges on Thursday and the theme was "Is it a sin to be weak?"  There was an article related to the topic ( https://www.lds.org/ensign/2015/04/it-isnt-a-sin-to-be-weak?lang=eng&_r=1 ) and then each sister was asked to use their weak hand throughout the whole exchange instead of their strong hand.  It was a crack-up to see everyone use their left hand to write, cook, and do other simple things.  It was really, really hard!  But it was cool, and I learned a lot about myself, especially about my weaknesses.  

I just wanted to finish my email with my testimony.  I truly know that God has a plan for each one of us.  God knows us by our names, and he created us just the way we are.  The people we are surrounded by are put in our lives for a REASON!!  Everything happens for a reason, and if we trust God, things will work out, somehow.  He listens and answers prayers.  I KNOW He does!! Why? Because He loves us.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Hope you all have a great week!! :D

Sister Mandy Welker

This is a children's game called gutter ball.  You throw a large bouncy-ball at a wooden platform.  The ball is supposed to bounce off the wooden board and you're suppose to catch it.  You have to be really quick and good at throwing (two things I'm really bad at haha).  Then once you've successfully caught the ball 5 times, you take steps backward and do it again.  Another friend is playing on the other side of the wooden platform, and it's a race to see who will be faster at catching a bouncy ball.  It's really fun!! :D

Our Zone Leaders randomly left these cookies for us, and told us we were doing a good job.  I'll have to get the recipe because they were YUM!!

So this is a pictures of Great South Road, but on Thursday evening it was more like Great South River!!