Transfer 3 Week, 4 March 29, 2010

Saturday afternoon Lisa and I went up to Salt Lake to have dinner, visit the Fuchs, and go to the YW General Meeting in the Conference Center. Afterwards we visited with the Fuchs a little longer before heading home. So it was 9:50 p.m. when we rolled in and Bart was on the phone with someone. When he got off the phone we learned he had been talking to Angela’s mission president, President Hutchings, and that Angela had been in an accident on her bicycle. She and her companion were riding home after a baptismal service and she hit some loose gravel and took a bad fall. Maybe a tumble? I don’t know. She was in bad shape though and an ambulance was called. Apparently the hospital in Dickson did a scan on her and found a small tear on her liver. They determined she should be sent to a bigger hospital and in a second ambulance ride she ended up in Nashville in a hospital 20-30 minutes from the mission home. She was doing well, wasn’t particularly in any pain, and the hospital was keeping her over night.

Then I called Sister Hutchings Sunday morning and learned a little more. Angie had hurt her wrist. The tear on the liver didn’t appear to bleeding, or if it was, it wasn’t very much. They expect it to be able to heal on its own. The hospital was planning to do a full body scan on her sometime during the day and we’d hear more later. From a mission perspective, Angie won’t be on a bicycle any more during her mission. She’ll be in a full-time car area. Oh, and of course Angie was given a blessing and the entire mission fasted for her yesterday. And, she missed two additional baptisms Sunday night. It was quite the weekend for her!

I didn’t get a call yesterday afternoon/evening, so I called a little while ago and talked to Sister Hutchings again. This time I learned that Angie has broken bones in the wrist that’s messed up and Sister Hutchings was pretty sure it was the left wrist. There was some discussion about whether or not the wrist needed surgery and she would find out about that later on. [I later learned that she did break the left wrist and her left elbow. She was given a removable cast so she could work/exercise the elbow. And it was determined she did NOT need surgery.] In the meantime, she’s supposed to be picking up Angie this afternoon. In the full body scan they found some bones in her back that appeared to be broken and healed--must have been from a fall she's had. Anyway, that’s all I know for now. I faxed our DMBA insurance card to the mission home. It’s gonna be fun to see what kind of expenses we have from this! The important thing is that Angie is okay, in good spirits, and not in pain.

A Look at Dickson, Tennessee

The trip from Cookeville to Dickson, Tennessee.

The street and aerial maps of Angie's new apartment in Dickson, Tennessee.

A couple of pictures of Dickson, Tennessee that I got from the internet.

Transfer 3 Week 3, March 25, 2010

Have you figured out your address yet?
Yes, I sent home a letter, so you should get it soon. Anyway, I'll tell you now. It's 102 1/2 Poplar, Dickson, TN 37055.

So, have the Elders been able to forward your package yet, or have you even been able to send the address yet? It's important you get the tax papers inside.
No, they haven't. If I don't get it by the end of the week I'll tell somebody higher up who can do somefing about it. And will do, Mom.

Tell us about Wade. And how's his mom, Angie, doing?
Wade is cool. He's been a member for about two or so years. His story is this: he found a post-it note crumpled on the bottom of his shoe with the sister missionaries’ number on it. He took the initiative and called the number. The missionaries came over and taught him, and he was baptized. His mom, Angie, would sit in the living room while Wade was being taught in the kitchen. Her heart was being softened as she sat there overhearing what was being taught. Now she's being taught and will be baptized after church on Sunday, March 28, 2010, 13 1/2 years after I got baptized.

Any other investigator news?
Well, one of our potential investigators came to church yesterday. That was cool.

Are you still feeling ill? Are you going to see a doctor about it?
Yeah, I'm still kinda feeling iffy. This past week I've been okay, it wasn't too bad. Sunday though, my stomach really hurt, and it wasn't due to nerves about talking in church. About 7 o'clock last night my stomach and intestines really hurt, I felt like I was going to puke. I did eventually once we got home. It's still on the grass by where we park our car. hehehe.

I put your mission address and email address on your Facebook wall last week. So maybe some of your friends will see them again and write.
That's great. I really do hope some of my friends write me.

Have you received any letters from members of our Ward?
I did get something from members of the ward. 'Twas from the Davis clan. It was really nice of them to send the Easter card and treat.

Tell us something interesting that's happened in the last week.
idk. Oh, we met a family in the ward with the same last name as our mission president. . . . Which reminds me I gotta write him. So I'll talk to y'all next week.

Transfer 3 Week 2, 15 March 2010

So how did the transfer go for you and Sister Goff? Is it unusual for a companionship to get moved like that?
The transfer went well. The mission got one new sister, and the rest, of course, were Elders (I didn't count). I don't think President Hutchings moves sisters like he did with us that often if he does with Elders, I wouldn't know. So Dickson got whitewashed and so did my old area. Burgess Falls A really needed new eyes for the area.

Did someone take the two of you and all your stuff in a van or something to move you?
It wasn't just Sister Goff and I who were moving. The other set of sisters, one left for home, and one of the Spanish Elders also left for home. So we had a lot of stuff to take. The car Sister Goff and I got to use President moved to another area, so the sisters drove to Nashville in it. We did have a van for all the junk though.

I looked at a map and it looked to be about a 2-hour drive from Cookeville to Dickson. Was that about right?
It's about two hours from Cookeville to Nashville. Dickson is about an hour from Nashville. We're in the Franklin Zone, though.

What's the new area like?
Awesome. Since there haven't been sisters here for a while everyone is very warm to us. It's very nice. It's a part time car area so, I'm riding my bike. I haven't been feeling the best so Sister Hutchings thinks I might have an ulcer, dunno.

Are you starting from scratch to find people to teach?
Yes, and no. The Elders had people they were teaching, but the area book isn't the best.

How's the new apartment/house?
It's awesome. It belongs to a member so we kinda stay with them. It's a house by itself, but we're right "next door" so we can come over and talk wif 'em if we want/can.

What's your address there?
Don't know, gotta send me a letter for me to know.

How's the ward?
Great. We're sisters and they haven't had sisters for a while so they are just loving us. The bishop even told people to give us rides if they can.

You'll let me know when you receive the package I sent, right? We got the two boxes you sent. What are you using instead of the coat you sent home?
Of course I'll tell you when I get the package. I told the Elders to send it to me once they get it. I might have to send them a letter to let them know where to send the package, so once I know the address they can send it to me. And I'll let you know.

Tell us interesting things that happened during the week.
Well, nothing too exciting. We just set a baptismal date with a woman named Angie. She's really nice, has some WOW issues but is wonderful nevertheless. Her son, Wade, joined the church about two years ago and now she's going to be baptized. Wade's story is awesome I'll have to tell y'all it later. I gotta write President Hutchings.

Bye-bye for now.

P.S. Have Amanda WRITE ME, along with all my other friends.

From a second email:
I forgot to tell you why I sent the coat home. I bought a smaller jacket that should do just fine, for biking and perhaps even when it rains. I don't know. I haven't been feeling very well so I might have an ulcer. We'll see.

Transfer 3 Week 1, 8 March 2010

Okay, so the package you sent on Friday, I hope you sent it to the mission office. If not I'll just tell the Elders who will be taking over mine and Sister Goff's area to forward it to me. So we'll just have to see.

How did the missionary work go this week? Share some details—interesting stories, stuff like that.
Missionary work is a little slow, though Sister Sprinkle and Sister Winder had a baptism on Saturday. We are "moving" to Dickson, TN which is why I wanted to know if you sent the package to the mission office or not. We'll see what Dickson will have for us. I'll tell you more next week.

Bye for now.
Love Sister Angela "Lizzie" Whitehead

Transfer 2 Week 5, 1 March 2010

How have things been going?
Good. We are at WAR!!! President Hutchings has asked all of the TN Nashville Mission Missionaries to up our game. WAR stands for We Are Running. It's very cool to see what happens when we increase our goals. The Lord helps us in any way that we need. Along with being at war, Pres. Hutchings has asked us to read the Book of Mormon and highlight all references to Christ, His names, etc. I'd like to ask y'all to do the same; we will see just how important the BofM is in our lives if we do.

How are the investigators, the companions, the scheduled baptisms?
The investigators are awesome. We are teaching a part-member family, the Reeds. Thursday, Feb. 25 the spirit was so strong during the lesson that afterward Sister Goff and I were tired. We just wanted to go to bed and sleep, and we had about two and half hours left before we could. We told our District Leader, Elder Pearson, about it and he told us that that's how he feels after he gives a blessing. Sister Goff and I were, "Well, that's why we’re girls, we would be able to handle feeling this tired all the time." Since Thursday we've been drudging along. I think it's because we're listening to celtic music in the car, soothing celtic music. We had to reschedule a baptism with Wanda Kelley. We had sent the date for the 27th of March. She and her husband weren't feeling good this past Sunday (yesterday) and she's only been to church once, so Wanda can come three more times before her scheduled baptism. Sister Goff was definitely inspired to set the date for a month from the date we had set it.

How's the weather, the car, the bicycle?
The Weather: cold, but nice.
The Car: We were running out of miles, but we had enough to last us to last Sunday with about twenty or so miles left.
The Bike: it has a flat tire so I can't really ride it, but I have it assembled! So I can use it.

What have you been doing that would be interesting for us to hear?
Read the Book of Mormon and highlight all the names of Christ, then read the BofM again and highlight in a different color the principles, and a third time highlight in yet another color all the doctrines. As of right now, I'm on the first one, highlighting all the names of Christ.

Since I'm the junior companion I get to back [the car]. Sister Goff has given me incentive to back. She's been giving me, well I should say, has been giving my future spouse qualities that I'd like. It's really funny what she says. Other than this I can't really think of anything. So I'm gonna say goodbye for now.