All Ends Of The Spectrum

Hi All - this blog entry is going to cover a lot of information so hold and on enjoy the update.

We have received a few letters from Whit, YIPPEE!!!   I knew I had an amazing sister but to know the struggles she is going thru and trying to overcome, the strength and determination she has just amazes me that much more.  My sister is always looking for the positive in life and in people. She has a huge heart and truly cares for the people around her, that she has, or will come in contact with.  She loves the people in Korea, she is excited to go teach them and learn from them, but at the same time she is overwhelmed.  The language is not an easy one to learn; she has mentioned more than once just how frustrating it really is.

Whitley was able to email us a few pictures so I thought I'd share. 

As a family we celebrated Christmas the weekend of Thanksgiving and then we all celebrated again on Christmas Day.  Whit was able to get her Christmas presents delivered to her (thanks Brady & Marcio for taking the packages to Provo).  I'm pretty sure she took more Christmas pictures than we did...

Whitley loves the gift Sky gave her.  She certainly misses Skyler every single day! 

Whit LOVES the Christmas card she got from Brady & Marcio!

Our Christmas card delivered from the MTC

This is Whit's roommate - I cant decide if I don't know her name or if I just don't remember... 

This is what Whit got to do on her New Years Day.  

Some of the next information is a little dated but I still wanted to update everyone with everything.  We all get a group message from Whit and then she writes a little blurb for each of us.  Please note I have edited some of the personal messages as they are just that - personal. :) 

Whitley's email on Christmas Day:

Merry Christmas my family :)

First of all I just have to say how much I love all of you. All of your support strengthens me more than words can say. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

 

Mom, I haven't meant to neglect you. Not sure if all of you got my email last week? It said time was up and I may have forgotten to hit send? I don't know. I didn't mean to neglect dad either...I was planning to write more but then it said I was out of time. Reading emails takes up a lot of time. There is so much I want to tell you all, but I leterally have no time to do it :( Mom, I miss you. So much. I hope you're taking care of yourself and continue this journey just one day at a time. God loves you Momma. He knows how selfless you are and he is blessing you as you support me in Serving Him. I've only been here two weeks and I already see big transformations in myself. We have 16 hour days-mostly spent in classrooms learning korean and the gospel duh. it is very difficult learning the language but the lords tender mercies remind me why i am here. I know he wants me to return to live with him and this is just the beginning. Mom I love getting letters from you, daily. If you need to write me every day on dear elder that's fine. Take advantage of that while you can.

 

Dad, your dear elder letter you wrote me made me cry, like crazy. I love you. I know you are proud of me. You've always said that..but the other thing in there you never said to me. It warmed my soul :) Thank you, I needed to hear that from you. I think you cried when you dropped me at the curb..I know this is hard for you too, but God has me in his hands and is guiding my life. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve. I miss you, dad! 

Zoey and BJ: Thank you for supporting me. Zo I love getting letters from you. Thank you for all of the things you have sent me and all of the encouraging words. I LOVED ALL the pictures you sent me. Mom and dad made a good lookin batch of kids, eh? Haha. Seriously though guys, I love being able to look at you whenever I want in my photo album. I remember the day we took pictures so well and I love that we made that memory together.

Brady & Mark: YOU MADE ME A PACKAGE FOR CHRISTMAS! :) Over the intercom they kept saying missionaries look for your name posted to come get your package, on christmas eve. and I thought oh I won't have one cause we already did christmas...and then as everyone was preparing for bed they announced all the missionaries names that still needed to go up and get their package and they said my name!! :) Which meant I had something to open on christmas morning :) :) Thanks guys, for making this not-so-much-feelin-like-christmas-day feel a little closer to chirstmas. I loved the card you bought me. Huge tears streamed down my face while reading it though. 'All you wanted for chirstmas was me' cutest thing ever. All I wanted for christmas was for my family to be okay. I hope all of you are surviving. Brady, I started collecting my letters in a little folder like you said, and its already over half way full. Everyone in my district makes fun of me, after lunch and dinner we get mail and every time they all guess to see 'how many letters sister hunsaker got today!' haha I love it though. I sure am loved and none of it goes unnoticed. So braid thank you for the huge pink binder, I'll need a bigger one for sure. I wish I had an email address for you guys.

 

Sky: I wish I had your email too. But I'm assuming mom is relaying my letters to you? I've been here two weeks bud...and got no letter from you :( I did get the braclet and socks :) Love those socks.  I love you sky and I think of you daily. I swear I wont hate your guts if you don't write me my entire mission...you will have to make it up to me somehow though :) haha.

 

Joshua: Thank you for all the letters you've written me. You always know what I need to hear from you.

Between the last letter and this letter Whitley got news about her bestest girlfriend - Ms Eishelle Whitney - therefore this picture below is most definitely appropriate.

So guys I leave the MTC 2.26.13 Which means I'll have 6 days with eishelle!!! :) That's a tender mercy from the Lord right there. I could definitely benefit from seeing my best friend. Even though I probably wont get more than a couple minutes each time I see her because they keep you so busy, at least I'll have her for a couple days. I don't know my flight plans or anything like that yet. But when I do I'll let you know. I plan on buying a calling card so I can call you when I get the the airport. Ummm my relase date is 6.3.14 haha they already made me aware of that day. So yay something to look forward to :) Also, everyone here in the MTC farts, I think they put something in the food? It's gross. I've lost count of all the farts I've walked in to. Unknowingly of course.

 

In all seriousness though, I love the gospel. I love my Savior. I know without a shadow of a doubt that he is real. He came to this earth to not only die for me, but to live for me. Ah there is so much I wish I could tell you but there isn't enough time. I plan on mailing home my journal once its full- and it's filling up quick. I love you all :) dear elder me and I'll write you a hand letter back, if you have specific questions or whatever.

 

With all my love,

Sister Hunsaker

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This next letter is from New Year's Day.  As a girl I don't know how you know what you will wear every day for the next 538 days - I can barely pack for a 3 day vacation.  There are so many decisions, so many options, and so many moods a girl can feel in a day and each one of those things need to be factored into our outfit.  Luckily for Whit she knows that 6 out of the 7 days she gets to wear her church clothes but she is learning she missed a few things an may have underestimated a few things.

FAMILY! HI :)

 

They really need to give me more time to write to all of you. I write things down throughout my week but I lose track of it and then I change my mind or something more important happens. I'm all nervous typing this in hopes that I say all I need to. Haha it's weird I feel like we're on a date or something, and all of you are my hot date ;) haha I love you all so much.

 

Okay first off Thank you:

 For loving me

 Supporting me

 Care package: Blankets smell like you mom :) so when I get home from my 16 hr days I smell you and I love it :) Josh, my white blanket is heavenly. Soooo soft, I cant even stand it. If only it had magical powers to make me fall asleep at night, that would be amazing. Nevertheless, I am SO GRATEFUL you sent it to me :) Momma thanks for the tights, they save my life. 

HIGH LIGHT OF TODAY: I saw a butt crack while waiting for my laundry. Not just any butt crack, but a very harry butt crack. Happy New Year to me! haha :)

 

Okay, forgive me but I have a list of things I need. I know that I said I would just suffer without them, but I dont like suffering anymore :(

 I didn't bring near as much clothes as I need.

-one pair sweat pants

-one pair of pants for the gym. I brought my yoga pants and appearently I made some elders feel uncomfortable while playing 4square. They were too afraid to say anything to me, dumb. I know. There are other sisters with pants just like mine, ugh. Whatever just a pair of those please.

-nail file, good ones ma. like yours

-pink polkadot sheets please! I want my own sheets, I dont like using the ones here. and I think i'll sleep better with my own sheets

-gloves, I have none and they say it will be freezing in seoul in feb

-hug and a kiss from all of you~! :)

-locks and name tags for my suit case, pretty please!

-i plan on buying a coat here in the mtc cause mine isnt workin too well and ima bout to freeze to death.

-my cheeta scarf thats white and tan

-ear plugs! Holy moly sisters are so loud I can't fall alseep to them talking. I just can't sleep in general though.

-cute scripture bag (not too big, but not small) like a cute purse? that will fit scriptures, kind of like the bag zoey had when ya'll dropped me off, that pink one? Just more suttle :) haha aka boring ;)

MARYKAY: regular face wash, self tanning stuff, eye remover, purple stuff i use the cotton ball with....ugh idk what else.

 

I can't believe how much denial I was in about being a "girlie girl" seriously though I am. I want a girls day. Like hair and nails done..and shopping! Wish I would of brought more clothes

 

Okay anyway on to the nitty gritty :)

 

I love and miss you all so much. I only have less than 5 mins left so i'm about to ramble. the mtc is hard. I didn't realize the strength it took to be a missionary. I still have tearful and sleepless nights :( It's not like me, not being able to sleep. Its awful I wake up before the alarm and my eyes are so red all the time. they're kinda lookin yellow too wich is werid cause i drink tons of water all day.

 

sorry if i haven't answered any specific things you have asked me. i just dont have time via email I can write hand written letters though if you want.

 

also send this to brady, i dont have his email on me

um tell dad i love him so much.

i wish I had more time guys, i'm sorry :( this email was selfish.

i HOPE all of you are hangin in there like i am. i didn't think this would be as hard as it is.

I'm about out of time.

thank you for the dear elders!!!

 

love you forever,

whitley

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In this next letter I am not sure if Whit is having a hard time with things and just wants to express to us the importance of positive letters or if she received a letter that may have set her back a little.  It is SO hard to put your feelings down on paper as it leaves too many opportunities for misunderstandings and miscommunication.  I wont lie, our family is/has been struggling and we know Whit is/has been as well so writing her and remaining positive can be a challenge.  When you write your missionary you want them to know you miss them, love them , hope they are happy but how do you put that down on paper and make it all sound upbeat?  And how do you know where the emphasis will be placed when the letter is read?  

AH! I FORGOT BRADY'S EMAIL ADDRESS...AGAIN :( Someone please send this to him! Shoot I'm horrible. Sorry braid, I love you!

Thanks for the package's zo and mom, ya'll love me too much, if that's possible.

I'll get going on the tape recorder, and hopefully ya'll can listen to it during sunday dinner or something :)

I have some pictures I'll be sending later tonight, hopefully! Or sometime next week if tonight doesn't work.

 

Days here in the mtc are soooo long, and weeks go by fast. ish.

GUYS! WE'VE ALMOST HIT OUR ONE MONTH! :) Look at us go!

I haven't been feeling well the last little bit, but I'm alive.

I cut my finger open, so I feel like I can't type fast at all and that's discouraging.

Skyler, I hope you don't feel like you dropped off the earth when I got my mission call. I hope all of you know that ALL of you are ALWAYS in my thoughts.

 

Um, encouraging letters are the best. I can't handle negative things. And I'm sorry if I have done anything to you guys that have made you feel like I don't love or appreciate everything that you do for me. I need all of you in my life and I feel like the relationship is one sided, where I'm taking and not giving back. I'm sorry. I know I should be better. I just don't know how to be a daughter/sister/best friend/girlfriend/servant to God all at once. I'm realizing all of my imperfections and the things I seem to always fall short of. I hope one day I can make it up to all of you. I try to equally distribute my love and attention and appearently I'm not doing that.

 

I wish I had more time to say what has been going on. Brady, Dad, and Josh you guys can relate to this--so much happens throughout the week and I only get one day/30minutes to tell ya'll about it and it's impossible. One thing I want to share with you though happend on Saturday. This thing called TRC, where real life people (outside of the MTC) come here and get taught by missionaries. We obviously only teach in korean, and I can't even begin to tell you how inadequate I felt. We taught two people. One of the feed back's we got by this guy, his name is jordon. he served in seoul west/seoul about a year or two ago and even though we were just reading our papers and had no idea if he knew what we were talking about, he did. He said, "when you are spiritually prepared, you're prepared." I keep thinking about that. It touched my heart and I know that the holy ghost helped relay the message.

 

I attended the temple today for my first time since entering the mtc. It felt like home. I loved it. Reminded me off all the times I went to the temple with all of you. The temple is important. I challenge and invite all of you to make temple attendance a weekly goal. If that's unrealistic, I suggest watching The Joseph Smith movie or Legacy. Both super good films and it will humble you and make you want to always choose the right.

 

This is all I have until next week. I can write hand written letters if you want. Just dear elder me and tell me.

Love you ALL so much.

 

With all my love,

Sister Whitley Hunsaker

 

ps mom the language is super difficult. I get discouraged daily, and cry almost every day because I fall short.

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Please remember that writing a letter to Whit right now is SO SUPER easy!!  As you can see any and all words of encouragement are greatly appreciated.  Please go to www.dearelder.com; click "write a letter"; select the Provo MTC, click "write a missionary"; input your information; Select Sister and finish with Whitley Hunsaker; box #250.  Once you submit the letter you will receive an email from dearelder.com for confirmation.  If you submit your letter before noon she will get the letter the same day, everything received after noon will be delivered to her the following day.  If you want to put pen to paper you are welcome to mail her a letter as well, once again any and all letters are greatly appreciated.  

Sister Whitley Hunsaker

MTC Mailbox #250

KOR-SEO 0225

2005 N 900 E

Provo UT. 84604

I wanted to end this blog on a SUPER positive note: 

ONE MONTH DOWN - 17 TO GO!!!!  CONGRATULATIONS to all of us!