Week 70: Busy bees

September 22, 2014

Dearest family and friends,

Correction on last week’s email title: I thought I was so clever with my play on words to describe both the beginning and the width of our chubby car, Narwal, but I discovered shortly after leaving the library that “girth” was the word I was looking for. #witfail :)

More importantly and speaking of clever wordsmiths, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO VICTOR MONREAL!!! Thank you for being such a wonderful addition to our family! You are so fun and easy to be with. You just have a way of making everyone feel so comfortable.  I look forward to discussing literature and watching SYTYCD with you again soon! Thanks for taking such great care of Nat, Fiona, and Odette! Love you, Victor!

This week has been great! And life with Sister Watts continues to be nothing short of hysterical. Pretty sure the Elders think we’re crazy. :)

Highlights include:

Saturday, we went to help clean up the yard of an inactive family and it was a riot. I just love serving people! It feels so good to just forget about your worries and focus on lifting the burdens of others. The funniest part was when Sister Watts went sprinting past me freaking out about bees. I laughed pretty hard because she’d been freaking out about any bees that flew past us this week, so I just thought she was over-reacting again. But after a few minutes, the Spirit said to me, “You’d better go check on your companion.” I went inside the house to find that she had actually been swarmed by bees and stung EVERYWHERE. Thankfully, she didn’t have a reaction or anything and I think she was acting WAY too tough, because she wanted to just keep working. The two of us cleaned the inside of the house while her stings calmed down. She reminds me of Natalie in that “Spider Saves Christmas”/hard-worker way. And she also laughs like Nat, so it’s that much funnier. :) It’s so interesting how different companions have reminded me of different people in my life. Anyway, I feel bad for laughing at her, but we’ve laughed a lot about it since. It was right out of a movie the way she was surrounded by a swarm and running from them! Once again, we provide plenty of entertainment for our Elders. :)

Another highlight on Saturday evening: We were on our way to an appointment in New Britain and we'd just talked to a pretty promising potential investigator on the street and given him a Book of Mormon, so we were on a high. Then we drove past a little family out for a walk and I was like, "Sister Watts, we can't just drive past that family! We have to stop and talk to them!" But we couldn't find a parking spot soon enough, so by the time we did, we were sure they'd either gone inside somewhere or walked way ahead of us. We were sprinting around a side of a building, hoping they were on the other side, and when we spotted them coming around the corner, we slowed down and tried to play it cool. But when we got to them, we were panting and Sister Watts blew our cover and was like, "We just wanted to talk to you!" :) We breathlessly shared a bit of the Restoration with them and gave them a copy of the Book of Mormon. The mom, Shayla, seemed open and gave us her phone number (her husband, Jose, was SO not interested). But, hopefully we can get something going with them! Whether or not we do, it still feels SO good to share the gospel with others! You can feel the Spirit so strongly and you know that Heavenly Father approves and is thankful for your efforts. :)

We also had a great visit with the Relief Society President and for two hours she talked to us about the people she's concerned about and wants us to help. It was AWESOME. We feel so needed and used in this ward. It is the BEST!

Also another funny story: We are teaching Zahra, an Iranian woman who only speaks Pharsee, and this Sunday was the first time she stayed for 2nd and 3rd hour. Her brother usually sits with her and translates, but he had to be in an interview and then Priesthood meeting, so during Gospel Principles, Sister Watts and I basically played Pictionary and Charades with her to explain the lesson on Eternal Marriage. It was so funny! Pretty sure she thinks we're crazy, too, but we think she appreciated it. :)

It has been so incredible to teach with Sister Watts and feel her powerful testimony of the Savior. The Spirit has been so strong as we've talked about Him together and pondered on His Atonement. I know He lives and I know that through Him, we can be made clean and spotless and return home to our Heavenly Father. What an incredible tender mercy that is. The Book of Mormon testifies of that on almost every page. It was been so beautiful to look for and notice how often those tender mercies are referenced. It truly is Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Do all you can to look for those as you study and I promise a sweet Spirit will come more fully into your life and you will have a stronger desire to help others come unto Christ. It is such a blessing to be able to do so!

I love you all so very much! Have a wonderful week.

Love,

Sister Wheeler Jr.

P.S. Attached are photos that will show you 1. The hilarity of Sister Watts and 2. THE BEAUTIFUL FALL COLORS THAT ARE EXPLODING! I gasp every time we start driving somewhere!

P.P.S. I am SO excited about Lerma, Mom and Dad! What a huge tender mercy!

Week 69: The Berth of Narwal, the Brave

September 15, 2014

Dearest family and friends,

I have not laughed this much in quite some time. Sister Watts is HYSTERICAL. And we have been an absolute train wreck getting settled in to the area- the poor Elders! I believe this is a great lesson for them in marriage prep: when a woman joins your team, things get crazy. :)

Okay, so we haven't been an absolute train wreck, but it was a long drive back from transfer meeting Wednesday night, so we got to bed at midnight and were super tired while we weekly planned with Elders on Thursday. Also, Sister Watts has been sick, so she has a nasty smoker voice and cough. When we met with Bishop Bell Thursday night (who is AMAZING and so kind and so excited for us to be in the ward), he recommended she try filtered cigarettes. So funny! :) 

And then on Friday night, we managed to lock ourselves out of our car and our apartment at 8:30 pm. We laughed so hard about it. And then we had to knock on our neighbor's door and ask to borrow his phone (but hey, it gave us a chance to give him an invitation to the church open house we were having this Sunday!). Luckily, I'd written down some important numbers in my planner, so we were able to call the Elders, who then came and helped us call a locksmith (after climbing up to our second floor balcony to check if the screen door was locked- boys love an excuse to do something crazy). Since we're doing this "tender mercies" thing with the Book of Mormon, I decided to look at the bright side of the situation and see this as a lovely opportunity to invite not just our downstairs neighbor, but also the locksmith AND another neighbor who was out walking his dog to the Open House- even though it cost me a pretty penny to get the door unlocked. :) It was also a great opportunity to talk more with Sister Watts while we waited and get to know her.

Bio on Sister Watts:

from Logandale, Nevada

thinks turning the heat to 70 degrees is not hot enough (80 is good for her) :)

loves Disney

loves serving people

wants to be a nurse

is a huge nerd and loves all the nerdy things I love (Harry Potter, LOTR, Star Wars, Ender's Game...)

has been out 3 months and served on Martha's Vineyard (poor thing) ;)

is incredibly funny and lighthearted

doesn't act like she's been out 3 months- she's an incredible missionary!

Saturday, thanks to an incredible member family, Sister Caldwell-Andrews drove us to Providence for Sherri Newton and Trischin Denton's baptisms. I was so grateful we could be there! The best part was hearing Sherri's testimony at the end where she talked about the powerful Spirit she felt when she first prayed about the Book of Mormon and how that Spirit has continued to grow in her life as she has read and prayed daily and attended church. Sometimes when you're teaching people, it's hard to know if they really are feeling anything, so it was nice to hear her testimony and to hear that the Spirit really has been touching her heart. I just love Sherri and I am so happy for her and excited to see how the gospel continues to bless her life!

Sunday was great! Bishop Bell had us stand to be introduced in sacrament meeting and the ward members all turned to look at us and they were BEAMING. I felt so welcomed and loved! Sister Watts and I were also asked to bear our testimonies. I sharedMoroni 7:45-48 and talked about how one of the greatest blessings of serving as a missionary is feeling the smallest taste of the love our Heavenly Father feels for those we teach. I know that as we forget ourselves and focus on serving others, we are filled with this love and it helps us to better understand our Savior and our Heavenly Father. It makes us more like Them. What an incredible blessing it is to serve!

We also had a wonderful Open House last night with a hand full of non-members who showed up, including members' friends they brought. It was just incredible to watch the members walk around with their friends and basically teach them the missionary lessons right then and there. I was just floored. This ward is incredible!

We're off to go on a hike in the beautiful Connecticut countryside! Have a wonderful week and know that I love you all so very much! God is our loving Heavenly Father. He weeps with us and wants nothing more than our happiness. Our Savior lives. He loves us. There is nothing we face that He has not already gone through and conquered. As we turn to Him, He will heal us, especially as we do His work of salvation.

Much love,

Sister Wheeler Jr.

P.S. HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY to the most pernicious older brother ever, the one, the only, Josh Wheeler! :)

P.P.S. The email title is dedicated to our large grandma car, a 2012 Chevy Malibu, that is extremely hard to maneuver, thus we have christened it Narwal, the Brave. :)

Week 68: Surprise!

September 8, 2014

Dearest family and friends,

This is going to be a quick email, but the biggest news is: I'M GETTING TRANSFERRED!!! What in the world?! I was not expecting this! Especially since President Packard told both Sister Patterson and I that she would be leaving. But, true to form, President received different revelation when it came down to it. :) We are both being honorably released as Sister Training Leaders and I will be shotgunning into Cromwell, Connecticut with Sister Watts (a different Sister Watts, funny enough!). She's coming from Martha's Vineyard and has been out 2-3 transfers. We won't totally be alone- there are already Elders there and they already have us all moved in. :) I'm excited to work on a team with Elders again! And it sounds like the ward is excited to have us. President said they've been begging for Sisters for a year. :) And the work there is on FIRE! Sister Patterson will be training a brand new missionary here in Amherst and she is so excited. It will be just perfect for her! She has such a wonderful handle on the work here and has a great relationship with the members and investigators. And she will be the kindest trainer. I am excited for her to have the opportunity to train! So, we'll be heading to transfers on Wednesday where I'll say goodbye to Mama Hollan! :( I will miss her! 

It has been an absolutely incredible week. I have had some very sacred experiences that have solidified my testimony of the Restored gospel. One experience included going to the temple to do baptisms with my favorite Julie Dexter! The Spirit of peace there was overwhelming and as I reflected on the way home, I thought, "How could this be anything but true? Only a true prophet could have brought such power back to the earth." I know that Joseph Smith is the prophet of the Restoration. This is the Restored gospel and church of Jesus Christ. I know that our Savior lives and that his Atonement has power to change us, heal us, comfort us, and bring us home to our Heavenly Father. How grateful I am for Him, for sacred ordinances and covenants that allow us to be re-connected with our loving Heavenly Father, and for the Spirit that witnesses so powerfully of these truths.

I love you all so very much! Have a beautiful week!

Much love,

Sister Wheeler Jr.

Week 67: Return of the students... and the humidity?!

September 1, 2014

Dearest family and friends,

Happy Birthday to Ladriel this week!!! I can't believe you'll be in Young Women's now! Stop growing up so fast! :)

It's interesting how I've been in college towns for all of my mission. I guess it makes the environment a bit more familiar to me since the school cycle is what I've been doing my entire life. Slower summers and then the excitement and energy that comes with the start of the school year. It's nice! Especially when I don't have to stress about homework. :) #notrubbingitin #okmaybealittle

So yes, the town population has shot up exponentially in the last week or so. And for some reason the humidity we've been without all summer is deciding to show it's sticky face. :P But, we had fun on Saturday volunteering to help students move into the UMASS dorms. Serving a mission has helped me to better appreciate the wonderful feeling you get from just serving others. It's nice to not have anything to worry about (homework, finances, etc) and to be able to focus entirely on what someone else needs. It's way more fulfilling than fussing about your own worries. :)

We're excited about the return of the students in conjunction with the Joseph Smith fireside President Packard will be presenting at our chapel on the 13th. We're just down the street from UMASS and we've got some great advertising plans and we're just excited for the event to create more low-lying fruit. The ward members seem to be excited to have something they can invite their friends and co-workers to, especially when they've been asking them questions about the church.

In investigator news, we haven't been able to meet with Adrien. Every appointment we had this week fell through. Satan is the worst. And he told us he had a ride to church, but didn't show up. And when we called, he said he was still planning to come to dinner and a lesson at a member's house Sunday night. But he totally stood us all up. We are planning to stop by for a bit of a DTR tonight. Hopefully it's just a culture thing, but we will see!

In better investigator news, we had a wonderful lesson with Alex last night. Our ward missionaries, the Youngs, returned to town and they were willing and ready to come. (I LOVE MEMBERS!) Sister Patterson and I have been worried about Alex all week because his conversion is going so well and because of how things went poorly with his sister Melany after she showed a similarly strong testimony, so we decided to fast on Sunday. I am so grateful for that commandment. I have gained a much better testimony of it on my mission. It is a privilege to show the Lord our faith and earnest desires by coupling fasting with prayer, especially in behalf of others. Please continue to pray for Alex! We invited him to be baptized on November 8th and he was open to it! There's a lot to do before we get there and I know that the opposition will be greater the closer we get, so please remember him in your prayers. He is such an honest seeker of truth and a GOOD kid! It is such a miracle that we met him in the parking lot in July. It is so fun to see the Lord's hand in this work! And so humbling!

I also got a letter from my dearest Caty this week! TOTALLY made my day! I love that girl so much and am so proud of her!

In P-day news, true to form, I schooled Sasha, Kat, and Sister Patterson at TTR last week (although Sister Patterson did VERY well for her first solo game). Today we're headed to see some beautiful old sights in Leverett with a member and I'm excited to have some time to photograph this beautiful area. (Did I mention the leaves are ALREADY turning?!)

I love you all so very much! This is the truly the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. What a blessing it is to have it in our lives and to bring others closer to Christ by sharing it. I know that our Savior lives and that He loves us! I am so grateful for the way my testimony of Him is deepening as I serve. It is such an incredible blessing! Do all that you can to draw closer to Him- there is nothing more rewarding.

Much love!

Sister Wheeler Jr.

Week 66: " Canst thou read this without rejoicing and lifting up thy heart for gladness?"

August 25, 2014

Dearest family and friends,

It's been a lovely week in Amherst with a few wonderful happenings!

The biggest news is we set a baptismal date with Adrien for October 11th! It was just so funny how it happened. We were on exchanges (I was with Sister Skylene Smith from Rexburg- Peggy, do you guys know her family?) and we had just finished reading Mosiah 18 with Adrien. Mind you, last week he was saying he feels like his infant baptism was probably good enough, but after we finished reading, he asked when we would be doing baptisms next at our church, so we extended the date and he accepted. :) He's still going to pray about it and we have a LOT to do to prepare him for it! We really want to make sure he understands that this isn't just another baptism- he should be baptized because he truly believes that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored through Joseph Smith and that this is the church of Jesus Christ once again on the earth. But we'll get there! :)

In other exciting news, we stopped by Alex's house last night and although we weren't able to teach a lesson inside his home (chaperone rule), we had a wonderful conversation on his doorstep. We really haven't been able to have a full-on lesson with him for a few weeks, but last time we visited, we had a great lesson about how to recognize the Spirit and how he could get answers in the Book of Mormon. He wanted to know what happens after we die, so we had him study and pray about Alma 40. And now you can see the new light in his countenance! It is just incredible! He has been praying about what we've taught. We asked him if he received an answer that the Book of Mormon is true and if Joseph Smith was a true prophet and he said yes! His testimony is there! We could see and feel it so powerfully as we talked with him. We explained why baptism is the natural result of that testimony and he agreed to pray about it this week. We also explained to him how the restoration of the Priesthood means that his family can be united eternally by that power and his face lit up even more. Families are what it's all about. It was amazing to be able to testify of that. The Spirit was so powerful as we testified. The gospel is true! I was on such a high as we walked back to our car! Please pray for Alex- his testimony is so bright already and we know that means that Satan will work extra hard on him! It already happened with Alex's sister Melany. :(

I'll close with a scripture that really helped me this week. I stumbled upon Doctrine and Covenants 19:38-41 in my studies and it was just what I needed:

38 Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing—yea, even more than if you should obtain treasures of earth and corruptibleness to the extent thereof.

 39 Behold, canst thou read this without rejoicing and lifting up thy heart for gladness?

 40 Or canst thou run about longer as a blind guide?

 41 Or canst thou be humble and meek, and conduct thyself wisely before me? Yea, come unto me thy Savior. Amen.

I feel like lately, I've been doing a terrible job at listening to the Spirit. I haven't been allowing myself the time to do so and instead, I've just been trying to do it all on my own. Like Elder Bednar's talk describes, " I wonder if we fail to fully acknowledge this strengthening aspect of the Atonement in our lives and mistakenly believe we must carry our load all alone—through sheer grit, willpower, and discipline and with our obviously limited capacities."

Both that quote and the scripture help me to realize that I have every reason to rejoice and lift up my heart with gladness because the Spirit does the heavy lifting. I am not on my own. I just need to pray and ask for help (and stop running around blindly on my own) and then listen. This is the Lord's work and we cannot fail when we rely on Him.

I love you all so very much! Thank you for all you do for me! Have a wonderful last week of August!

Much love,

Sister Wheeler Jr.

Please pray for:

Adrien Mutumene

Alex

Week 65: Comforting those that stand in need of comfort

August 18, 2014

Dearest family and friends,

I sort of feel like David Mosher's questions about why we have to suffer and why we have to die and how the Atonement works with all of that have shaped this part of my mission. I feel like the Lord is helping me to discover the answers with the experiences He's giving me.

Tuesday evening I was on exchanges with Sister Boldt in Oxford and I received a phone call from President Fairbank. Bob Barr, the husband of Lori Barr, one of my favorite members in Providence, was in the hospital and wasn't expected to make it much longer and Lori had asked if I could visit. Everything worked out perfectly and Sister Boldt and I were able to make the trip Wednesday morning to see them. It was an absolutely life-changing experience. Sacred, really. I don't have words to describe how I was changed as I watched Lori and Bob talk with each other and express their love for one another or how my testimony of the Plan of Salvation solidified as I testified that we are eternal beings who are not made for endings. And once again, I learned how sanctifying it is to mourn with those that mourn and comfort those that stand in need of comfort. It teaches us how to be a little more like our Savior. It is such a privilege. Bob passed away Wednesday night, but I know that he and Lori can be together again. How grateful I am for restored Priesthood power in temples that allows us to be united as families eternally. Please keep the Barr family in your prayers.

My time with Sister Boldt is just incredible. The difficult experiences she's been through in her life have prepared her to help others. She told me about a family she's been visiting and teaching who have completely occupied her thoughts and studies and prayers. She has fasted for them and prayed to know what she can do to help them. The husband was baptized a year ago but has not been active for a long time. The wife has been a member for years and even served a mission. The powerful testimony that Sister Boldt was able to share with them about her experiences helped the husband to realize that he needed to return to the gospel and that if Sister Boldt could live the gospel and be upheld by the power of the Atonement, so could he. I was so impressed by her complete consecration and dedication to the work. I want to be more like that. And I felt like she helped me to realize another answer to David's question about suffering. It helps us to empathize and help one another, especially those who have experienced similar trials. And empathizing and strengthening one another helps us to be more like our Savior and our Father in Heaven. That is what They want for us- to grow as They have and to have everything They do.

I also had the chance to visit Cindy Autry, another one of my favorite members in Providence. She is such an incredible example of what it means to love others like the Savior. I have a lot to learn from her! I am so grateful we had the chance to visit.

Sister Patterson and I continue to enjoy the work here in Amherst and just keep seeing miracles happen. We were able to get some members together to help David Mosher move on Saturday and it was wonderful to see how service softens hearts. I am so grateful for our members here!

Thank you for all you do! I love you all!

Much love,

Sister Wheeler Jr.

Week 64: Mourning with those that mourn

August 11, 2014

Dearest family and friends,

It's been a good week! Full of lots of meetings. We had Mission Leadership Council this week as well as interviews with President and it was wonderful. I just love President Packard! Pretty sure I say that all the time, but he is the BEST mission president.

Speaking of President Packard, he had some awesome revelation one night and was prompted to create this video with the help of the Portable Visitor's Center sisters (I might be a little jealous that I haven't been called to serve as a PVC sister, but it's like whatever...) :) Enjoy and SHARE!

Like I said, interviews were great. It really helped me to counsel with President on some of the things that have been troubling me and to get such sound and sensible advice from him. He is such a wonderful leader because he is completely motivated out of love. I have a lot to learn from him about forgetting myself and completely loving the people I serve, especially the sisters I have stewardship over as a Sister Training Leader.

The week was also full of funeral details for the mom and daughter in the Stake who passed away in the car accident last weekend. Sasha, a young woman in our ward who comes out with us a lot and who we absolutely adore, was friends with the girl and asked us to go with her to the viewing (or I guess on the East Coast they call it a wake..) It was really hard for Sasha, but we were so grateful we were able to be there to support her and cry with her. There is something so sanctifying about "mourning with those that mourn".

The funeral was just incredible. I have never felt so uplifted and hopeful after one. It was so evident that the husband/father, Brother Newton, was being upheld by an outpouring of the Spirit. He was able to stand at the pulpit and testify with power of the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the reality of God's plan of happiness, and the fact that our Heavenly Father is real and loves us. He was comforting everyone else all week. It was a testament to me of the power of enabling and strengthening power of the Atonement through the Holy Ghost. Just incredible.

Investigator updates:

We had another meeting with Adrien and this time in was fishless. :) We were able to teach the rest of the Restoration with the Youngs and it went well! Adrien also came to church and has been reading in the Book of Mormon. We feel so great about him!

Also, David Mosher was out of town in South Korea, but HE WENT TO CHURCH AND A TEMPLE TOUR THERE!!! We were so jazzed about it! He doesn't come to church here because he is doing his best not to rock the boat with his wife (they have agreed on a little Christian church here). We are excited to meet with him again this week and see how he felt about it.

And we have made contact with Alex again! I think 14 year olds are a little relaxed about keeping appointments, but he did his Book of Mormon reading! And he found answers as he did so. We didn't get to have a lesson, but we'll meet with him again this week! :)

Side note: Sunday I was asked to teach Gospel Doctrine on the Old Testament for the second week in a row solo while we were on splits and Sister Patterson was in Gospel Principles. This week, I had about 2 hours of notice. #readingthelessonforthefirsttimeinsacramentmeeting Thankfully, something about being a missionary makes it possible to get through crazy tasks like that. Not really sure I'll be able to do that without losing 5 years of my life to stress when I get home. #giftsofthespirit

I love you all and am so grateful for all you do for me! Have a wonderful week!

Much love,

Sister Wheeler

P.S. This video of Chris Williams came to mind this week. It is so beautiful how he sees that this trial is meant to help him become more like Jesus Christ. That is what the Atonement is for- to comfort and strengthen us and to refine us into better and more Christlike children of our Heavenly Father.

P.P.S. Picture of me and Sister Patterson after MLC. (Thanks for the new shirt, Nat and Nicole!)

Week 63: Members for the win!

August 4, 2014

Dearest family and friends,

It has been a tough week! But mostly of my own making. Isn't it silly how we make life harder for ourselves than it needs to be?

So as far as our investigators go, Alison and Bob are no longer really investigating. It seems that our experience with them last week was a bit of a "flash in the pan" as President Packard would say. Alison isn't interested at all and avoided our return visit and Bob feels "all set" with what he knows about Jesus Christ. But, we did have a great visit with his inactive mom, Ocean, yesterday and Bob came along and basically taught her the Plan of Salvation. So crazy. I think he'll get there someday. We'll just keep him involved as we work to strengthen his mom.

I'm also super excited about our 2 new ward missionaries, the Youngs. They came with us to Ocean's lesson and bore SUCH powerful testimony! And they are so excited to help us. Sister Young actually came with us Saturday night to a lesson with our new investigator, Adrien, and she was such a good sport! Adrien is the one who came to church a couple of weeks ago out of the blue. He is an old neighbor from the last place we lived and he is from the Congo and speaks French. It turns out there was a bit of a communication error. We thought we were coming over for a lesson when he was actually wanting us to come over for dinner. He went all the way to Springfield to get us African food and he wanted us help him cook it. Haha! At one point, he left to go get onions and we were all sitting there wondering how we'd walked in for a lesson and ended up cleaning fish and frying plantains on our own in the home of some person we barely knew. So funny and so random! Sister Young, like I said, was such a good sport! She jumped right in and had fun with it, but also helped us work in some of the lesson once Adrien got back. He is open to learning and definitely has a testimony of Jesus Christ, so it will all work out! :) It was such a funny experience! I will forward pictures. Grandpa Farnsworth is going to die laughing. :)

We also had another great lesson with our super smart investigator, David Mosher. I just love teaching him! It was a perfect example of how teaching with a member should work out. We went over the night before and planned the lesson with the members and when we went over the next morning, it was just seamless. I love teaching with the members!

A highlight of the week was being able to go to the temple with Julie & Jodi Brindamour and Sisters Crane and Hobbs, along with a few of my favorite people from Providence (all thanks to a wonderful member, Kat Newman, here in Amherst, who was my companion while another wonderful member, Starr, was Sister Patterson's. SO GRATEFUL!). The Spirit was so incredible there and it was such a privilege to be able to witness Julie and Jodi performing saving ordinances for their family. The powerful peace I felt there was another witness to me that this truly is the Restored gospel of Jesus Christ, that our Heavenly Father's plan of happiness is perfect, and that families are eternal. I love the Brindamours so much and am so grateful to have them in my life!

On a more sober note, our Sunday was tough. A young woman and her mother from a neighboring ward were killed in a car accident on their way home from Girl's Camp Saturday night and it affected a lot of people in our ward. Testimony meeting was very solemn, but so full of the Spirit and testimonies of the plan of salvation. I was surprised by how much sadness I felt for this family I don't even know, but it was a privilege to mourn with these people I love and feel their sorrow with them. And I felt so edified and uplifted as my testimony of the reality of our Savior and His Atonement was strengthened. I know that because of Him, we will all be resurrected and reunited as families eternally as we faithfully enter into and honor our covenants. This morning as I was studying I was thinking about the question, "How do we access that enabling power of the Atonement?" After pondering and reading through Elder Bednar's "Bear Up Their Burdens With Ease", I felt the answer was just that: By entering into and honoring covenants and by participating in Priesthood ordinances. How grateful I am for the restoration of the Priesthood that makes this all possible! And how grateful I am that I can offer this true healing to others as I invite them to come unto Christ through making these sacred covenants. As missionaries, we are literally offering those we teach full access to the blessings of the Atonement. What a humbling and sacred privilege it is. I can't imagine what my life would be like without the comfort and strength provided by the Atonement.

I love you all so very much! Thank you for your love and support! Have a wonderful week!

Much love,

Sister Wheeler

Week 62: A Very Brindamour (and Denton) Baptism :)

July 28, 2014

Family and friends,

It is so hard to write after reading all your emails- I just want to sit and read more for a few hours and keep laughing and crying at all of your wonderful stories and testimonies. I love you all so very much! :)

It has been a wonderful week. We had Zone Conference on Tuesday and all of our mission presidency was there. I feel like that rarely happens because President Haight and President Christensen are so incredibly busy, but WOW. I know I'm biased, but I'm pretty sure I have the BEST mission presidency in the world. Just saying. I love them all so much!

President Christensen gave us a wonderful training on Moroni 10:3-5 and how we can teach our investigators to have meaningful prayer. He is such an incredible teacher and the humblest, gentlest man. The best part was at the end: His phone went off while we were discussing something, but he just silenced it and continued with the conversation. It went off again a minute later and he looked at it, hesitated, and then said, "This is Mayor Bloomberg from New York... do you mind if I answer this?" We were dying. :) SO funny! He came back in afterwards and said, "I'm sorry... he calls me sometimes." No big deal. :)

All of our mission presidency and their wives (minus Sister Christensen- she was not there) did a Q&A panel at lunch and it was so fun to hear a range of things from them, from their proposal stories and advice on marriage to their testimonies of the Book of Mormon. President Christensen shared a powerful story on how he gained his testimony of the Book of Mormon. It took a lot of work, but the results were life-changing. There was such a sweet and powerful Spirit that came into the room as he shared. It had a huge impact on me and helped me to realize that those kind of spiritual experiences are available to me if I put forth the effort. There is power in a sincere heart and real intent.

Two wonderful stories about new investigators! First, on Monday of last week, Sister Patterson and I were able to teach Stacy, a hairdresser that Sister Patterson contacted while I was getting my hair cut by another lady a few weeks ago. Kat Newman, a recent convert (and my new idol, I just LOVE HER!), came with us and the lesson went so well! Kat shared powerful testimony and Stacy really seemed to receive it well. She was brought up Catholic and isn't active any more, but has been looking for something more and has been really struggling over the past few years. Our message about our loving Heavenly Father and the Restoration seemed to really resonate with her and she agreed to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. We were so excited for her! Unfortunately, we didn't hear from her for the rest of the week until Saturday when she told us that one of her family members passed away this week. :( She is going to need some time. Please pray for Stacy to feel comforted and to feel comfortable enough to meet with us again in the future so that we can teach her about the Plan of Salvation and give her true peace!

The other story: Last night, Sister Patterson and I met with the non-member son of an inactive member to teach him, Bob, the first lesson. He had actually invited his girlfriend, Alison, and she was really excited to hear what we had to share. They were just awesome! Bob is the gentlest Christian, but also very much into Black Sabbath and heavy metal. :) SO GREAT! And Alison was raised Orthodox Jewish, can read Hebrew, and has struggled with an eating disorder for a long time. It was so clear that she was searching for truth and healing and when we testified of the enabling and strengthening power of the Atonement, there were tears in her eyes. It was incredible! They both agreed to read and pray about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith and we are going back next week. We already love them so much and are excited for the gospel to fill their lives with light! Alison actually asked us at the beginning of the lesson, "So do you guys feel like you have true peace and happiness?" and we were able to answer with an absolute "YES!" She is so hungry for that peace and we can't wait to see her heal!

The absolute highlight of the week was being back in Providence for Julie, Jodi, and Jazmin's baptism! Sarah Wilson from Amherst was so kind to sacrifice her Saturday and take us. I am so impressed by the progress Julie, Jodi, and Jazmin have made! They were already incredible, but living the gospel has just boosted the light in their countenances. :) I love them so much! There was such an incredible Spirit there, especially as they each shared their testimonies. They are such incredible examples of what it means to have faith in Christ and what it means to love others like He does. I love them so much and can't wait to watch them continue to progress. I am so grateful that they will always be a part of my life! :) And by the way, Julie and Jodi are going to the temple next week to be baptized for family names, and Jazmin is at Girl's Camp this week and when she gets home, she'll turn around and head out for a 2-week mini-mission. :) What an incredible summer for them. It was also such a treat to see some of the members- I love them so much! They probably think it's weird how much I love them, but it is just the inescapable result of being a missionary and serving people. :) They are you life for the time you are there and so you can't help but love them like crazy! :)

I had a chance to chat with Sister Hobbs after the baptism and we both got teary talking about how much we love Providence and how the Spirit is so incredible there because of the consecration and dedication of the members. It is truly life-changing to serve there. :) I am so excited to continue to hear about the miracles there, especially because SISTER HYOUNG IS GOING TO PROVIDENCE!!!! I AM OUT-OF-MY-MIND EXCITED! Only she could take Sister Crane's place. :) The branch is just going to LOVE her.

In more transfer news, Sister Patterson and I will be in Amherst for another 6 weeks. Sister Crane and Sister Budvarson go home this week! Absolutely crazy! I will miss them! I am so grateful for what they've taught me as my companions. I cannot imagine my life without them! Having a new set of incredible friends was something I had not anticipated as a result of my mission, but nothing bonds you stronger than sharing testimony and sacrificing together to help others come unto Christ. :)

Now I'm headed to play Ticket to Ride with our district after this. I may or may not have bought myself a copy of it... do you realize I haven't played my favorite board game in over 14 months?! I'm a little too excited right now... :)

I love you all so very much! This gospel is true! Our Heavenly Father and Savior live and love us more than we know!

Much love,
Sister Wheeler Jr.

P.S. I'm attaching a video that was shown at the baptism on Saturday. I felt like it was an answer to my prayers as I've been wondering how to teach David about why bad things happen to good people and how the Atonement can make up for our losses.

Week 61: Satan plays dirty

July 21, 2014

Dearest family and friends,

It has been a tough week! But, I suppose that is to be expected once in a while, especially after the last few weeks full of miracles. 

The biggest opposition we had this week was meeting with our golden investigator, Melany. Satan seriously plays dirty. So frustrating! Melany got a new job that has her incredibly busy, so we haven't been able to meet with her during the week. We were supposed to meet with her yesterday, but an hour before we got there, she texted us and said her grandma was upset and didn't want us coming over any more. Thank goodness for technology- we emailed her the lesson we had planned to share. But, that's no replacement for face-to-face lessons, so please pray that her grandma's heart will soften and that we will be able to meet with her again. She is so ready for the gospel! :(

Please also pray for Alex- we were not able to meet with him either.

In more positive news, Mary is progressing well. Doing her homework and always so pleasant to meet with. We just love her! We had a great lesson with her about the Plan of Salvation and it was SO awesome to be able to answer her questions about infant baptism so clearly with Moroni 8. And to see her agree with the truth. I love how the Book of Mormon answers questions and is such tangible proof that truth is on earth once more! The gospel of Jesus Christ has truly been restored. I am so grateful!

We also had a sweet potential investigator (Adrian) from the Congo come to church on Sunday and I was able to speak some French with him. I will be downloading some Preach My Gospel in French this week! :) It was so great to see the members take him right under their wing. I love the Amherst ward!

We also had another lesson with David, our super smart investigator. It was tough! He has such incredible questions and he really examines every detail we give him. We talked about the Atonement (because after looking through his 30 pages of questions, it's clear that he struggles with that doctrine). As we taught, he asked why we have to experience pain and death if Christ has already conquered both of those consequences of the Fall. Good questions! Brother Starliper, the member who came with us, answered that there must be something we need to learn from all of those experiences. I'm still pondering on a lot of our discussion and I know that David's answers will come as he experiences the Atonement, but the most prominent thought I've had is that no matter what we experience in this life, we can hold to the promise that all of our losses will be made up. Everything will be made right in the end. That is the promise of the Atonement. I know it is real. And I know that we don't have to wait until after this life to feel its effects. The Atonement has the power to heal us now in this life. Our Heavenly Father wants us to be happy and the Atonement is there to fill our souls with "joy and consolation" (Helaman 3:35) despite the necessary and difficult experiences that are a part of this earth life. As we come unto Christ and live his gospel and make and keep covenants, we will be made whole. How grateful I am for our Savior and His sacrifice that makes it all possible.

I love you all so very much! Thank you for all of your love and support!

Much love,

Sister Wheeler Jr.

Week 60: Miracles, continued...

July 14, 2014

Dearest family and friends,

First of all, Happiest Birthday to Nicole this week! I hope you have the best day! I love you so much!

I was nervous I was going to run into Aunt Peggy this week the whole time she was here and it was going to burst my missionary bubble, but no such happening. Somehow we managed to exist in this small farm town for a week without crossing paths. :)

It's been another great week in Amherst and so full of miracles, again!

I mentioned Al Hurlburt last week. The news on Al is that he passed away on Thursday and I never actually got to meet him. :( But, he was an investigator that Sister Patterson and Sister Scott started teaching in April. They talked to him on the street and he was very receptive. Miracle! From what they said, he was just so sincere and good and giving and patient and he wanted to be baptized from lesson one. Just so ready for the gospel! He unfortunately had some health complications and when I got to the area, the sisters had lost touch with Al because he'd been from hospital to hospital and his phone stopped working.

The miracle with Al last week is that on Monday, a member from our ward called and said there was a man at the care facility where she worked that said he was Mormon and wanted to meet the missionaries, but she had never met him before and he said his name was Al Hurlburt. Absolute miracle. Sister Patterson and Sister Kemp went Tuesday (we were on exchanges) and had a lesson with him on the Plan of Salvation and temple work and he signed a paper saying that if he was not able to be baptized before he passed away, he would like his work done in the temple. We weren't able to visit him again, but when we called on Friday to schedule something, his nurse let us know he'd passed away Thursday night. We are floored. What a miracle that we were able to connect with him before he passed away. The Lord's hand is in every second of this work! We are so sad Al is gone, but so grateful we were able to teach him. We know he's at peace now and his learning is continuing. How grateful I am for vicarious ordinances that make salvation possible for every. single. one. of our Heavenly Father's children. His plan is so perfect.

My favorite moment of the week was our follow-up visit with Melanie on Saturday. It was a quick visit, but it was incredible. She was BEAMING when we walked in and she could not stop smiling. She kept hiding her face behind her Book of Mormon (she was holding it very carefully and said she wanted to keep it looking new) and just could not find words. She said she had read Mosiah 4 like we'd assigned and that it was so clear to her and she loved it. She knows the Book of Mormon is true and she said it just makes her want more of the truth. We invited her to be baptized on September 20th and she was so excited! She'll be praying about it this week. She said she'd been reading a bit and praying every day this week. She said the closing prayer and it was so sincere. She thanked Heavenly Father for sending us to teach her the truth and for how much He's blessed her. There were tears in her eyes afterwards as she repeated the same thanks to us. I love her so much already! The Spirit in the lesson was so powerful. It is SUCH a privilege to be a witness to people's conversion. Every conversion experience is a miracle! I will never be the same.

We met with her younger brother, Alex, on Sunday and he had not done his reading, but we read with him and he received it well. He seems to be taking a more cautious and thoughtful approach to what we are sharing, but he is an honest seeker of truth. I can feel it. We feel so great about him and are excited for him to continue to progress.

Miracle: Dmitri. We still didn't have our car on Wednesday (thankfully- all of these miracles have been happening because of it! When we picked up the car on Thursday, I think we were one of the most gratefully delayed customers they'd ever had.) :), so we were walking to the library and we ran into Dmitri right outside the library. It turns out he went to the Mormon church growing up and hasn't been in years but is willing to meet with us! We weren't clear on whether or not he ever got baptized (his parents were converts), but we'll keep you posted. We are so excited to work with him either way!

Even more miracles on Tuesday when I was on exchanges in Gardner with Sister Caceres. Our zone has been doing a fun points system to encourage ourselves to open our mouths throughout the week and on Tuesday, the daily double was talking to people before noon. Sister Caceres and I were able to hand out 3 Book of Mormons before noon and one of the people we talked to is an investigator now! Her name is Kim and she actually used to live in the Gardner sisters' apartment. Also, the first guy we talked to, Randy, said he and his girlfriend were looking for a church. MIRACLE. The sisters should be teaching him soon. My throat hurt for the rest of the week because Sister Caceres and I screamed every time we got back into the car after talking to a miracle person. :)

Another fun story: One of our inactives referred us to his mom, Mary Thompson. We stopped by to see her and she said she'd already had a visit from someone like us earlier in the day, so whoever came back first could have a visit with her. I told Sister Patterson I would NOT be beat by the J.Dubs. :) So the next morning, Saturday, we arrived at Mary's home at 10 o'clock sharp and had an incredibly Spirit-filled Restoration lesson with her. I am blown away at how electric I feel every time I have the opportunity to recite the First Vision. I know that our Heavenly Father and Savior did appear to the boy Joseph Smith and restored every thing we need in order to make it home to Them. We'll be seeing her again tomorrow.

I also gave a talk about gratitude for the Atonement. Bleh! I thought being a missionary would take away the nervousness about giving talks, but not so! It went well though. I don't feel like I delivered it so well, but it was a privilege to study extra and ponder on what the Atonement makes possible for me. I feel like my testimony and relationship with my Savior has blossomed a lot this week and I am so grateful for that. It is an answer to prayers. I know that our Savior lives and loves us. I know that His Atonement has the power to heal us in every way. It heals us from the burden of our sins, it heals us from the pain caused by others' mistakes, it heals us from any heartache we feel, it heals us from the sorrow that comes with death. No matter what our circumstances, if we have nothing else, we have the promise of the Atonement, which is that all will be made right in the end and that there is in fact no end. One of my favorite scriptures quoted in "Lamb of God":

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?... Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. (Romans 8:35, 37)

Our Savior has made this all possible because of His perfect love for us and the love of our Father in Heaven. How grateful I am for the peace that comes because of His sacrifice.

I love you all so very much! Thank you for your continued love and support!

Much love,

Sister Wheeler Jr.

Please pray for:

Melanie and Alex

Mary Thompson

David Mosher

P.S. Pictures attached of 1. me and Sister Patterson (can you SEE the humidity?!) and 2. Sister Hollan and Sister Bud! I never mentioned, but Sister Bud was hit by a car a few weeks ago and she's TOTALLY fine. Doesn't she look rockstar for getting hit by a car going 40 miles an hour less than 2 weeks previous?! She just got transferred to Boston for her last transfer and the accident was an absolute miracle. She was thrown across the median into the other lane of traffic, no cars were coming on that side, no broken bones other than a few small ones in her face, no internal bleeding, no brain damage, nothing. Just a bit of road rash. And no bruises where the car struck her. I am so grateful she is okay! I love her so much! I know the Lord protects his children who make and keep sacred covenants with Him.

Week 59: Miracles

July 7, 2014

Dearest family and friends,

It has been an incredible week. Just incredible. And so hard and so rewarding all at the same time.

We still don't have our car, which has made things a little rough in our big farm area. We turned it in two weeks ago to get a previous fender bender fixed and it's made it really difficult to do the work we want to do here. We can street contact and tract all day, but it is not as effective as it would be for us to be visiting and strengthening part-member families and counseling with active members about their efforts to share the gospel. And the members have been fantastic at helping us out, but I just feel like a burden on them. It's been really frustrating for me! I just want to be able to visit them in their homes (without them having to drive 1.5 hours round trip) and to talk and counsel with them about what they want to do to help those around them come closer to Christ and how we as the missionaries can help them do so.

BUT! There have been some incredible blessings and miracles that have attended us as we've been carless. For example, Tuesday we were scheduled to spend the day with Emily and Madi, two incredible girls in the YSA branch, but they were running late that morning, so we had to take a couple of buses to meet them for our first appointment. As we were walking through the parking lot of an apartment complex, we felt prompted to talk to a teenage boy who was taking out the trash. He was receptive and believed in God (Hallelujah!) and accepted a return appointment for Saturday. We were on Cloud 9!!! And the rest of that day was great! Madi had never been out with the missionaries, but our first appointment with a less-active went very well and she bore such powerful testimony. She was on fire when we got into Emily's car afterwards. It was the highlight of my day to see how jazzed she was! :)

And then of course Wednesday was rockstar because we had MLC. I just love President and would follow him to the ends of the earth. We are experiencing some incredible energy in the mission and have 95 baptismal dates for this month. We are fasting as a mission on Tuesday to keep 70 of them. I am so excited!

And the greatest miracle of the week was Saturday afternoon. We finished zone meeting and got dropped off to visit Alex, the teenager we met on Tuesday, and we met Starr, another YSA there. She has been thinking about a mission, so I was really stressing about this being a positive experience for her. I was worried because Alex had not confirmed the appointment with us and then when we knocked on his door, there was no answer. We went back out into the parking lot and asked a man if he knew Alex and it turned out he was a family friend. He accepted a Book of Mormon from us and then drove ahead of us (we were riding with Starr) to show us where Alex was visiting with family. We crashed whatever party they were having, but Alex was happy to see us and we had an absolutely INCREDIBLE first lesson with him and his sister, Melanie, who sat in on the lesson. They both agreed to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. They were both so prepared! It was an absolute miracle and I know that the Lord is involved in every minute of this work! It is His work! And Starr was so affected by the experience. She bore powerful testimony about it in her ward and I am SO grateful it was so positive for her! It was all a miracle. I am so grateful.

And I'm running out of time so I can't even give that last story the detail it deserves, but I am overwhelmed with gratitude. How can I ever doubt the Lord?!

I love you all so very much and am so grateful for you.

Please pray for David Mosher, Alex, Melanie, and Al Hurlburt.

LOVE YOU!

Sister Wheeler Jr. 

Week 58: Powerful moments

June 30, 2014

Dearest family and friends,

There are some moments on your mission that are out-of-body. They're rare, but when they happen, it is life-changing. We met with a less-active member this week who is struggling with the recent death of her daughter. I felt like I didn't know what to say for most of the time- Sister Patterson and the member who came with us kept giving her great counsel and comforting words and I just observed. As I listened, I got more and more frustrated as I realized how much of a hold Satan had on her. She surrounded herself with depressing and violent movies and books. She was living in darkness and filth. She refused to be helped and it almost as if this woman didn't feel she deserved to feel better. She was absolutely miserable which we know is exactly what Satan wants. 2 Nephi 2:27 kept coming to my head, so I opened and read to her:

Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

As I read it to her, I understood this verse in a completely new way. Not only are we free to choose to turn to the Savior to be free of the guilt and damage for our mistakes, but we are also free to choose to turn to the Savior and be free of the pain and sorrow we experience. I testified to her that I know that when we choose to be miserable and we do not allow the Savior to heal us, Satan wins. And that is exactly what he wants. I didn't say much, really, but it felt quite powerful coming out and I knew it wasn't me speaking. There is nothing the comes close to how it feels to know you are quite literally being an instrument in the Lord's hands as the Spirit helps you to say what the Lord wants his children to hear.

Another powerful moment was at the beginning of the week when we met with a member family. They have already been doing such incredible work to reach out to their friends and family and share the gospel with them. The result is an beautiful Spirit in their home. It was overwhelming! And as we had a lesson and challenged them to set a specific date as a family to find someone to be taught, I felt like my own faith was strengthened. Sister Patterson and I had set a goal to find a new investigator that week and I was feeling doubtful and fearful about it, especially after having such a rude awakening to the difference in people here. But as I read an experience from President Christensen's life when he invited his friend Natasha Paton to be taught, I could not get through it. The Spirit was hitting me so hard. I was able to testify to this family (and most importantly, to myself) that as we exercise our faith and set specific goals to bring others closer to Christ and as do all we can to achieve them, the Lord will step in and help us to accomplish them because they are in line with His will. This is His work and when we participate in it with all our hearts, might, mind, and strength, we cannot fail.

Honestly, it feels like the powerful lessons we had this week were really meant for me. When I felt the Spirit confirm the truth of what I was saying as I spoke, I knew that it was me who really needed to hear it. I need to have more faith that God will help us reach our goals as we prayerfully set them and I need to have more faith that I can turn to the Savior to feel healed. Funny how our loving Heavenly Father customizes our experiences to meet our needs. :)

In terms of our investigators, our miracle investigator David is just incredible. He was a neighbor to Sisters Patterson and Scott in the old apartment and they've been teaching him for about a month. He is a PhD student in Music and has a lovely wife and young son. He has such fantastic questions! He read the Restoration pamphlet and sent us 15 PAGES of notes and questions. And then he did the same with the Plan of Salvation. Absolutely incredible. We are so excited to be teaching him and he has been fellowshipped so well by the members. This ward is SO good to us!

And speaking of my favorite wards and branches, MIRACLES are happening in Providence! I had a chance to catch up with Sister Crane for a few minutes and things are just going so well there. Lots of baptismal dates and unexpected progress. I couldn't quit smiling. :) It makes me so happy to hear of the good things happening in a place I love so very much!

Thank you for your love and support! I love each of you dearly and am so grateful to have you in my life. It is such a privilege to be serving here and to be learning so much about myself and about my Savior. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything! This gospel is true. And it is the only way to truly be happy. And that is exactly what our Heavenly Father wants for us. Choose to be happy! And share that happiness and truth with those around you.

Much love!

Sister Wheeler Jr.

P.S. I'm attaching a photo of me and Sister Daly with the Brindamours. I love them all so much! There's also a picture of the homemade cake they made me. WAY too nice!