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