Week 57: Settling in

June 23, 2014

Dearest family and friends!

Hello from beautiful Amherst! I forgot what countryside looks like! There are so many trees and farms out here (Mom, you would die. If we come back to visit, you may be tempted to settle here). It's so refreshing to have a change of scene, but I am definitely missing Providence!

It's been an exhausting change! Transfers were Wednesday night. It was so fun to see everyone and I can't believe how many people went home. It was a huge transfer! The drive back to Amherst took about 2 hours (our zone is nicknamed "outer darkness" because of the lack of streetlamps), and then a large chunk of Thursday-Saturday was spent cleaning our apartment and moving to a new one. It must be some sort of hazing ritual they do to new missionaries out in the Springfield Zone. :) My new companion is Sister Patterson and she is an absolute sweetheart. She was actually companions with my baby, Sister Slater, for a transfer. It's been fun to get to know each other. She is a hard worker and is so very determined to do her best in everything. And man, she's good at testifying! (For the record, my new district consists of 3 Elders and 6 Sisters. And the Elders go fishing on P-day. So funny! Welcome to the country. Also, it's weird not serving with Elders in the same ward.)

It is so bizarre to be in a ward again. And to meet at a church building. I'm trying to get used to saying "ward" and "bishop" again. :) Speaking of the bishop, he's Canadian. (I JUST LOVE CANADIANS! #trishazemp) Actually, Jord, did you know anyone from the Hatch family in Grand Prairie? Bishop Hatch is from Cold Springs and his wife is from southern Alberta. They have a fantastic family and have made me feel very welcome, along with the rest of the ward. I already love them all! I know I say it all the time, but that continues to be one of my favorite parts of being a missionary- the instant love you feel for the people you serve.

Remember how I had a goal of handing out one Book of Mormon a day? I feel like the Lord is really testing my faith on that one. This new area feels like I leveled up to a more challenging place. It's been uncomfortable to get settled in here and figure out the people (we're not in Providence anymore, Toto) and Amherst is a different animal. In Providence, there were always people on the street and they were usually pretty willing to talk, take a Book of Mormon, and give you their phone number. But Providence is a melting pot of a lot of different cultures and I think I've now moved into true New Englander territory. The crusty, standoffish stereotype appears to be accurate at first glance (I've had a couple of pretty feisty responses). I also think it was easy for me to talk to everyone in Providence because I was comfortable with everything else there. So, it's been a bit difficult and uncomfortable and I'm feeling a little shaky on my faith to find those who've been prepared here, but I know it's good for me! It's helping me to better empathize with members and how it feels to have your invitations rejected. Please pray for me to be better at dealing with people's rejections of my offers for them to learn more about THE MOST IMPORTANT THING EVER. :) 

But you know what? Miracles happen. On Tuesday in Providence, Sister Crane and I met a lovely woman, Nicole, outside the library. She was there with her son and after talking to her for a moment, she mentioned that she lost her mother this last year. We were able to testify of the plan of salvation and give her a Book of Mormon and get her number for the Central Falls Sisters. We felt so jazzed about it!

I've been thinking a bit after talking to an investigator, Dana, in Providence on Wednesday afternoon. He's the one I contacted in the library after seeing him for a lot of months. He was very nice, but it was a difficult lesson. He ended up doing most of the talking and I feel like I witnessed what Korihor calls "a frenzied mind" (Alma 30). Dana is so wrapped up in philosophy that he almost can't function in a normal conversation. He questioned everything we shared (or tried to share) and just couldn't even consider that we have a living Heavenly Father who loves us and has sent us here to grow and progress to become more like Him. He really didn't like the idea that there was a debt that needed to be paid for our mistakes and that our loving Heavenly Father has given us a Savior to make it possible for us to overcome those mistakes as well as the heartaches we experience in life. It was heartbreaking! And Dana realized he wasn't a happy person, but it was like he couldn't escape from the confusion in his mind. It made me really sad and made me really grateful for the clarity and peace the gospel brings.

After talking to Dana and another street contact in Amherst who was pretty defensive, I've been really examining my testimony and figuring out how I know what I'm teaching is real. Sunday morning before going to church, I prayed that I would feel another witness that this is all true. Oh how our Heavenly Father gives liberally to those who ask! While I pondered during sacrament, the answer was overwhelming. (In fact, I was already feeling it before church when we met with our ward mission leader and said an opening prayer. Brother Wilson offered such a sincere prayer and the Spirit brought tears to my eyes.) I realized that a testimony of Jesus Christ is the solution. Did He live? Is He really the Son of God? Does He really have the power to do what He said He would do? President Packard recommended 1 John 1-5 in my last interview when I talked about my desire to gain a more personal relationship with my Savior and during sacrament, I opened to 1 John 4 and was so overwhelmed by the Spirit I felt as I read. And verse 13 helped me to realize that when I feel the Spirit, I can KNOW that it is God's love and presence that I am feeling. There is nothing that can explain or reason away or deny the powerful feelings of peace and love I feel when I feel the Spirit. I know that our Heavenly Father lives. I know we are His children and that He loves us and has a perfect plan for us. I know our Savior lives and loves us and has made eternal life possible for us. These truths are real and I know it because of the Spirit I feel when I bear testimony of them, when I learn of them, and when I hear others testify. How grateful I am for this experience to grow and come closer to my Savior and to help others do the same. It is such a privilege!

I love you all so very much. Sorry this email turned into a novel. :) Thank you for all of your love and support! Our Savior lives! And this is His restored gospel. What a blessing to have it and share it.

Much love,

Sister Wheeler Jr.

P.S. I totally spaced bringing my SD card to the library, but I will send pictures next week.

P.P.S. My new address is: 

390 Northampton Rd Apt. A

Amherst, MA 01002

Week 56: Drumroll, please.....

June 16, 2014

Dearest family and friends,

That's right- the transfer results are in and I am getting transferred! I will be serving in yet another college town: Amherst, Massachusetts! (Say it "Am-erst" or you will sound like you're from Idaho.) I know absolutely nothing about it, but I am excited nonetheless! My new companion will be Sister Patterson and we will be serving as Sister Training Leaders in that area. I think we have double the Sisters to cover, so it's going to be BUSY! I am sad to leave Providence, but I feel ready for a change. I know it's going to help me grow. And you can't really have a perfect companionship for more than one transfer... it's just not fair, right? Sister Crane is just amazing. I really hope I can be like her some day. :)

President Packard was at our District Meeting on Friday so he got to watch us all read "T-texts" when they came in during lunch. I think he enjoyed seeing all of our reactions. :) Have I mentioned how much I love the Packards?!?!? It's kind of ridiculous.

We had a fantastic week, once again! We had two first lessons with street contacts, Tyler and Dana (he's a guy I've seen at the library for months and finally had the guts to talk to and invite... actually, he's here at the library and he just waved at us- we're totally BFFs now! :)) and they went well! Also, the Brindamours are doing SO WELL! It's unreal. We invited Julie, Jodi, and Jazmin to be baptized on July 26th and they readily accepted. They said they were already thinking it was time to take the next step. And they realize the changes they are going to have to make and they are all in. And Jazmin is just soaking it up! SO AWESOME!!!! President was in our District Meeting and he suggested we have Jazmin go on a mini-mission at the end of the summer. #LIFECHANGING I just love our mission!!! We taught them all the Word of Wisdom on Friday and there was absolutely no opposition from them. It was too easy! Their only concern is if they'll actually be able to do it by July 26th, so please pray for them! We sat in front of them in Gospel Principles and a cigarette rolled out of Julie's bag to Sister Crane's feet and she was so embarrassed. It was pretty funny. :)

Sunday was just fantastic, too. We had 14 (FOURTEEN!!!) non-members in sacrament meeting (I LOVE PROVIDENCE!!!). At least 6, if not more, were friends of members! #yesplease One was a homeless man who came to the chapel tour the night before (sketchy...) and one was a lady named Liz who we had invited to the chapel tour on Saturday but she didn't come and we didn't tell her what time we meet on Sundays, but she showed up and told us the Holy Spirit had guided her there. So cool! Although, when I went up to bear my final departing testimony, she was smiling very dreamily and staring at the ceiling. #lunalovegood  Also, the best quote from her on Saturday after we met her: "There's a stronghold over the city that needs to be broken, so it's good to talk to you." I love it. :)

So yes, the chapel tour! We decided to capitalize on our wonderful downton... I mean, downtown location in Providence and have another chapel tour with the Portable Visitor's Center displays in conjunction with the city's big "Water Fire" event (they light bonfires on the river and there was more traffic than usual). It was a tougher crowd, but we had double the number of tours and phone numbers, so it was worth it! We have an adorable senior couple in our district this transfer, the Tanners (Mom and Dad, they remind me so much of you! I feel like I'm hanging out with you guys!), and it was so fun to see Elder Tanner just itching to get on the street and invite people with us! And cute Sister Tanner was nervous, but did a fantastic job!

I will miss Providence! But, I am excited for a new adventure! Oh, and did I mention that SISTER HOBBS is replacing me in Providence?!?!? I can think of no better missionary to KILL IT with Sister Crane on her last transfer. I am so excited for them!!! And for the work here! It's going to just explode!

I love you all so very much! Thank you for your wonderful examples to me, especially you, Dad! (HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!) This is the Lord's work and there is nothing more fulfilling than helping our brothers and sisters make steps home. Our Savior lives and loves us and His Atonement can free us of guilt and pain. What a beautiful gift to have and to be able to offer to others! 

Love,

Sister Wheeler

Pictures: 

1. How we feel about leaving each other...

2. Me and Sister Washington, my idol!!! I just want to be her when I grow up!

3. Jazmin on the left and Lydia on the right! :)

Week 55: The week I finally became a real missionary

June 9, 2014

Family and friends!

I can't even tell you how amazing this week has been. I feel like something finally clicked and I have given up what's been holding me back (fear) and I've just thrown myself into this work with reckless abandon.

Let me explain. :)

We had MLC on Wednesday (Mission Leadership Council) and for the first hour, we all discussed and taught each other what we learned from Elder Holland's visit. And I realized very ashamedly that although I was moved by a lot of what he said, I haven't yet applied it to my work.

We also counseled on the biggest weakness our mission has: opening our mouths. The way we have been instructed to prioritize our time in the mission is to 1. meet investigators needs/work on other name-based monthly goals, 2. fulfill any assignments from ward leaders, 3. visit with members and help them with their missionary work, 4. serve in the community, and 5. personal contact. This is the most effective way for us to work in the Boston area and it's the best way to find and teach SOLID people. As a result, we rarely block out time to go tracting/street contacting. And it's pretty easy to fill your time with the first 4 priorities. But, the negative result it has caused throughout the mission is a loss of a sense of urgency to find people, especially by contacting them on our own. I've totally noticed it in myself and this week I realized it makes me feel like I have NO credibility when I visit with members and encourage them to do uncomfortable things and talk to their friends about the gospel when I haven't been doing a great job at doing what's uncomfortable for me: talking to EVERYONE.

Elder Holland shared a French poem that talked about being asked to come to the edge and being too afraid for fear of falling, but when we come to the edge, we are pushed, and then we fly. He also said, "We don't fly because we are too inclined to play it safe." Those words have been ringing in my mind for the past 2 weeks and when we talked at MLC about what we learned and what we've changed in our work, it all clicked for me and I realized this is what I needed to change. I needed to have more of an urgency to find people in ALL of our priorities and I especially needed to stop playing it safe and do what is uncomfortable for me.

So, I set a new goal to give out at least one Book of Mormon a day from now on. And you know what? Sister Crane and I have been ON FIRE. The Spirit that has entered our work is miraculous and infectious and invigorating! And yes, there have been awkward/uncomfortable moments, but we have also found so many wonderful potentials! And I finally, FINALLY feel like a real missionary. I feel like there is nothing holding me back. No lack of training or experience, no friction in my companionship, no FEAR. And it is so liberating and energizing and addictive and I just want to TELL THE WORLD! (What in the world could I have accomplished if I had arrived at this a year ago?!)

And now I feel like I have more credibility when I visit with our members and ask them to push themselves and seek revelation and step outside their comfort zone and share the gospel with their friends. And I can now personally testify to them that the Lord is just waiting to pour out His Spirit on us. He is just waiting for us to fly!

I'm short on time, so I'll share my favorite miracle of this week. The Brindamours came to church and it was just so perfect! Julie and Jodi had to leave but Jazmin, the 17 year old niece, stayed for the rest of church and she LOVED it. LOVED IT! And she wants to get baptized! We are SO excited to keep teaching her and helping her understand how the Atonement can free her of the guilt she feels. SO excited!

Alright, I love you all so very much! This is the Restored church and gospel of Jesus Christ! What a blessing it is to know our Father's plan for us! It is such a perfect plan!

MUCH LOVE!

Sister Wheeler Jr.

P.S. Attached is a photo of all Sister Bringhurst's (redhead) posterity. :) She is my grandma (she trained Sister Hollan). :) And then all my daughters are there too! :) #sillymissionculture

Week 54: New England summer, coming right up!

June 2, 2014

Hello my dearest family and friends!

It has been another lovely week in the ghetto of Providence. It doesn't look so scary in the summer. Homeless people and drunk people are much scarier when there's snow outside and you're on the bus with them. :)

I will try to do a more condensed email this week- I think last week got a little crazy. :) It's just so hard when there are so many great things happening!

I'll start with Maya. I just love her! And she has been making some great progress this week. (Sister Crane mentioned that she received a blessing before coming here and she was promised that people who were previously not progressing would start to. It is so humbling to witness promised Priesthood blessings fulfilled.) We had a great lesson with her last week where she opened up about her questions, etc and so our lessons this week have been focused on her desire to pray in the right way. She has been studying prayer in the Book of Mormon and she fasted this weekend for the first time. So great! :)

We taught the Brindamours a couple times this week and they are so cool. Their home is absolute chaos, but they are so tight knit. The kids really love each other and are so respectful. The mom, Julie, really is searching for the truth but seems a little stubborn (in a totally endearing way) and her daughter, Jodie, just seems to be soaking in what we teach like a sponge. We are so excited about her! Something just feels different when we're talking to her. There's a light in her eyes and we just feel like she's very prepared. They committed to come to church but didn't make it, but there's always next week! (And maybe Fast and Testimony meeting isn't always the safest first Sunday for your investigators anyway...) :)

We reconnected with an investigator, Edith, who we haven't seen for a while. She's going to be slower at her progress because she's Baptist and not ready to jump ship yet, but her sister, Leona Sarmie, is in our branch (in fact, they are both sisters to Maya's mom), so she has great examples in her family and she's totally willing to read the Book of Mormon on her own and meet with us every week. She is so sweet and has such a powerful testimony that God will tell her what she needs to do and she will always follow. We couldn't ask for more perfect real intent from an investigator! :)

We also had a lesson with Sherri and Chantel. Chantel seems to understand that we've dropped her/she's dropped us and she's okay with it. :) She will get there some day, but she's not as invested right now. Sherri surprised us by doing her homework and seeming more invested in our visit than the time previous, but we still kind of soft-dropped her/ left the ball in her court. We've taught her just about everything we can and now it's just up to her to choose to progress.

Also, good old George sat by me in church on Sunday. It was hysterical. He was actually kind of nice. He didn't complain as much about the testimonies as he usually does. I bore my testimony about how I know that the strong Spirit that is so present in our branch is because all of the members are so consecrated and it has been a huge example to me. I know that is the only way to live and it is how our Savior lives. I know that the more consecrated we become, the more we become like Him. When I sat down, George turned to me and asked, "Is this branch different? Is there more Spirit here?" Yes, George, yes it is. And how lucky I've been to be a part of it. :) I will miss Providences so very much.

This week I've been thinking about it and really, our life here on earth is the war in heaven transplanted. And Satan doesn't play nice, but God will always give us what we need to win, especially when we put ourselves on the front lines. When we are actively engaged in saving souls, God will give us the Spirit, which Clayton Christensen teaches is His most powerful weapon. We just have to do all we can to help others remember who they are and rescue them from the many devices of Satan (distraction, sin, sadness). There is nothing more rewarding than the work of saving souls!

I love you all! Thank you for all of your love and support!

Love,
Sister Wheeler Jr.

Week 53: Elder "The Bulldog" Holland, Round 2!

May 27, 2014

Family and friends!

So much has happened, but it's been a great week! Here goes! :)

Monday night we had a great lesson with Alex Washington in preparation for his baptism (he's about to turn 8 and we are teaching him all the missionary lessons). His mom and brother were there and we working with Sister Washington to do the next lesson when her non-member husband is there. SO excited! Brother Washington has been making some great progress in the last few months. We all (Branch council included) feel like he's really warming up. It just makes me so happy! I can't wait to see their family sealed! :) :) :)

We also had a great Family Home Evening with the Bouthillier family. They are members but their daughter Zoey is 9 and not baptized. She doesn't come to church, but we had a great interaction with her and she LOVED us. Seriously, she was doing everything she saw Sister Crane and I do. And then as we were leaving she said she'd come to church on Sunday (she didn't but we'll get there). Hopefully we can continue to be a good influence and role models for her and help get her active and enjoying the blessings of the gospel! She is a darling girl and is so smart.

We had a great first lesson with a media referral, Julie Brindamour, and her 2 adult daughters, Jody and Jamie, and teenage niece, Jasmine. They have such a crazy family and life, but all of the kids are so respectful and kind and we felt really good about the lesson. Jody and Jasmine seemed especially engaged. We are going back tonight and we're excited to see their progress!

So Richard... kind of disappeared. :( We figured out what happened and it sounds like he's going to be moving out of state, but we will keep tabs on him and get him lined up with the missionaries there.

We picked up a former investigator, Phillippa, on Sunday and she seems great. She's 17 and from Liberia and her grandmother and aunt are members, I think. She really has desires to learn and build a relationship with God and Sister Crane just ROCKED the lesson and made Phillippa feel so loved. She was so open with us from the get-go and I think things are going to go really well with her!

We also had a great lesson with Maya on Sunday. Her progress is so much different than Sherri's. She's an eternigator, but she seems so much more invested and full of desire. I love her and am excited to keep helping her progress. Sometimes it just takes longer for people, but I really feel like she will get there and when she does, she will be so solid. We had a really good lesson and she opened up about more of her questions and we will be focusing the next few lessons on helping her self-discover the answers in prayer and study of the Book of Mormon.

As for our other investigators, Sherri, Kalyn, and Mychelle aren't really progressing for one reason or another. We had a lesson with Sherri last week and her desire just really isn't there. And the lesson was STELLAR, but Sherri just wasn't invested and had weird questions and she kept getting SO distracted. She left the room for something at one point and Sister Crane turned to me and was like, "Satan, get OUT of our lesson!" So, we'll probably be dropping them all this week.

In other news, Claire is a new investigator who came to the Book of Mormon Musical tour and she is AWESOME! The Elders met with her last week and she has been obsessed with Mormons for years and has so much real intent. It is SO refreshing!!! She teaches at RISD (yes, please!) and her husband teaches at Brown. He seems less-interested, but Claire is all in. We will be team teaching her with the Elders, so we'll get to teach her on Thursday. I'm so excited!!!

So we're running out of miles on our car for this month, so Saturday morning we biked to Lori Barr's. It was quite the (painful) adventure! But really, is there no such thing as a comfortable bike seat?! We helped Sister Barr in her garden and talked to her about Bob and it sounds like she's totally down for us to teach him- she's just not sure how interested he is. We saw her again today and we're working on scheduling a visit when he'll be home and we can talk with him about it. :) I just adore Sister Barr! She's German and sassy and knows a lot about theater and sewing and flowers. That's my kind of lady. :)

Lydia came out with us to a lesson earlier in the week with Maya and she ROCKED it. Unprompted, she just asked Maya if she wanted to get baptized and then she bore such sweet and sincere and powerful testimony about how getting baptized changes your life and makes it so much better. Nothing beats watching your recent convert flourish like that. She is the sweetest!

We got the chance to go to the temple to do baptisms with Lydia on Saturday and we helped her take her grandmother's name. We think she enjoyed it, although when she was asked to do 10 other names, she looked a little concerned about drowning. She was a champ, though. :) I had a chance to do a few names and the very first name I had had the middle name of Susanna. Mom, I know you always find tender mercies in the names you do work for in the temple and I often feel the same way. This was such a special tender mercy for me. I felt like Heavenly Father was sending me a little message and hug to say it was all going to be okay.

Temple, round 2 on Monday! LOVED it. There is just nothing that compares with the peace there. And I learned SO much. I felt like my brain was going to explode. Also, President and Sister Christensen were in our session (be jealous, Victor. So jealous.) :) And then we got to see Caty!! She didn't get to come on Saturday to do baptisms with us, but we stopped by and she and her parents are doing so well! I have been worried that Caty hasn't been active but she's actually preparing to give a talk on Patriarchal blessings in a couple of weeks because she's preparing to get hers, she's the Laurel class President, she's still being fellowshipped so well, and she's going to Girl's Camp this summer. Phew! :) It was the highlight of my day to see her and give her a hug. :)

And of course, the part you've all been so excited for: ELDER HOLLAND ROUND 2! How do I even sum it up? It was such a powerful experience to first of all, be gathered as a mission and be there with all the people that I love. The Packards, all my previous companions... they are my family and my time with them is running out! I just want to make the very most of it. And then I got to shake Elder Holland's hand again and I have no doubt in my mind that he is an Apostle of Jesus Christ. So powerful. Some of the highlights of what he taught:

- Our mission should mean everything to us. Never again will we be able to be a disciple in the way we can as a missionary. Never again will we be able to spend ALL of our time thinking of others in the same way our Savior did.

- God is easy to please but hard to satisfy. He is so pleased with the progress we've made but thankfully, he sees more in us and is so excited for us to continue to grow. This is why he's never satisfied and I'm grateful for that!

- A mission is hard because we are working for the most important thing- the salvation of souls! We should expect it to be hard and we should embrace it because it is part of experiencing a small small portion of our Savior's hurt. 

So that doesn't really sum it up. BUT IT WAS SO POWERFUL. And I'm so grateful we got to have him here. And Sister Holland spoke and she was SO incredible. 

Alright, must run, but I love you all so very much and am so grateful for all you do for me. It is such a privilege to be here helping others make it back home to our Father in Heaven. 

Much love!

Sister Wheeler Jr.

Week 52: Elder "The Bulldog" Holland, Round 1!

May 19, 2014

My family!

It has been a wonderful (and difficult) week! 

I'll start with the difficult so I can end on a high note. We finally stopped by Susannah's on Friday night (she lives with her cousin Beatrice who is a member) and I knew it was going to be bad. I've been dreading it. She completely ignored us when we walked in and she left the room. First punch to the gut. We ended up talking with Beatrice some more and she explained how she's been trying to reason with Susannah about baptisms for the dead and all of the confusion and is having no luck. We read some of the Book of Mormon with Beatrice at her request and made plans to come back for lunch on Saturday. She really wants us to know we're still welcome in her home. As we were about to leave, Susannah came back downstairs and handed me all of the material we've ever given her. Holy second punch to the gut, Batman. Beatrice told us to give her the material and then they started arguing. It was horrible. Sister Crane and I were caught in the middle of it watching helplessly and we finally left when they took a breath.

We ran into President Fairbank as we were walking to the car and I think he could see the tears welling up in my eyes. We told him what had happened and he told us we've done everything we can and it's not our fault. We came home and I was trying to hold back tears and then Sister Crane made me hug her. #gameover She just let me sob it out while she hugged me and then I finished a carton of Ben & Jerry's with some brownies mixed in.

I hate Satan.

But I felt so upheld. It was a transformative experience for me to have in understanding the enabling and strengthening power of the Atonement. Despite feeling so heartbroken, it was like I knew I should be feeling heavier and more devastated, but the underlying current of the Spirit was there comforting me and softening the blow and taking part of the pain. It was incredible. I mean, Ben & Jerry's and Sister Crane helped, but there was something so powerful and eternal about how I felt. The Spirit was there helping me to understand that it was not the end and helping me to have a more eternal perspective about it.

And President Fairbank sent us the kindest text telling us we were doing a fantastic job. He is quite possibly the best Branch President this church has ever seen.

I also felt comforted as I found answers in the Book of Mormon the very next morning. Alma 29: 5,8 "Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men; he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless... For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true." I know that Susannah will not be held accountable for what she does not fully understand right now. There are so many cultural and language barriers working against her (she can't even read the Book of Mormon and gain a testimony there) and I know that it will all be made right. She will have the opportunity to fully understand the gospel before she makes a final choice, whether that's here or the next life. God will make sure that she has "all that he seeth fit that [she] should have". Our Heavenly Father is so perfectly just and so perfectly merciful. How grateful I am for that knowledge.

Phew! Sorry the sad story has taken most of the email. In other news, the Elders met with Richard this week (so did we, actually) and he came to Saturday night of Stake Conference. Oh, and he has a baptismal date! So exciting! He is the humblest, gentlest guy with such a terrible family situation. I am so happy for him to be able to find a family in the members of the Branch to take him in.

And I got to shake Elder Holland's hand yesterday, NBD. :) It was SO energizing to hear him speak. Saturday night, he shared the story of his inactive father being asked to teach Elder Holland's Primary class when he was 10 and it was SO powerful. The takeaway for me was that my missionary work has eternal significance. (And that's not limited to my time here- ANY work I do to help others live the gospel is included in "missionary work".) It was a needed wake-up call! Sometimes I feel like what I'm doing doesn't matter much and while it's true that the Lord could do this work without me and it's a privilege for me to be a part of it, it is also true that the things I do every day to bring souls to Christ (the big and the small, mundane things) change the course of eternity. I cannot take it lightly!

Okay, sorry I don't have more to tell about Elder Holland. I felt like I spent most of the time just listening and taking it in and I feel like I'm still pondering on what he said. I will have more to report after Friday's mission conference! (He made a comment in his Sunday talk about missionary work and then he was like, "Don't even get me started about missionary work. I go ballistic." I am excited out of my mind!!!) :)

Also, we're looking forward to doing baptisms at the temple on Saturday with Lydia and her mom Thellmah! And Caty might be able to join us! Say a little prayer that it all turns out.

Love you all so much! It is such a blessing to be here and to be growing so much. Thank you for all you've done to make that possible!

Much love,

Sister Wheeler Jr.

Please pray for:

Susannah Kulor

Aaron Washington

Kalyn Waite

Mychelle Briggs

Sherri and Chantel Newton

Maya Johnson

Bob Barr

Julie Brindamour (our new investigator who was a media referral who looked up "family-oriented churches" online. She is awesome!)

Richard (still working on the last name)

P.S. I call Elder Holland "The Bulldog" because I feel like he fits that so perfectly. He even started his talks very softly and lightly humorous, and then he threw down some serious doctrine and testimony out of nowhere. It was so awesome. :)

P.P.S. Funny moments of the past couple weeks: 1. We totally saw a drunk guy walk straight into a pole. Maybe not so Christ-like of me to laugh at him, but I was dying. 2. Sister Crane accidentally used my toothbrush on Thursday after I had just changed it to a new and differently colored one so we wouldn't get mixed up. SO FUNNY! We're already so unified. :)

Week 51: ONLY THE BEST COMPANIONSHIP OF ALL TIME!!!

May 12, 2014

Family and friends!

Seriously. Sister Crane is the biggest breath of fresh air. At transfer meeting on Wednesday, our first interaction was us loading Julie's car with Sister Crane's luggage and then running back inside together to give keys to her companion and as we ran inside, we both turned to each other and said, "Dude, I am SO excited to be your companion!!! We are going to KILL IT!" We are so giddy about working together. When I found out she was going to be my companion, I felt  Sister Crane has been out 15 months and I feel like she wants to run as fast as me and actually KNOWS how to do that efficiently! Organization/simplicity/boldness/clear thinking are not my strong points and she is already helping me SO much with it. I'M JUST SO HAPPY WE'RE COMPANIONS!!! :)

The most exciting part of the week was when we staked out again at the Book of Mormon Musical matinee on Saturday. This time we had 250+ copies and 14 missionaries and we still ran out in 5 minutes. I WISH we would've had more! (The best part, which I didn't see, but heard about, was Elder Fauver walking up onto the theater property with a Book of Mormon in his hand and his arms out shouting, "DO YOU WANT TO BE HAPPY?!?!" SO FUNNY!) :) We also had the Portable Visitor Center Sisters come and set up 3 beautiful iPad displays in our chapel and we directed people over to a free tour after the musical since we're only a block away from the theater. (For the record, NEVER abbreviate Latter-day Saint in order to fit a poster. I don't care what you say, Elder Ballard. "Mormon" would've been much better and less likely to be confused with drugs.) :) We were out on the streets for about 3 hours total and had around 30 people come upstairs. Every one of them was a miracle. Richard met us before we even got set up and he helped us hand out pamphlets, too. Oh, and he came to church for all 3 hours yesterday and is going to meet with the Elders this week. NBD. :) One of my favorite miracles was a man from India who walked out of our building with this 3 grandchildren in a stroller while he was holding a Hindi Book of Mormon. He was SO excited! :) If we did all the work for only him, then it is totally worth it! Brother Walker in the branch joked that we should write the playwriters a thank-you note. I'm tempted. :)

Also, Lydia and Arthurlyn were confirmed!!! :) We're working on getting Lydia and her mom to the Youth temple trip on the 24th! :)

The only low note in this week is that Susannah is struggling and I am feeling so down about it. She does not want to come back to church and I feel so responsible and guilty for baptizing her too soon and not teaching her well enough. Maybe I'm being irrational, but still. :( PLEASE say a prayer for her, if for no one else. I'm feeling a bit helpless about it all.

Okay, sorry it's so short but there's not much more to report on and Sister Crane is the queen of brevity, so we are off! :)

Oh, by the way... ELDER HOLLAND IS COMING THIS WEEKEND FOR STAKE CONFERENCE! AND NEXT WEEK FOR OUR MISSION CONFERENCE!!!! I'm not excited out of my mind or anything. :)

I love you all and am so grateful for all you do for me! It was so fun to see you all yesterday and chat with you. I am so grateful for the relationships we have and to know that they are eternal. I wouldn't trade anything for my family. I love you all so much!

Much love,

Sister Wheeler Jr.

Please pray for:

Susannah Kulor

Aaron Washington

Kalyn Waite

Mychelle Briggs

Sherri and Chantel Newton

Maya Johnson

Bob Barr (more details later!)

Pictures: Sister Crane and I at District Meeting, a really poorly taken/edited picture of me mimicking the BOM Musical Playbill. :)