I love this experience and don't know where I'd be without it

A few tidbits from this week's email:

President wanted to transfer me six weeks ago but said, "I think there is something you need to accomplish here first." I believe that by the Grace of God it was accomplished and I am so very grateful and just happy. I sure do love this ward and it seems like my mission keeps getting better and better as the time goes on. This was a fantastic ward to serve in and the members deserve all the credit.

I'm just grateful for the very strong and close guidance of the Holy Ghost on my mission. I know I don't always do what I'm supposed to or in a manner adequate to my fullest potential but He's never left. He's been with me through thick and thin helping me out and buoying me up.

I think the hardest part about a mission is that your mistakes are more amplified; that's also my favorite part. When I can blatantly see where I messed up, my own desire to improve increases. That desire allows me to become refined.

Also, one thing that I recently learned is that the devil will try to make your strengths look like bad characteristics. For example, I kept feeling like I was TOO strong willed and that I had to do everything my way and that I was dragging my companion along and "making" him work and that maybe I was getting a little Pharisaical, and that others just wanted me to relax.

Then two comments, inspired from God, came to me, one by a friend from back home and the second from my companion. The first being an unexpected, out of the blue, e-mail saying, "You're super determined to get the job done and i respect you a lot for your sincerity."

The latter being something like, "I can tell you're getting trunky because you're slowing down."

Haha. That wasn't why I was "slowing down," but my reason was dumb. I didn't want him to feel like I was forcing him, so stupidly, I slowed down to see if he'd take the reins. Dumb right??

It was a good lesson to learn. I know who I am and what I need to do. I can't let the thoughts of the world get in the way of that.

I love this experience and don't know where I'd be without it.

-Elder Wheatley