Hey Momma!
This week (Sunday when the tornado hit through Wednesday),
all of us missionaries, were so preoccupied on the thought of being able to go
up to help out with the relief efforts. Not gonna lie-- I was too; that is
until Tuesday when I received information that before clean up could even
start, they would have to make sure everything was safe AND THEN they would
allow the insurance adjusters in to assess the damage. Knowing that it wouldn't
be til week's end before I could get in, I was able to focus fully on the work.
Business as usual!
So as for the work: My companion has a wonderful Christlike
attribute of love towards his investigators. It's a characteristic that if used
properly will help him see much success on his mission.
We let go of a lot of people this week and devoted most of
our time to finding new folks and we had some great results! This coming week
we are also going to be teaching a guy named Zach, a recent convert's brother.
I love working with member's family because there is an immediate support
system. Mark is the recent convert who was taught by the sisters. He is my age
and is a great member missionary. He's not scared to invite others to church.
Zach needed help with something and Mark said only if you go to church with me
on Sunday. It's as easy as that!
The cool part was at church when we were asked to ask Zach
about taking the missionary lessons. They didn't know how to approach him,
because they were scared that he would say no if we were too bold. They wanted
us to do it but at the same time wanted us to tip-toe around it and almost
trick him into it. It kind of bothered me that they thought that way. I know
that if the Spirit is there that all things are possible and that we need not
fear.
Gospel Principles class was amazing. We talked about the
Abrahamic covenant simply and clearly. The lesson created a spiritual
atmosphere that enabled us to ask, pretty bluntly, if he would like to take the
missionary lessons. After class I asked Zach if I could speak with him and said,
"For you to be able to partake of the blessing of the Abrahamic covenant
you need to be baptized into this church. Now, I don't want you to be baptized
without knowing what we believe in; so would you like to take the missionary
lessons?" He readily accepted.
Now... it would be blasphemous to say that I deserve any
credit for getting Zach to take the lessons. The reason I say this is because I
know that anything is possible and that you can be as bold as ever IF the
spirit is there. I just wish all missionaries could see that.
On the other hand, we all had a FANTASTIC time on Saturday
with relief efforts. It felt so good to do some physical labor. We went to a
place called Ferndale. They had a huge tornado but it got underplayed on the
news because less homes got damaged because they were more spread out on a
mountain. But there is no mistaking-- they got hit by a tornado. It looked just
like what you see on tv.
I enjoyed myself and it was neat to have an opportunity to
practice what we preach.
Love you more!
-Elder Wheatley
