It was freakin' Hawaii here on Saturday!

Hey Momma!

Things are goin' just swell here-- 80 degrees and sunshine! The gentle breeze got a little out of hand though. 

For real though... it was freakin Hawaii here on Saturday. It was so warm, the skies were clear as could be, and no wind. Everyone was telling us that it was supposed to be tornado weather on Sunday but I never could've guessed it (or believed it)-- even on Sunday. It was a little rainy after sacrament but nothin' out of the norm. We were over at the Higgins' home for dinner when the alarms sounded. Two seconds later the phone is being blown up by the ZLs telling me to get my district inside, safe, and accounted for ASAP.
The spirit testified to me that nothing was gonna happen to us and not to worry so it was quite enjoyable being able to stay at our dinner appointment longer than normal and just take a load off and relax. haha. The news was on and the play-by-play of the tornado was a kinda cool. What really got me excited was the thought of getting a chance to help out. We haven't received any word on relief efforts yet, so it's business as usual here, but I'm anxious to get in there and contribute.

I've seen the pics and I know how bad it was but nothin too exciting where I was. I guess that's a blessing.

As for the work here, we have been struggling gettin folks to church but I had the opportunity to "fight for every inch" on Saturday night when an investigator was fixin' to drop us and decided that she didn't want to come to church until she learned more about "The Mormons." The only problem was that she didn't want to learn about it from us. She wanted to do her own research. We talked on her door step for at least ten minutes about how the only way that she will know is if she comes to church. I asked her what her favorite kind of car was; she said BMW. I posed the typical missionary question, "If you wanted to learn more about a BMW, would you ask the BMW dealership, the Ford dealership, or the Honda dealership?" She indicated that it was obvious that she would talk to the BMW dealership because they are the ones that know about BMW's. I compared that to learning about the church from us, first hand.

I asked one last question, "If you never had tried Mint ice cream, how would you know if you liked it?" I explained that if she made a decision, without the proper steps to come to an honest conclusion, she would be lying to herself and would never truly know if the church was true or if she liked it.  

The sky the night of the tornado

These were very simple and common missionary tactics but they work. It was a fight and the Spirit was able to testify to her that it was something she needed to do. She ended up coming to church a half hour early, we gave her a church tour, and she was fellowshipped very well. The Relief Society sisters did a fantastic job with her! That's what was needed-- member support. She was the ONLY black person in the building. I bet she noticed it too and I guarantee that she wouldn't have stayed all three hours had it not been for that fellowship.

I really felt a change within myself this week. My determination and desire to serve increased greatly and I just feel good. It was really really hard there for a bit but I know that I made it through because of your prayers. I just wanted to thank you and dad for all you've done for me.

I love you more!

-Elder Wheatley