There is no mistaking -- they got hit by a tornado

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