Last words from Lonoke :(

We just had lunch with Jillian (Craig's wife, our Branch Mission Leader) at Pizza Hut. All you can eat! (Can you say, Bubba?) Yeah i'm fat.

I'm sad that i'm gonna have to leave that family. I love em.

I'm so grateful for the time I've served in Lonoke. I've had the opportunity to serve with many great people, learn what true charity is, and find and teach the truly elect. I know the Lord wanted me here. I've grown. I've had the opportunity to help others grow and I know that the Lord now needs me somewhere else. I've grown very attached to the area and the folks here. I can truly say that I love them and I love the Lord and that is why I worked so hard here. I'm thankful for the blessing I had to serve with Elder Wohlgemuth. He's an extraordinary missionary. He just puts his head down and goes to work without complaints. Even though sometimes it's physically too much for him, he still does it. I learned a lot from him.

Lonoke has the best Branch Mission Leader in the world. He does anything and everything for us. He loves us like a father. Same with the Branch President. They are so missionary minded. They, and the rest of the people here, will do anything for the missionaries and missionary work. They will give their shirt off their back even if it's the only shirt they have. And they'll do it with a smile because they know their duty and love the Lord. And I love them for it.

I will do all I can to better myself and become a better instrument in the Lord's hands in my next area. I'm excited because I know something great is about to take place.

-Elder Wheatley

I'm Happy Happy Happy!

Hey Momma!

I had a fantastic week! It was hard. Yes. Long? Kind of. But we worked hard at each moment we could and that is where the joy comes from. We are teaching two solid folks who I firmly believe will be baptized. One this month and the other hopefully this year. I love watching the Spirit working with people and I love the look on their face when they "get it." We have also had much success talking to EVERYBODY. Some missionaries think it's a chore but you know me, cuz i'm like you and Dad. I love to talk.

Not much happened that I can think of off the top of my head but i'm happy happy happy!

My companion and I are working together really well and we both hope we can stay together for another one. We are both scared of getting lame companions and i'm scared of leaving this area. I've grown attached. I know this area better than the back of my hand and I love the people we're teaching. He doesn't want to take over this area and I don't want it white washed cause I wanna stay so we'll see what the Lord blesses us with. He knows what is best. Gotta trust Him. We're just gonna work hard until that time comes.

Glad to hear all is well back home.

I LOVE YOU MORE!

-Elder Wheatley

p.s. FE-HE-HE-HEENY!

Tell everyone that I love them, please!!!!!!!

What works for one team may not work for the other

I have learned on my mission that if you HAVE to do something, you might as well make it fun. Even if you don't wanna be there. So, I hope you had a blast spending some quality one-on-one time with Rach.

This week was slower but it was still very good and fulfilling. I wish it was exciting 24/7 but sometimes you just gotta put your head down and work. I enjoyed every moment.

I love how the Lord gives us things that, in the moment, seem to impede our progress but is actually for our benefit. The other day I got sick to my stomach suddenly and had to go in and rest for 30 minutes. I was upset because I thought it was just my mind telling me that I really didn't want to go work. Turns out that as soon as we were able to leave again we met someone that was JUST pulling up to their house for a split second to grab something and then to leave again. We were able to meet with them and you could tell that they really needed it. I've learned a lot this week about keeping a positive attitude and looking for the silver lining. Another instance, on Wednesday, when we went to go contact a guy that we met on the streets down in England last week, he doesn't live at the address he gave us but we asked the lady if we could teach her and she readily agreed. That's why we met that guy on the streets. Cause where she lives... I would've never walked through that neighborhood otherwise. She lives in a cul-de-sac of nice houses deep in a very underprivileged neigbhorhood. It's funny.

Oh. Also, I felt extremely compelled to go check on this lady right before we headed out of town and it was exactly what she needed. She was in an extreme slump because she's getting old and had to put her husband in the nursing home for a month while he recovered from foot surgery cause she can't take care of him herself. The event just gave her a very bleak hope and premonition for the future when they do get too old to take care of each other.

I know this gospel can raise spirits and bring people to their full potential. Sometimes I hate agency because I know some people know that what we're teaching them is true but they are too scared of what the world thinks.

I love missionary work because it is like a basketball game. The concept is always the same-- In basketball it's get the ball, score, and stop the other team. In missionary work it's find, teach, and baptize. But just like basketball you can't use the same plays every time. You gotta mix it up. What works for one team may not work for the other. That is why I love missionary work. You gotta read the defense and find the play that's gonna work. Each game is different and you gotta practice everyday if you want to have any shot at the constantly improving opponent.

Just rambling on.

Well, I love you MORE!

-Elder Wheatley

A change in scenery

Hey Momma!

This week has been SO much better!

Lonoke was getting monotonous and we made plans to expand our outreach. We were able to get a ride out to England (30 minute drive) from our Branch Mission Leader while he did some work in the surrounding areas. I knew that that is the place we needed to be and we found those who the Lord has been preparing to receive this message. This opportunity to go out to England brought the joy back into missionary work for me. We have plans to go up there every Wednesday and to hit up different cities on other days. You gotta get creative when you find yourself with nothing left.

The city of Lonoke, in and of itself, is hard to work in seeing as missionaries have been knocking on the same doors forever and I feel that I have knocked them all too. But as we have been Spiritual Harvesting the Spirit has carried us to those doors that have not been knocked or need to be knocked again. It's hard working all day to find only one person who may be interested-- but it's worth it.

This companionship is great and the pauses we take to allow my companion to gather his thoughts and speak is the silence that is needed in our lessons. He is very good at teaching and just needs that moment to gather his thoughts which turns out to be beneficial. We get along well behind the scenes and that allows for the Spirit to not be hindered. Thank goodness!

So I have to tell you a story about our trip down to England... We were having such great success all day but it was time to be picked up and go home. BUT the Lord wasn't ready for us to go home. Our Branch Mission Leader was running late and so we continued to go find more people. Suddenly, unbeknownst to us, our phone had no signal. We, not knowing that he was trying to tell us he was ready, continued following the Spirit to where the Lord wanted us to be. We approached this lady outside her apartment and she was not interested. But I used my "Well could we leave you with a card?" 99% of the time people will agree to a card and as I write, ever so slowly, our number on the card, I start creating conversation with said person. As I did this, somehow, we found common ground -- something that she and Rachel had in common. We were able to turn that into a Gospel conversation and now we have an appointment with her on Wednesday.

It was truly amazing!

-Elder Wheatley

Dull knife analogy

Hi Momma!

I just wrote a note to Rach which pretty much sums up my week so you'll have to ask her to see it. We have been Spiritual Harvesting (or Tracting) all day, every day. Nothing is really going for us. I should have realized that the Lord was gonna give me a big test sooner or later. It takes a lot of patience. Especially with self. At least I have a great companion who is putting up with slow work.

I feel like sometimes I am too missionary minded. I want everybody to join the church right now! Yes, definitely need some patience. But it's hard realizing what I have and knowing how weak these people's excuses are, "Raised Baptist, always gonna be Baptist." It's like, "Open your eyes!"

It's the dull knife analogy-- if you use a dull knife for long enough you're gonna think it's sharp. And until you use an actually sharp knife, you'll never know what you're missing. So... you should know with you're beyond repair cutco knives. ;)

It's a trial I am happy to conquer. Another opportunity to grow! Just gotta look for the silver lining and keep steppin.

I love you MORE!

-Elder Wheatley

"Perfect love casteth out fear"

Things are awesome. We hit the streets and with the spirit harder than I ever had on my mission with my new companion, Elder Wohlgemuth. He's a stud and a very hard worker. We have had great success finding legit people. Amazing. I'm extremely TIRED but am finally satisfied and fulfilled. I hope to be able to keep it up but I'm just exhausted. But happy.

I have a testimony about "the last 10 percent." Yesterday it was 8:30, dark, no lights on, and I was scared to knock cause it was so late. But I've truly come to love the people and perfect love casteth out all fear. Results followed. And I'm happy. 

Elder Wohlgemuth is from Brigham, he's a hard worker and we're tearing it up. He's been out 5 months. The spirit has been so strong and I am just exhausted. Although I finally feel like I'm on a roll... working hard, waking up on time (which is crazy!), getting ready on time, cleaning the apt, cooking dinner not just pb&js, etc. It's exciting cause I never thought I'd EVER get to this point. Kinda surreal.

-Elder Wheatley

Father Time robbed us!!!!

Hey Momma!

Thanks for the letter. As always, I loved it.
Sorry I won't have long to write. I was reading about Doug. So many memories come and I will have to hand write them later and send to you.

This week was... just another week I suppose. Which is not in the least a bad thing. Just another week. BUT... this weekend... That was something else was it not? Just when you think a talk couldn't get any better.... Boom! [ Exclamation point ;) ]

btw: it was so funny to see Gifford Nielsen stand up and think to myself, "Wait. That's a PHS alumni and BYU QB, not an apostle." Kind of made me think about what qualifies as an apostle. ANYONE! Even a little kid who almost burns down Vivian Park! Makes you want to step back, check yourself, and start living right... The Prophet might call ;)

I just loved General Conference and I think Father Time robbed us because that was not 10 hours! I should learn to be content, seeing as I got pages and pages and pages of notes, but I still want more! I feel so safe, as if nothing in the outside world matters, as I listen to conference.

The best part was being able to get a couple investigators out to Priesthood session! This guy, Cody, came and he loved it, especially, "The order of it all."

I'm staying in lOnOke. I'm happy. There are people here that I know I need to continue to see. I enjoyed very much the time I had to serve with Elder Casler. He is a great missionary, knows his stuff, and will be a power-bomb missionary.

I love being a missionary. It's showed me what I really have. 

Approaching my year mark I think that, "everything I just went through... I gotta do it ALL over again :/" But I am very optimistic and confident to see what's next, to tackle it with the Holy Ghost and the skills I've developed, and just enjoy the heck out of it! Exclamation Point.

Much Love,

-Elder Wheatley

ps: I love all the health food in this last package. It was all SO good! And I could eat it guilt free.

Mom: I LOVE YOU MORE!!!!!!!!! Love the pics with the b-day posters. BIG SMILE on my face. and you're so pretty.

Tell Sammy I said good luck and congrats!

Tell Dad I love him so much! I see him in the way I act it's funny. I go wait, that's something my dad would do.

LOVE YOU MORE!!!!!!