I just gotta remember that this "ride" is all uphill and if I stop pedaling, I'm gonna roll backwards!

Hi Momma!

Still in Arkansas!! Woot woot! 

Yeah Benton is really nice. I loved PB and the members.

I was nervous when I got into church on Sunday (in Benton) because the ward was SO big and I never thought I'd get to know everyone. But I was able to meet quite a few and I'm feeling a little more comfortable now. I know I'm supposed to be here so I'm gonna work hard to figure out why I'm here and who it is I'm supposed to teach.

My companion is a kid from Thatcher, Utah named Elder Mathews. He's been out three months so I get to follow-up train yet again. It's fun but hard. Ever since I left Conway I've follow-up trained. These whipper snappers are keeping me young and obedient which is what this old fart needs. I believe it's divinely appointed for my sake. He's a good kid. 

PB helped me relax, be happy, and take it all in as I work; while being able to be bold with people when we teach. 

We have taught a couple solid people with some really good potential.

I'm just trying to stay focused on the work. I love this work and wouldn't want to be doing anything else right now. I'm just trying not to get complacent. haha. That'll be what gets me if anything. I just gotta remember that this "ride" is all uphill and if I stop pedaling I'm gonna roll backwards.

I have a feeling that good things are to come here.

I love you more!

-Elder Wheatley

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

I love this place....I love missionary work!

Alrighty!

So....

This week was just awesome!

As you saw, we were able to baptize Nate and Nomie; which also includes re-activating their mom as well as their non member dad coming to church. They're good folks.

But the highlight wasn't the baptisms, the 6 investigators to church, or the awesome member present lessons we taught this week; but the wonderful moment was when one of our investigators, Chad (Sister Reynolds brother), walked up to us after sacrament meeting and told us he's ready to set a date to be baptized for before the transfer ends as well as Anna (daughter in-law of the Reynolds).

Nate and Nomi and their parents and Elder Wheatley

It's been something I've been praying for very fervently for awhile now. There progression has been phenomenal in the past few weeks, leaps and bounds, and I know it's because of persistence, a strong support system, and love. It was a huge blessing, too, to have Melanie (from Spanish Fork) there. She, along with the rest of the family, helped Chad and Anna learn and grow so fast! Ike, the son in-law, I believe will soon want to be baptized too. It was difficult teaching them at first because they were kind of uncomfortable with us asking them questions or asking them to participate at all so it felt like I was just teaching a wall. BUT, the gospel changes people! Now, the lessons are lively and full of participation and questions by them and us. And it only took one lesson to do it. I love teaching these wonderful folks. They are like family to me now.

Nate and Elder Wheatley at his baptism

Other great things are happening and I'm so grateful that the Lord gave me the patience necessary, because it all is coming together now and it's exciting to witness.

There is still so much potential here and I am hungry to discover it for the next couple weeks I'm here.

We want at least three more baptisms before the end of the transfer. But it's gonna take some work. So if you could, please pray for the success here because there are at least two others besides the three that are ready to be baptized. We just need to help them realize that they are ready. I love this place. I love missionary work!

 -Elder Wheatley

Hi there Momma!

I'm glad I finally have a week that I can tell you all about!

Last Monday, after the news, was probably the hardest day on my mission because no matter how hard I tried I could not get the news out of my head. It was pretty hard Monday and Tuesday but by Wednesday I was A LOT better.

President Benson said, "There is no greater exhilaration or satisfaction than to know, after a hard day of work, that we have done our best. I have often said that one of the greatest secrets of missionary work is work! If a missionary works, he will get the Spirit; if he gets the Spirit, he will teach by the Spirit; and if he teaches by the Spirit, he will touch the hearts of the people and he will be HAPPY. Work, work, work—there is no satisfactory substitute, especially in missionary work."

I took that to heart and we went to work. As we did so I was happy! I'm also learning to relax and smell the roses. I felt like I was getting so pharisitical about rules that I felt like I was missing something. It was funny how relaxing changed my demeanor: on Sunday after my first speeding ticket and after the news of my Broncos lost-- I didn't care. I was still happy. Those things didn't bother me. There are bigger things to worry about. I love being in the world but not of it.

Haha. Yes. Now you can make fun of me because I finally got a speeding ticket! Guess who has two thumbs, a speeding ticket, and no money for the month of February??? This guy. haha. Guess who is slowing down now?? Yeah... Me :/

As for the work here, it's really good! We had four investigators to church!! M and D (brother and sister) are getting baptized on Saturday!! It was cool how we found her and fellowshipped him. We were supposed to be having dinner with guy and his wife (who we just so happen to be teaching) but they fell asleep and didn't answer their door or phone when we came over. As we were walking back to our car we saw M and started talking to her. She's so prepared! She had been to this church with her mom about 4-5 years ago and she loved it. So we started teaching her and we met her brother, invited him to basketball cause he wasn't too interested in sitting in on the lessons at first, and now he is pumped to get baptized and is a big participant in the lessons. They both had huge smiles on there faces all through church.

I love this area. I'm happy to be here because the ward is dope and the work is so choice. We are thinking of creative ways to find new people to make it fun because monotonous walking down the street is breaking us. haha.

I love this work and I wish people could know what I know, feel what I feel, and see what I see.

-Elder Wheatley

P.S.  I LOVE YOU MORE!!!!

Are your scriptures a souvenir or a practical tool?

Well... You about summed up how I feel about the Broncos going to the Super Bowl! THE BRONCOS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!!! i can't witness it :/ BUT THE BRONCOS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Last night, every door we knocked on we asked how the game was going. ;) Both Elder G and I are Bronco fans. :D

Our Stake Conference was so incredible too! Best part was that I was able to see some folks from Arkadelphia that I haven't seen in almost a year, including an old investigator that is finally preparing to be baptized!!

Tell Sam to start practicing his basketball outside cause in 9.25 months I'm comin for him! :)

The count down has begun :P haha jk  Really though, January has been SOOOO LOOOOONNNNNGGGGGG! I hate that I can see the finish line. I was JUST getting enthralled enough in this work that I forgot about all things at home! haha.

Now for a review of this last week:

This week I had opportunities to learn patience, not with others, but with myself. I had to realize I wasn't perfect and that sometimes things don't always work out the way I want them to-- even if I asked, worked hard, and asked again. My weaknesses were seen clear as day and I wanted so badly for the Lord to take them and make them strengths. I gave them to Him. I gave Him time. I couldn't figure out why He hadn't made me strong in them yet.

I soon realized that the word "time" isn't limited to a day, a week, or a month. For all I know it could mean two years or even a life time. He just wants us to keep trying, be diligent, and continue in patience with an eye on the prize.

I also realized that when you pray for patience, you get the trials (opportunities to grow) that come along with learning it. There is so much potential here. We feel like we have found it but then it falls through our grasp. We have felt knocked down time and time again. We are bruised and bloody but for some reason we have found a way to stand back up.

Ultimately I have found it through Christ and His infinite Atonement. Recently I have found it through the scriptures. We listened to a talk by Hank Smith, that you gave us for Christmas, this last week and in it I learned that just like an investor in the stock market, a diligent student of the scriptures will only profit if a person takes the time and effort to invest: "The more I invest, the more I profit," he said.

He also asked, Are your scriptures a souvenir or a practical tool? How do we individually treat the scriptures in our life? Do we display them and cherish them like a souvenir without actually using them or are the scriptures used often in our lives to inspire us and bless us like a well-worn tool?

As I took these principles into effect this week, I looked back on my scriptures and saw all the markings I made in the last week and what joyed filled my heart as I realized how much more my scriptures actually mean to me now. I love them! I don't want to leave them. I learned to find the hidden message instead of just reading the stories. And that, right there, has opened up so many windows. I found such a joy and love and desire to not just read the scriptures but to search and to find the message within. I figure that if Moroni could only write "an hundreth part," these things have got to be so much deeper than we realize.

Honestly, a month ago, I was concerned for myself when I get home off my mission in regards to reading my scriptures everyday. I know I need to. But let's be realistic... With life in the way, I see myself being so easily distracted. Watching ESPN or sleeping in can and will appear more attractive than reading the scriptures. Quite frankly this disturbed me. I don't want to fall back into the real world.

If it wasn't for hearing that talk... I don't know what would've happened to me upon return to the real world. But, now, I have such a greater understanding of the scriptures and I have truly learned to cherish them. I am excited to see how this will affect not just my life, but the work here too.  I am "holding fast" to the iron rod and I am learning to do hard things.

I will eternally be gratefully for this opportunity to serve and to give full dedication to the work of "the salvation of thousands, the saving of souls, YES!" (Mission song)

-Elder Wheatley

p.s. I LOVE YOU MORE than the Broncos being in the Super Bowl!!!

The Holy Ghost Doesn't Stay Out After Dark Here

Hey Momma!

Just a quick note so that you know how I'm doin. Things are great!

We worked all day deep in Pine Bluff and loved every minute of it. People would've thought we were crazy for going there but I didn't feel the slightest bit scared because I knew that that is where the Lord wanted us to be. We weren't there after dark. That played a factor. Holy Ghost doesn't stay out after dark here. Anyway, so many people were receptive to the gospel and we found some solid folks.

We found a guy from the Marshall Islands earlier this week. Cool thing was-- a week earlier I found a Marshallese Book of Mormon in the other elder's apartment. It was really cool how the Spirit took over in our lesson. At first it was hard to even understand all that he said and us to him. But by the end we mutually understood each other like we both spoke the same language.

He had seen missionaries in the Marshall Islands before but his grandparents told him that we worshiped Joseph Smith. After explaining the apostasy and the restoration you could tell a light turned on in his head. "So Joseph Smith is a prophet. He's a prophet. I know it!" It was awesome!!

He was so thankful that he offered us a cup of coffee before we left.

Next up: Word of Wisdom!

Only problem is that this guy works on Sundays and his schedule is unpredictable the rest of the week.... We'll figure it out.

Basketball with Prez was really fun! I never have seen him in that light before. He just seemed happy. 

All in all: a really great week. A real turning point for me. I was gettin a little trunky and lazy a week or so ago but noticed what I was doing, or wasn't doing, and turned it around.

I Love YOU More!!!!!

-Elder Bubba

"And the next day it's run run run"

Hey there Momma!

I don't really know how to describe this week. If you were in it, you woulda hated it. But now that it's over it was a pretty good week. One day we would have an appointment at every hour or even less and we were just go go go and the Spirit was so strong. The next day: NOTHING. No one out. No one interested. Felt like the Spirit said, "Sorry bros. No one for you today. Check back tomorrow."

But then the next day it's run run run.

Every other day looked gloomy and hopeless. The key word was: Endure.

But the other days made up for it.

This week is gonna be bike week. :/ Usually look forward to it but... Not here. Not now. People think we're crazy for even being outside. Then we say, "We're from Utah." Usually settles it.

(We spend most of our time in Pine Bluff. We have one investigator in White Hall. Our apt is technically in Pine Bluff. We have to walk about a mile to get into White Hall city limits to do any work.)

We have been teaching some amazing people. This area is SO ready for the gospel. I think Pine Bluff could use another set of missionaries. The fruit is so ripe. Just gotta pick it.

We are working with a wonderful gentleman named A in Pine Bluff. It's so different and amazing teaching him because he internalizes every bit. We could teach him a whole lesson on repentance. We actually did. It's cool. He's not jumping into it like how most people would. None of our investigators are. They are all really taking it to thought and praying a lot and studying. Neat.

Well. That's it.  Glad everything is going good back home.

I LOVE YOU MORE!

-Elder Wheatley