Elder Joe Wheat: 2/3/14

What a week it has been!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wanted to write about just a couple of miracles we have experienced in Battle Creek!!

We were out knocking doors before dinner one night. We had just finished knocking, and we started walking back to the car. I feel prompted to knock on one more door, and we met a woman named Claudia and her son Jake. She invited us in, and we got to know them a little bit. They are devout Christians and are really die hard in there church. We talked about the restoration and we read to her out of the book of mormon. She commented how similar it was to the Bible and she committed to read and pray about it! Before we left, she told us the that she wasn't going to join any new church because she loves her church and wont join any church that she cant follow along with the Bible. In my head I was just thinking, "You say that now, but just wait until you start feeling the spirit!" I have super high hopes for them! We are teaching them again next friday!

We are also having a Baptism this weekend!! His name is Jaques. He has been taught since last summer and at last he his finally being baptized!! He is a really big guy who is confined to a wheel chair so it should be an interesting experience but I am excited to be a part of it!!!

We met with a lady named Freida, who is less active but has a heart of Gold!! She is a super awesome lady but struggles with some of the commandments. I felt impressed to share this story with her:

There was a little girl who went shopping with her mother. They were walking down the toy isle, and these beautiful plastic pearls caught her eye. She begged her mom to let her have them and of course her mom gave in. This little girl went everywhere with these plastic pearls. She wore them all the time and never left the house without them. One night her dad came into her room. He asked, "Do you love me?" She says, "of course daddy!!" He says,"Then give me your plastic pearls." She says, "NO DADDY!!! You know that I love you, but I cant give up my pearls!" He says, "I guess you dont love me as much as those pearls," and he left. The next night, he came into her room, and she had piled up all of her toys, dolls, and stuffed animals. He asked, "Do you love me?" She said, "Dad, I love you. I will give you my doll house, my toys, my animals, but please dont make me give up my plastic pearls!!!" He says, "I guess you don't love me more than your plastic pearls" and he left. The next night he comes in to her room again, and finds her holding her precious plastic pearls. She looked at him and handed him her pearls, and said with tears, "Daddy, I love you more than my plastic pearls" He took them from her and put them in his pocket. He said, "I always knew you did," and pulled out a beautiful string of real pearls.

When I finished, Freida looked at me and said, well now I feel awful, and I got really happy because that meant the spirit was prompting her to change.

I have noticed that every one of us has our own plastic pearls. For a long time, I have struggled to give up my plastic pearls, but I have found that as I have started to do so, I am seeing heavenly father pull out a beautiful string of new pearls for me and I now realize how worthless my plastic pearls were. When ever we are struggling to keep the commandments, go to church, read our scriptures, or do anything else the Lord asks, we should ask ourselves, "What think ye of Christ." Our willingness to do what the lord asks is a direct reflection of how much we truly love our savior. Giving up our plastic pearls is a major act of faith, but the lord always comes through with a brand new string of real pearls.

The last miracle of our week came on Sunday. After church, a 17 year old young man named Tyler came up to us. He had been coming to Church for two months now and asked if he could be baptized. I about fell over. We taught him the first lesson last night and he is so GOLDEN!!! It was an absolute miracle, and I can believe I was able to see it.

I have come to appreciate our saviors infinite mercy more and more every day. I know that he lives, and i know that true joy is found as we come to know him, not just know about him. Each day that we dont remember him and what he has done for us is a day wasted. He makes so much more out of our lives than we ever can on our own. I notice how unhappy I get when I am not working as hard, and I notice that the only cure for that is going out and doing something for him. I actually love knocking doors, how sick is that? ahah True happiness is found in the service of our God. There is no other way!

I love you all!! Thank you for all that you do for me!

Elder Wheat