Elder Joe Wheat: August 2014

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

8/18/14

Man oh man... The weeks are going by so fast it is ridiculous. I blink and its Monday again. Time flies in the service of the Lord.

This week I just wanted to share a couple of experiences that meant a lot to me this week.

We had another lesson with Irene and family from the Congo. We brought another member who speaks french. We went in to talk about authority and it wound up being the member and Irene hashing it out in French. haha I had NO idea what was going on, but I did catch on that they were talking about baptism. I just had a thought go through my mind. "Baptism is not about joining a church." I literally called a time out and was like what is going on haha. He said that she was concerned that she had already been baptized and feels like she is already a member of the church. She feels great and church and loves us coming over, but she thinks shes already a member haha We tried to resolve it, but we have come to the conclusion that she will be baptized when shes ready! The spirit will tell her and its not our job to push it. Her whole family came to church and it was a great experience. There is nothing like having a lesson in another language. I had no idea what was happening but it was SWEET!

On Saturday, we had 5 appointments in the afternoon, and all 5 fell through. We did have a cool experience however. We pulled up to an appointment in a rough part of town, and our investigator comes walking up with a bottle in hand with a humiliated look on her face. She had a black eye and her fingers looked like they had no skin left. She apologized and needed us to reschedule. We asked if everything was ok. She told us that shed been staying at her nieces house across the street and crazy things have been going down. Her house was being shot up and a whole bunch of other stuff, but she was so embarrased that she was cancelling on us again. With tears in her eyes, she said,"Please dont give up on me. I need this. Please dont give up on me." The love and compassion I felt for her were unreal. We went and got her some ice and some bandages and when we came back, she had this look of gratitude on her face that I will never forget. I wish you all could have seen it. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

We met one of the most prepared people I have ever taught. His name is Fred King. He had met with missionaries before, and had an incredible experience while praying with them in which he came to know that God loves him. For one reason or another, they stopped meeting together, but he knew that if he ordered a bible on this website, missionaries would come, because they did the first time, and that is what he did. We had an awesome Restoration lesson with him and put him on date to be baptized on September 6. We invited him to pray at the end and he got really nervous saying, "I dont know what to say." We just said, say what ever comes into your heart." His prayer was as follows: "Heavenly father, thank you for these guys. I know that you sent them. Please don't let anything get in the way of this. I want to go to church with these guys, I'm ready to repent. Let nothing get in the way of September 6th." It was one of the coolest prayers I have ever heard.

When we were preparing for him a few days later, I started to feel uneasy about that date. It all just felt like it was too fast. I felt that he needed more time to make sure he was ready. Elder Erekson suggested we just go and see how he feels. Before we started we talked about how we wanted to go at his pace. He was so relieved to hear that. He said he had been waiting for this for a long time, and he wanted to make sure he was ready. He wants to go to church a lot and wants to make sure he has friends before it happens. Man he is such a solid guy! We had an awesome lesson of the plan of salvation and all is well with him.

My favorite quote this week comes from a member named Sister Heard. I swear, nothing bad ever deserves to happen to Sister Heard. She has been going through a ton lately. We were trying to help her out and she had this thought. "I'm too blessed to be stressed." Amen Sister Heard. Amen. All of us really are too blessed to be stressed. We have the gospel. We know God's plan. We have a Savior. Everything we go through is compounded for our gain in the long run. What do we have to worry about? Isn't life just great? I testify that the Savior lives and that the Holy Ghost is real. I don't ever want to live without it again. I know our Father in Heaven knows and cares about each of us. I love him with all my heart!

Elder Wheat

Our battle swords at a members house... Sick...

8/11/14

I pretty much hit the wall this week. I just felt like I was doing this work all by myself. It is stressful when you are basically in charge of 20 people's salvation haha. It is exhausting to feel like you are always falling short, especially when the work you are doing isn't yours. But I had a really cool experience. I received a call at 10:00 from the assistants this last Thursday telling me they needed me to give a baptismal interview about 50 miles away the next day (my first one btw... AHHH). We show up to this woman's trailer and we perform the interview in the front seat of her car. It didn't take long for me to realize that she was just like me. Stressed out of her mind by everything going on in her life. Her stressors were much more serious than mine, but it felt like I was talking to another me. She was repeatedly did this half sigh-half laugh thing that I always do which means, "I am stressed out my mind but I am trying to just smile it away." She was constantly feeling like she was falling short. I felt this overwhelming love and compassion for her. All I could do was smile and laugh with her and just tell her how proud heavenly father was of her. As the person performing the interview, I am able to receive revelation specifically for this person and discern the Lords will for this person. I felt that what I was feeling for her was exactly what heavenly father was feeling for her. All she needed to hear was "you are doing a good job." We talked and did the interview (she was gold btw). I got to share a couple of scriptures with her that helped calm her down. She prayed to bring the interview to a close, and she said, "thank you for sending Elder Wheat to do the interview. Its nice to talk to someone just like me. Its nice to know you always send people where they need to be.

It was one of the most memorable experience of my mission. I was pondering that hour for the rest of the day. Right before I went to bed, I had this question come to my mind "What would the savior say if I was having that interview with myself?" I felt that I would be telling myself the same thing I told her. I would smile and laugh and say "you are doing a wonderful job. You are trying, and that is all the Savior asks for. No matter how you feel about your effort, I know that the Lord is smiling on you and is willing to help you. He feels more happiness for what you are doing than disappointment for what you are not doing." Then he'd smile and give me a hug (which I did not do in the interview because that would be wildly inappropriate haha) and say "just keep going." This life really is all about progress and not perfection. We can still expect the best from ourselves without feeling overwhelming disappointment when we fall short. God did not "send his son to condemn the world, but that through him the world might be saved."

Notwithstanding my own personal trials this week, it really was awesome. We met a former Michigan football player, and he wants to meet with us!! But the real miracle happened on Wednesday. We went to go meet with the Clan again. We weren't sure how it would go since Ken dropped us. We were only planning on meeting with Becky. We were praying that a miracle would happen with them. We go in and not only was Becky there, but Dennis, Erica, her sister, and a couple (Lauren and Jack) that they had invited over to listen to us! We taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I felt that they loved it! They had tons of questions and it was so great! The cool part was when we started talking about the Holy Ghost. I asked them how they knew that the Bible was true, and Lauren started talking about the physical evidence behind it. I felt like I should ask, "Do we have proof that Jesus walked on water, or that he raised the dead." None of them could answer. We read Moroni 10:4 and broke it down with them. We taught that each of them could receive a personal answer from God to any question they have ever had and committed them to do so. They were really excited about that. Lauren especially couldn't wait to meet with us this week. She has a ton of questions, which I am thankful that the Holy Ghost has a ton of answers. That was just one miracle we had this week. We found some new investigators and are starting to make progress! I am really looking forward to getting out and working with them.

I must share how grateful I am for a God who answers questions. Who loves each of us enough to not only listen to our prayers but answers them. I received so much needed counsel from my Father in Heaven this week and I know that he can do the same for all. While answers do not always come quickly, they will come when we are truly ready to receive them. I have not received all the answers yet, but I have been given an assurance that he is there, and that he is listening.

Elder Wheat

African Party!!! 8/4/14

So we get a call from our investigator from the Congo call us on Saturday. She doesn't speak any english, but Elder Erekson was able to make out that she wanted to meet us at 5:00 at her sisters house. We brought a member with us to translate and we pull up to a house with a bunch of balloons. We were invited to a birthday party... We are invited in and immediately celebrated by about 40 Congoans (not sure what they are called). We look everywhere for Irene and we sit down and start teaching her the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Her friend who is a recent convert sat in as well as another who is investigating in the next ward over. It was powerful to hear there testimonies. The spirit is the same whether in French or English.

Near the end of the lesson, they start handing us plates and Irene stops us and says time to eat. Thank goodness we didn't have a dinner appointment... They brought out a major feast which included fried plantain, hamburgers, african donuts, chicken, and goat. MAN it was good. We asked Irene if they do this for every birthday and she says, "In the Congo, if we have and excuse to eat, we do it." All of this for a 1 year old! haha Naturally we had to take pictures with all them, so we start lining up and taking pictures. Then they say "you need to take a picture with my baby!" Before I could explain the rule to them, they just dropped their baby in my hands!!! Everyone was there and we had no idea what to do! haha Elder Erekson whispered to me, "you are so apostate!" and we just couldn't stop laughing! Funniest picture/memory I have so far.

We finished the lesson with Irene, and this is how it went. She says "you won't convince me I need to be baptized again, but I love church and I love the Book of Mormon." That has basically how our week went. Ken, the investigator that came to church last week dropped us because we had answered all his questions. It was heart breaking for me. You put so much into these investigators and these lessons. We pull out every scripture, analogy, and testimony we can, and it still is never enough. I started to feel a little discouraged. We have so many wonderful investigators. I see the spirit work with them in every lesson. I see their sadness turn to joy in one lesson, and it is like they forget as soon as we leave. If there was one thing I could say to every investigator, it would be this: Meeting with the missionaries can change the course of your day, but acting on their teachings will change the course of your life. I often feel like Alma when he cried out "Oh that I were an angel!" so that perhaps I might have a greater effect on them, but nevertheless, I know that the Lord is with us.

How I love the people of this city. I would do anything that I can to see just one of their lives changed by the power of the Book of Mormon. I know that it is true. I often have to remember the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith when he said, "Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed." I know that everything is going to work out, because the Spirit is a better teacher than I will ever be. I know that those we are teaching will be changed by him if they will just read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. In its pages are the words of Christ, which are the words of eternal life. I know he lives!!! How grateful I am for him. It is I, who owe him my heart and devotion. I stand all amazed.

Love you all!!!

Elder Wheat

The coolest and nicest people in the world. I love the Congo!

There is a running joke in our ward that Elder Erekson and I are vikings, so Bro Banner got us helmets. Oh yea...

7/28/14

Looking back on this transfer, is is unreal to see how merciful the Lord has been to us. So many miracles. This last transfer, we have found 26 new investigators, and 9 this week and I can't tell you how much I love everyone of them!! I swear we got it all this week. We had a full day of 6 appointments and 5 fall through and we saw miracles at church. It was just so great.

Ken and Becky came to church as well as a family from the Congo (thank goodness we have members that speak French.) Ken absolutely ate it up. He would just nod his head the whole time and I swear he was on fire the whole time!! He is so awesome! I am so glad to meet with them on Wednesday!

Sorry this email is so short but transfers is today and its always crazy on transfer day... We are getting 2 new awesome missionaries in the district and I am so psyched!!

The Lord really is so great. I wish I could explain the way I have felt this week... This area is blowing up. I am so happy to be here for another transfer!!

Elder Wheat