Elder Joe Wheat: 11/17/14

What a crazy week... This P-Day was definitely needed. If there is anything I have learned this week, it's that if we look for the negative, we will find it, but if we look for the positive, we find that too. It seemed like a rough week until I considered the blessings the Lord had given me.

I was on trade offs in Oscoda for a couple days, but Elder Johnson was a champ while I was gone. He put 2 more people on date to be baptized, Elizabeth Porter, and John Hoot. He is such a champ. He grows in his desire to share the gospel with every passing day, and it is very cool to see. Elizabeth came to church this week. It took a lot to get there, including spilling bean soup all over my tie and suit, giving a blessing to my "Missionary Mom" who made the soup, picking up Elizabeth, but we got there. She is so great. She went to the library the day before to make herself a study guide based on the pamphlets we give her, and a special sheet to take notes with. She loved it so much!! Man she is gold. Church was amazing. The spirit was felt and I left with a resolve to be better.

On trade offs we saw a family I saw last transfer, and I promised them that I would draw them a Lions logo for them. They are the sweetest family and I love them to death. I almost feel like they are my investigators. I am thankful I got to meet them!

We are fasting from our cars on Saturdays, and so we got to walk all day, but I honestly really enjoyed it. We got to walk in the snow on a Michigan back road for awhile, and it was gorgeous. I honestly didn't feel the cold at all. I feel like the Lord kept us warm. Earlier in the day we had a lesson with a new investigator named Nina, and older woman in the area. She is so sweet. She used to go to church all the time, but fell out of the habit. She goes through a ton, and has had all kinds of medical issues, but is able to take care of a home bound friend who lives in their home. We taught her the Restoration, and it went really well. She was so excited to get her Book of Mormon and when we asked how she felt about all this, she said, "Good. Really Good. Actually, I feel great. I feel like for the first time in forever, things are going to get better. I feel like I just want to go and do something. I feel like God is happy that I am doing this." It was so sweet to hear the testimony of a woman who was feeling the spirit for perhaps the first time.

For my entire stay in Grand Rapids, I prayed that I could see the spirit work on people like I am seeing it here. The pattern of revelation found in Alma 32 is most definitely true. If one has a desire to believe, the spirit will work on them, and they and the missionary will rejoice together. The spirit is doing the things that I cannot, which is a whole lot. He is there when we teach these people. The things the Lord is doing for this area is beyond me. I would say that I could have never imagined what the Lord is doing for us, but honestly, I felt like I always knew he would. When I got here, there was no one to teach consistently, but my companion and I knew that if we had faith and worked. The Lord would make things happen. We fasted and prayed that we could find 3 people that would accept an invitation to be baptized on a specific date. It was something that seemed lofty at the time, and it happened!!! This work isn't about numbers, but I am thankful to have met John Hoot, Maurice Clark, and Elizabeth Porter, and see how the Spirit of the Lord is tugging at their hearts. There is much to be done, but it pleases us to work. I pray this will be a week of growth, learning, and miracles. I am thankful to be doing what I am doing, and all the Lord is doing for me. Love you all!

His faithful servant,

Elder Wheat