Aaron's Mission to Peru: What a Great Time!

Hola Everybody,

CONGRATULATIONS BRIANNA!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited for you to be playing softball and I look forward so much to being able to watch you play when I get home. Make sure you just do your very best and imagine I'm there cheering you on. Play your heart out on Tuesday and best of luck during your Orchestra concert too. I'll be praying for you and thinking about you tomorrow. Also, from the pictures of last week. YOU ARE GROWING UP WAY TOO FAST! JUST STOP IT! Alright, I guess neither of us can stop it, but wow. You are a lady now. I'm sure you feel the same as I do Mom. It's okay though, I guess that's how life goes. Mom, Brianna, and Mariah, you all looked so pretty in the pictures. I am so blessed to be part of your family. And let's not forget our handsome Dad.

Happy Birthday Hillary and Joseph!!!!!!!!!!! Today is a special day and I hope you are having the greatest joint/seperated birthday of all time. I loved reading Hillary's email and I remember those emotions really well, actually they still linger a lot. I think my emotions confuse themselves sometimes and they're not even sure what I'm supposed to be feeling. I love being a missionary!!!

We're getting a new mission president Blake D. Archibald and he was born in Brigham City so that was really cool to hear. He lives in Northport, Alabama right now and I'm pretty excited about it all. I wonder if Dad or definitely Oma knows him or his family. I just thought it was really cool that he is from Brigham City.

That being said, this week I gained such a strong testimony about President Dorius. We had a Zone Conference and it was so awesome. I was just reading 2 weeks ago in letters from friends about going to zone conferences and how awesome they were. I wanted to have one so bad and then within a couple of days they told us we were going to have one. I learned so much about being a better missionary, about how to use silence and above all teach with more unity in a companionship.

We watched a video and it was so awesome. It was about a group of kids in Thailand that got together and built a soccer field of wood and learned to play on it. Then they got invited to go to the land and play on grass in a tournament and we learned how we need to all work together as a community (ward). I just loved it because it was in Thailand and made me think about Ryan. Sometimes I get a little down because I think about my friends all over the world and how beautiful it is or the different experiences they are having. This time I just watched the video and was so happy for Ryan and all my friends and family without being jealous. It's just that one day I will have to go to Thailand for sure. It's about Panyee FC and I recommend it to everyone to look up on youtube if you can find it. Quality film!

Sister Dorius talked about Havasupai and about how we have living water. The people need to walk through desert sometimes and work hard, but the end is so beautiful and worth it all. It made me think about Jake and how Havasupai was thought about very often during high school, but how we never got to go. We'll go some day!!!!!! It's just a given. Way too beautiful to be true and so fun to think about great times back home with Jake.

Overall, I just remembered why I was on a mission and it felt so good. I learned so much from the Spirit and I have a testimony that President Dorius (and all mission presidents the world over) are called of God. His hand is in every aspect of this work.

Happy Ides of March this week. I don't know why I remembered that, but I thought it was funny so enjoy Shakespeare and something even more important. PIE!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, it's Pi Day this week too so make sure you get your healthy filling of that good stuff.

On the bus ride home a guy just started talking to me in English and it turns out he has lived in New Jersey for almost 30 years. It's pretty crazy to me how bad his English still was, but it was fun to talk with him. I got his address there and it's just amazing to me how small the world is, but even more how much Heavenly Father loves ALL of his children.

Alright, now on to Marco. He was baptized this week and it was one of the most special experiences of my whole mission. As I watched him go under the water and come back out I was filled with so much joy. He is so awesome and has read through 2 Nephi 2 and maybe even more. There were between 30 and 40 people at the baptism, which just might be my mission record and it was so amazing. He bore his testimony and said that he knows Thomas S. Monson is the Prophet of God. I was just stunned. Most of the people don't even remember who the living prophet is, let alone have a true testimony of him. That just blew me away. I am so amazed by Marco. After the baptism we talked about him going on a mission and he said he wanted to go already. That was so cool to me and I feel so privileged to be a part of the Lord's work.

This week we were really blessed to teach a man named Carlos. He is the husband of a member and has gone to church several times. We got there and he just asked us what he needs to do to be baptized. We had a great lesson, which was just more us listening to his life story which was really sad. He has had a lot of hard experiences in his life, but he is an amazing guy. He said he never was a kid because he had to grow up too fast so he does his best to help everyone else have a childhood. We talked about the Atonement and it was so special. Yesterday we passed by and he told us that he had to leave to work. We don't know when he will be coming back, possibly months, but we will try our best to stay in contact. He has truly been prepared by God and the gospel can bless his life so much.

Yesterday a young guy named Josafat came to church. We had talked to him in the street the day before and invited him to the church. When he was in Sacrament Meeting I just smiled at him and assumed he was some member I had met, but didn't remember his name. Then it hit me that he was the kid we met in the street the day before. He stayed for all 3 hours and had read the pamphlet about the Restoration we had left with him. That was a really cool thing because a contact has never gone to the church alone before. I have been seeing so many little miracles here in Los Rosales and am so grateful to be here.

Elder Figallo is my new companion and he's from here in Lima. He has 3 months in the mission and he's a great guy. I know we're going to do great things with the Lord's help.

I loved reading all about Abinadi, Alma the Elder, Alma the Younger, the sons of Helaman (Ammon, Aaron, Omner, and Himni (I hope those are there names)). They are such great examples to me and I know my mission will change me just like it changed all of them. I am excited to continue to read in the Book of Mormon and feel the Spirit it brings to my life. I receive so much strength and love that book with all of my heart.

I just might, hopefully, possibly, if all works out perfectly be going to the temple tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will be thinking about all of you if I do and so I'd like to extend an invitation. If we do go it would be for the 2 o'clock session and I invite everyone who is able to go to the temple tomorrow (at the same time if you can) too. I love the temple so much and so look forward to going through the Provo Temple again, especially with all of you. If you can make the time I'm sure we will all be blessed. If not, please just make sure you go soon, because I have no idea when the next opportunity will come. Go to the temple as often as you can because I miss it more than I can even describe. It truly is The House of the Lord.

Congratulations to Adam on his call and to Joanna Lam too. I was thinking about the Lam family the other day before you sent the email so please tell them and everyone else hi for me.

I love you all so much and keep you all in my prayers. Thank you for all the prayers you offer in my behalf as well as all the other missionaries serving.

Have the greatest week ever!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just go have a blast! Have fun with Oma and Opa too. Make sure you all play some good Phase 10 and Farkle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TTFN (ta-ta-for-now) Love you all,

Elder Aaron Micah Wheatley