Monday, January 6, 2014

A Welcome 2014

Hey Everyone,

This week was absolutely amazing.  Life just keeps rocking it down here in Peru. I'm so grateful to be here and see the hand of the Lord so much in our work. This is the greatest experience I have ever had in my life. Actually, Tuesday was kind of hard now that I think about it and Wednesday no one was home for New Years so it started off really weird, but that's life. I'm really learning how to be happy with what I'm given and to not worry when things don't work out as planned. I am learning a lot about how to be more patient with God, myself, and others and am so grateful for that. The mission just keeps surprising me and I'm so excited for what lies in store this week.

So this week I started reading in the Book of Mormon (3 pages a day, remember you are all invited to join me too, it's not too late, I'm on page 19 after today). Alright, so I just love reading the Book of Mormon so much and this week was absolutely amazing. I was just going to read it all so fast, but I get caught studying the footnotes everyday.  I am so grateful for the scriptures in our lives. They are so amazing and I just am filled with the Spirit every time I read. I've been trying to study Preach My Gospel more and in more depth too and I can feel the difference. I love reading, studying, and pondering the scriptures so much.

On New Years I definitely enjoyed all of the fireworks and the pure awesomeness. It's a little weird thinking that I won't get to see another one in Peru though. So there was no way I was going to sleep before the fireworks, but I did want to sleep. I thought, that would be kind of cool to wish my family a Happy New Year at there time, but definitely didn't want to stay up until 2. Well, it almost worked out. The fiestas were so crazy all around us and the music was so loud that my ear plugs pretty much didn't do anything. Peruvians definitely know how to party. Well, the last thing I remember was looking at my watch and seeing 1:55. I'm glad I finally got to sleep, but it's funny that I only had 5 minutes left until your New Year. I hope you all enjoyed it so much. That sounds so awesome about the sky lanterns.

This week I had one of the coolest experiences from my whole mission. My spiritual experience this week came one night as we were heading home. It was like 8:55 and I felt there was still something to do. I didn't feel like we could enter another lesson because it would take too much time, but I felt there was something. Gotta be honest here, we always are eating late and get home pretty late so I was wondering if I should just let it go so we could get home early instead of late. I said a prayer that Heavenly Father would guide me and then tried my best to be open to the Spirit. I didn't know if it was a door to knock or what but I just walked down the street trying my best to listen to the Spirit and then a guy called out ''elderes''. I knew we had to talk to him. It turns out he's a member from Iquitos and is really inactive, but has never forgotten about the Church. Actually, he was enjoying a nice cold beer when he called out to us. We got to teach him and his family this week and he went to church with them yesterday. That was so special to me and I'm so grateful I was open to the Spirit and that the Lord guided me to His lost sheep. So awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I also saw a lady with a Mormon Helping Hands shirt on and said hermana, and she just said, ''you're confused''. I thought ''no, I wasn't, but now I am''. Funny stuff.

Alexis is a joven that accompanies us and he's so cool. He read from 2 Nephi to Alma 20 in one day and just wants to be the best he can be. We met a really cool guy yesterday who said he just wanted us to teach him religion. And then another kid ran up to us in the street and said he was a member who was looking for the church. He was baptized last week, but came to live with his mom. He's 11 and that's a lot of courage. 

Things just keep going awesome down here. Sacrament meeting was so full yesterday.

Oh yeah, and I saw a commercial with Ricky Rubio playing for the Timberwolves and it was awesome!

Have the best week ever! And enjoy school starting up again!!!!!!! I love you all so much. Thanks for all of your love, support, and prayers.

Love your hot and sweaty friend,
Elder Aaron Micah Wheatley



Santa in Peru!


Christmas with Familia Santiago

Drinking mate from Argentina ("Kind of weird but I liked it!")

Chowing down on pizza -- YUM!

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