This week was just so awesome and so hard as
always. But ''Welcome to the life of a missionary Elder Wheatley,
that's just how it is!''
So Milagros did get baptized and it was super awesome. We had a great
couple of lessons with her mom this week and she just kept saying that
she felt it was too soon. We invited her to kneel down and ask God what
He felt was right. Well, to be honest I really had no idea what to say
and then I just felt like prayer was the answer. (Prayer is always the
answer in case I forget this week). So she kneels down and says one of
the most sincere prayers I have ever heard on my mission. She's been
passing through a lot of hard times lately and she just begged for
forgiveness with all of us there kneeling down. She said she didn't know
what she had done wrong, but she felt bad for it. It just reminded me
sometimes in my life, and I think the lives of us all, when we just
finally are able to give it all over to God. We had her keep praying all
week long and even yesterday at the baptism she wasn't completely sure
so I just tried to help her remember the answer she had already gotten
from God that it's what is right for her daughter. It was just so awesome
yesterday because Milagros' grandpa was able to baptize her and the
whole family is becoming more united. She's gonna go to the temple this
week with the ward and I'm so excited for her.
I was thinking about milagros (miracles) this week
and about some things that people shared with me at the beginning of my
mission. I remember specifically Mariah and Uncle Tyler saying that the
mission is full of miracles, maybe not huge ones, but a bunch of tiny
ones that can occur daily. I'm really trying to focus on those miracles
that strengthen my faith. I'm gonna try to do that after the mission too
because I'm sure God gives us miracles daily after the mission too, it
just depends on us to find them and recognize them. I invite you all to
join me on the ''quest for miracles''. This week I'm just going to do my
best to recognize the little miracles that God gives me daily and write
them down so I can see how truly blessed I am. I'm pretty excited.
Thanks to all of you for helping me learn such an eternal truth here on
the mission.
Oh yeah, way cool story from last Monday. We were
walking back from the church with the other elders after having played
around there. I had taken my football and was just walking with it in my
hands. Then this guy is in front of me and has his hands out like he
wants me to throw him my football. I was a little confused and thinking,
he's definitely gonna rob me and just run. Then I thought that no one
would just rob a genuine football in Perú so I decided to toss it to
him. He caught it and then said IN PERFECT ENGLISH ''wow, I haven't seen
one of those in 2 years''. So it turns out that Alejandro lived in LA
for like 14 years and is just a super cool guy. His English once again
defeated mine with ease so that was kind of embarrassing, but worth a
cool contact. He actually lives in San Isidro which is way outside our
mission and like the richest part of Lima, but his uncle owns a trucking
company by the church. He said he knew a lot of Mormons in Los Angeles
and knows some about the church, but that his lifestyle doesn't really
mix with the church. He was awesome though because he was about to swear
and I don't know how, but he caught himself and didn't say it. I sure
hope we can see him again because he's awesome, but if not, it's just
one of those special little miracles.
Probably one of the funniest experiences of the week
came when a drunk guy straight up threw up on my companion when we were
walking in the street. We were on our way to a baptismal interview so
we just had to keep going and it was so gross to just smell like beer.
Well, that's not exactly why it's so funny so I'll tell you.
I love my companion so much and he's the man, but
he's also one of the most noisy people I have ever met and can't ever be
still. I always talk to him about it, but I'm learning to just live
with it. He knows more English music than I do and is just always
singing (I mean ALWAYS, alright maybe not always but so much). He sings
in the shower, he tries his best to be quiet during studies but doesn't
always have success, and then he sings in the streets. Oh yeah, and he's
always banging things. He always has a beat in his head and he's not
very good about keeping it to himself, which is definitely difficult
during studies. So now the story. I guess that morning he had prayed
that God would help him not sing so much and so when he went along
singing in the street God sent him a drunk guy to throw up all over him.
He didn't tell me about his prayer until that night and I just laughed.
The good news is that he got to shower, the bad news....he's still
singing. Gotta love him though. I think he wants to change and we're
making a little progress each and everyday. That's life as a missionary
though. I love my companion.
A cool experience is that I dreamt in Spanish AND
Portuguese this week. I mean, maybe it wasn't that extensive, but I
definitely said ''eu falo portugese'' (no idea how to spell it) super
cool though. And the Spanish was definitely coherent and just awesome.
This week I just told my companion that if they
offered me the option to be able to serve for 2 more years I would take
it in a heartbeat. The next day it was harder and I told him I would
take time thinking about it, but then at the end of the day I felt I
would accept it again. It was so awesome this week and I love the
mission so much.
an excerpt from my letter to Presidente Archibald
My
spiritual experience for the week was definitely yesterday. We finally
got to contact this guy that we have been wanting to contact for weeks
now, but he always escapes us. So we talked outside and after asking
like 10 times he finally let us into his house. We taught the
restoration and it was super cool because he watches BYUTV and said he
felt that President Monson was a prophet because he can see a difference
in him when he has seen him on the TV. He can tell that President
Monson isn't like the rest of people on the earth, he has something
special. He said he didn't need to pray to know, but we insisted that he
should do it. He said he didn't think he would get an answer so my
companion used your example about putting metal in an outlet. So Omar
(that's his name) prayed and received his answer about Joseph Smith and
Thomas S. Monson too. He committed to being baptized on March 8th and
that was super cool. Then we had the baptism of Milagros and everything
went so well. Her grandpa was able to baptize her and her mom who is
less active attended. Then afterwards we had a lesson with an
investigator (Hilda) who had come to the baptism. She wanted to know how
long it takes to prepare to get baptized so we explained that it can be
in 2 weeks. We want to get to know her children and help them all be
baptized together and she accepted the baptismal date for the 8th too.
Yesterday was just really cool and I want to exercise my faith like I
did yesterday, but everyday. I know miracles happen and I feel so
blessed to be a part of all of this.
I love you all so much and you are all
constantly in my prayers. Thanks for being such great examples to me and
for loving me despite my imperfections. Have the best week
ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love your happy as ever best friend in Perú,
Elder Aaron Micah Wheatley
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| Cool sun rainbow thing. |
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