Coolness

So good,

Well, I didn't write a single thing down this week to share with all of you so this is gonna be different.

A couple cool things that happened this week are that I finally started to write in my journal again. I've been really lacking because at night I always think about writing or whether I should try to be at least a little obedient and get to bed. This whole zone leader thing really does take time.  (We are off to Lima a little later today for the leaders meeting tomorrow.)  It's a crazy, but awesome life.  I'm so grateful for all I'm learning too. Well, I was talking with my companion and he asked why us (North Americans) usually write in journals. I explained that before the mission I wrote for like 3 years, but had stopped out here on the mission. So then I talked about how I always did it for my future wife and children. Then I was brushing my teeth and I just decided to do it. Now I'm even a little less going to bed on time, but I know my family will be grateful that I'm writing. I'm just going to try to do all that I need to faster so I can get some more sleep.

I love Sundays here in Barranca. I used to just feel really disappointed because so many people would tell us they would come and then wouldn't ever make it, but I feel really different here. I'm loving it and just feel there are so many people ready to hear our message. And even though it's a branch, it's just really fun. There are still kids running all over the place and screaming, but I'm learning to help instead of just complain. The members here are really cool too and I love them.

We had an awesome family night last night in the house of a member and a bunch of less actives came that we invited. There were like 36 people which is almost half of the people that go to church so that was pretty cool. It was really fun. I just feel really close to these people in such a short time. I'm learning how to be a better missionary and am loving this time more than ever.

Life is just really good. I'm enjoying the greenness and feel like I am becoming a much better person too. I am so grateful for the mission and for all of the changes that God is making in me.

An extract from my letter to President.

My spiritual experience of the week was when the hermanas from Jardines called us to please help them with their baptism. The girl (who is the daughter of the branch president) is terrified of the water and no one really knows why. We tried to help her, but she just wouldn't do it. We talked with the branch president and he said there was another girl that was baptized, but her record wasn't made and she didn't want to do it again. We talked with her to see if she would do it to show the other girl that baptism isn't scary and that got her. Before she just didn't want to be baptized again, but then she thought about helping someone else so she was willing. We had the interview right then and it was a really cool moment to know we were exactly where we needed to be exactly when we needed to be there. The next day she was baptized and even though the branch president's daughter entered the water, she still refused to do it. It was a special experience to know that we helped a daughter of God (who is more than active in the church and her mom too) be baptized.

I'm so excited for General Conference this week. It's my favorite two weekends of the year and I am so ready to hear the words of living prophets. I am going to be thinking about all of you when I'm watching Conference and hope you can all feel of my love. I'm really looking forward to watching it with the family when I get home and of course the monkey bread. For real though, that stuff is heavenly.  Thanks for teaching me to love Conference and always making it such a special time.

We have met some really cool people here in Barranca and I'll tell you about them next week. Sorry I didn't write down more things. I feel super bad, but it's gonna be even better next week. Enjoy the pictures. Honest Abe just made me laugh and my companion thought I was weird for taking the picture, but I loved it.

I'm almost done with the Isaiah chapters in 2 Nephi.  They are so amazing. There's so much to learn and I'm enjoying everyday.

Have the best week ever and know you are all in my thoughts and prayers. I love you all more than I could ever say. Enjoy General Conference and just keep being amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love your happy as ever, life loving, best friend forever,

Elder Aaron Micah Wheatley

P.S. from Dayna -- 

Yep, I found Honest Abe just chilling in Barranca. He looks so peaceful, what a man!

And a view of my area, we're getting greener!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bucket Showers

Yep folks, I'm still taking my showers out of the bucket. The lady said she was going to send someone over today to get it all worked out, but let me just say...taking bucket showers was not on my bucket list. It sure is a fun experience from the mission though.

We went to The White Christ last week and it was super cool. I hope you like the photos and I'll definitely be taking a return trip before I leave Barranca.

I also walked right through a graveyard in the pitch black this week and that was just a tad bit scary. I was on a work visit though, so I acted like a man. It was really cool there though because there aren't any lights and the stars were so bright. I mean, in Lima you can't even see the stars sometimes so I was really happy. 

I also went on a cool work visit to a place called Pativilca this week and that was just beyond this world. The drive out there we cross a river and there aren't lights and I just stuck my head out the window and felt like I was driving down Provo Canyon. It was one of the most glorious moments of my entire mission and I'm looking forward to doing it again. Traveling at night is just so awesome!

I got to see Elder Poole this week (my MTC companion) and it was so cool to talk with him. We've both come so far as this mission just flies on by. I also saw Elder Brimley who was my companion for like 2 weeks at the beginning of my mission in Faucett and he just radiates happiness. They are both total studs.

I got to talk with another elder about one of my old areas (Los Rosales) and he told me that Josafat is going strong. He's an awesome kid I was blessed with the opportunity to teach and baptize a year ago and he's preparing to go on a mission now. He's the guy that read the whole Book of Mormon before his baptism.  I love him so much. I'm so excited for him.

I was thinking this week about how I used to say when people would ask me how Mariah was doing that she was happy on her mission and that there were hard times, but she knew they would come when she signed up to be a missionary. I know now a little better what those hard times are like, but then I thought a little more and it hit me. Living the gospel is the exact same. When we follow Christ we can't expect it will all be perfect, but it will be better and I'm gonna stay on the path. Thanks for all being great examples to me of doing the same.

We met a cool guy named Isaias this week and I'll tell you more about him next week.

I loved brother Elder Andrew Woodruff's letter last week about how he hasn't seen as many ''visual fruits'' as he would hope for on his mission, but how he is still so grateful. I feel the same and am so grateful for the support of all my brethren and sistren out on the missions.

Thanks for letting me know about Oma. She'll be in my prayers extra this week and I know it'll all work out fine.

Oh yeah, and let me know about Jamie and Joseph too. I would love to know what your plans are guys. The mission is the greatest ever so come on out here. That's for everyone else too. I love the mission!

That's crazy about Perry. I'll be praying for him extra this week and EmmaLee too. I hope he can recover quickly from his surgery. I can't believe that so many cousins are out on the mission at the same time.

In answer to your question, a typical day is walking a bunch and teaching a couple lessons, but lots of walking and talking still. My apartment is alright, it has tile floor so that's nice, but not enough water to shower so we're working on that this week with the owner. About our mamacitas -- Yep, in the whole mission someone cooks lunch for all the missionaries, but we do breakfast and dinner.

I love you all so much and hope you have the best week ever!

Love your pal in Perú and buddy in Barranca,

Elder Aaron Micah Wheatley

Elder Garcia and I

My District

An awesome statue of Jesus out on the beach in Barranca.

My Zone

CORN, real corn. It's GREEN!!

A lovely hillside in front of the ocean.  (Wow, so pretty and I'm actually sitting on grass!!!!!!!!!)

A cool sheep I wanted to show you while we were doing service. 

Barranca!!!!!!

Hey guys,

Yep, that's right. I'm up here just chilling in my new area called Barranca. It's like a port city, kind of like Huacho where I used to serve, but a little smaller. It's super awesome though and I'm loving it so much. There's actually a fair amount of green and I almost fainted when we went down a road lined with trees and corn fields. I'M SO HAPPY!!!!!! Really it's just amazing to be doing the Lord's work, but it's even that much cooler here in Barranca. 

I'm in a branch for the first time in my mission, but there are more people that go to church than some of the wards I served in so that's cool. Not that there are so many people, but I was in some wards that shouldn't have really been wards...welcome to Perú.

The people here are really cool too. I just feel that they are so ready to hear the message. I feel so blessed to be here and am going to give it my all. The members here are pretty cool too and we had an awesome family night last night with like 20 people and had fun playing games and everything. I just feel so ready to go out and conquer the world. We're bringing back the elephants.

About Los Próceres in Los Olivos. I'm gonna miss that ward so much and all the amazing people that I got to meet there. We had a really special family night where two of the coolest families (the Santiagos and the Leons) and a couple of other people came and just said all sorts of nice things about me. I really haven't heard stuff like that in a really long time and it touched me a lot. When I thanked them all I started crying because I realized something. When I opened my mission call I couldn't say where I was going because I was crying and my mom just kept asking me where. I tried, but it wouldn't come out. I felt such a deep love for the Peruvian people even though I didn't know them. Well, when I was talking last week I realized that I was crying for those people for the family Santiago and the family Leon. They among lots of other people are the reason I cried. I didn't know them here in the earth, but my spirit definitely knew them and I'm so grateful that I came here to Perú where I have been so blessed to come to love so many people.

Things were kind of crazy this week and we're getting into the swing of things with my companion Elder Garcia. He's from Cuzco and is a really cool guy. We've got some great investigators and are helping a lot of less actives come back to the church. There was a really cool guy that went yesterday named Roberto and we're gonna help him. He has a great testimony, but needs to work on his conversion obviously because he's not going to church. He wants to do what's right though and just be expecting some miracle stories for next week.

My spiritual experience for the week was definitely yesterday. We had a noche de hogar and the family had assigned me to give the message. The branch president had told us that we were going to talk in sacrament meeting, but then said it was for the Relief Society so I had prepared something and felt like I could share that in the noche de hogar. There were quite a few investigators that went to the noche de hogar and it was special to feel the Spirit. I talked about how in this life there are trials for all of us and we can decide how we take them. We can ask God to take them out of our lives, or we can ask Him to give us strength, faith, and patience to be able to make it through. I've learned that so many times in my life, but last night was extra special and I know it's what God wanted me to talk about. It was cool because I was kind of bummed that I didn't get to give my talk, but then it turned out even better in the noche de hogar.

I was reading in the scriptures and somehow ended up in John 9 this morning and that chapter is so awesome. A gem if I say so myself. You should all go check it out. That blind man sure had faith and I want to be like him.

Thanks for all of your great examples. I love the mission so much and am praying for all of you everyday. Have the best week ever!!!!!!!

Love your friend in the land of green (as green as it gets),

Elder Aaron Micah Wheatley

ps. We don't have running water so I've been showering from a bucket this week. It's cool and cold at the same time. Gotta love it!!!!!!!!

Throwing the 'ol pig skin around -- what a nice break on P-day

Just chillin' in the park

Lovin' the BBQ sauce

Service Project -- moving bricks up the human chain

Carrying heavy buckets up the hill. SO COOL!!!!!!!That's something special in Perú.

Don't know what's up with my eyes but it was YUMMY Pizza

My family in Peru -- I'm going to miss them!

Here's Barranca -- Car ride with actual greenery outside

MORE GREEN!!!!!!!

Eating some crab -- good stuff.

It Rained!

Hola Chicos,

Yeah, so that was crazy go nuts this week. It not only rained twice, but thrice (cool word). It rained on Thursday enough to get the ground and streets a little wet and I thought that was pretty crazy. I hadn't seen that in a really long time. And then Saturday and Sunday it decided to make a trifecta or something like that. Well, it was really surprising and cool, but nothing compared to Thailand (shout out to Elder Ryan Tirrell) or just about any other mission in the world. Matthew is gonna understand me when I say that Lima is a DESERT. End of story. But I still love it here.

Last Monday was so awesome because we bought a bunch of stuff at the store and then made delicious sandwiches. I found some barbecue sauce, which is equal to heaven on earth and drenched that baby (sandwich) in good old American flavor. It ended up that the barbecue sauce was just about the only thing I could really taste and it was so delicious. I felt like Jake Knell.  I hope you all appreciate the awesomeness.

It was really fun because I was just being a goofball and doing all sorts of things. The best part was throwing around the football (thanks to the Aunties for sending that for Christmas) and just relaxing for a little bit. We went to a place with grass and it was just messing with my mind. I definitely wasn't in Lima for a little bit. It was so much fun and I just felt like I was hanging out with all of my friends. So, it would seem like you all know now what I'm gonna want to do when I get home.

We met a cool investigator that out of the nothing said Melquisedec Priesthood. Well, I've never heard that from an investigator before so that was super crazy. I sure hope she reads the Book of Mormon because I know she'll get a lot of answers to her questions there. She obviously reads the Bible a ton, but is still searching.

We got dropped hard by Angelo so that was pretty crazy. He just told us that he didn't want it while he was drinking his beer. I felt really bad for him, but knew we had done all of our part. We've been praying with our investigators and then giving them a time of silence to help them feel the Spirit as Elder Tanner Christensen suggested and it's been so amazing. Thanks so much Tanner for helping a brother out.

We did an awesome service this week where we threw bricks in a chain to build a house. It's something cool they do here in Lima. We just stand in a line and throw the bricks to each other. Then we carried a ton of rocks up the hill and I had such a good work out that day. I'm getting buff, well not really, but I'm not fat either so I feel good.

We met another really cool couple named Edwin and Ruth who are 7th Day Adventists like Fernando and Sonya. They were super friendly and gave us some juice and we talked for a long time. They're super cool and I hope they read the Book of Mormon like they committed to. They seem really happy in their religion, but I know they can be even happier. I'm so grateful to know that my family can be together forever.

I was reading in 2 Nephi 10:16 and it lead me to Matthew 12:30, Mark 9:40, and then Luke 9:50. I know we are with Him in this great work whether we are missionaries or not. I just feel so grateful to be working alongside our Savior.

I love the mission so much and am so grateful for everyone of you. Have the best week ever and know you are all in my prayers.

Love your amigo fiel,

Elder Aaron Micah Wheatley

I Love to See the Temple

Oh yeah!!!!!!!!!!

This week was absolutely amazing and I'm gonna be honest, this next week is starting out so awesome hearing from so many of you. I love you all so much and am grateful for even the little notes you send me. You missionaries out there serving, just keep it up, you are all such a strength to me.

So the best part of the week was definitely going to the temple. I ask for your forgiveness to those of you that can't go to the temple while on your mission. I know sometimes it's hard for me to hear that other people get to do cool things on their mission and I feel like my mission stinks sometimes, but I really do know that God called me here for a reason. I guess the greatest thing that helps me is knowing that we will all be able to be together soon (very soon) and go to the temple together. It was special this week, but doesn't even compare at all with going with my brothers and the rest of my family. Just keep doing the best you can, you are all in my prayers.

It started off way cool because we woke up at 5:00 and I was super proud of myself for waking up earlier than I really needed to, but I wanted to be on time. Usually I just sleep as long as I can so that was awesome. We got to the house of the Santiago family and waited with them. Their daughter works for a travel company that the Church sometimes uses and had reserved the transportation. It was so awesome because I walked outside and saw an honest to goodness MINI-VAN. I really had accepted the fact that I wasn't going to ever get in one of those in Perú and then my dreams came true. It also had air conditioning (which no car here has) and I felt like I was in heaven on my way to heaven, that was cool.

The temple was so peaceful. It actually turns out that we got there late so we spent a bunch of time out in the gardens and I just loved those couple of hours. It just felt so nice and that's why I love the temple so much. It was so special inside, all that happened, especially the sealing.  I just felt so peaceful. Maybe I didn't feel overwhelmed by the Spirit, but I love that simple and pure, peace and joy that God gives to us in His House. It was so amazing.  I'm so looking forward to feeling that feeling with more frequency at home.

Oh yeah, not so cool story. Some stupid teenage kids have decided that it's fun to just light up their dubbies (marijuana) on the corner not too far from where we live. Other cool fact, we live in Vipol (which stands for vivienda policía, or where the police are supposed to live). No one really cares and they were out smoking at like 5:30 the other day. Also, our neighbors were drinking like 2 days straight this week and that's actually not too uncommon, from Friday night until Sunday night or even Monday morning. Sometimes I just feel so bad for them.

We had a cool family night and made pretty much Norwegian Pancakes and I missed eating up at Nomi and Papa´s so much. They were delicious, but it's just not the same. I wanted to eat like 20 of them with Matthew and all the other cousins. Shout out to all the cousins: Megan, Maren, Jillian, Charlie, Mariah, Hillary, Aannaliisa, Katherine, Matthew, Joseph, Jamasen, Brianna, Mitchell, Hyrum, Lizzie, and Elijah. I guess you all know what I'm gonna be wanting when I get home. Have tons of fun together.

A lady that got baptized a couple months ago named Lucy has moved to Cajamarca (it's in the mountains) and is going to live there this whole year. It was cool though because she came for the weekend and I'm gonna see her again today. She's going to church there and is so awesome. She's the lady that I had cold feet to baptize and look at her now, so so awesome.

I was just sitting there waiting for the bus this week and the feeling of heat from the cars and the pollution in Lima, mixed with the smell of who-know's what, with the noise of everything, and the crazy lights going all around me made me think about how much I love Lima and how much I'm gonna miss it. The mission has definitely made such a huge turn from how gross I thought Lima was at the beginning. I guess we adapt to our surroundings.

We met some really cool people this week. We talked to couple and they told us that they were going to get separated the next day. It turns out that they are married (which pretty much never happens here in Lima) and so we were praying that we could help them. We left The Family:A Proclamation to the World and yesterday we passed by and they decided to stay together for their kids. They had liked what it had said and felt it was best for their kids and society.

Another really cool investigator is Angelo and his WIFE (also married, such a miracle) Giovana. He's a super crazy guy and we didn't make it on time to the lesson so we found him drinking a beer outside. He said he was hot so he bought it. Well, it was only one so he was still doing alright listening to us. When I saw his wife and she said he was her husband I said ''What a pity''. He just started laughing and said that she puts up with him a lot. He had a Book of Mormon and is super cool. He has actually lived in New York and says that he visited Utah so that was pretty cool. He is alright at English and begged my forgiveness  before he dropped a bomb (swear word) the other day. They're both super cool and his wife is really really interested. He thanked God in his prayer and then said that He is just going to have to deal with him because He created him this way. That was funny and I'm super excited to keep teaching them. He makes me laugh so much every time we pass by.

Frank and Katherin showed up to church out of the nothing yesterday and their family is sealed together. They are going to move to our area and say that they want to get baptized. They haven't gone to church in about 8 years so we're gonna help them.

Heavenly Father is blessing us with so many amazing miracles this week and I know if we keep working our hardest that He is going to continue to bless us.

I love the mission so much and am so grateful for this time. I miss you all so much, but am happy that I can help so many other people come unto Christ.

2 Nephi 9:54 was a great scripture I read this week. I am loving reading and really studying every day.

I love you all more than I could ever describe. Thanks for helping me all along the way and for your patience with me.

Have the best week ever and know you are all constantly in my prayers.

Love your ever learning and improving best friend forever,

Elder Aaron Micah Wheatley

 

Our ride in a mini-van to the temple.

The Santiago Family at the Lima Temple -- What a great day.

We visited a less active family yesterday who have a cool parakeet.