GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

This week was pretty awesome, but more than anything I am just so PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN! I love the US of A more than ever and enjoyed singing the patriotic songs in the hymn book yesterday. It's kind of a weird feeling right now, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Pretty much all week I was just thinking about how much I love Perú and how much I'm gonna miss it. I've become so used to all the things that used to make me feel so weird and uncomfortable. Now it feels like my second home just like everyone said it would (I especially remember Nomi talking to me about that). It definitely has a big place in my heart, but then this week reminds me of what it's all about.

I love America so much and am so grateful that I was born in that land. We have all been blessed so much by God's hand. So yeah, I could just rant and rave for like 10 hours about all of that, but probably not the best use of my time. I just hope you all enjoy the week and have the best 4th of July ever. I'll definitely be thinking about all of you. Have fun with the fireworks and know that next year is just gonna be even better. I love the USA so much!

The mission continues to be awesome and I continue to learn so much everyday. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

So about Hermana Charo, our landlady, and her baptism. We taught her about only having one earring and she took out the second one right away. She invited us over to eat breakfast on Sunday before we went to church and asked for forgiveness because it was day old bread now that she knows she shouldn't buy on Sundays (that is so amazing, I would say about 99% of the members don't understand they shouldn't buy on Sundays), and she is willing to pay tithing on the little money she reserves as support from her son. Her daughter also went in for tests and they found cancer again, but Hermana Charo is going strong. She is so full of faith and I hope I can come back to visit her someday. She is just so so so special.

I got an email from Rosa the wife of Luis Vigo (the first guy I baptized) and she told me that her daughter, who lives in Spain and was less active, is now going to church and her husband was baptized and her daughter will be soon. That is just so amazing.  YOu can never know how far the things we do can reach. I never imagined this and the mission is just so amazing.

In my studies this week I was able to finish the words of King Benjamin. It was really different this time as I meditated about taking Christ's name upon us or being called by His name. I reflected on the covenants we make at baptism and in the temple too and it's really cool to read the same scriptures at different times in my life, after making more covenants and having more knowledge. It all becomes clearer as we are able to combine it all and it never ceases to amaze me how simple and powerful the covenants we make with God are.

My miracle for the week was yesterday. We had met a family that lives way far away and the son had committed to coming to church. He was so excited from the first time we invited him to go to church. The meeting had already started and I had kind of just accepted that he wasn't going to make it. Then my companion said we should go out and call him. He said he was on his way, but from my experience I just didn't think he was going to make it. We waited for a couple minutes outside and then out of the nothing he just appears walking. It was so great to see him and then during church he was really helped by the young men. They became his friends really quickly and stuck with him all day. He's 16 and we're teaching his family. They're great too and we're going to help the whole family go this week.

It sounds like the World Cup is going great. Just happy once again to be on the mission. It's really weird how those things that were so cool before the mission just don't seem to be as important now. It's cool to hear about it all, but I'm just too happy doing the Lord's work to even think about being distracted. Not saying I'm perfect, but I sure am trying. Thanks to all of you guys for being such great examples to me.

I love you all more than I could ever say. I hope you have the best week and 4th of July ever. I pray that God blesses America as He always has. We are so blessed to live in such a promised land.

Love your happy as ever boy in the other promised land,

Elder Aaron Micah Wheatley

My dominion by day (Catholic church in the background) ........

and by night

Our wonderful landlady's baptism

Amazing maracuyá (gonna miss this fruit).

 

Classic Nephi pic

Besos de moza (still my weakness)

Blessed Water

More adventures,

So I forgot the last 2 weeks to write you all about the water situation going down here in Villas de Ancon. So they got electricity not that long ago, but they're still a long ways away from getting running water (welcome to Peru). Oh yeah, so just so you know. Pretty much everything here in Peru is done backwards. Like in the US the streets and electricity and water is all set up, then the houses are built. But here, they just throw a bunch of houses together and somehow kind of make it a little more organized as they go and try to get the government to recognize them as a real place where people live.

Well, it's not as bad as it seems. There are these huge trucks full of water that come by every day and start making all sort of ruckous at like 6 in the morning honking their horns to let people know that they have arrived. So we have a 1100 liter tank that we fill up with water like once every week or week and a half and that gives us the running water in the house. Still not sure about the toilet, I guess there has to be a septic tank or something, but I don't really want to ask. So last week on Sunday my companion just says that he has bad news, there wasn't any water in the tank. That was cool because it was like the first time since I was like 5 that I didn't shower before going to church. Just enjoying the good ol' times here in Peru. Luckily my deodorant supply is still in tact so no one died in church last week.

This week Hermana Charo was baptized. She is the land lady and lives next door to us. She's super cool and invited us over to eat breakfast 3 times this week. She liked messing around with us and was just putting up all sorts of excuses, but then she said she had decided and was ready. I don't know why she didn't get baptized before with the other elders there because she was way close with them, but I'm grateful I was able to be here to enjoy the experience. It was a super big blessing from Heavenly Father. Sorry, I'll try to get pictures next week. I forgot my camera today, super bummed.

Elder Schiess is a new missionary here in the ward too. He's from Manti and is super cool and the member that was going to baptize Hna Charo didn't make it (still don't know exactly what happened) so Elder Schiess baptized her. He said that ''the mission is the most different thing I've ever done'' and that's just about right. It's cool to remember me at the beginning of my mission and I just love looking back and seeing how far I've come.

In my studies this week I took pretty much the whole week to study Mosiah 3 and 4 and I still haven't finished. It amazes me how much time and effort it takes to really delve into the scriptures. There is so much to learn from every verse and I love all the hidden things that are now found to me. I'm excited to continue learning from the words of King Benjamin which I have heard my entire life and see them from a new light. 

My spiritual experience for the week was yesterday. We were searching for a house that we had contacted before, but couldn't find it. We saw a car stopped in the street so we helped them push it, but it didn't start. So then we kept looking and called the family who told us that they weren't home. As we were walking back I heard someone yell ''elderes''. So I turned around and saw the little kid with an older guy dressed in a suit and tie and thought he was from a different church or something. So then we talk and it turns out he's a return missionary who asks us if the area had been opened. He took us to his brothers house who isn't a member and it was his birthday. The whole family was there, 3 sons that are return missionaries, 1 preparing for the mission, and the dad who is less active. They live on the other side of Lima, but came for his birthday. I had just been praying to God saying that I was trying my best and contacting people and to bless us and then the little kid called us. I'm sure the family has been praying to help their brother and dad too and we had a nice little lesson where the family was able to share their feelings. I felt so grateful that God had answered my prayer and really humbled to think that He had also used us to answer the prayers of others.

I hope you all have the best week ever. Thanks for all of the prayers. I'm loving the mission and am so grateful I have been blessed with these 2 years to be able to serve my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Love your ever more grateful for water friend,

Elder Aaron Micah Wheatley

Return from Outer Space

Hey Everyone,

For real though. My area is such a crazy place. A member joked this week about how we have to take a rocket to get to our area (we actually have to take a taxi, but it's about the same). I'm loving it so much here though and sand is getting in all my everythings. It's a great adventure and I won't be forgetting it any time soon.

My companion is super cool. He reminds me a lot of Jon-Micheal George and Jordan Barrow mixed together so maybe that gives you all a good understanding. For those of you who don't understand, just know he's awesome and we're getting along great. It's fun to remember my friends back home and to maybe know how to be a better friend with him. We teach really well together and the little things that used to bother me with other companions just don't bother me so much anymore cause I don't really know why, but it sure is cool. He's a hard worker and we are seeing so many miracles. Maybe I should just name my area Miracle Land or something like that. It's something special. So he's from Argentina like I think he said from Tucuman. Just really happy with him.

In my studies this week I studied Mosiah 2 and a little of 3. It took pretty much the whole week to read and study all the footnotes and then remember some other scriptures that I had read that related. It's amazing to me once again how simply the doctrine is presented, but then how much we can learn if we apply our hearts to learning. I really liked the part about opening our ears and our hearts so we can hear and understand. I also studied the scriptures in Lesson 1 of Preach My Gospel about the Book of Mormon and praying and really liked learning once again in Doctrine and Covenants about receiving revelation and making our decision and then asking God.

My spiritual experience of the week was going back to Rosales. It was really special to be able to go back there and see some people that I had taught, but wasn't able to baptize, who are faithful members. It was great to be able to pass by some other people and present them to Elder Rodriguez there. We also went by a less active who I was teaching a year ago that was making a lot of progress, but has since lost his steam, he got really excited and felt the need to go back to church. It was just really great to see all of those people and help them come even closer to Christ. I just felt the Spirit testifying to me that our work really does reach farther than just the couple weeks or months we have in an area. A joven that is preparing for the mission (Josafat) accompanied us the whole day and that was definitely the most special because I was led to find him, teach him, and baptize him over a year ago. I was able to remember how I felt back then and how it just felt natural, but now looking back it was all the hand of the Lord. That was one of the most special days of my mission.

It was great to see Hna Eva my old pensionista and just feel at home in her house. She was always so nice to me and I'm grateful for all the love she shows the missionaries. She reminds me a ton of Oma and that's fun too.

So, the World Cup is pretty cool. It hasn't been too bad on our work, it's just fun cause everyone is super excited. I of course hear all the updates so that's great too. It's weird to me though how little interest I have. I mean, I like it and it's cool, but I'm just so happy to be working and giving my all to God. I'm grateful for sports and I'm excited to watch them after the mission, but for now things are just too great to miss in the work.

Oh yeah, sorry about last week. 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

I hope it was a great day for all you fathers out there. I love you so much Dad and Opa and Papa too. And all my uncles and cousins and just everyone. Thanks for being such great examples to me.

I hope you all have the best week ever and know that you are all in my prayers. I love you more than I could ever say and am loving it here in Villas.

Love your intergalactic missionary,

Elder Aaron Micah Wheatley

 

Josafat -- one of the coolest guys ever!

Villas de Ancon at night

 

Toothbugs

Hey everyone,

You won't ever believe it. Miracle of the week. Well, first of all to get you all updated.

I am currently serving in a ward called Miramar. It is the very last part of Lima called Ancon. I'm actually serving in the part called Villas de Ancon. It's like nothing I could have ever imagined. It's like 30 minutes away from the church so that's cool and I just feel like I'm in Mars sometimes. It's just a ton of dust, 0 roads, and a little bit of hill, but not too bad. The people there are mostly poor and have come from all of Perú to find work in Lima. It's crazy, but I have seen so many miracles too. I'm loving it and could never have imagined to be here. It's actually right next to my old area of Rosales in the stake Puente Piedra and God must have a great purpose for me to be here.

My companion is Elder Sayoud. He's from Tucuman, Argentina and he's a pretty cool guy. We've had a great week together and I'm looking forward to learning some more from him. He played rugby before the mission and is super funny.

So yeah, the miracle of miracles. I was looking through an old hymn book in Spanish and saw Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam in Spanish and thought that was super cool. So I was about to put it down and then I saw 3 great words ''Lavémonos los Dientes'' I could hardly believe my eyes. I had found The Toothbug Song in Spanish. I sang it loud and proud and thought a bunch about Oma. Thanks so much Oma for always singing to us. I sure am looking forward to singing with you again and anyone else that wants to join us. That really was just too cool to even describe. You Wheatley's should all understand, but for everyone else, my grandma would always sing that song to us before bed when we were together and so I kept the tears in.

Oh yeah, so for reals. I am definitely living on Mars. I really can't describe it. I just live so far away from everything else, but the people made the effort to go to church. I wrote this part to President

My spiritual experience was definitely how the three people went to church. Matt has been really excited for his baptism, but his sister loves being Catholic and says she feels so good when she goes to church. We just kept inviting her and helping her to understand all the good that she has felt as she has read the Book of Mormon and she committed to going to church. We were afraid we were going to be late, but they were all changed and waiting for us at the main road to take the car to the church. After she said she felt good, but it wasn't the same as the Catholic. She just kept saying that it's good, but not as good. Well, she said she can't miss her brothers baptism and said she's willing to go again and that she's going to keep reading in the Book of Mormon so we'll just keep helping her along the way. She really wants to know and God is working things out for her. Hermana Charo also told us she wasn't going to be able to go to church. So we invited her to accompany us to the baptism of the elders in Miramar. She went and really enjoyed it. We just kept talking about her being baptized on the way back too. Then the next day she came over and told us that she was going to go to church with us. God is really working miracles here and I'm so grateful to be in Villas de Ancon.

It's just so cool being here and I'm really happy. I was able to see Josafat who I baptized over a year ago in Rosales and he said he's working on his papers for the mission. He's the one that read the whole Book of Mormon before his baptism and one of the greatest spiritual experiences of my entire mission. I love him so much and know he must be a part of the reason that I'm here agan.

I love you all more than I could ever say. I hope you have the best week ever!

Have tons of fun this last week Johnny. And everyone that can just give him a huge hug for me. You're going to do great things in Scotland and Ireland.

Love your happy and not toothbug laden friend,

Elder Aaron Micah Wheatley

My new companion Elder Sayoud from Tucuman, Argentina

Here I am in Villas de Ancon  -- kind of looks like Mars!

The Toothbug Song in Spanish!!!!!

Gone Fishin' !

Yep, I went fishing. So good!!!!!! Didn't catch a single thing and I think that makes it even better. Just a man and nature and of course my companion and other missionaries and the branch president and some other fishermen, but it was so awesome! I'll let the pictures do the talking on this one.

So I learned a ton this week and I couldn't ask for anything more. It turns out that my run in Barranca is coming to an end, but I'm really looking forward to some new adventures and some new people to learn to love. It's gonna be so awesome. Every change has helped me learn and grow in so many ways and even though I'm gonna miss a lot of things here, I wouldn't have it any other way.

So now the updates. Maybe my favorite is that I'm finally in Mosiah. I love the Book of Mormon so much and every day I learn so much.

My spiritual experience is definitely with the family Vilcarino Valdez. They are a family of 4 that we found two weeks ago as we were late for an appointment but felt that we needed to contact that house. It's a huge house and I was just thinking that we were going to get rejected, but then the miracles started. A lady answered the intercom and then said she was coming out. It turns out she's been to church a bunch of times and her sister is a less active member. So we schedule an appointment for another day. It's been really hard to find time to meet and we were able to two times, but then this week happened. On Wednesday we were able to go teach them and it was one of the most Spirit filled lessons of my entire mission. It all just flowed and was so complete and clear. They all understood so well and the daughter Jumiko (9 years old) kept asking such great questions. The mom, Ivon, asked what their daughter needed to be baptized and we were able to explain that we weren't going to baptize her alone, that it's something to be done in family. They all understood so well, Abel the dad, Ivon, Junior, and Jumiko. I don't know if I've ever taught so clearly, simply, and directly and I know it all came from God. It felt so good to be an instrument in His hands to help this family understand what they need to do to come unto Christ. Yesterday they didn't go to church because of problems in the chacra, but we were able to go and have another Spirit filled lesson with the branch president and his wife who are long time friends of that family and I know that together we can help them come unto Christ.

Yeah, it was super hard when they didn't go to church, but then I just remembered what Elder Waddell had said. That a missionaries faith can't change the agency of a person. Then I was thinking about why sometimes my fasts aren't answered like I thought they would be and I realized that it doesn't all depend on me. They have to show and exercise their faith too. That really opened up my eyes and I hope it helps all of you guys too.

Juan Snatana is a real cool guy that was inactive for 35 years. He got up and bore his testimony, which was great, but we'll help him understand a little better what exactly is a testimony. It just felt so good to know that God had used us to help one of His children come back home though.

My companion and I had a little tustle this week. I mean, I think that happens in all companionships, but it was so great how it all worked out. We both tried really hard to understand the others point of view.  I'm learning so much about that. I've been praying to be a better listener and Heavenly Father has blessed me so much. We don't have to agree with others points of view, but being a good listener means understanding (or at least trying to) what the other is feeling. I hope I can remember this for the rest of my life.  I'm so grateful for the time I've had with Elder Dorado, he's so awesome.

I just was thinking about how I should be able to learn more from others than they could ever learn from me. Then I thought more and realized that I can't just depend on others to help me change. I should be trying my very hardest to serve and love them and during the process I will be changed. I think we should always feel like we are giving our all and at the same time feel like we are receiving more than we are giving. That sounds like a healthy relationship to me.

I read an awesome article in the Liahona called Hardships are the Blessing or something like that written by a mom in New Zealand. She said that she thought being a mom was going to be mostly amazing and so happy with some times of hard troubles, but then she realized it was really the other way around. I feel that way about missionary work and am so grateful it is that way. We are all able to grow so much from our covenants because God trusts us to be able to handle the hard times too.

So two quick awesome quotes.

''Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.'' - Mark Twain

''The object of this existence is to learn, which we can only do a little at a time.'' - Brigham Young

I'm so grateful for every step I'm taking and that I can help others take steps towards Christ and perfection too. You should all definitely read Hebrew 6:3 especially the Joseph Smith Translation.

Pretty much it was just an awesome week on the mission. I continue to learn and grow in so many ways and I love hearing from all of you. Thanks for the love, support, and prayers. 

Have the best week ever!

Love your ever growing, progressing towards perfection, friend in Perú,

Elder Aaron Micah Wheatley