I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I really can´t express in words all of my feelings but I will try
to do my best. I wrote 10 pages in my journal just to get it all out and
on paper. I hope you all will take some time to do the same. To write
down all the things you are thankful for and how amazing God is.
Well I guess I should write, yesterday I found out that my Grandpa
(Papa) has stomach cancer and doesn´t have long until his next and
greatest adventure yet comes. It was like all the breath was sucked out
of my in one breath but when I breathed in I was feeled with comfort and
peace. The Spirit really is the Comforter I promise you that. The peace
I have received has been unlike anything else in my entire life. It´s
the most amazing feeling and it comes from our loving Heavenly Father.
I´ll get back to all of this but I want to tell you about Perú a little.
Last week we went into the city center and it was one of the
coolest experiences of my life. Well first, congratulations to Riley on
your call to one of the most beautiful places in the world, but Mom I
know I´m supposed to be here so I´ll just take a long vacation in Italy
some day. I loved seeing the architecture in the city center and
thinking I was in Italy for a little though. Also, congratulations to
everyone else on your mission calls. I can´t remember them all but first
and foremost Hillary this week, I´m so excited to hear where you will
be serving. Verina, Kristy, Miriam, Bentley, just everyone. I´m so
excited for you all. And that announcement about 4 weeks for other
languages and 1 for natives is just about the craziest thing I´ve ever
heard. He is hastening His work and really wow! When you get out in the
field and it´s the hardest thing you´ve ever done, don´t be discouraged.
I don´t really know how to say that. I guess I can use the words of my
mission prep teacher Chris ´´it´s the best two years, but it´s
definitely not the best 730 days´´ You´re not always happy, but the
happy moments are worth the pain and take away everything bad.
Okay, back to the city center. We got to go up on a hill and could
see all of Lima. Let me say that the air here is disgusting. It was so
smoggy and you gotta love it. I ate a double whopper at BurgerKing and
that was one of the best things that has happened to me here in Perú. I
love the food, but really nothing compares to a good ol burger. I will
definitely be looking forward to some BurgerSupreme when I get home so
to all of you still in el fabrico (the factory as the call it down here
because Utah produces so many missionaries) enjoy yourselves a good
burger or whatever is your favorite treat. We went bowling and that was
crazy fun, but probably the best part was just speaking English with my
friend and brother Elder Sines. He´s from Draper and he´s a gift from
God. He´s helped me adjust so much and I owe him a lot. I only wish I
can help some poor struggling new missionary some day like he helped me.
Well, I don´t want you to think that I´m dying or anything, it´s just
nice to have people helping along the way.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Everybody I hope you enjoy yourselves. I will be thinking of you all family but know that my heart is full.
I want to talk some more about Papa now. Really, you don´t need to
worry about me at all. I need your prayers but then really I just need
you all to be happy. I know Heavenly Father is watching over us all. I
felt peace immediately and I want you all to feel the same. I prayed
last night for a miracle if it was according to God´s will and my mind
was enlightened. I realized that the miracle has already happened. The
miracle is the life that Papa lived, is still living, and the legacy he
will leave. The miracle is the time we all had and have together. The
miracle is that we can love and be loved. The miracle is that we can be
together forever (which I don´t understand at all, it´s just so
amazing). The miracle is that we know the Plan of Happiness. The miracle
is the Atonement. The miracle is that ´´the sting of death´´ can be
swallowed up in Christ. The miracle is all we have been given from a
loving Heaveny Father.
I really can´t put into words my feelings. I am full of light,
peace, and joy. I don´t really want to say I´m happy but like Dad said
yesterday I know I´m going to look back and say ´´wow, that was awesome,
I learned so much. It was hard but I learned so much´´. I want you all
to know that you can receive the same feelings that I have. I think you
already have received them just from all the time we got to spend
talking yesterday. Just love and laugh together. It´s a hard time but we
can´t stop doing the things that are most important like reading our
scriptures and saying our prayers. I love writing it all down like I
said before and I hope someone else can be helped that way too. When we
focus on all our blessings there is no room for the bad.
President Dorius gave me a blessing yesterday and it was one of the
sweetest and most tender moments of my life. He barely even knows me
and he´s never seen or talked to Papa in his life but he knew by the
Spirit what will happen. I don´t want to go into too many details, but I
think everyone should receive a priesthood blessing because it will
bring so much peace and comfort. I am so so so so so grateful for all
the worthy priesthood holders in our family. I know the words come from
God. I know He loves us and wants to comfort us.
I also wanted to write some things I´ve been studying. Tanner wrote
about a devotional in the MTC that said we can all study together to
feel closer. I´ve been reading in Alma and of course Alma 17 is
extremely special to me at this time in my life. I also studied in Alma
29, well right now I´m in Alma 43 and I´m trying to read 6 pages a day
so I can finish for Christmas. Then I´ll probably start over and read 3
pages a day so I can finish for my birthday. I invite you all to read
with me this week if you want or to just share what you learn from your
own reading. I also want to share James 2:26 which I think was written
about Papa. ´´For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith
without works is dead also´´. He´s the greatest example of work I have
ever known and will probably ever know. He has shown our God by his
works that he is ready to inherit (or build more likely as we talked
about yesterday) his mansion in heaven. I´m so excited to see what he
can build with the most amazing materials I could ever imagine. I really
don´t understand what it´s like being together forever, but I know it´s
the happiest thing ever because I know that God loves his children.
Now back to the mission. For all of you going out when it´s hard
just remember that your companion is human. They´re imperfect but
they´re trying. Sometimes I wish I had a perfect companion but then I
realize it would be so weird to have a companion that wasn´t human. Just
work your hardest and I can promise you that you will grow in ways on
your mission that aren´t possible doing anything else. Like Mariah told
me I would encourage you all (especially on your missions) but really
throughout all your life at the end of the day look back and see all the
MIRACLES. I want you to write down all the things that you´re grateful
for but I also know there are MIRACLES everyday and we just need to look
a little harder to find them.
You wanted to hear about my companion and some of the members. My
companion is from Columbia but he looks like a gringo. He´s the only
member in his family but they are really supportive of him. I guess the
Church just isn´t where is family lives yet because they´re far out in
the country. He found the Church when he was living in Bogota and a
friend told him to go to the employment center. He was baptized 3 weeks
later and he´s a real strength. The members here are all really nice I
just wish I understood what they were saying more. Really though, after 1
month I have learned so much and I know the gift of tongues is real. I
am so amazed at it all.
About a package. Really, the thing I want more than anything is
peanut butter. You have to send all packages through the mail DO NOT USE
UPS OR DHL OR ANYTHING ELSE ONLY USPS. I think the best thing would be
to just use a flat rate box. Really peanut butter, honey, and some
Snickers. I don´t know, I can pretty much buy anything else I need to
here. Like Mariah wrote, more than anything I just love hearing from all
of you. It´s fun to just hear about your classes or your work or
anything, just be real. Your lives are so different from mine right now
so everything is interesting. If you want to buy some piano books such
as The Killers and Mumford and Sons and The Head and the Heart I would
love those when I got home. And Brianna make sure you´re keeping up on
the music for me. Oh yeah, that reminds me. Last week when we were
bowling I heard ´´One Thing´´ by OneDirection and it was so fun to think
about you.
I love you all so much!!!!!!!!!!
Know that I am filled with comfort and peace from the Spirit. I
don´t know if you´ll believe me but you don´t need to worry. I am so
grateful for all of your prayers though and I hope you receive strength
from my prayers for you everyday too. I think it was Aunt Melissa that
said ´´I hope you notice the blessings we pray your way´´ and know I´m
praying them back for all of you too.
I can´t express the feelings I have right now. I know I´m where I´m
supposed to be and I know that all that is happening is the will of
God. I have never felt like this before in my life and I am so grateful
for it.
I love you, wow just like yesterday.
Love your brother, son, grandson, cousin, nephew, friend, and whatever else I may be
Elder Wheatley
No comments:
Post a Comment