Aaron's Mission to Peru: CRAZINESS!!!!

Buenos Dias,

Yeah, this week flew by faster than...not really sure, just super duper fast. I've gotta do better at writing stuff down because it just all mushes together. Crazy how time just keeps playing tricks on all of us. I hope you are all having tons of fun back home too.

The only thing I wrote down was to thank Nomi for the birthday card she sent last week. It was really cool.

So now, here goes. I think the coolest things this whole week have been my experiences in the Book of Mormon. I was able to give a talk in Sacrament Meeting about the Book of Mormon and there weren't words in any language to describe my feelings. I love the Book of Mormon so much and am so grateful we can read it everyday. I called it my magical world in my talk and that's about the best I could do.

This is what I wrote President. What a great man!

In my studies this week I loved learning about the people of Limhi and how their desires that were a little too strong led them into bondage. I really liked the parts where it said when they relied on the Lord they were blessed, maybe not liberated but at least relieved for a little, but when they didn't even think of Him, they were destroyed. I'm really excited to read about Abinadi this week and learn about standing up for what's right even when no one else does it. I also learned about the importance of our leaders. It's like you said a year ago that one of your leaders told you once that the members will follow their leaders. So we always need to make sure we are a righteous example to others. In our companionship studies we continued to learn about how to extend better commitments and help the investigators keep them. There are so many people who are willing to do what we ask them in Villas so we just need to help them understand what is most important and how it can bless them.

My spiritual experience for the week was meeting Maria Esther. I was coming back from a companionship exchange and we were waiting for the other elders. This lady just came up to us and I thought she was for sure a member. Then she told us that she had almost been baptized so many times in her life but was always moved in her job when the time came. The last time she was going to get baptized on a Saturday and her work told her she had to move on Friday. She's been searching for the Church here in Ancon since April and found it a couple of weeks ago. She said she wants to be baptized so badly. She actually lives in the area of the hermanas, but works in our area. They were able to visit her this week and now she has a baptismal date. It was amazing to be able to see the happiness on someone elses face to feel like they can finally receive the blessings of a true baptism.

I went on a companionship exchange with Elder Sutherland from Redding, California this week. It was so cool to be able to make another great friend on the mission. He's just starting out and I'm so excited to him. I feel so good knowing that he is able to be part of such a great mission. Maybe things weren't exactly like I hoped or wanted when I started the mission, but I feel like God has been able to change so many things here through President Archibald and many of the missionaries. I've really been trying to give others what I wanted and that makes me feel even better than if I would have had it myself. Things here have never been terrible, but they are so much better now and I'm grateful I was able to be a part of it. It's really fulfilling and maybe that's what parenting is like. Sometimes it seems like things aren't really working out, but when we are able to give something better to those we love it feels so great.

Elder Sutherland is a total stud. We were doing a service later in the week and I hurt his finger with a metal pry bar. It scrapped off some skin, but he was a total man and didn't even say anything. I helped him clean it and he didn't even say anything when I poured alcohol on it. He's got it down when it comes to music too and you all know what that means to me. I know these next 2 years are going to be so cool for him and I'm grateful I was able to make another great friend in the mission.

We've got a lot of people who are so ready and willing to do what's right. Thanks for all the love and prayers. I love you all so much.

I hope you have the greatest week ever and enjoy the weather. It got colder this week, but I'm still doing good. It's all just so fun. I love Peru so much.

Love your boy and brother in Peru,

Elder Aaron Micah Wheatley