February 8, 2012

Dear Family,

Hey! How`s it going? Things here in Solidaridad are pretty rainy today. It was temple day again so here I am on Wednesday shooting you this letter! It`s good to hear things are going so well at home! I pray for you all so much.

Solidaridad is doing okay. We have had like little to no success recently but this last Sunday we got a few people to go to church and that was our first time this change! So I was excited. One of them, I`m not sure what will happen. She`s a Pentacostal Christian and in their church I`m pretty sure they do a lot of yelling, singing, and dancing so she told us she liked it but it was really different, but her kids loved it so I`ll keep you up there! But the number one person we`re working with right now is Carolina. She`s a friend of some of the young single adults in our ward. She`s 20 and she is so good! She told us she had a dream that she was supposed to change religions because right now she`s Pentecostal Christian as well, but doesn`t like it because she thinks it`s weird. So she really liked the church on Sunday and in our gospel principles class that Elder Nelson taught, he talked a lot about families and our Earthly Parents and how that is related to our Father in Heaven. Well, I was watching her and I could tell something was wrong. After the class I was talking with her and she told us she really liked the church. I asked her how her relation was with her parents and she told me not good at all. She was on the verge of tears talking about how things with her dad were really bad. I told her I completely understand. I told her that everyone is different and has their own experiences and I told her I`d write her a letter about it because we didn`t have too much time to talk. I told her about what happened with my relationship with my dad (And that is a story I don`t share with like anyone) and how through Jesus Christ, all of that pain can be healed. I bore my testimony to her about the Book of Mormon and all the comfort I had found there and in the Bible and shared scriptures with her that always helped me when I felt down. I gave her the letter after we had a lesson with her on Monday night and last night I got a letter back from her through her friend in the ward. She told me what happened with her and her dad and how she was really grateful for what I shared with her. She siad she looked up all the scriptures in the Bible and the Book of Mormon and she loved them. I really have big hopes for her and a lot of faith in her future. She is such a good person, just genuine and so awesome and I really am excited to see her progress. I was so grateful to be able to help her and give her a little comfort about things. Really, I know that all of our experiences happen for a reason and that God see`s all the pieces put together. He knows how if we endure our trials well and learn what we can, that He will change us into who we need to be and use us to help others. I can`t explain to you how horrible I have felt sometimes about the past, but something about being here in the mission and leaving all of it behind has helped me to come to peace with all of it. It really doesn`t get to me as bad as it did and I am just so happy to be able to help people and become a better person myself.

Other than that things have been pretty good! Things in our companionship got a little rocky for a few days, like my comp exchanged less than 10 words with me in two days, but we were able to work it all out and things are going so awesome. He`s such a great guy and we really get along.

Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE DAN!!!! I love you so much and am so, so grateful for all the things you`ve taught me. There are so many days out here when I think "how would UD handle this situation?" and honestly you have been the biggest role model to me in my life that I`ve ever had. I am so grateful for you and so happy that I have been able to be a part of the family. That I am a part of the family. You are seriously the bomb and I hope the B-day rocked your socks.

And happy birthday to Devin, too. I get your letters and hope you got mine! You rock! And Aunt Janis and Aunt Jamie! You are totally the best!!

And the pictures! One is me in solidaridad, one is me in a go-kart on P-day for a zone activity, one is me and one of the only Walmarts here downtown, one is the temple here on a rainy day, and the other is laser tag on p-day as well! Hope you like them!

I know this church is true and that God loves us and for that reason he called another prophet, just like he did in old times, named Joseph Smith. I know that we can know for ourselves if he is a prophet through reading the Book of Mormon, the book that the Lord guided him to find and to translate, not write. I know that after reading sincerely and really wanting to know, we can straight up ask God in prayer if the book is true, and if it is true, then Joseph Smith had to be a prophet. I know that everything happens for a reason, even if the reason is just to learn what we can from the situation and I am so happy and so blessed to be able to be out here! I love you all so much and miss you like crazy but I`m so grateful for all your support. Take care and talk to you soon!

Much love,

Elder Wheeler

P.S. Austen, tell Brother Radar that you`re my brother! He may not like you after that because I have my doubts about how he feels toward me, but you know. And packages I should receive on the 14th of this month so I will definitely let you know then!