May 20, 2015

​Meet the Mormons went splendid, while we as full-time missionaries were not able to go, we were told about 70 people attended with about a dozen non-members (The Griffiths included, who said she loved it and wants to buy the film) and a few Part-member families and Less-active members also came. The reception of the film in Lewisburg was great, all the shops around town who we give Carnegie Posters to also displayed the posters from the Lewis Theater Promoting the film. 

​Including our friends at the Irish Pub...notice the Meet the Mormons Flyer in the Window...

​The Day of the Showing we went to a Zone Conference in Lexington VA, where Elder Sawyer and I were the Grand winners for the Cleanest Car in the Mission. I was also seated next to the Stake

President Jones, when he found out that getting Meet the Mormons off the ground here said "you rock" and he informed me that since then the stake has arranged to have the Meet the Mormons shown in theaters in Lexington VA and in Lynchburg VA "Lewisburg is an area we need more an influence in " he also said...Our area was an example in three other instances in the meeting...it was encouraging the see and hear that the efforts that the lord has blessed us to be a part of have such a far reaching influence.

  

​My longest companion and now good friend Elder Sawyer, going to miss this Elder.

​The Share the Love Lewisburg festival was also this past weekend in Downtown Lewisburg, it was a buy local festival of sorts with artists and such from local areas...it was fun and there was a Lemonade Stand that had you draw pictures for a cup of lemonade...this coming weekend is the West Virginia Dandelion Festival in WSS which we just barely got wind of and so we set off to see if we could still get involved and we made the deadline by two hours  (we actually got a really great spot to right in the center of WSS)...so my new companion and I will be dusting off our stuff from the Chocolate festival and we will be setting up a booth that will be centered around "Because of Him" and the Book of Mormon with a little bit of FamilySearch.org thrown in there...me and my ideas, what can I say Booths are a lot of fun and a great interaction with the community and a huge finding opportunity. After this the Ronceverte River Festival will be in mid-June...the festival organizer surprisingly excited to have us...The Greenbriar Classic over the 4th of July...then the big one the State Fair in August. It will be a busy summer here in the Greenbriar Valley...Each of these booths will have a Larger Emphisis on the Book of Mormon...I will explain why...in Part 2

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​This is K.B., a very talented 16 year old member, playing the public piano in Downtown Lewisburg, while we invited people to learn more about the Book of Mormon...by asking "what do you know about the Book of Mormon"...Definitely more forward...but here is the promise Heavenly Father has prepared people already and Elder D. Todd Christopherson when he came to speak to the Mission said "you can tell the elect if they are willing to read the Book of Mormon" "I would not want to be a missionary without a Book of Mormon" "the Book of Mormon is the sickle in which we reap our Harvest"...and in studying PMG Chapter 5 I simply felt inspired to trust the lord more and be more forward with the Book of Mormon...which can seem a bit daring and "gutsy" in this part of the country, where there is wonderful and strong love and loyalty to The Bible...the best part about that is that it comes with a love of the savior Jesus Christ...so what I have discovered it yes there are those people who will not give us the time of day when we talk about the Book of Mormon, but there are more who ask and say tell me about it...from various other things that have truly prepared them...the Book of Mormon Musical is a huge one, and really almost everyone knows someone who is Mormon! Over the past few Days alone we have really had people placed in our path who want to learn more about the Book of Mormon...one man when we were walking in WSS was driving and from his car he asked if he could talk with us for a minute...he pulled over and we he explained how he has taken up preparedness and self-reliance and just purchased a huge supply from Emergency Essentials. He explained he was a pilot visiting The Greenbriar and he Knew UVU and had flown over our temples before...and they I asked "what do you know about the Book of Mormon" the spirit witnessed of what we said and that is where the power is in the Book of Mormon.  He took the book with full intent of reading it and asked for the pamphlet too, he lives out of the mission but it was an answer for me that a forwardness and flood of the Book of Mormon is what the Lord wants. 

​In short...The Book of Mormon is True...the Holy Ghost will witness of it...Being forward with the Book of Mormon is plain, precious and simple I join with Nephi in saying "I glory in plainness, I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus..." (2 Nephi 33:6) It brings a wave of power in simplicity that the spirit can be the teacher to those we invite.

​Another Cool, addition to our week...The Greenbriar has a similar program to the Work and Travel Program at Lagoon, where people from all over the world come and work for the summer...Meet C. from the Philippines...you will see a lot more of him this summer here in WSS...He is my age and also worked at the Westin Hotel in Aspen Colorado before coming here. 

The Green Space in Lewisburg

Dinner with the F's (less-active family) and M's (active)

​The F's (right) and M's (left) both Medical student famlies, who will be staying here over the summer...which oh yes in two weeks or so our ward will go the size of a small branch when most of the student families leave for the summer. the Fords live in in a Pre-civil war cabin on a farm in the country side

Brother M. also being a great missionary himself he prepared a special spiritual thought which he gives to the departing missionaries that really topped off our companionship. About remaining steadfast in our mission and after.

​To top off this letter, an update on the G family, Upon request we Ordered H.G. a full set of Hard back scriptures, which she has been using and enjoying particularly finding the harmony in all the standard works.  We went over the Baptismal Interview questions with her and sister Linsenmeyer and  introduced her to mormonchannel.org she has been reading ensigns like wildfire...she recently asked to learn more about President Monson...and is still moving right along...keep praying for B.G.! 

Love Yins

ART

Elder Wheeler