September 21, 2015

Today marks 7 months left on my mission, each day passing brings that feeling of urgency more forward. 

Marshall YSA, working closely with the H's our efforts at Marshall University continue to blow me away at how Heavenly Father really is putting people right in our path. 

In the past couple of weeks the FHE attendance has doubled, and we have contacted 4 YSA aged member students (two of which were less-active) and 2 non-members we are teaching have come to FHE and even institute. 

I was on an exchange with Elder Stalworth (Logan) and we had a little time so again we prayed and walked up and down the campus, and a girl named Cheyenne came speed-walking up behind us and said "Hey are you the missionaries" "yes we are" "Great I am a Mormon too" Elder Stalworth quite blown away as we continued talking with her as we walked, she explained that she hadn't been to church in a little while herself and that her roommate was a less-active recent convert (about 2 years ago, taught by Elder Jeffery Klineman, who was also my first Zone Leader back in Parkersburg) she is planning on coming a group lesson we are teaching tonight and has been in contact with the H's as well...Then just after we finished talking with C., our cell phone battery died and I needed to know what time it was, so I asked the first person we saw who told us what time it was then said "how is your day Elders"...elated to discover that this was another YSA aged member from California by the name of Hh, she explained to us that she hadn't been to church since she was 14...she came to institute the next day and is also coming to our group lesson tonight. Both of them expressed to us how happy they were that they talked with us and were looking forward to getting to know and be a part of the YSA group, 

We collected the necessary information to move their records to the Huntington 1st Ward 

I am just so happy, to continue to see these miracles. I was tired and anxious a little upon my return from our trip around the mission this past week...ready to teach so many amazing people and at the same time my concern for each of them and hope for them to succeed left me with a heavy heart on Saturday night, I asked Elder H. for a blessing to which was a very unifying moment between us, the H's and the Lord...as we each expressed our concern and hope for each of these YSA students. 

Keeping in good balance The N's family, had their baby last night 3 months pre-mature...They called us late last night to inform us of what was happening and asked us to pray for them, and thankfully this morning we received word that mother and baby are doing well, we will be visiting them later today. Very grateful that all went beyond well for the circumstances. Hopefully their baby boy will be able to come home in about a month.



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I wish I could share with you in full the things I learned on my trip around the mission with the assistants and how grateful I am for that experience. But so much of that could not fit into a letter and will have to wait till I get home.

On our way home from Roanoke Elder Williams, Elder Rueda and I had a great discussion about pride...each of us fear pride as our downfall, I think it is all to easy us as leaders to become prideful if we are not careful, yet we are asked to be our best and are obligated to be examples. Elder Williams said one thing that was very impact..."I don't want to be prideful but I do want to be confident in-front of the Lord and those who have asked me to represent them...in short we learned that there is a difference between confidence and pride...confidence is Christlike, humble, grateful, diligent...pride is exactly the opposite.

It is my goal and I hope and pray that I will be able to take these principles home.

Thank You
Elder Wheeler