So this is an attempt at a racquetball action shot. Meh

Week 4

Wow it's week 4.

Umm yeah so this week has been the hottest, busiest, dirtiest, spiritual-est, awesomest week yet!! (All of those are real words)

I don't have much time today, but I have a few highlights I want to share :)

We did exchanges for the first time. I was with my zone leader, Elder Gardner! He is super cool and I learned a lot from the experience. Both he and my companion Elder Flynn are fantastic missionaries and I have a lot to learn from both of them.

I'm getting better at racquetball!! I only lost to Elder Flynn 5-11 this week. That's a new record :)

Lessons with Mckenzie and Josh and Mariah and Dillon are going really well! We might need to move their baptismal date back a few weeks though, because they need to get married first...haha. I might get to help plan a wedding!

I've really been praying to have and recognize the Spirit this week. Let me just say, the lord answers prayers. I've had so many small and large experiences where I followed promptings and really cool things have happened :)

Galatians 5:22

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith"

I'm gaining such a testimony of the Holy Ghost and of how it guides us and keeps us safe :)

My time's about up! until next week :) I love you all!

--

-Elder Wheeler :)

Biking! 
P- Day!!!! 
#youknowit'shotwhenyourcactusmelts




MTC District


On the way to the airport- REALLY EARLY!
All the newbies.
Low quality picture of a high quality sunset!

Week 3

Hi everybody!!

I've got some stories for you today :)

Story #1

We were at a member's home for dinner. Super nice family, super cool kids. They didn't feel like setting the table, so we all sat around the living room with these cool little desk things. To set the scene, my plate was in front of me, my fork was on the right of the plate, my roll was sitting a little to the left, and my full cup of grape juice was sitting out on the edge of the desk above my plate. Got it? Ok good. So I start eating my food. A minute or so passes, and their little 5 year old boy walks up to my desk and stares at me. Then, without breaking eye contact, grabs my grape juice and takes a sip. I laughed and the parents freaked out and they got me a new one and everything was good. But then he does it again. The exact same way. Solid eye contact. No expression. The parents didn't notice this time. So I just kept eating, trying not to be too weirded out. Then he does it again. This time he bolts down the hallway and into a room and slams the door, where he stays for the rest of the night. Umm what? Ok, I guess some kids really like their grape juice.

Story #2

So I guess I didn't know that gospel rap was a thing. Antonio, the one I mentioned last week, is really cool. We were at his house on Saturday, and he rapped for us about religion and his faith and life experiences and it sounded really cool! He's making some albums and he wants to give us one! I don't know if I'll be able to listen to it until I get home though, haha.

Story #3

This was just last night. We were biking home from an appointment, and Elder Flynn really wanted a picture of him riding his bike. But apparently I couldn't take it right, so we kept trying different poses and different angles and shutter speeds and all this other camera stuff that I don't understand. Haha so long story short we ended up taking longer than we meant to on this picture. Then, we were biking back and he was in front and he decided to take a different way back to our apartment, which was weird because it was dark and there weren't many streetlights on this road, but I went with it. So we're biking home down this backroad, no cars, no nothin. I didn't even see this young kid until we were passing him on the sidewalk. We kinda half waved at him as we rode by, and he starts yelling to us. It totally caught me off guard. He yells at me "hey are you guys the Mormons? I wanna know God." I couldn't believe it. His names Louise and he's 13 and he has a Mormon friend and he is super open to praying and learning more. He lives in the apartment complex where we do most of our visits, but we had never seen him before. I don't know why Heavenly Father keeps preparing more people for us and placing them in our path, but I think it's super cool. I'm so grateful for all the work there is to do here!

Story #4 

I have a confession to make. I miss yard work. I miss mowing lawns and trimming bushes and watering plants. On Saturday we got up early to help a recent convert with some yard work, and I was really excited. Turns out, "yard work" in Arizona just means raking up dead pine needles from the rocks. Spraying grass killer on the rock lawn (literally, people just have gravel lawns). Pulling up plants that had died from the heat. Everything here is dead or a rock. Haha, oh well...

So Mckenzie and her family are doing really well :) They're still on date for September 5th. We have a lot of others that were trying to get on date, but we had a lot of people cancel on us this week. Im learning an important skill for college... how to handle rejection :P

All in all, everything is good! No matter how much I workout in the mornings, all of these member meals are making my belt a little tighter...Mormons make good food, and that's bad for missionaries...

Wanted to share a thought with you guys. These past few weeks, I've come to realize that our message is entirely centered on the atonement of Jesus Christ. I think it's so incredible that he loved me enough to suffer and die for me. And he did the same for all of you too. He did that so that we could be happy. Not only does it cleanse us of sin, but it gives us strength. I can honestly tell you I could not have made it through this past month without it. He is so real, and he is right there, waiting for us to turn to him and ask. I love the Mormon message by Elder Holland called "none were with him". If you get a chance, watch it. I love my savior so much and I'm so grateful for this opportunity to help others find this for themselves :)

Thanks for writing you guys, it really makes my day :) I promise I'm trying to respond as much as I can!

I hope everybody's doing good! 

-Elder Wheeler :)

Sent from my iPad

Week 2- #eatsleeppreachrepeat

Heyyo!

How's everybody? :)

The work is great!!

This week has been AWESOME!! We have 4 people set to be baptized on
September fifth!!! So the first night I'm here, I don't even have my
suitcase unpacked, and we go visit a referral from another set of
missionaries. Mckenzie, her boyfriend Josh, and her daughter Mariah.
We had a really good lesson (where I mainly bore my testimony and had
no idea what was going on haha) and they were excited for us to come
back the next Wednesday! So we go back a week later and have a really
good lesson again, and they all say they want to be baptized but that
they needed a few months before they felt like they knew enough. Well
on Saturday we took all of them on a church tour, and Mckenzie brought
her other son, Dylan, and they loved it! Mckenzie said she'd never
felt this way about any other church and they all agreed to be
baptized on September fifth!! Even Dylan, who hardly knew anything
about the church. He just really felt the spirit :) All four of them
came to church yesterday and loved it too :) The Lord's hand is part
of every single day. I have sooo much to learn still, but it's
incredible how He can make my best efforts enough to get his work done
:)

Another one I'm really excited about is Antonio! He works a lot and is
hard to get a hold of, but we met with him last night finally and I'm
so glad we did! He is from a very different background, and would have
a lot of work to do, but he has such a sweet spirit and desire to do
what's right. He knows the bible so well and has such a strong love
for Jesus Christ. I've never heard a testimony with so many swear
words before, but the spirit was there so strongly. I know God loves
him a lot :)

Last Tuesday: 115 degrees. Ouch.

Last Thursday morning: it dropped down to 90 degrees. It felt really
good. #youknowyoureinphoenixwhen

This place is crazy but I love it a little more every day :)

Thanks to everybody that writes me, it honestly makes my day! I
promise I'm trying my best to respond when I can!

I love and miss you all! Have fun in your double digit weather :P

-elder Wheeler 

Hi family!!!

P day is on Monday so you'll be hearing from me then! I was allowed to
give you guys a quick update tho :)

My new address is:

8150 N 61st Ave Apt. 1079

First 2 days have been crazy! 2 new investigators, moved into a new
apartment, and figuring out the super cool missionary app on the
iPad!! I'll fill you in more on Monday :)

It was awesome to talk to y'all at the airport, sorry it wasn't for
very long! Just so ya know, I'm only allowed to send emails on p day,
but I can read them anytime, so feel free to vent to me about stuff
cuz I'll be a great listener ;P

Haha seriously tho, I love you guys so much :)

Peace ✌
-Elder Wheeler :)
Sent from my iPad

First Day in Arizona!