Monday, August 29th, 2011 - "IRENE just missed us!"

Dear Family,

 

I have a funny story! There is a brother here named Josh Jensen! He served in the Florida Jacksonville Mission, met a girl his last transfer, and he came back and married her! I asked him when he served and he said 06-08! And that was about when Zach Childers served here! (and Teagen, but he was somewhere else)! So I asked him if he knew Zach Childers! They came out togethor! They were in the MTC togethor and everything! So I thought that was pretty cool! Tell Seth about that :)

 

Mom, I am so impressed with you helping that man! (I ran Hood to Coast and a man collapsed in front of me and I had the opportunity to stop and help and use my first aid skills. It's amazing how good it can make you feel when you are able to help someone!) I don't know what I would do in that situation!! And I LOVE how you were thinking about me while you ran :) I appreciate it! My companion is a facebook missionary! Btw his name is Elder Dyerly, not Dylerly :) I am aloud to look at that blogspot you make for me now, I just can't post anything, only look! :) Anyways, while he is on facebook! I typically get on mormon.org and when I miss you, which is all the time, I look up your profile and it always makes me feel better :) haha!

 

This week was interesting with Hurricane Irene heading towards us! At first, the eye of Irene was predicted to go right through Palatka!! That would have been bad! I was excited to get hit at first because it was only a 2! Then it grew like crazy and they had us preparing emergency kits and everything! Then I started getting scared! I only want to go through a small one! Then we found out we weren't going to get hit! It was a relief! On the day it passed by us though there was a lot of rain and really intense winds!! I don't want to know what it is like to go through the actual hurricane!

 

Well, I have a miracle I want to share with ya'll! I can't remember if I shared this one yet or not! We decided to go tract in this place that was way out there and hadn't been knocked in awhile! So we did, and we found two new gators and we got 6 or so return appointments! It was amazing!

 

The other miracle is that a member of our ward came up to us and her son has been coming to church but is not a member! We thought he was a member because he has been coming for so long?? But he isn't! Anyways, he is interested in being baptized!! So we have an appointment with him this week! :)

 

Gator Update:

Antawn: He is a former-gator and we visited him and he has been reading the Book of Mormon and he has a lot of really good questions! He seems really sincere in his search for truth and I think that if he continues on the path he is going he will be baptized next month :)

Mary: We haven't had a chance to see Mary this week because we are out of miles! :( But we will see her when we have miles again because she lives out in Hastings! Mary really wants to come to church though! And we are trying to find someone who can give her a ride!

 

Cathy: We are trying to catch up with her and give her a restoration dvd but we are having a hard time catching her!

 

We are trying to work with members a lot right now! So a lot of our time is spent with members trying to uplift them to do missionary work! And we spend a lot of time trying to reactivate less active members! Our mission is going in an AMAZING DIRECTION!! Our mission had 54 baptisms this month! That is one off of the record for our mission all-time! We are having HUGE success! I can't wait to see where we go next :)

 

I cannot tell you how much I have already grown in 2 1/2 months! It is incredible! And I think the biggest way I have grown is realizing how blessed i have been in life! It has been AMAZING! I miss home a lot! Every missionary does! Any missionary who says they don't miss home is lying! I miss all of you and all of my friends A LOT! But the happiness I have doing the work I am doing is making all of that pain of missing everyone okay! I can deal with it because of all the miracles! And it makes it so I even want to be here!

 

I love my family and friends so much! I appreciate everything you all do for me! I am so excited to be in thhis work! I wouldn't want to be anywhere else! I miss all of you!

 

I love you very very much! I hope you all have a wonderful week!!!!

 

EVERY MEMBER A MISSIONARY

 

p.s. I will definatly keep Tommy in my prayers!!!

p.s.s. Keep me updated on the BYU football team :) I have to know how they are doing :) And the Jazz! Let me know what is going on with them :)

Love,

Elder Wise