Pride is All About Me, Humility Is About Others - February 25, 2013

Hello :)

Elder Huckvale and Elder Wise - companions!

An iNet book is basically a book that has a map that maps out where every member, investigator, and former investigators are and it makes planning so much easier and we can take it with us throughout the day! It is really effective :)

Wow, Elder Huckvale and I had a crazy week. It has been a lot of fun. We are having a lot of success. God is blessing us. We have 6 baptismal dates on for March right now and we will be setting another one on Wednesday :D It is amazing! We have been so unified in teaching and just how to do missionary work. It has been great!

And ... I still have 4 months left, why are they already planning my flight? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I got a letter from Salt Lake asking us which airport Elder Wise would be flying into so they can begin arrangement for his return home. I was uber excited, but not so much Elder Wise! :) 

Elder Huckvale and I are calling March, March Madness :D It is great!

We got a package from Sister Huckvale haha... We got round table pizza and it tasted soooo great!

The biggest thing I learned is that Pride is all about me. Humility is about others. So basically whenever I am thinking about myself I am prideful. Basically, I am extremely PRIDEFUL! haha. I am working on it though.

Love

Elder Wise

PAPERMAKER ZONE!!!!! - February 18, 2013

Hello Family,

Well, my companion is from Camas, Washington. His name is Elder Huckvale haha.. It is always funny when we meet new members and they ask us where we are from. Elder Huckvale will say "I am from Camas, WA". And then I will say "I am also from Camas, Washington". Then this look of complete confusion comes over their face haha. It makes my day. (That is awesome! LOL... It is rare for two missionaries from the same ward to be called to the same mission at the same time. It is even more rare for those two missionaries to become companions, and Zone Leaders!!! It's so fun, and Susie Huck and I are going to have a BLAST!) 

Elder Huckvale is a genius missionary. He has genius ideas. This last week we set 4 baptism dates. We basically have a total of 6 baptism dates right now. The Lord is really blessing us.

Jennifer and her daughters are doing really well. Her daughter got sick this last week so she wasn't able to make it to church. We invited her to pray about getting baptized on the 24th. Later, she told us she doesn't quite feel ready for the 24th. So we are going to shoot for March. Elder Huckvale and I are calling it March Madness. It is going to be a big month. Our entire zone is really picking up and doing well.

We came up with a Jax East Zone Fight Song. Tell me if it sounds familiar.

Give a yell, give a cheer for all the papermakers here.

We are fighting for Jesus Christ.

We are brave, we are bold with a message to be told.

And a record that you can hold.

So testify, in the name of Christ.

Inviting others to repent. BAPTIZE!

Wherever they go, they will always know that the work goes rolling along.

That the work goes rolling along.

RA RA RA RA RA

RA RA RA RA RA

RA RA RA RA RA

GOOOO JAX EAST!

(This is th Camas High School Papermaker Fight Song set to new words!! LOL - AWESOME!) 

:D

hahahah. We are calling it the Jax East Papermaker Zone.

Elder Huckvale and I are getting along uber well! It is so weird being companions. Elder Huckvale gave a talk in sacrament meeting this week. The Bishopric asked him to at the last second. He opened up his talk by sharing a story when we were on a double date. He was with Taryn and I was with Stephanie. Basically, we almost got in a 100 mph head on car accident going up to hike to some waterfalls. Then he said, "But no worries about the girls, they are both married now." And everyone busted up laughing hahahaha.

It has been a lot of fun. We are going to hang out in downtown Jacksonville after emails today.

Well, I hope you have a great week.

We have Zone Conference this week and we have to give training and set a lot of it up. So it should be fun :)

I gotta run though.

Love ya

Elder Wise

I Know It and I Cannot Deny It - February 12, 2013

Hello :)

We did have a great week this week. I know Elder Bushman didn't. He is so depressed about going home.

Well, my new companion as of tomorrow is Elder Huckvale (Sooooooo exciting! Rarely do young men get called to the same mission from the same ward. Even more rarely, once out, do they become companions together let alone zone leaders together! So wonderful! Susie Huck and I are going to have a BLAST!). They are doing transfers differently. They used to call us Monday night and let us know who is getting transferred but not where we are going and who our companion is. Then we would all meet in one place Wednesday morning and then get our new companions and drive back to our area. Now they changed it. They had a mission wide conference call last night and announced transfers. They let us know where we are going, and who our new companion is. Vans will pick up and drop off now.

That is how I know already. I will get Elder Huckvale tomorrow :D (wooooohooooooo!!!!) 

As for some business,

Well, the gospel of Jesus Christ really fixes everything. No matter what the problem, when we live the gospel of Jesus Christ, our problems are solved. It just amazes me. I LOVE IT!

The guy who plays football is doing okay. He forgot how he felt the first time we met with him. He is still investigating but we have to help him gain another spiritual witness.

I don't know if I talked about them last week but I think I did. We are teaching a family of 4. (no father though) Mother and 3 daughters. The oldest daughter is baptismal age and the rest are under. They have come to church the last two weeks and the love it so much. The daughter is super excited about her baptism and we are trying to help the mother gain a testimony. She loves the church organization though. We are really excited for them. We found them by just contacting her on the street. She was getting the mail out of her mailbox. It is crazy.

Missions are really a blessing. It has really changed me and help me grow. I know it did the same for Dad and Teagen and it will do the same for Micah and Stock.

I like what you said Mom about having a journal to look back and remember how we felt. I am serving in the south. The Baptist Bible Belt. There is a lot of anti and I HAVE HEARD IT ALL! Most of it isn't true. Sometimes, it has gotten to me and I had to pray and ponder. EVERYTIME, I am drawn back to how I have felt in the past when I was first received my testimony when Elder Rendon and Olsen were teaching the Restoration to someone in our home and how I feel when I read the Book of Mormon. I KNOW IT IS TRUE. I KNOW THAT GOD KNOWS IT, AND I CANNOT DENY IT! Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God who restored the gospel. Thomas S. Monson is the current Prophet on the earth. I know it and I cannot deny it. No never, No never, I will never forsake!

We knocked on a door the other day. An Arabic man answered. We talked to him and he was friendly. He mentioned he was a pastor over an Arabic congregation. He asked what the book we were holding was. We excitedly introduced the Book of Mormon. Fear came over the mans face and he started calling the book rubbish and told us we need to throw it in the trash. We both testified to the man that it is the word of God. He then started talking about polygamy and how we don't believe in Christ. I told him I have one mother and one father, that I knew that Jesus Christ is my Savior. He then told me that I don't know Jesus and that my parents must not be Mormon  I then told him they are. He then repeated back telling me that my parents are not members. I was so frustrated with the hard heart of this man. That we was so closed minded that he was telling me what I believe. That I don't believe in Christ and that my parents (who he doesn't know at all) are not Mormon. Some people just aren't ready. The gospel is TRUE! (I've had many experiences where people tell me what I believe and tell me about my religion and how they know so much. It baffles me. However, like Levi shared, it actually makes my testimony stronger). 

Love

Elder Wise (Disciple of Christ NOW and FOREVER :) ) That is part of our Mission Vision.

10 Things I Have Learned On My Mission - February 4, 2013

Elder Bushman and Elder Wise - contemplating their top 10

Hello :)

We had a really busy/good week! We were able to find a lot of new investigators which we were really hoping for. Heavenly Father blessed us. One of them we found is a single mother with 3 daughters. They came to church Sunday and they LOVED it. The mother really loved relief society.

The other man we found played college football for Edward Waters College. A small college. He is living with some friends that played there too. We first taught him and it was a really powerful lesson. At the end of the lesson he was on the edge of his seat and he said "mind blown"! haha. He accepted to be baptized on February 24th. Now we are teaching his roommates too. We have another appointment with them tonight.

We have another lady we are teaching that has a baptism date for February 12th, so things are going really good right now.

Well, Elder Bushman is making a list of 10 things he has learned on his mission and writing about each one, taking about a page in his journal. I thought it was a good idea, so I came up with 10 things I have learned so far. It will probably change in the next four months. But it really helped me see how much my mission has blessed me and I am so thankful for it. Here are the 10 things so far.

1) What the gospel of Christ actually is!
2) What is most important! Priorities.
3) Who I am and how to be myself!
4) How to communicate! Especially in sticky situations. (Patience)
5) Power of Scripture Study and Prayer
6) How to recognize, follow, and teach by the spirit!
7) Humility and Obedience
8) How to work hard!
9) How to love people no matter what!
10) Use time wisely!

I am still working on all of them, but I have gotten a lot better at all of these.

To comment on Mom's last thing she wrote. (I made reference to him focusing on his mission and not looking forward to coming home. I compared it to racing and running THROUGH the finish line and not stopping short and "coasting", b/c sometimes that can cost you the race!) Sometimes I will catch myself thinking about what I am going to do when I get back home. As soon as I notice myself doing it. I recite 2 Nephi 31:21

" And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen." 

It reminds me what is most important right now and it helps me focus. It has really helped me this past week. I never thought being with a missionary going home would be so hard. But it IS! Elder Bushman isn't even trunky, he has some freak out moments, but he is focused. Just seeing another missionary go home is weird. I think it will be a lot easier when he is gone.

I know the gospel of Jesus Christ is the most important thing on this earth and it supersedes everything else! It is the only way to make it back to the kingdom of God. None of the other things matter! WE CANT KEEP THEM! I am so glad I have grown up in the gospel. I don't know what I would do without it. I am so grateful to serve as a full time missionary. I will push to the end. I will not let myself get distracted! I promise!

Thank you for being amazing parents and showing me the right path! :)

I love you all! Hope you have a great week! Good job Micah and Stock on your finals by the way!

I love you!
Elder Wise