Advice for Anyone Preparing for a MISSION! - March 25, 2013

Hello :)

The work of the Lord is progressing! We have been so blessed as an entire mission lately :) It is amazing to see!

It is such a blessing to be on a mission! If I would not have come it would have been a disaster in the sight of Heavenly Father. Our eyes our sooooooo temporal! If I wouldn't have come on my mission that would be at least 16 less souls who have entered into the kingdom of God! And their children and their children's children! And ME!!! And my future family! It would have effected the lives of thousands of people if I would have chosen not to serve. I didn't have a very strong testimony. I felt like it was all true but I wouldn't say I knew! I feel as though my testimony cannot and will never be destroyed! It would have been extremely selfish of me to have not gone on my mission! And it would have effected my life eternally!

Do you remember my list of 10 things I have learned on my mission? It has changed dramatically! haha!

Micah!!!! I am sooo excited for you to go on your mission :) Oh and congrats on being prom king! What a champ! (Micah and Haley were Prom King and Prom Queen! Pretty cute)

This is one piece of advice I will give to everyone preparing to go on a mission! It is something I struggle with! Pride and Humility! It is so important to accept advice we receive from our leaders! Especially church leaders and our parents! Even if we think we are right! It is okay to be wrong! I was blessed! I knew I had no gospel knowledge when I came on my mission! I listened to everything my trainers said. I did everything they told me too! I followed all of the rules! I was committed to be 100% obedient and follow my Mission President's advice! I have grown SOOOO MUCH on my mission! I have seen other missionaries come out thinking they know everything and wouldn't listen to their leaders. I promise you they have not grown as much as they could have! I promise you that if you will be humble and listen to your mission leaders! You will grow 80% faster than missionaries who don't! I want to tell all people who are going on missionaries that! So there you have it :) Pride is truly the root of all sin! I have really seen that lately!

We are having an incredible month as a zone this month! The Lord is truly blessing us! We might have 2 baptisms in our area this weekend. They are out of town until Friday so it is making it struggily. (Yep - he has been hanging around a Huckvale!! LOL) They will be getting baptized though! It is just a matter of this weekend or in April?

Well, have a great week! I love ya'll very much! Mothers day is soon! :)

Love,

Elder Wise

Saints United Voices (Gladys Knight Concert) - March 19, 2013

Dear Family,

This week was great! We found out about transfers last night :) I am staying with Elder Huckvale :) Which is great! We had a good talk this week and we ended up having a conference call with our zone and our Mission President joined and we talked about the importance of obedience. So things are going great and I am really excited. We have 4 baptism dates on for EASTER!!!! What a day to be baptized on right?

We had the Saints Unified Voices, Gladys Knight event this last weekend.. It was really busy.. Our Mission President gave us permission to give some Sister Missionaries a ride to it to save miles.. We had some responsibilities there so we were there all day Friday and Saturday. We didn't get home until 1:00 am.. So we were driving at midnight with 2 Sisters in the car.. It seemed really apostate hahahahaha.. We took a video of it being really late and Sisters being in the car.

Elder Huckvale and I got to talk to Gladys Knight and her husband William McDowell! He is funny! We shook their hand and laughed. It was great :)

It was really good.. We got about 10 referrals in our area and 215 referrals throughout the mission from this event. We contacted all of ours yesterday and they all have a lot of potential so we are really excited! :)

This week, I learned how important it is to not work beyond what you have strength haha.. I was so tired this weekend I couldn't think. I was driving yesterday and I asked Elder Huckvale to drive because I felt like I was going to fall asleep. It was really interesting. I have never been so tried in my entire life. 8 hours of sleep every night is really important. :)

I gave a talk on Sunday about the gospel of Christ and how it is taught in the Bible and the Book of Mormon. I thought it went really well :) I love the Book of Mormon so much. I have been using it in my teaching and contacting more and it has made my teaching a lot more powerful!

I love you all and appreciate everything! 

Love :)

Elder Wise

The Book Is Blue And It Is True! - March 13, 2013

Good Morning!!!

We had an INCREDIBLE WEEK! Jennifer, her daughter Kailey, and Ashton.. a members grandson were all baptized and confirmed yesterday... It was an incredible experience! I will post the pic on facebook later. Elder Huckvale actually just posted it on facebook.

This week was the busiest week of my mission. We had our Zone Meeting Wednesday morning! We spent a lot of Tuesday planning for it! President Barry came out with us Wednesday night. We had been planning a movie night and it was stressful making that happen. Then we had a Zone iNet blitz in our area. An iNet blitz is where we come up with a bunch of different routes for all the missionaries to go see  less actives and part-members and we do it for about 2 hours. Our entire zone was there. We got 26 referrals to teach non members, 22 less actives and part members were seen face to face, received a lot of information such as people who have moved and so on. The ward was so happy to receive all of this information... it was incredible.

Then we had the baptism Sunday. Gladys Knight and her Grammy award winning choir "Saints Unified Voices" are coming to Jacksonville. Gladys Knight will be bearing her testimony and we have a ton of non members going. In the program is a place to refer yourself to get a gift package and a visit from the missionaries. Elder Huckvale and I, and 4 other Sisters will be taking all of those and sending them out to all of the missionaries. So this weekend will be extremely busy for us! I am really excited. Some wards have had up to 55 baptisms from this event. I have seen a part of her testimony and let me tell you, IT IS POWERFUL!!!! I am excited.

Transfers are the 20th. I think I am getting transferred. Elder Huckvale thinks I am staying. We will see.

This week, something that stood out to me was standing for what is right no matter where you are :) The truth is the truth and no matter what people think you must testify boldly of the truth. I love the gospel! And the way you keep your testimony strong enough to stand alone and testify is daily scripture study! That is the fuel! The Book of Mormon is so amazing! I cannot tell you how many times I have been struggling or I may have been a little shaken by some anti earlier in my mission. I always go to the Book of Mormon and read. I remember how I have felt in the past. IT IS TRUE!!! And the times when I am struggling, it always brings comfort and peace. The book is blue and it is true! Anyone who says it isn't hasn't read it and are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men. It testifies of Christ and His gospel. It makes me so sad when people start bashing the Book of Mormon, the word of God and they haven't read it! They have no clue what they are missing and it hurts me to know that they are so blinded by the devil. If only they would open their hearts. The Lord is doing the opening of the hearts and we just have to find the ones that have been opened.

Stock, DO TRACK!!!!

Micah, HS is over, time for a mission! :D I am jealous you have your whole mission ahead of you.. mine is almost over :'( Sometimes I will find myself really sad when it hits me that it is winding down!

Love,

Elder Wise

Nerf War P-Day - March 4, 2013

Hello Family,

Things are going really well! We have a crazy p-day planned today. We are having a Nerf gun war. It is going to be a lot of fun!

Sounds like the entire family is having a ton of fun. 

We have 3 baptisms on for this weekend. The Mother and her child are getting baptized, and another unbaptized child is getting baptized. We are really having a lot of success and I hope we stay together. We had them over to our Ward Mission Leader's house and had dinner and it was amazing! Things are just really going along well.

I am scared that I am going to get transferred on the 20th :(. I feel like I am going to get released as a Zone Leader and White Wash train... That happened to three zone leaders last transfer. So I am hoping Elder Huckvale and I can stay together longer :)

I am getting rushed out of the door. People are trying to hustle and get to the Nerf war thing haha... So I am trying to type fast and not make it too short.

The biggest thing I have learned from Elder Huckvale is how to work. He is incredible. He really knows how to get it done and we are really complimenting each other well.

Anyway, we have our zone meeting this next week... which is different from a Zone Conference if you were wondering. President Barry conducts Zone Conferences which happen once every three transfers. And we conduct Zone Meetings and they happen once a month. Most missions don't have Zone Meetings. Anyway, everything is really busy and it has just been nuts!!!!!! A lot of missionary things this last week we had to solve.. It is good though. :)

I am sorry it is such a short email... we just have a lot we are doing today.

I love ya'll a ton... 

Love

Elder Wise