March 27, 2017

With child..

Hey y'all!!

Well what a week its been! Elder White is no longer with us and I am now a father with child! haha my trainees name is Elder Basteen and he is the man! He is almost 20 years old and is from Duncan AZ! he is a super great guy and is ready and eager to work. needless to say we are going to have a great time :)

So nothing really too new to update you guys on this week. Due to it being transfer week, we were really busy between saying good bye and introducing to people! so it made it a little hard to get work done but we are doing what we can. This week we will be back on the streets knocking a lot of doors and talking to everyone we can.

man sorry for a boring letter this week... I feel like they haven't been as good as they usually are but I will do my best to fix that next week! 

So I guess for a funny story Ill tell ya about elder Basteen's first door he knocked! he was super excited to be tracting so I let him take a door and when the guy answered he just went all white and said "Hey we are the missionaries, wanna learn about Jesus Christ?" hahahaa I was dying! afterwords he kept saying how the guy through him off because he had a Chihuahua in his hands haha I was bustin up. Greenies are my FAAAAVVV

So for my spiritual thought this week I want to share a poem about the atonement that a guy in our ward wrote while he was on his mission. this truly did touch my heart Its called for he means so much to me:

I am trying to make right choices,

But today I failed to win. 

I fell short of perfection,

And once again I've sinned.

I now think back to Calvary,

And also Gethsemane,

Where my savior, the son of God,

Suffered Endlessly.

He went to His knees to pray,

To pay my sinner's bill,

And His words pierced through the

night,

"Father, I'll do thy will."

Innocent and all alone,

The gentle Lamb was tossed,

The awful price to atone,

They nailed him to a cross.

"Father please forgive them,"

Was all he had to say,

While on that cross he hung alone,

On that dreadful day."

As He finished Suffering,

The Great I Am, the One,

The Lamb or God, the Prince of Peace,

Said that, "All was done."

He bowed his head just one last time,

Having finished all,

His offering acceptable,

He had fulfilled His call.

That I might live again with God,

The Perfect One was slain,

But should I choose not to repent,

It all was done in Vain.

"I have suffered all for him,

That he might come to thee,

And fulfilled all justice,

That he might have Mercy,

I know i ask this everytime,

It is my humble plea,

Forgive him once again, Dear Father,

For he means so much to me."

By Michael Aaron Moser

Love you all and hope you have a great week!!

Elder Wilson

The best southern drink!

We got to go bowling this week. Needless to say, I killed it!

Me and my boy <3

March 22, 2017

IT'S A BOY!!

Hey y'all!

wow what a long week and a half its been! Ill tell ya what it really is hell when you have to wait a week and a half to take a break ahaha. I don't think that will ever get easier for me, but hey what can you do right? 

So transfer doctrine came in this past week and Elder White is going to be leaving me, and I'm going to become a trainer!!! I'm so excited and humbled to know that President and the Lord trust me to show a new missionary the ropes of missionary work. Though I'm a little nervous, I know it will be a great learning experience and will be a time to remember. So hey wish me luck!

This past week and a half, surprisingly nothing really happened haha.. We have been working our tails off and have seen little success. which though it can be a little hard at times I just have to keep reminding my self that no effort is wasted and that as long as I'm doing what I'm supposed, then I'm making heavenly father proud. I'm definitely learning to be humble, patient, and diligent that's for sure! 

This past week we did get to go on exchanges with the Zone leaders and that was a lot of fun, I got to go with Elder Stoneberg who has been out only one more transfer than me. Crazy to think that I'm starting to turn into a "Older Missionary" now haha. wow that actually felt a little good to say... I'm gonna say it one more time... "Older Missionary"

ANYWAY! I'm doing good. The weather has been nice, The ward is awesome here, I'm gonna train, AND God loves me, other than all the tracting... I have nothing to much to complain about folks :) 

For my spiritual though this week I wanna talk on the importance of faith. I know I have talked about this before but it is such an important trait to have a not only a missionary but a child of God. Faith is the very first principle of the gospel. With out it we have no foundation and no knowledge. We read in Hebrews 11:1;   Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 

I want to invite you all to look for ways that you can strengthen your faith this week. whether it be through Scripture study, Prayer, Or church attendance. I promise as you do, you will feel of God's love more fully in your life. I love you all and hope you have a great week!!!

Elder Wilson

Found bae at the museum down the road!!

Me and Elder Stoneberg on Exchanges

The green is coming back!!

Elder White doesnt like pics ):

March 13, 2017

I Like Pancakes

well well well.... hello :)

I just want to start this letter off by letting all of you know that you guys are all the bomb and I love you all very much :)

This past week was another rough week. We had lots of meeting and we continued to knock and find and had very little success. Though sometimes it can be hard, I just have to keep telling my self that even if they don't let us in, we are still planting the seed of faith!

This will be the last full week of the transfer which is pretty nuts. Feels like I just got here yesterday and now we are coming up on the last week. Time sure does fly when you work hard. Never forget that! Odds are Elder White will most likely be leaving this week so I will be getting a new companion the following week. So pray that all works out there :) Hopefully my next companion is just as willing to work hard!

I heard that the weather back home has been better? looks like we are supposed to get snow this week but I swear people out here blow everything out of the water. Ive been waiting for snow since November and we have only gotten two little bitty storms. Everyone out here is worse than the boy who cried wolf haha!

Though we had a pretty hard week yesterday we were able to see a MIRACLE. So lately I have been praying and fasting really hard that heavenly father would lead us to someone who has been prepared and is ready for baptism. Well... yesterday Elder White and I were out tracting and contacting people and our ward mission leader out of no where called us and invited us over for dinner so we started to walk back to our apartment, well as we were walking back I saw these two younger guys that were walking towards us and I had a prompting that I needed to talk to them! When we started to talk to them we  came to find out that they were Syrian refugees and were taught by missionaries in Florida! they come from a family of 19 people and they all want to be taught and baptized! 3 of them have been already! They also began to tell us that they have been trying to get in contact with the missionaries since they got to Roanoke but haven't had any luck. the only sad part is the ones we contacted dint live in our area, they live in the others Elders area. but that is only 7 of the 19 so they are going to find out where the other family members live tonight. so pray they live in our area!! But ya it was super cool to see the lord answer 4 different peoples prayers. heavenly father truly does want us all to return to live with him again and I know that if we listen to the promptings of the still small voice that we can be lead and guided by heavenly father to live a happy peaceful life! I love you all and hope you all have a great week!!

Elder Wilson

Holding a snake that was at one of the members houses! I know I look like a little boy in this pic lol

Me and my dope ZL at the St Patty's parade!

The Geico lizard!

Some weird purple dude lol

RIP Jerry <3 (Dinner)

Enough said

An Elder from home ward that served in Vinton along time ago

March 6, 2017

Grind City

Hello friends, family, neighbors, cats, chickens, Christmas trees that are still up.

well what a week it has been! the weeks are going by so fast its unreal! I feel like this whole last week just didn't even happen!

Well unfortunately nothing new has happened here in Vinton. Elder White and I are working extremely hard and are doing all we can to find new people but just haven't had any success with it. But this last fast Sunday we fasted that we could find some success in the area and find those that heavenly father is preparing for us! so pray that everything works out :) we could use every prayer we can get right now!

But ya this week is going to be a pretty short letter just because I honestly have nothing to really talk about. its been a hard week to say the least but I know that Heavenly Father blesses those who are diligent so we just cant get down on our selves,

For my spiritual thought I just want to bear my testimony. I want you all to know that I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that he loves us all so very much and that he is here for us whenever we need him. Though there may be times where all we want to do is give up and not care anymore. But when we turn to Heavenly father and Jesus Christ in those times, that's when we can feel his love for us and that's when we can grow spiritually. I know that this gospel has been restored through a modern day prophet and how grateful I am for this knowledge. This church is so true and has brought me so much joy in my life. I couldn't imagine what my life would be like if I hadn't chose to serve a mission. This truly is a blessing to be serving my heavenly father! I love you all and hope you guys all have a great week!!!


Elder Wilson

Pretty cool cathedral!!​

Downtown Roanoke

Selfie of the week!

Downtown Roanoke