Adios Elder Gonzales

Sent: Monday, February 15, 2010 12:45 PM

Buenas Tardes family and friends!

Sounds like you all are enjoying some warmer weather as things are starting to cool down here! It's always great to hear how things are going at home and in the ward! The tourist season is almost over and things are finally starting to settle down. Apparently it is going to be a whole different place in March when all the tourists are gone, but should bring some nice changes as well (everything is really expensive right now because they raise all the prices during vacation season).

Biggest news for this week is that my third transfer is over and Elder Gonzales left for Buenos Aires yesterday to his new area in Adrogue after spending 7 months here in Santa Teresita. My new companion Elder Ader from the USA will be arriving tonight around 10 pm, and other than that I know absolutely nothing about him. I was hoping for another Latino but at the same time it will be a big relief to be able to speak some English in the pension. Right now I am with Elder Coñuñir from Chile who also is waiting for his new companion here in San Clemente. His old companion, Elder Rice, was our district leader, and our new district leader is in a city called Dolores an hour and a half by bus from where we are, so it will be interesting making that long trip once a week for district meeting.

Other exciting news, yesterday I got to talk to Elder Spence who is staying in Fiorito for yet ANOTHER transfer (this will be his 6th transfer = 9 months). Apparently Jorge and Alejandra are both doing really well and are both still active in the church. As you can imagine I was and am VERY HAPPY to know that. He said that Alejandra always prays for me as "her best friend Elder Wheelhouse". I was very humbled to hear that and it's amazing the joy that comes from bringing people to a greater knowledge of their Savior Jesus Christ and his church. I also feel a great responsibility as it says in the Mission Manual to always live worthy of the trust of the people that I come in contact with and great desires to keep in contact with them!

Yesterday I also had my first opportunity to teach Gospel Principles which I was a little nervous for because I had about 5 minutes notice, but it ended up being very easy. We had a small class of 6 recent converts and investigators and the new Gospel Principles book is AWESOME. We had a great discussion about the Creation and it made me think a lot of all the amazing things that God has created for us to enjoy. Everyone participated which was really nice because it made it a lot easier for me and there were some great comments.

Anyways, that's all from me for this week. Hope you all had a Happy Valentines Day and have a great week!

Les amo mucho!
Elder Ian Wheelhouse

¡Buenas tardes de San Clemente!

Hello family and friends!

No I haven’t been transferred to San Clemente, but I am there right now because Elder Gonzales and I recently finished our adventures at Mundo Marino. (Basically like Sea World except in Spanish and smaller, but hey it’s the biggest in all of South America). We had a lot of fun and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect after a very rainy weekend. Seeing as it is very late in the afternoon and we’ve got to get back to our area to work I am very short on time, but here are a couple things that happened this week.

This week I had my first really bad experience with a contentious Evangelist who we found last Sunday. Last week we had a nice chat with them and left them the challenge to read a chapter from the Book of Mormon and to pray to see if it is true, which they accepted. This week we went back to follow up and see how it went to find out that he didn’t read, and that he had made a decision. At this point he started going off about how the Bible is the only word of God, that it doesn’t talk about the Book of Mormon or Joseph Smith in the Bible, and how we are following Satan by believing... stuff like that. Basically it was really sad to see how he reacted to the whole situation and wouldn’t listen to anything we had to say. We bore our testimonies the best we could and left. I’ve thought a lot about this experience since then because there were so many things I wanted to say to him to try to "prove him wrong". But I am glad that we did what we did because the Spirit can’t be present when there is contention. As members of the church we aren’t here to PROVE that the Book of Mormon is true, but rather to bear testimony and invite others to act for themselves to obtain the same testimony that can only come through the power of the Holy Ghost.

On a lighter note, we also had some successes this week. We found an awesome family of 5 who you might even call "Golden". The father told us he has rejected the missionaries several times before, but lately he has been realizing more and more that something is missing in his life. He has a great relationship and desire to strengthen his family and was very receptive to our message and I think he recognizes how it can bless his family. We actually came in contact with his family because a member in our ward invited his kids to church one Sunday, where we were able to talk with them
and set a time to pass by their house. Missionary work is so much more effective when the members are helping to find families!

Hope you all have a great week and a fantastic Valentines Day! (Also, you all can celebrate my 6 month mark with me this Friday by writing me a letter! YAY!)

Les amo,
Elder Ian Wheelhouse

Hace MUCHO Calor!

[”Besitos” are “little kisses” on the cheek and are a customary greeting/farewell between friends and acquaintances in Uruguay and Argentina (and elsewhere). Missionaries have to be alert to avoid incoming besitos from young women. -- Scott]

Mis queridos familiares y amigos,

Very hot week here in the Coast with a big rainstorm yesterday to make the humidity today even worse. In case you wanted to know I am sweating like crazy just sitting here typing this email. Dad and Kristine, thank you for the updates on all the happenings back home, sounds like everyone is doing well and keeping busy! It’s good to hear Tyler, Jason, and Jonny are doing well, I wish I could keep in contact with them, but I’m sure we’ll have an "Alma y Sons of Mosiah" reuniting party when we are all back home one day. I’m glad they are doing well, and what a great blessing to be in the service of the Lord.

This week we received a call from a Bishop that was visiting here from Italy with his family, and his sister from Buenos Aires, asking us to come visit them and share a message. Of course we’re not going to turn down an opportunity where someone ASKS us to come teach them, so we set an appointment and passed by later that day. Turns out that the Sister from Buenos Aires recently came in contact with the Assistants from our mission (Elder Woolley and Elder Moreno) and has met with them twice in Adrogue. There was a little bit of pressure knowing that our teaching would be compared with that of the Assistants, but we were able to read with her in Moroni 10 and testify of the Book of Mormon, and as always it is AWESOME to have a member there to share their testimony as well. It was fun talking with them and getting to know their family a little bit. It turns out that this bishop from Italy has 3 children that are on missions right now (Greece, Argentina Buenos Aires Norte, y Spain Madrid), one that we figured happened to be in the MTC with me for 3 days.

Yesterday I also had my first opportunity to give a blessing in Spanish. I was on divisions with our ward mission leader and we passed by an Hermana from our Branch that wasn’t in church that morning, and apparently she is having lots of problems and has been sick lately to make things worse. I was a little caught of guard when she asked me to give the blessing and a little worried at first about not knowing what to say, but as I started speaking the words came and as far as I know I think they understood the words coming out of my mouth. What a blessing to have the Priesthood and it was a great experience that strengthened my testimony that that power really comes from our Heavenly Father.

I hope you all have a fantastic week and as always I would love to hear from all of you next week! Thank you for your prayers and support!

Con mucho amor y Argentine besitos :P,

Elder Wheelhouse

Nice Haircut Kyle!

¡Buenos dias hermanos y hermanas!

I figured that hearing (and seeing) that Kyle got a haircut was news worthy of being the subject of my weekly email, so asi es [so it is]. It looks nice Kyle and I'm sure it feels nice too. It's always great to hear from you (mom and dad) each week and hearing what everybody is up to. Kristen I hope you have a great birthday this week and hopefully you get your card in the mail if you haven't already... We had a pretty good week here and are continuing to enjoy the sun and the sand here in Santa Teresita!

This week I had my first big missionary vs dog experience. When we are riding our bikes down the street there are always dogs EVERYWHERE, and for the most part they are all really tranquilo [mellow], but then there are also those that for some reason enjoy chasing anything that is moving quickly down the street. For the most part when these dogs chase you they just bark and follow you really closely and don't do anything, but this week I had a dog that actually wanted to eat my leg. Luckily it only bit into my shoe but it ripped a seam by my heel before I was able to kick it (it was probably really entertaining to watch as you can imagine).

This week I also had a great experience with prayer in finding something that I had lost. We were working one day in an area pretty far from our pension, riding our bikes all day in the sand all over the place. When we arrived at one of our investigator's houses I realized something didn't feel right and that my Missionary Manual was missing out of my back pocket... my missionary manual that had a copy of my Passport, all the mission phone numbers and information, and 87 pesos inside [about $23]. When we got back to the pension I was pretty bummed because I basically didn't have any more mission money for the month to use to buy food etc, and also it would be a hassle to get a new one. We made plans the next day to pass by the area where we were working to visit some investigators and to see if my mission manual was still in the street somewhere and prayed that I would be able to find it. We ended up not being able to go because we had to work in a different area and had a service project that lasted longer than we thought it would. The next day I realized that I probably would never find it again, when I noticed that we had a voice message on our cell phone. I called my companion over to make sure at least he understood what the person was saying, when to my suprise the message was from a man speaking almost perfect english saying that he had come across my mission manual. We called the number back and it turns out that it was the man who was the Translator for David A Bednar when he came to speak to us, and that his son who is here in Santa Teresita for vacation came across my mission manual when he was walking in the street one day... with all my money and everything still inside. We met up with his son and I got my mission manual back! :) I was very grateful and I know Our Heavenly Father is aware of us and our needs and listens to and answers our prayers.

That's about all the exciting news from me for this week. I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week and stay warm! I wish I could share a little bit of sun with you!

Les quiero Mucho,

Elder Ian Wheelhouse

¡Hace Calor! (It's Hot!)

Buenos Dias family and friends!

Another beautiful week in Santa Teresita! It actually rained one day this week for about 2 hours, which was actually nice because the sand is a lot easier to bike on when it´s a little wet. :) Hope you have all had a good week and are enjoying some snow?

Almost every week the people here change because one group of tourists leave, and the next day a whole new group arrives. It´s very difficult to find people to teach sometimes because either they are tourists and only here for a week or so, or they are residents and work all day long because there are so many tourists. Apparently in March things slow down as all the tourists go home, so hopefully I´ll be around to witness that change. (Also we can go to the beach in the winter to play frisbee or volleyball for Pday! :))

Also this week I was introduced to a new flavor of empanada that I have never had before. For those of you who don´t know, Empanadas are basically an Argentine hot pocket. Bready stuff on the outside, and meat, eggs, cheese, basically whatever you want inside. They are DELICIOUS. But here in Santa Teresita there is a place that makes a special Hawaiian Empanada with Ham and Cheese and Pineapple! Let´s just say we have made several orders this last week to have some delivered to our pension at night, great snack! :)

This week we had some success finding some new investigators, including some who were old investigators in different parts of the country who are excited to be in contact with the missionaries again (always a good sign). We had several new investigators in church yesterday, and hopefully we´ll see a baptism or 2 before the transfer is over! Doing contacts is never really fun here, and we are always looking for special opportunities to do a contact rather than clapping houses (even though we do plenty of that). Saturday we were clapping houses on a street when we saw a lady out in front of the pasillo [alley?] where she lives picking up her garbage that had spilled. My companion didn't see her, so I told him that we needed to go help her pick up the garbage. We had a good chat with her and asked if we could pass by one day to talk with her family, she accepted, and also told us that she had a neighbor that had been meeting with the missionaries before. Long story short, that neighbor also had another neighbor, and we now have 3 people in this pasillo to teach all from one small act of service! It was something very small but strengthened my testimony that the Lord is preparing people and directing us to them in small and simple ways.

Yesterday I also had the opportunity to speak in Sacrament meeting again. I found out that I was going to speak on Friday morning... through my companion... through the ward mission leader... basically it was a little weird not hearing it from someone in the bishopric, but he told me that I needed to speak about Missionary work for 5-10 min. I figured it would be a piece of cake. I prepared my talk the next day and finished it up Sunday morning before church, and when we got to church I was informed that I was one of only 2 speakers and that I would be the last speaker in charge of filling the rest of the time. After some last minute preparation and lots of praying, it was my turn to speak, and I was able to speak and fill the remaining time. I felt very calm and grateful that the Lord listened to my prayers and blessed me with his Spirit to be able to speak in this moment of need.

I hope you all have a fantastic week and I am excited to here from you again next week! Thank you for your prayers in behalf of Elder Gonzales and I and for missionary work in general!

¡Les Quiero Mucho!

Elder Wheelhouse

Hello family and friends!

Wow so much has happened in the last 2 weeks or so and I feel very behind! = I hope you all had a happy New Years and a happy birthday Mom! ...and to answer your questions, Elder Spence is still in Fiorito with his 3rd companion in the area, this will be his 5th transfer there.

Here in Santa Teresita I was surprised to find out that we don’t really have any investigators that are progressing very well, so we’ve got lots of work to do! It is a big area (Mar de Ajo is part of our area as well) but luckily we have bikes.... bikes that work great on concrete! Here in Santa Teresita almost all the streets are sand, which makes it very difficult to get around at times, but I’m getting a lot of very good excercise!

Our pension in Santa Teresita is a lot nicer than the one in Fiorito. If you want to look it up on Google earth it is on Calle 4 between Calles 43 y 44 (Directions are very easy here because all the streets are numbered!) We aren’t allowed to go within 3 blocks of the beach unless we have an appointment with someone because apparently people prefer to walk around without clothes in this area sometimes.

Elder Gonzales is a hard worker and I am learning a lot from him (especially Spanish!) Sometimes it is difficult to understand everything he is saying and to be able to respond with what I want to say, but we get along pretty well! He wants to learn english so he can be a translator for General Conference someday, so I am trying to help him out with learning some english when we are in the pension. At least 3 times a day he asks me if we can listen to music on my picture frame. I am getting a lot more practice with Elder Gonzales teaching during lessons and doing contacts, hopefully it will continue to get easier and easier to do.

The weather is PERFECT here. The sun is always shining and even though it gets a little hot and humid sometimes there is always a nice ocean breeze! There are some great members in the branch here and we have an awesome mission leader. This last Sunday I got to bear my testimony in Sacrament meeting as a "welcome to the ward" and also played the piano in Priesthood meeting. The Church was very full because apparently there are a lot of members that are here for vacation.

Recently in my Personal Study I have started reading the New Testament and I’m in the book of Luke right now. It’s amazing to read the accounts of the life of our Savior and the amazing things he did and the example he set for each one of us! Every day I find things that I can improve in my own life to become more like him.

Thank you for your letters and support and I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Les Quiero Mucho!

Elder Ian Wheelhouse

Hola from Santa Teresita!

Hello family and friends!

Sorry I wasn´t able to write yesterday, and today I really don’t have any time. I just wanted to let you know about some changes. I had my first transfer yesterday and I am now in the area that every missionary in the mission dreams of going to... the COAST! I had an "Other Side of Heaven" experience getting down here because I had to go catch a bus on my own to get down here. Luckily my zone leader and his companion as well as my new companion were there at the bus station waiting for me when I arrived after the 6 hour trip. My new companion Elder Gonzales is from Peru and I am very excited to get to know him better and learn from him. Our pension is about 4 blocks from the beach... I haven’t really seen much of our area yet, but what I have seen it is Beautiful! Very different from Fiorito! It was sad leaving behind all the people in Fiorito but we got to pass by and say goodbye to most of them and exchange contact information etc. Anyways, that’s all I have time for for now so until next week!

Love,

Elder Ian Wheelhouse