December 30th, 2013

Hello family! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :)

Christmas Package From the Wiser's

Everest's first Christmas - getting an American football 

Sterling, Elder Higham, Adam, and Everest

Hey mom :) haha i loved all of it :) I have everything set up and I can it take with me! The jump rope was amazing because I was looking for some work out stuff but I didnt havve the dalla to drop.... you saw my tummy!! haha im flabby now, so I'm planning on getting some more muscle :) I have some goals I just have to sent my mind on it. The only things I opened early was the blanket and the sweats :0 which I love!!! I love it! ha it was funny how our heater broke... it happened a week before Christmas. and I just love that blanky! its so soft. I really loved everything though ma :) thanks so much.

 

Katy :) yeah I absolutly love katy :) She served a mission in London south......she is such an amazing girl. remember the email with the "did you leave room for the spirit?" that was with her and Brother and Sister Henely... you will really like her :) I have learned so much from her! (Katy texted me (Laura) and mentioned that Sterling's name is very unique) yeah! good old Sterling. haha, my name means either currency or a cigarettes here. Everyone says I should start my business over here though.. sterling wiser :) it just sounds like a finance business or something haha.

 

ahhhh ping pong :) thats the coolest! how are the elders there? fun, boring? haha. its funny spending so much time with missionarys before I came out.. I feel like I sorta know what not to be like :) ping pong is the sickest though!! glad to hear it went well.

 

yeah Christmas was different.. but it was a good experience :)  sooooo? I had an accent? did I sound stupid? I really tried hard not to get one haha I wasn't putting it on I promise... was it bad though?

 

Oh boy! So i just got to the question part of this email :0 so ill answer all of them here we go!!

 

it was amazing to speak to you and I absolutly loved it... so this accent we spoke about.... hahah uhhhhh hmmm I guess I will just have to listen to myself somehow because it seems that I sound completely American! funny stuff though.. im not putting it on I promise ha

 

so cool story really fast.. this story is about prayer!

 

So, it was two days after Christmas, and being Christmas means that nobody wants to meet with us and the work is going sorta slow... so in the morning before we left I prayed and asked if God would put someone in our path or guide us to someone who needed service :) physical service.. so we went finding all day long and right up the the end of the day we turned a corner and saw this lady hitting the street with a spade.. ha, it looked funny as first but she was putting asfault in these huge pot holes in front of her house.. they had been filling with water and splashing her newly painted door and window frames.. so we chatted for a little and asked if we could help.. she said yes!! so I worked the spade and Elder Higham jumped on all the tar stuff. ha! we had a good laugh and she took pictures of us and stuff.. it was amazing! so that right there my friends... is an answer to a prayer :) God answers our prayers all the time but I thought this story was really cool :)

 

so list of our investigators... i'll just put the ones on dates..

 

Hannah, Elder Higham and Elder Human had taught her for a month before I got here, so we have been teaching her for around three months.. they found her on the street and I cant remember what interested her in our message but all I know is that she is amazing... she is so nice! she knows the gospel so well and always answers the questions in our classes at church, ha! she is the coolest.. when she went to Ireland for christmas, she went to church both times! and the second time she took her mom :)  solid!

 

Gabrielle: she was a media referal :) she was talking to one of her friends who is a member and telling her that she was looking for a church to join and her friend directed her to our website.. she loved it and asked to have us around. we have only taught her two times but the times we have, have been really spiritual. She is a choice spirit. we still have a few lessons to teach but she is so prepared..

 

there is a few others but ill wait till next time. see how things go!

 

The ward in Lincoln is really good. Really really friendly and I felt at home the first time I got here. People are so good to us missionaries and welcoming to anyone who walks through the doors :)  There is only one ward in Lincoln but we're close to splitting :) just need some more missionary work!

 

We teach gospel principles every few weeks and Bishop had Elder Higham talk two weeks ago in sacrament meeting. So we do a little bit but the ward does most of it :) we love helping though.

 

There are around 160 people in the ward, I think... The members are amazing though :) we get fed loads and we feel the spirit everywhere we go. I love the ward!   We have loads of people who are willing to come out with us :) 

 

Transfer calls are in four weeks.. Elder Higham and I could potentialy stay together for a third transfer.. we work good together so that would be good :)

 

Mission pres is good :) same old! ha having three hundred missionaries would make it difficult to have a good relationship with him but I support him and I know he supports me :)

 

Did I answer all your question ok? I know I'm not to good at details but I have don't have loads of time... and thirty more emails to read. haha! ahh time.......... I love you guys!!!!!

Love Elder Wiser

December 23, 2013

ah man what a wonderful week!!!! you guys are having so much fun it seems like :) christmas is such a special time of year.... i miss you guys so bad!!! its the sorta miss that i miss you almost all the time but i can still think and be a normal human ha i have heard of missionarys that go home because they are so home sick..... im glad i can still function fully :) im so stoked to talk to you guys though!!!! just a few days now!! ya feel free to text adam any time :) i might just give you a call christmas day and try and sort things out.. it shouldnt be to spendy if its just i phon to i phone right? adam will be one hundred percent fine if you text him though.. he is the coolest...

what ill do i hope you get on soon so we can talk about it but if not ill just call adam and he will take care of everything :) ill be with adam all day so im one hundred percent flexable.. and the think with shay is cool as well... man this is going to be amazing! im so proud of stant as well... he is going to take state no questions asked.. either this year or next.. i think he can both..... gosh i gotta see some of these vids though.. whenever i get out of missionary mode and im laying in bed before sleep..... i get wrestling trunky haha im to fat to actually do it but i miss it stil ha stant is going to kill me when i get home

December 16, 2013

hey guys!!! sooooooo i know i have been really bad with blog emails lately but im going to try to be better... next week haha sorry :(

i did get those christmas packages!! i didnt open anything like i said i wouldnt :) ha thanks for everything ma :) father christmas came!! its actually been hard not opeing it.. i almost did yesterday ha but i fought it... thank you!!! i sent some stuff home.. i hope it gets there :) the sucky part is is i had to use my missionary funds on it becuase my personal card wasnt working.. so i may have to get some food with personal this week.... i hate being in the middle of nowhere!! travel is so spendy.. we have had loads of meetings and stuff.. oh the christmas conference! we traveled to birmingham and saw everyone in the mission :) it was amazing!! i missed so many people so bad and i hugged some of my best friends good bye pretty much forever.. it was hard.. its nuts how close people get out here.... gosh that was hard... it was good seeing everyone though :) ill send some pics.. i met some people you may know :)

this past week was nuts... i felt like alomst nothing got done ha we just partied it felt like... and were going through a stage where all the investigators we find are not very good.... so our numbers have dropped like crazy... so we have a lot of work to do! man saturday though... elder higham and i got so sick.... he was sick in the morning really bad but then just got worse throughout the day.. then about half way i got sick and threw up about 12 times.... only good news about that is that i lost 8 pounds that day haha so im not as fat anymore!!  for the six month aniversiary.. i was going to burn a tie but we had to spend the night in notingham so i didnt have time... ill have to do that when i find some time :) that is a tradition here i just havent ever done it.. six months though.... how weird is that? now i have started a sisters mission ha another six months and i only have a year.... i wonder if i have changed at all.. does it seem like i have changed?

well im really exited to speak to you guys soon :) i really love you all.... i havent heard from dad for ages so i hope he is doing ok.. tell him i love him :) did you guys get a box from england? i really really really really hope that makes it... ill be gutted if it dosent... so let me know! :)

 i have a lot of cool pictures from this week though... so ill take you through those :)

this is bishop kens brothers son!! ha his nephew!

he is a complete stud.... tell bishop i said hi!!

ok this is the christmas conference!!!! all 300 or so missoinarys in the ebm met up and had a good time :) ah man it was amazing!! i feel like i have made so many real friends out here..... ok so here is a few of them... so this girl knew shayna.. her name is mekenna morsen or somthing.. i cant remember her last name for some reason.. ha shoot she is from ogden and danced with shana in ball room.

 These pictures were taken at a Christmas festival that is held in Lincoln each year.

 Yes - Sterling is eating a donut!  I asked him about it and he said he's only cheated a few times on purpose.  This was one of those.

Switching of the hats!!

my trainer is home as well.. how weird is that!! ha six months ago I was stepping off the mtc bus scared as a scared guy haha.. but here we are :) i still have so much to learn..

ill be better with sharing stories in the future but ill say this for the ending of this email.......

my testimony of the savior has grown so much.... i just feel like my testimony has grown all over... love is somthing that god has for all of his children and that we need to have for everyone... something shay said my parents have always said is life is what you make it... or the mission is what you make it... there is no point in going about life sad and miserable.... there is times when that happens but thats not how god wants us to be.. so he will help us out of it :) prayer is a way to communicate with god.. if we ever need anything we just have to ask :) ask and ye shall receive knock and it shall be opened unto you.. go scripture!!

 i love you  guys!!! ten days till we get to talk :)

love elder wiser

December 5th, 2013

hey ma :) were emailing again for a little bit today because i went on exchange up to boston.. and we had time and elder higham didnt have time so were usein it now!!! 

they have a thing called christmas market... so many people and its only in Lincoln!! im going to find some really really cool stuff :) yes yes yes!!!  Bad news though.. i wont be able to email this monday most likely... the librarys are closed.. ill see what i can do to let ya know im good but you may not hear from me till next week

everest has been coming out teaching with us and its so cool.. he just goes off in chinese and then he turns and says ok.. he understands haha its amazing... not only that he stops us sometimes and is like ok what you just said.. makes no sence hahaha how funny is that? ahh bless him  yeah he is the sickest.. the other day he pointed to his butt and asked what they call it in english haha i never run out of fun things to talk about with that guy! Everest was actually an atheist.. like most chinese are, and his family said he was a man and he could do what he wanted.. which is unusual for Chinese parents.. it was really cool.. . there are buddist here and there but most dont even know what prayer is...

we cant give him much because were poor but he is always so grateful.. he didn't have a tie so we gave him one and he was like.. I'm going to wear this everyday to uni (university) :) haha

oh ya another sorta cool story i just remembered... so yesterday we were walking to Everests so he could come teach some chinese people with us... which was so cool.... so cool.... but on the way we saw this dude muttering to him self.. i thought he was drunk or something so sorta jokingly i asked if he was alright.. he mumbled a yes and we just kept on walkin.. about twenty yards down the road he yelled "do you even care about me!" i was going to keep walking because people who are drunk say stuff like that all the time but he said "mate! you hear me!" so i decided i would go see what was up... so turns out this dude has had a really hard life.. he was really stuggling and he feels like nobody on this earth will help him.. he had a bunch of tattoos and from those i gathered he had a couple kids... he was a normal guy but he had gotten in a fight a few years ago and somone hit him in the head with a steel rod and now he looses his train of thought if he dosent say what he wants to say fast and he cant hear really well (he was really frustrated with himself) he said if he had the boys he would have killed himself a long time ago... all we did is bear testimony of christ and that he loves us and that god loves us.. we talked about how there is proof that he loves us..... i was feeling the spirit and i knew he was because there was tears in his eyes.. he said "you lot.. come over here from america, leave your familys for free to help people in lincoln... that is so special" by this time i wanted to hug this guy haha but were going to teach him in about an hour or so :) thats pretty cool huh? i have a bunch of stories like that but i never have time to share them.. things move so fast here... but so is life :) 

 

i think will smith said it good... "lovin livin, livin lovin, its all good     im lovin livin, its all good" haha yeah will smith!! remember that CD guys? ahh childhood :)

 

love you guys!! make sure to have a good day!

love elder wiser!!

this guys name is len.. so in boston they dont have loads of investigators and it gets sketch at night so we went to youth..we were supposed to go lazer tagging but when that fell through he just said he would suprise us... so we turned up at a pub haha idk if its a pub or a tavern but we played snooker for an hour and a half in there :) it was awesome!

this is who i played.. and i won!! barley

the tables here huge so its a little harder than normal pool we have at home

hmmmm not to much... well this one is of the match score (Sterling said this is how they score Snooker - I can't tell what it means but it looks cool.)

this is our last district meeting picture.. somone is going to get moved we just dont know who yet... just a few days till we will know!!!

 

we had a white elephant gift thingy and i got bubbles there are some there if ya can see em

December 2, 2013

 Ah man Thanksgiving was interesting, since I can't eat wheat the dinner appointment we had made chicken and potatoes :) it was sweet!!! not really the same but it was what it was, haha still fun.. we just shared spiritual thoughts about gratitude with everyone and I have been trying hard to be more sincerely grateful during my prayers. life is good!!! and I have a cool thing to tell ya but ill do it in the big one!  Mom ha upside down zip-lining :) your crazy!!

Hello family!!!! holy cow... yesterday was crazy ha! so I'm going to email today.. we had zone p-day and then I went on an exchange to Boston.. which is so so so far away from everything.. but I have some pictures to share with you guys

so this is what I tried to send last time but I ran out of time :) this is the ysa!! aaaaand two more were just added to the group!

 sooooo here is the big news!! there was two baptisms in Lincoln!! ah man we have been so blessed :) honestly God has put people in our path.. people who are so prepared...

 

So Everest :) Elder Highams mission miricle.. here is the story of them meeting: Elder Higham and Human.. it was the end of the day and they were just getting ready to undo the bikes and head home when Elder Higham was like.. hmm I'm giong to talk to one more guy and he stopped Everest.. Everest is one of the most solid people I have ever met, he has been in England, at the University, for only three months and speaks almost perfect english.. he is such a genuin good guy.. and his testimony is so strong.. he was baptised on December 1st!! it was fast and testimony meeting and I asked him if he would go up with me and he thought for a minute... asked me how to say a few more words in english and went up.. such a spiritual moment.... a spiritual wave went over everyone in the chapel.. he talked about his experience with prayer and how he knows that God gives us trials to shape us.. it was amazing ha :) I went up after him and I didnt even know what to say.... it was so cool :) he watches American stuff on youtube so he can learn english better. One day he came up to me and stuck his hand out for a hand shake hug that poeple do in high school.. and asked what it was? haha I told him it was a bro hug and now every time when we leave he just sticks his hand out and says "bro hug" haha ah man.. so cool

 

Then there is Chloe :) ah man im so happy to be able to meet people that are this cool :) she is a little younger than me and is from London... she is one of the first people Elder Higham and I taught when we were together.. the second day if I remember correctly... at first she just seemed really quite and nice.. (alot of people just agree to meet with us because they are nice) but we kept teaching her and we soon realized that she was soaking everything up... it was at a point where we had taught a bunch of new people and we were praying for them to have their prayers answerd and when all of them started to drop out she was one of the only ones that was like... I think this book is true. ha! which is great because it is!!!!

we have become great friends and I love her to death... choice spirits :)

 

I love Elder Higham as well.. this transfer has gone really really fast but it was really good :) it feels good coming in everyday and being dead tired because we ran around all day. mission life is good life :)

 

Shay said something before I came out and its so true.. your mission is what you make it.. no matter what is going on you can be happy.... no matter what!! just pray if your not happy and God will help ya out... when it comes to the mission.. being unhappy or stressed is something that messes with the spirit... so for stant and shelb and everyone, just keep being so happy!! dont let Satan get ya down because thats what he wants... stupid satan haha

But guys I'm learning so much... I have been out here for six months.... six months!!! thats 25% of my mission!! I can't believe it.. all I gotta say is Stant.. Shelb... you guys are going to love it :) this is such an amazing opportunity.. Stant when your in south america chopping your way through rain forests to get to appointments... haha I love that image.. but your going to love it man... Shelby your going to get sent off to like salt lake, so I can come take ya out to lunch when I get back haha, I'm just a kiddin.. I could see you being in Washington or Ohio.. idk why i think the states though... :) shelby your going to get sent somewhere where they lack love haha and your going to commit everyone to baptism :) yeah!!!!

 

Oh good i get another hour... whoooo that was a close one :) but again for the paper tree.. thanks so much :) that was a really cool idea and thanks for everyone that put so much effort into the little ornaments and stuff :) i love it!!! i'll admit I will miss you guys like crazy this Christmas.. but we getta talk!! I get to teach people about Christ!! Ma, those pass along cards you sent the ones about joy to the world... wonderful!!! we are going to a mission game next week with them i'll let you know how it goes (but they are sweet!)

 

man I love you guys so much :) you are way to good to me!

 

you guys are the best!!! if there is anything ya wanna ask me just let me know!!

love you

love elder wiser :)

hmmm lets see here

ok this one is at the chapel.. if you look hard you can see a tower complex thingy.... thats where we live.. yes its a far ride!!

 this is a picture where I turned up the brightness and was messing around so check this out!!

 this tree is the sickest!!! thanks so much family :) I absolutely love it and it's giong to stay there for a long time

 this is right next to where we find :) the Braford.. i call it the Braveheart

 this is chloe..  yeah!!

Everest and i! his real name is leu jiaqi... chinese is hard but its cool :)

Well this is amazing.. I love having time to email...I gotta email pres and then ill have to get off.. but know I love you guys :) your my most favorite family I have ever had!! Ha! keep being the sickest.. I cant wait to speak in 23 days!! what phone should I call to set it up? who is going to be there and such?

have a wonderful week!!!

someone in england loves you!

elder wiser

man what a cool week... God is good :)

November 25, 2013

this is the first time i have ever worne a scarf :) what do ya think? haha i dont know how i felt about the look of it but it was not as cold so that was nice :)

Hello!! so this email is going to be quite short... but here it is!

So this week we were so blessed :) I love having the opportunity to set goals and doing all we can to reach them.. sometimes it looks like were not going to make it but God has constantly helped us as long as we are dilligent :) we were blessed this week!!

We had a cool miracle this week as well.. so one of our investigators wanted to come to church but she was feeling ill.. but she is progressing towards baptism and it was sorta really important that she came to church.. so we said a prayer asking her to feel better and when we showed up at the door to get her she was completely fine!! how cool is that?

ah man life is good :) I feel like I have so many stories so little time but next week i'll be better. I really love you guys :)

keep being amazing!!!

love elder wiser

 

ps ma.. if you could write me letters with a few questoins that would be great.. I have lots more time to write letters :) love you!!