August 26th, 2013

This was at a dinner appointment and Sterling dropped his chicken - it was all he had so he decided to apply the 10 second rule. He picked up his sandwich and put it back onto his gluten free bread and had it almost in his mouth before he noticed the little surprise on it.

that is a little thing i think they call a newt or something.. we found it during service 

oh the new guy is elder turney.. he is from redding and so sick!! strait boss :)

Today is a bank holiday so we played football this morning :) yeah buddy!! i played goal keeper

Ahh man, well this week was really good.. we have been finding a ton and we have found some really good investigators :) jess and jeni are italian. we GQed them a month or so ago and we stopped by again and they had read the materials we left and wanted to learn more :) they are so humble and so cool :) so were teaching them.. hmmm we had to drop nat and josh.. that was a hard one. they were both on dates and they had testimonys but her  husband just stepped in and said he didnt want it.. so that sorta sucks but  since they have testimonys and stuff some other missionary will find them and it will be awesome :) we have a few others but they are pretty new so we will have to see how they go :) ah man but the work is good :) well i have a sorta funny story.. so i was volenteered to teach the lesson in gospel principles.. gospel principles is like sunday school but its for all the investigators or new members so they can focus on the basics.. its about  a fourty five min class with a lot of class discution.. a lot of the good stories are on the internet so preparing for this lesson i just hit the book really hard.. it felt like i sorta winged it but my mission mates gave tons of input and it was all well.. the worst part of this whole thing is that my zipper was down... haha! that always happens in the best moments.. so i found out half way through the lesson because i wasnt getting much eye contact... so i had to like have everyone look somewhere so i could fix it haha. It was really funny but i was really embarrassed ha, ah man, it was something to laugh about :) it finished it all off well.

.. so i learned a ton in this lesson in just like be bold..like alma or something ha :) so thats what i have been working on.. being a representative of the gospel we should be bold! we're teachin the gospel! when we wake up in the morning and put that badge on were full time warriors for Christ! yeah!! ah man well life is good :) i really love you guys and im glad all is well..

love you!

love elder wiser

August 12, 20

mama bear!! hey hey, good to hear from ya :) sounds like you have had a crazy week.. our family is nuts- ha, dads here, your over there, stant at EFY, shelb doin her thing.. wow busy busy :) that sounds intense!! ah man well the bishopric.. wow :) thats crazy i keep trying to invision bishop steve and its sorta hard because he has been with the priests for so long, but he is going to make a great bishop!! he is really a loving and good man.. thats really cool :) along with the other guys! all champs. hmmm.... well the  baptism.. ah mom it was nuts i dont know how to explain it really but it was just cool.. i was  actually really nervous like three days before but i toughened up :) thats what I'm here to do! is baptize ppl so i hope i have more opportunities to help out with that in the future.. well sean is progressing really well. before he was baptized he was really quiet and didn't say much in our ward meetings and stuff but lately he has literally been killin it.. his input is really powerful and strong :) its really fun to watch ppl grow in the gospel :) and thats what being a missionary is all about! lucky me ha! ah man i feel at a loss for words though. oh ya, ppl here think my eyebrows are like nuts haha how weird is that? the other day we were talking to this guy in the park.. he has been smoking for like fifty years and we call him willy. he has one of those holes in his neck? i think they call em like a trake or something.. anyway so we were finding out about his beliefs and right in the middle he stopped me and said "your got a set a eyebrows on you boy! looks like a couple a caterpillars fell out the tree and landed on your face" haha how funny is that. just imagine that in a fifty year old smokers voice haha.. ah man i though i would share that.. we also had these guys start yelling at us from a pub.. they thought we were jdubs. so we told them we were mormon and they started asking questions about us like our stand on things and certain sins stuff like that.. mind you this whole time some of these guys were so drunk they couldn't stand up haha they were just like laying on the side walk :) ah man we actually had a good conversation with a few who weren't drunk out of their mind.. and  they invited us back next weekend and said they would buy us a coke because we don't drink... this situation just showed how elder Hansen is so good with people because he joked with them taught them about our beleifs and it was cool to see :) i noticed as well that he can talk about it like he is a schallar.. i don't know how to spell that but he can answer any question with doctrine and with back ground like its nothing. whenever it gets into the deep stuff, i get to just observe sorta.. not in a bad way i still input and stuff. i listen to the questions that they ask and ask myself if i could answer them and how i would.. its one of the best ways to learn ever, because it helps me find more stuff to study :) i really like studying the scriptures.. i know that may sound weird because i remember studying like three times in high school but learning something thats going to benefit someone else and it builds my faith as well.. you just cant beat that.. go spirit :)

ah man well i miss you guys :)  I'm so happy you guys are happy and i really love you i would say my advise i learned this week is talk to everyone!! i did it before but i looked at it as a chore sorta.. but through reading some things and having cool experiences it helps you realize how much of a benefit the church is.. so if you look at it in a way like i can share something that will benefit that person.. it makes it easier than to think like ah man another person here we go... idk if im the only one that thinks that but im a learnin! :) i love you all!!

love elder wiser :)

 

p.s. i did sit by a guy on a bus.. i tried a conversation and he shut me down...so i was like fair enough and i was working on my planner.. he threw up a hail Mary and said im waiting for you to talk to me about your church.. so i talked to him.. he was a catholic for 20 years he got married at 43 years old.. no kids.. his block from the mormon church was Joseph smith.. which in all honesty is the only problem ppl have.. but i though that was cool :)

p.s.s.  ppl here love my name because here they call their money pound sterling :) funny huh? so a few guys in the ward want to start a business with my name just as the company name haha funny huh? so a quid = £1 sterling.. just though i would let ya know!!  

elder wiser

August 5, 2013

mamabear!!! hey dad :) good to hear from you guys and all is well haha sounds like a party back at home :) thats sick!! the twins are livin the dream ha ah man sound way to good :)....

 

soooooo I was able to participate in my first baptism in the field!! Sean Antonio Mclean was baptised on Satuday August 2, 2013 and confirmed the following sunday :) how cool is that!!!! God prepares his children im just glad I had a front row seat.. the spirit was so strong.. and i loved how happy sean and his family are :)

 

a little more about sean.. about two and a half years ago two elders knocked at his door while trackting.. sean is a nice guys so he let them in. he lives with his mom and at the time she was a member of the trinity church and didnt want anything to do with the elders.. as soon as sean started to progress and began attending church. it sparked his moms attention... so she got sorta curious and started coming to see what her son was doing.. as they progressed the elders that were teaching him invited both of them to be baptised..  the crazy part is is that sean didnt feel ready and juliana (seans mom) wanted to become a member of the church! she was baptised two weeks later...  after a while the missionarys slowed down coming by because sean still didnt want much to do with the church.. long story short two and a half years later he woke up on sunday had a feeling to come to church which is where we met him and started teaching him :) we taught him everyday almost for two weeks refresing all the lessons and prearing him for baptism and he was baptised on august 3 :)

 

yeahh!!!! the church is true :)

love you guys

love elder wiser

dad notice the tie? yeah :) wayne made us huge burgers and the hottest wings on this planet.. here she is :)

this one is of this stuff they call capsin or something... its  rated 1.5 mill on the heat scale.. so i figured yolo and took a soaked toothpick of it..................... read that bottle and tell me if that was a good idea haha ah man teenagers :)

needless to say it was flippin hot!!!!!!!! 

 :) yes i make myself good meals!!!!! sweet and sour rice.. with chicken flavor haha im a little cheap still though :)

July 29th, 2013

Hey guys!! :) ah man good to hear you partied at home ha happy b-day angie! ah man i feel like so much has happend this week.. im glad you got to talk to amos :) good to hear all is well there :) i cant beleive he is getting married!! whooo! man life is crazy.

thanks for having fries in my honor :) and all the photos! man the 26 of july was way awesome :)  ill be honest i woke up that morning pretty home sick.. but as we just got to work i started to feel better.. :) plus everyone was so awesome! the sisters made me a custom corn flake cookie cake.. elder hansen hooked me up with some english ties and stlye glasses :) remember the ones that jordons boy wore dad? they are like those sorta :) nicole sent with me a wrapped thing which had a legit tie in it :) cards and stuff!  it was such a good day! thanks everyone! i loved everything!! that was all pretty early in the morning..

             i have a super cool story for this week though.. so last sunday.. this man named sean.. (shaun) he is 42 years old, came to church all by himself, he said he woke up that morning and felt like he needed to go. when we started to chat with him we set up an apt for tuesday.. when we saw him on tuesday... he told us that he wanted to be baptised and that he had had the lessons before and just wanted to be refreshed! but that he knew the church was true and he wanted to be a member! how crazy is that! so we went over everyday this week pretty much and he is getting baptised on saturday if everything goes as planned!!! whooooo! how cool is that! :) the church is amazing! this was such a cool experience 

ah man.. well i say this everyweek but i love missionary work.. i learn so much everyday and i love it!   my favorite spiritual thought was from chapter 32 in alma.... it likens faith unto a seed.. in order for it to grow you have to water it and give it good soil and things like that.. so what are some things that you do to water your seed of faith?

stay positive and help others!!!

smile!

love Elder Wiser

sunset to combat shays :) england vs america.. sunset style because america wins in everything else

this one is of me and my comp

me being a goof :)

this one is of my birthday cake!!!!! and then one more of the tie Nicole gave me and the style glasses my comp gave me:)

the awesome sisters that made me this cake :)

this is me trying to be cool like the guy on my tie

this is at tgi fridays :) elder  kerrs b day is today.. so we celebrated on saturday!!

July 22, 2013

This is Mama Chester's and a dinner appointment after service

Missionary surprise GF Style - Sterling said his companion loved it! 

Holy crazy week!! Sounds like you guys had a blast :) A lot happend thats for sure :) go family!! haha mom I wear my helmet :) and the riding is pretty fun:) its pretty bumpy but thats ok :) my front tire tried falling apart so i pretty much re packed  the bearings with a tooth pick ha we have no tools here!! so my ghetto rigging skills are coming out of the wood works :)

Well lets see... stories this week :) we have seen many miracles when we are finding :) proof again that this is Gods work :) I see that every day :) I think the one that stands out to me the most is about Allen.. on the trian home from Birmingham after the follow up training meeting.. we boarded the train.. were looking for spots that were together so we could talk to all the missionarys when we found that there were none... so i found my seat with this chill looking english guy.. at first my mind was like ok, he is listening to music and looking out the window.. i didnt want to disturb him so i was sitting there contemplating ways to strike up a conversation without seeming to weird when the ticket collecter started walking down the isle... when he stopped and looked at my ticket he asked to see the one from the person next to me.. they had a little arguement because allen had his ticket taken by the lady before.. so this was my shot.. the ticket inspecter said he was going to check things out.. i started a normal conversation and as we got talking he asked what i was doing in england.. because im obvioustly american ha.. so we talked about why im here... and about his belifes.. he had tons of questions and i ended up teaching the restoration and telling him how it applys in my life and how it helps in everyones life :)..... i gave him the first book of mormon i have ever placed by myself :D may sound funny but it was a fourty min train ride and we talked the whole time :) i got his number and he asked me to refer him to the other missionarys in the place he was at :) he was such a good dude!! this experience helped me realize how very important study is and being able to have the spirit in your life is. not having my trainer there to back me up made me rely on the spirit to help me ask inspired questions and answer his questions.. it also helped me how the restored gospel can apply in everyones life and how much of a blessing it is!! :) go missionary work!!!!! :)

well i can honestly say no matter what happens each day that if we have our minds in the right state... being happy and worthy of the spirit... each day will be a testimony builder and help us realize that god does love us :) if i ever get discouraged or down.. i know tht if i keep praying for that extra help or that act of service i can do.... how it shows how god loves everyone and that he loves me :) and you and you and you ha

ah man well i love england. i know god sent me here for a reason and i love going day to day as a missionary :)

i love you guys

love,

 Elder Wiser

We received this email from Sterling's mission president - they went to church in Sterling's ward.

Parents,

We attended Sacrament Meeting today in Cheltenham. We were able
to spend a few moments with your sons and daughters. They are all
wonderful missionaries working hard to teach others of Jesus Christ.

Thank you for you sacrifice and know your prayers and support are
greatly appreciated.

Warmly,

President and Sister Rasmussen

July 15, 2013

Hello family!! it was great to hear from you all today and I love you guys a ton! Well, its been an eventful week I have learned a bunch more and ill continue to do so.. well where to begin.. I had some super cool experiences this week. I have gotten a lot better at teaching, I found the trick is to just be a human.. ha! I was always trying to hit the points in order but that just makes me sound like a robot.. so i have really been working on being a human ha does that sound weird? Yeah, a little but its true.. well, English weather.... all I have to say is that as of right now my expectations are destroyed! I thought it was supposed to rain everyday all day and I came into blazing heat! I’m not complaining because I love it but its so different! I think I’ll get my fair share of rain while I’m here though ha no worries :) I wanna talk about my companion for a little bit... starting out with he is a complete stud.. I know that God put us together for a reason. He has taught me so much!  We are such good mates (friends) he is the perfect example of how to live in harmony with the spirit and that’s so important for the work.. and how to enjoy the work as your doing it.. great example!

 Mom he comes home in 5 months and he lives in Cedar City.. so when he comes to visit Amos he is going to give you a hug :) everyone in the family ha even Tuffy!! You will see how awesome he is then!

Well my stories this week have just been a confirmation that the spirit works all the time.. all you have to do is be worthy and receptive and you will notice it.. so my comp and I were biking home from the chapel, just chatting, when he stopped talking and rode over to this lady walking on the side walk...( when I first got to the mission I used to think.. what the heck is going on, but now I realize that its just him doing what needs to be done) so I follow suit and we started talking to this lady. Her name was Pauleen. We started out just talking about her feelings on church and God, she said she wasn’t interested but that she liked talking to us.. right in the middle of our conversation a butterfly crash landed on the cement. It was a nice looking butterfly and she took care of it for a while until she returned it to the tree.. all this time we were talking about her life and how being a good person has helped her.. She was extremely charitable. One of the best examples I have ever seen. After her parents died of cancer she just started visiting and taking care of people in hospitals.. the spirit was super strong in our conversation.. my companion bore our testimonies on the book of Mormon, its truthfulness and the power and happiness it can bring into our daily lives.. as we were about to split ways she decided to call us the butterfly boys ha sounds funny but I loved it :) I remember walking away from that chat feeling like we had legitly helped her life by introducing her to the b.o.m.. and it was a gift from Heavenly Father... I don't feel like I told this story very well at all but the moral of it is stay worthy of the spirit in all you do so you can be an instrument in Gods hands and be able to witness the blessings that come from it..    I wanna finish saying I love this gospel and even though I have so much to learn I love every minute of it :)  I just love it!! Ha! I love being a missionary! whooooo

Mark is the ward missionary.. ill take a picture with him and his mom :) we call him marky mark and mama chesters, ha i love them.. we go do service all the time for them :) but mark is a literal champ... he comes out with us so much... he is way to nice. He djs during the week at a club :) so, he is sick! and so spiritual.. its crazy. you would think that someone who works at a club.. but is so spiritual his whole life is based around the church..  he is a stud!!!
i have been really enjoying the bible :) Three hours of study is nuts ha... we have an extra hour because of training..
ha mama chesters has a joke she likes to laugh about.. she is from Africa so she says her words like elda wisa... so this is something thats not really funny but the fact that she laughs so hard is funny, ha! ok here it is.... elda wisa.. and elda dumba (meaning elder hansen) haha she laughs so hard everytime she says that :) funny right ha ah man... i love it!!!
ah man.. well im going to get out a here.. love ya mom!    thanks for all ya do!
elda wisa and elda dumba..... ahahah

love you guys a ton.

 stay safe, keep livin’ the dream!

love elder wiser :)