You can go to Mormon.org and view Sister Wuehler's profile:
http://mormon.org/me/8GXC/Julie
Dear Family and Friends,
This week we have zone conference so the Barrow Elders came in and Delta Junction
Elders, etc. We'll probably see them a lot at dodgeball in the mornings. We do
a lot of that in the mornings and wake up at 6 to make it there at 6:20.
Speaking of which there were two Elders that served in Third Ward that came up this
week for a baptism of a man they taught.
We visited his wife, and Sister Sherwood knows them also through her
sister-in-law who is a really close friend to them, but the husband got
baptized on Thursday and confirmed yesterday and it was really special to see
and be a part of it.
We picked up two new solid investigators this week-- it was a great week. We
taught a guy who works on the slope and decided he wants to be baptized and saw
him for lessons three days in a row before he left this week. He should be back
in a few weeks or so though and we can see where to go from there, but in
teaching him both Sister Sherwood and I weren't sure if he was really doing for
himself until we started teaching him. He's
not just doing it because of his girlfriend, you can feel that his heart is in
it, and we are excited to keep teaching him. It was also really exciting that
he read the chapters we gave to him to read right after we left-- made us
really happy when people keep commitments because that doesn't always happen.
We also started teaching a guy yesterday who works on base, but came to learn a
little more about his friend’s faith and the differences in beliefs- he is
starting to read the book of Mormon, and we have a lesson for this week.
Our Branch president is a funny man- he almost doesn't realize it too. We had the Elders Quorum president moving to
Idaho this week and the last day we saw him (our branch) president kept calling him to
"get your spuds over here!" so he could say goodbye to him with this
serious face and light heart. But I really noticed his sadness among his faith
when on Sunday he came up to us and said, "There's a lot of sorrow
attached to this calling.. you know what I mean?" He paced a little bit
and started talking about how he was sure we saw it too, a lot of people make choices
that send them in a direction that is not good, and sorrow is natural for that,
but I could really feel how much he loves this branch and the people in it that
day.
Our branches first counselor yesterday was talking on the phone
because we needed him to make a phone call so that someone would send Sister
Sherwood a video for our activity at zone conference this week; and he was
telling them his email address at "alaska.net" Then he went- "the net is for all those fish up here- she's a fisher of
men , WAIT, I didn't mean of MEN" ...he is the funniest-- get's himself
into trouble sometimes... a lot of the time, but he always has an open
invitation for anyone who would like to come to Sunday dinner, so whenever we
don't have a dinner we go there. There is this guy who we went to
visit who is very innocent and who was so excited
when we got to his house In his innocence he said "OH, they let the
Mormons come over...I am sorry I'm not wearing any pants but come in, you may
teach me a lesson!" He was sad and almost closed the door on us when we
said we couldn't come in, but was so excited when he found out that we could come
back the next day with another sister from the ward so we could actually go in.
When we went back, we shared with him that God loved him and shared with him the
new "father" mormon message-- it really makes you think about how
much each of us really don't understand what we have been given from Heavenly
Father. (http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=2119328537001)
We were driving back to Fairbanks from Eileson the other day and there was a
car on the highway with a wheel that was shaking and looked like it was going
to fall off-- shouldn't have been on the highway maybe? Ilooked at it and
unconsciously said "guys' put your wheel on" and Sister Sherwood kept
laughing at me. She does that a lot. haha We have a lot of fun--I feel like I
haven't really stopped laughing for days!
Zone Tracting this week went well- we tracted in 5th wards area and almost
every door we knocked on opened up- that doesn't happen much!
Sooo we got lost this week on the way to a dinner out in Sixth ward. We were
looking for a street sign way out in the Bush area to find it, and expected it
to take a while to drive there. So we left at least 30 minutes before to get
there, and we didn't see this sign for a while and noticed on the map that there
weren't any turnoffs for a long stretch, but got worried when there were no
signs for at least 20-30 minutes! Finally we get to an area with a sign in the
distance so we can figure out where we really are- with little to no phone
service, and we were already worried because we were late to dinner- like 30
minutes (ridiculous when we had left THAT early), and we got up to the sign and
it said, "Leaving Fairbanks Northstar Bourough" WE FREAKED OUT! We
were in the middle of nowhere and it was -25 below; and we ended up turning around
to get gas, then finding the house, and got in contact with everyone. We ended up
being an hour late but were so grateful that they were so understanding; but
everyone got a good laugh and we got to get rid of some of the stress of that
ridiculous drive. Good story, just made us feel Reeeealllly stupid. At least we
got the jeep back from the Elders and had just enough gas to get back. What a
waste of gas. It didnt help that we passed streets with names like "lost
lane" and "tribulation trail".
This week has been around the negative teens and twenties, feet wouldn't even
warm up one night until we drove home and after I got into bed-- but i
walk around without as many layers as I had in Anchorage originally when it was
-10. different cold, but still cold!!!
Yesterday I was reading in Preach My Gospel about humility and had a thought
that it sounded like a diagnosis, so I decided to write it up like one- it went
a little like this:
Diagnosis: Pride
Symptoms: competitive, acknowledgement of self over God and seek to always be
"more than" those around you, presume YOU are better
Side effects: feelings of anger, hatred, stumble and block the spirit from
working in your life
RX: HUMILITY, willingness to listen, put trust in God and acknowledge him in
that and everything, listen to what he asks us though his servants as well,
gratitude
Pair with hard work, obedience, and selfless service
I thought it was pretty cool to put it into that basic thought process- it can
work just like that sometimes. In the Words of Elder Bednar, "We love the
Lord. We serve him. We Follow him. We represent him." We are worthy, clean,
but not perfect because we cannot help others to overcome the bondage of sin if
we ourselves are entangled in sin or even disobedience. We are here to become
who he would have us become, just like a woman I met yesterday said that the
Bible stood for "basic instructions before leaving earth." We set
goals and we seek to reach them. As we reach them in the least though sometimes
we forget that he’s the one who helped us in the first place. Acknowledgement becomes
gratitude in those cases.
I am having a blast up here but also the work is going so great and that is
what is most important. In the words and thoughts of Sister Sherwood,
"there is more to life than rodeo."
Love,
Sister Wuehler
p.s. sister sherwood gave a really good talk for like 25 minutes that she found
out about thirty minutes before because the speakers didn't come, just saying,
the spirit is real!
scripture:
Fatherhood mormon message (http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=2119328537001)
Alma 26: 37
37 Now my brethren, we see that God is amindful of every bpeople, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen.
ism: "We'll be hoppin' around like a jackrabbit in a cage of bumble
bees!" --Branch President
"Take the first right on go thatta way then down to da neice which is
right next to da nephew and youi can get out on go thissa way" --no joke,
we received these directions almost word for word the other day to find a
house, we're beginning to think that our like is one big joke haha
"I teach lessons at the northernmost denny's in the world... and I'm a
mormon" --sister sherwood
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