Sittin' On a Red Bench

Week 13.

I hit the 3 month wall on the 24th. Holy cow!

How are y'all doing? I hope to hear from you soon! 

On Wednesday, and the days following, we saw many many miracles. 

We were planning on going to Mannville, a really small town outside of Vermilion, to go tracting. First house we knocked on, the lady let us in and listened to us talk about the Book of Mormon. She said she is t too interested but her husband would be! So that was great. 

The next house, the lady was just as willing to listen, so we left her with a Restoration pamphlet and came back yesterday to give her a Book of Mormon. (Her daughter was tired of having to door open and being cold so she pushed her mom outside and locked the door... it was kinda funny) the first two houses! That never happens! 

Later on down the street, a young man opened the door and said his parents might be interested. On the other side of the street, nobody was interested, but one guy told us he sees spirits and demons and angels and stuff like that all the time, and said it's probably because of the pentagram

on his ceiling. He was pretty crazy. But we gave him our card and fled. I felt something weird when I shook his hand. 

Friday, we came in from tracting, nobody wanted to hear it, so we came back to the house. Elder Leigh suggested we took lunch early, and I was kind of wanting to do more tracting. We had twenty minutes until lunch was officially supposed to start. We knocked on three doors and the third one, a young man accepted a Book of Mormon and we talked about his beliefs for a bit. And all because we utilized 20 minutes of our time. So many tracting miracles!

We've been teaching Peggy a lot more lately, and we're hoping she gives up smoking soon, or we'll have to push her baptism back a week or so. We taught her about the Atonement, The story of Ammon and King Lamoni, and a lot of other stuff.

We had a good lesson with Radiance the other night, and Brother Heller came along. It was good to have him there, but he kind of talked the whole time. Radiance has a lot of questions, so we weren't able to get to all of them right then. I think she's starting to pick up bits and pieces, but what she really needs is to feel the spirit.

We were also able to find a young man named Kalin and a really jolly guy named Roger and give them the Book of Mormon. I really hope they take the time to read it. 

One thing I've been trying to do more in our door approaches is mention that 

as missionaries, we give people the opportunity  to learn more about Jesus Christ. It's not about us forcing it, and we can't do that. But we do give them the opportunity because they have their agency. 

Saturday night after our dinner appointment with President Crowe, we came outside and it was snowing. So that's been a nice little change of pace. It's only been about 2 inches, but people are still sliding (only when they drive like idiots which is everyone because Vermilion is a hick town). 

Sunday we had our primary program, and the kids did so well! Some of them had their parts memorized, and the songs touched my heart like they never had before. Since Elder Leigh and I teach primary, we had our own little parts, and it was fun to feel like a kid again. I started to realize how much these kids really look up to missionaries. 

Last night I got a blessing from brother Heller, (we live in their basement suite) and it was probably the greatest spiritual experience as of late. It was to help me sleep better and just to keep me motivated in the work. Then afterwards, we had ice cream and talked about temple experiences and they gave me an extra mattress. 

It's been good but rough at the same time, but I'm always plowing on! Like the snow plows that never come out in the winter in burley! Keep moving forward and always remember to count your blessings. Happy Thanksgiving! Eat some turkey for me! I love y'all. 

Hope to hear from you soon! 

Love,

Elder Wells

Pictures: 

1. Sittin' on a red bench (only some will understand)

2. Interesting decals on a truck

3. Because Train Track

4.It's too darn cold outside

5. Door to door service? Hey we do that! 

6. Since I can't draw Jeffrey R. Holland, this will work.

7. My mattress fortress (all for back comfort) 

The Hard Way/The Idaho Poem

The following are two poems Trevor wrote last week, that he felt he needed to send. 
Hope you enjoy! 

Written November 15, 2016

The Hard Way

By Trevor J. Wells

I often wonder why this is the road I take

I drop to my knees every time I awake. 

I've had to learn the hard way, my whole entire life

Beaten with false hope, pain, and stricken with strife.

Of the many many paths all of which I could go,

The hardest one is the one I will always know.

Of tribulation I've seen, the pathway was bare,

There was No sight of help, or a sign, only snare. 

The abyss seeped in, but I came out alive,

Because for the light, I knew I could strive.

I turned to the sky, neither right nor left,

Only up and to God, the direction Jesus wept.

I only wanted it done, I just wanted out

But looking back, I knew what these trials were  about.

I always took a rough path, studded with sharp stones,

Halfway through I'd be battered, beaten to the bones.

 I made it through to the end of each path, the top of each hill

Only To see many more and more, my life would be filled.

As I prayed along the way, my heart poured out to my God,

I knew that He'd hold out His hand to help me along.

He loves me, is why I travel the much harder way,

He taught me to ask, to seek, to find, and to pray.

The easier path would not have taught me much at all,

On that path, there would be no reason to call.

I came to the end of each steep, stony trail

Thanking my Father for extending an iron rail.

I held to it fast, eyes closed, pushing on through

Because I know through Christ, all things I can do. 

Philippians 4:13

The IDAHO Poem

By Trevor J. Wells

Mountains, highways, trees, and small towns

The place where REAL spuds grow in the ground.

A river runs through the southern part,

There's only one place that holds my heart.

The Broncos play ball on their true blue field,

When you breathe in, the western air becomes real.

From Bonners Ferry to Jackpot, and all the way in between 

The winters will be white, the springtime will be green.

There are purple mountains in their majesty to the south of my home,

Little hamlets and big cities, from east of Boise, out to Bone.

There's a city of rocks, a river of snakes, And a Taco Bandito

The coyotes howl, and a thousand or two of the rare mosquito

The pioneers came on through, and settled on down

Whether they thrived or became just like a ghost town.

There's a few Mormons here, a catholic there, 

And we all come together for a big county fair. 

Butch Otter and Bruce Willis, the famous people and the not quite so,

In the Rockies, We live and we breathe and we bleed and we grow.

though some come real close, nothing feels quite like home

Than the western, mountainous gem of old Idaho. 

As dry as it gets, or as stormy as can be

This funny shaped state like one big family.

Call it Idahome if you will, we accept it as such,

There's only one place that we love so darn much.

To me it's like heaven, no saint Peter, no big gate,

Just a lot of good people with their heads screwed on straight. 

I'll always go back there, to my home I'll always go. 

The greatest place on the earth is old Idaho. 

Elder Trevor J. Wells

Canada Edmonton Mission

2 Nephi 31:20 

Peggy, Porcupines, Poutine, and Poppies

Week 9 or 12 Depending on how you look at it

Hi Fam! 

Lots of good things this week, but I'll try to keep it short, I really will. 

First and foremost, Peggy is on date to be baptized on December 3rd! This has been almost 4 years coming. She was on date a few years back but she said it didn't feel right. A lot of missionaries kind of just let her fall to the wayside, she wasn't a priority. But when we got here, I felt she was part of the purpose for me being here. She has made so much improvement in the last 2-3 months, and I can't wait to see her enter the waters of baptism. Thank you so much for the prayers on behalf of our investigators, especially Peggy! 

We had interviews with President Pattison on Thursday, and after that we had Zone Training meeting. It was probably the most spiritual one We've had since I've been out. It was truly amazing to hear all the testimonies being borne, and we also learned a new way to introduce the Book of Mormon. 

We went to dinner with our Zone leaders after the meeting, and I got to try two Canadian delicacies... at the same time! The first is donair. Basically it's beef cooked on a big vertical spike, then they shave it off and put sauce on it. Or, you can put it in poutine(the other delicacy). Poutine is French fries, cheese curds, donair, and gravy all put together. It was sooooo stinking good, I'd have it again in a heartbeat.

During our exchange, it was Remembrance Day, there was a big ceremony. so we have been wearing poppies on us at all times to show that we remember the fallen soldiers. I don't know any fallen soldiers, but I did remember all those we have lost. It's really comforting to know we will see them all again because of the Plan of Salvation. 

Saturday while we were tracting we found a porcupine.. that was pretty cool. Sadly it was dark so we didn't get good pictures, but y'all know what one looks like anyway. Earlier that day, we tracted into a nice Filipino man and his wife, Arwin and Lisa. We taught them about the gospel of Jesus Christ, and they were very understanding. She has some brain issues so she wasn't able to participate much in the lesson, but arwin loved it. Basically a lot of Filipino families will let you in if you say Jesus Christ. 

Sunday, our stake presidency came to our branch because we have a new member of the stake presidency. His name is President Lowry. He got up and bore his testimony and seemed to be staring right at me as he told the story of his parents conversion. Then afterwards, he said, still staring right into my eyes, "Don't ever underestimate what you do." I took that to heart. What we do and say as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints leaves a huge effect on people. Whether you're a missionary or not, you will leave an impression on them. So I encourage you to treat people kindly and let others know what church you belong to. Dare to be Mormon! 

I love you guys! Hope everything is going well, and that you are recognizing the hand of Heavenly Father in your life! 

Love, 

Elder Potato

Elder Trevor J. Wells

Canada Edmonton Mission

2 Nephi 31:20 

Pictures: 

1. Bonnie Doon Zone 🏼

2. Bunch of weird missionaries

3. More weird missionaries

4. Donair Poutine (forget the syrup, this is the best Canadian food) 

5. Something to take into consideration 

It's The End Of The World As We Know It

Week 8 (Or 11) 

Hey Everyone! 

This week has been marvellous. The weather has been perfect, besides the onslaught of rain we got on Sunday. I bet you can guess what the title of my email is referring to. 

We had been absolutely psyched for last Wednesday to come, because we finally had our lesson with Brandon. He's a very busy man, owns his own company, and is constantly running. When we arrived at his house, he gave us a tour of his house, which he designed himself, (and he took pride in it) and then we finally sat down to talk about the Plan of Salvation and the Book of Mormon. He had read a little bit of the Book of Mormon and 100% agreed with the Pamphlet. He was a little bit confused because in the plan of salvation, it doesn't really talk about a distinct heaven or hell situation, so we had to explain that. When we talked about the 3 degrees of glory, he seemed to understand it all and said it even seemed familiar. He used to be a marriage and financial counsellor, so that was pretty cool. He uses the bible and stuff to help families and couples in their troubles. We left his house completely confused why he's not baptized yet, because he acts exactly like a member. He believes the same things we do, so that was good. He's really excited to hear more about the Book of Mormon and it's origin. But because he's such a busy man, he scheduled us for the 23rd of November.... three more weeks.

An older lady in our branch called and asked if we could give her a blessing, and she said "come when you can." Elder Leigh wanted to go at 2:30, but I said "nah let's go right now." (This was before our lesson with Brandon, he was scheduled at 1:30.) Brandon's appointment went way longer than we expected, so I'm glad we went to that sisters house before Brandon. Just a little timing tender mercy:)

There's this guy who is really really into religion. His name is Mike, and he loves to have members of other faiths over to talk about religion or "fellowship with" them. He does a lot of talking, jumping from subject to subject, and while he was talking during our last visit, I felt an impression to open my mouth, because if he keeps talking, he's never going to feel the spirit. He more wanted to spot the differences between what we believe and what other religions believe, and I simply wanted to teach. So I opened my mouth, as Elder Holland says to do, and the words came. I started testifying of all the great things I know to be true, and Elder Leigh kind of caught on. He testified with me, and Mike stayed quiet. While we talked, the spirit became a lot more evident in the room. Elder Leigh asked a couple questions, but he was tongue tied. A lot of what I felt he was trying to do before was shake my faith. But he couldn't think of any real way to answer the questions, and he would just jump to another subject. Not saying that we should be stumping people, but when our job is to teach rather than bible bash, teaching is what we will do. 

This is going to be a long email, and I apologize. Kind of. I shouldn't be apologizing for Telling y'all spiritual stories haha

We had a lesson planned with Peggy for the next day, and she told us to come to the dog park and have our lesson because it was such a beautiful day. It was like 14 degrees Celsius. It was great. We talked about baptism and her slight apprehension with being dunked fully in the water. We talked a lot about our favourite temples for some reason, and we asked her to continue to pray about when she ought to be baptized. We are hoping she gets the same feeling we do about December 3rd or 10th. She told us she wants to be baptized before Christmas, which surprised the dickens out of us. We have to help her kick her smoking and coffee habits first. But, were super excited to help her take those steps. We had another lesson with her later about the 10 commandments and The word of wisdom, and she is devising a plan to kick the habit. It's so great to see her taking these steps! Super duper excited! I think we also set the mission record for best lesson in a dog park. Haha! 

After our lesson with Peggy, we tracked a nearby street. Every house on that side of the street was either empty or not interested. We knocked on one door, and nobody answered, so we left. But as we were almost to the end of the driveway, he came out and saw us, talked to us for a second, ran back inside to get out of his pajamas, and then came back out. Elder Leigh started asking him questions and he seemed really inquisitive about our church. One of He questions he asked was super deep doctrine and John just kind of sat there thinking for a minute. We made his wheels turn, so that's a good sign! We ended up leaving a Book of Mormon and a challenge to read it and pray about it. Hopefully he does! 

That night we had a dinner with a couple in our ward, the sister is from Sweden, and they're vegans! I was really really not excited for a vegan meal, but it really wasn't that bad. We were able to share a conference message from Elder Ballard with them, and we felt the spirit a lot. Elder Leigh left me in charge of that lesson, and I feel like I did a pretty good job.

As we were walking down the street the other day, we got a call about someone named Ryan  trying to get a hold of us for a referral. So we called him back and he informed us that his girlfriend, Radiance, lives in Vermilion, (she's from Lethbridge and so is he, he's a member, she's not) and she wanted to meet with us to understand a little bit more about what her boyfriend believes. So we called her and set up the appointment. 

When we had our appointment with Radiance, we brought a young man (he's older than me) who is working on mission papers with us, so we had a member there. We told Her all about the church and the Book of Mormon which Ryan had given her, and we answered all the questions she had... there were lots. Some of them were like "why do Mormons have big families" and "how do you know Joseph Smith isn't a false prophet". So we had lots of opportunities to share our testimonies with her about it, and it went really well. We won't be able to meet with her for a while because she's going back down to Lethbridge for Remembrance Day. 

We decided to go visit Terry again, he had told us in our last visit that he doesn't believe the Book of Mormon is factual, and we were very tempted not to return. But he is a child of God just as much as everyone else, (no matter how old)  so we came back. We talked about the power of the priesthood, and offered if he ever needed it, a priesthood blessing. He was worried he had scared us off the last time, but he had time to think about what he said about the Book of Mormon before. Then he told us his life story and all the times when he received "directives" from God (revelation). 

 Try to keep this short, I promise. 

We were walking home from Peggy's the other day, when an older gentleman with a very messed up nose called us over to his lawn. He started cussing us out and telling us we're good for nothing ___________s and all this other stuff that wasn't true. Elder Leigh handled it all very well. Basically what happened, is his wife runs the thrift store in town. Missionaries in the past have vacuumed the store for her, but they felt they were treated more like slaves. So when Elder Leigh got here, we stopped serving there because the environment was not one in which we could feel the spirit. He continued to cuss us out, but We wouldn't have it. It ended well and we shook his hand when we left, but it was not a fun confrontation. He reeked of pride. It was super annoying. He wanted to call a number and put in a complaint about us but the only way to do that is to get on your knees... haha

We had a Canada Wide broadcast from salt lake on Sunday that we got to watch. Peggy came and really enjoyed the speakers including Elder Rasband, Brother Soares, Brother Duran, and Sister Bingham. They talked a lot about temples and teaching. It was really good. 

It has been a really great week, full of miracles, and very eventful. Thanks for all the support, keep doing your best, and the Lord will bless you! 

Love y'all! 

Elder Trevor J. Wells

Canada Edmonton Mission

2 Nephi 31:20 

 Pictures

1. My companion is a ninja.

2. The Karate Kid (just for you mom) 

3. Elder Idaho, being less ninja

4.  Up on the house top, AMERICA.

5. More America 

6. So true it hurts

 

Blessings Wore Halloween Costumes

Hey Y'all!

This was a great week, full of blessings in disguise. Ha..hah..ahaha....

I felt a strange desire to tract one certain street a while back. We tracked one side of it during the snow storm, and decided to tract the rest of it this week. We came across some wonderful people, and of course, opposition. One older gentleman kept telling us that we were trying to  give him something called "Awakenings". He said it has the Book of Mormon all over it, so we figured it was some Anti-Mormon stuff. 

Down the same street, we told him, "were missionaries for our church, and were talking to people about Jesus Christ." He stopped us after that and said, "I know all about Him, thanks though." So we wished him well and left. The thing is, if you know all about such a magnificent being, why WOULDN'T you want to talk about Him? He has done so many great things for us, and you can't take one second to talk about the Wonders He did? I had to bite my tongue a little bit.

We had a good visit with our friend Farrell, who used to be a member of the FLDS church. He absolutely loves missionaries though. We were able to talk about the power of prayer, and the issues with the world. When I started getting squirmy because my back was hurting, he asked about it and asked if he could pray for me. So we said sure. He asked Heavenly Father to heal my back because he knows He could do it. As we walked home, my back felt perfect. No pain. It was great! I think he was praying to the right Father!

Later that day, we went back to the street we had been tracting. I knew there was a reason we needed to be there. So we finally came across a lady named Lenny. She is a dyed in the wool Roman Catholic, but she was very open to talking about religion. So we talked about the church and the greatness of Heavenly Father and Jesus for like 45 minutes on her doorstep. I felt the spirit like crazy as we testified of Christ. I kept bringing the conversation back to the gospel with every chance I got, and Elder Leigh told me he was proud of me for that. #PointsToTheNewb

We were able to have a lesson with a less active member named Art. I felt the need to share Elder M. Russell Ballards talk from Conference, titled "To Whom Shall We Go?" It talks about how some of Jesus' disciples started leaving Him, so He turns to Peter and asks "Will ye also go away?" Peters answer echoes the way members feel about Christ's church. He said, "Lord, to whom shall we go?" Basically saying if we're not following Christ, we're lost. Art really liked the talk, because he wasn't able to watch Conference when it happened.

Saturday we had our district meeting in Cold Lake. We had lunch at a fancy seafood restaurant and I got to try crab for the first time! It was super duper good. We took a bunch of pictures by the lake. It was super pretty but super cold.. hence the name! 

Sunday night we got to go to the Ukrainian church for dinner with Peggy and her family. We finally met her son, Darcy, who is actually very easy to talk to, and a very nice guy. The Ukrainian food was absolutely spectacular. We had what they call kubasa, which is sausage with onions in it, and perogies, which are just mashed potatoes and cheese dumplings. They're so delicious. 

Last night was Halloween, and we were prepared to give kids some of the candy that the lady at the old folks home gave us, but we only had a few kids at 5, but we weren't ready. 

Tonight we have a dinner lesson with Peggy at a members home. We are planning on talking to her about putting the Lords will first, letting Him have the reigns, and submitting to what He wants for us. She is progressing slowly towards baptism, so we are excited to ask her to pray for an answer to when she ought to be baptized. 

That's about it for this week, keep doing good things, and know Heavenly Father loves you!

Love y'all! 

-Elder Wells 

"Come what may and love it." -L. Tom Perry

Pictures:

1. Two of the best looking lunch ladies you'll ever see (volunteering at the elementary school)

2. Stopped for a herd of cows on our way to Cold Lake (Looks like home!)

3. District selfie, including the Rhotons 

4. District from Left to Right:

Elder Idaho, Sister Romney, Sister Lee, Sister Smith, Sister St. Onge, Elder Leigh

5. A picture I took and edited of Cold Lake (hymn number 335)

6.  When you know your companion is getting trunky 

7. Those little black dots are geese... there were thousands. #Goosen