Week 33 Elder Wells Takes Over (Insert Stressed Out Emoji Here)

Week 33

Happy Transfers, everyone! This transfer literally FLEW by. Elder Nelson is headed out of Stony, he's been here for 6 months. He passed all his knowledge to me, and I will be taking over this place, plus I'm now the district leader. I'm trying not to let it stress me out. I promise. I am not stressed. At all. (#Fibbing)

Probably the most exciting things this week were the wonderful drunk lady we met with on her porch, our lesson with a six year old with really good questions, and we got a 5th Edmonton stake, so all the stakes here were moved around which also moves all the mission zones around as well. 

Tammy is the drunk lady. She is literally drunk all the time, according to Elder Nelson. She came to the door, showing way too much of herself but unaware of it because of her intoxication. We had a member with us, we stood on her doorstep and listened to her slur out a bunch of anxieties involving certain eastern religions. She rambled for about 15 minutes, then we prayed (holding hands at her request) right there in the rain on her porch. Luckily about halfway through her rambling she zipped up her weird adult sized onesie. (We were so uncomfortable.)

Winter was the insanely smart 6 year old. We had knocked into her mom Vicky a few weeks ago, and she told us to come back a couple times. We came back, and as it turns out, her kids were actually looking forward to us coming over, and Vickys friend (a member of the church) had told her years ago, "if you see missionaries, be nice to them!" Sooo glad she listened to her friend. She wanted us to come in and teach her and her kids, because the oldest, Winter, had heard tons of things from her friends about God, Jesus, and the like. She had insanely deep questions about the resurrection and reincarnation. That was way cool. We drew out the Plan of Salvation for her. It was honestly a miracle we were able to teach them. 

With the stakes being reorganised, we got moved from the Riverbend stake to the Edmonton North stake. On the other side of Edmonton there is now a Sherwood Park stake. So that's exciting! We got to hear from Elder Jörg Klebingat of the 70. He was way cool. 

I have learned so much from this transfer. Elder Nelson taught me a lot, and I'm glad we could be together for these six weeks. I now have to take on the responsibility of being a leader, so prayers are always welcome. 

Thanks for all y'all do! Love y'all! 

Elder Trevor J. Wells

Stony Plain, Alberta

Canada Edmonton Mission

Here are some pictures and videos for your enjoyment. 

1. The District. 

(Elder Wells, Elder Nelson, Elder Alvey, Elder Klunker

Sister Shoemaker, Sister Dearden, Sister Waite, Sister Watts

Sister Blackburn and Sister Hacking)

2. The District again

3. The Ukrainian Weather Caster.... I laughed way too hard at this

4. Someone's pet wolf #WelcomeToCanada

Videos:

Elder Nelson got mauled by a members dog

What even is spring?

Pretty sure this person had a wolf chained up...  

Stony Plain: Gospel Ghost Town

Week 32

Hello from the Canadian Side! 

How is everyone! That's good to hear! 

This will be a short email because we spent most of our day at the zoo and at the temple. I'll send more pictures later! 

The reason Stony is a Ghost Town is because not many people listen to us. We have no investigators, and the less Actives here don't want much to do with the church. So that's sad. But we continue forth! 

Fun story for the week, we went out to the Paul Band Indian Reserve, (which I forgot was in our area because it has been too cold to go out there). Before heading home, we decided to stop by a guy named Leon, but we ended up getting stuck in the mud. 5 heartfelt prayers later, we made it out and headed home. 

We did have one investigator ish person, Barb, came to the last session of conference, but she wasn't very happy with the session for weird reasons. 

We got to have supper with a nonmember named Dan, because he is friends with our less active friend Terra from my last area of Leduc. It was good to see her again. 

I'll be sending some more pictures here shortly from our trip to the temple and to the zoo. 

Thanks for everyone's support and prayers in our behalfs! 

Keep up the good work! 

Love y'all! 

-Elder Trevor J. Wells 

Pictures:

1. A member of our ward bought a creepy old abandoned house with a creepy barn and garage to match, so we explored before dinner.

2. Majestic

3. The Great Alberta Landscape

4. I climbed a thing

5. Trying to look good

6. I've really come to love dogs on my mission. Especially the huge ones.

The Funny Acreage

Week 31 

Hiya friends and family! 

This was honestly one of the most up and down weeks I've ever had. Like a roller coaster, but imagine it's being driven by an illiterate chimpanzee. That's how our week has gone. 

Amongst the ups and downs, we had a super deep conversation with a former investigator named Grant who got so far into astronomical physics that he decided there's no other way that science can work except if there is an "Infinite Intelligence" out there. So that's pretty cool. 

We had a Zone conference on Wednesday last week, informing us about some ways we can use technology to teach lessons and give people better use of fellowshippers. Including, but not limited to: skyping members into lessons, skyping investigators, putting investigators in facebook or text group chats (so as to circle the wagon and give strength and protection to investigators), and the possibility of future facebook use in the mission. We are also going to be starting with our Easter initiative very soon, where we will go into members homes, watch the Prince of Peace video, then have the members look through their facebook friends and find someone to send it to. I'm way excited for it. 

Our next couple Sundays are going to be pretty crazy. We have General Conference this weekend, a special Edmonton area broadcast (because we're getting a 5th Edmonton stake), then stake conference, then I think ward council. Pretty awesome stuff! 

On Friday, we had dinner with one of our investigators, Rosanna, at a members house. She's not as open as we thought she was, and she has so many wrong definitions of words from the bible. It was really hard not to have it turn into a bible bash. Elder Salter, the member, was throwing out like 40 scriptures at once, trying to help her understand the correct doctrine, and she was not getting it at all. But we won't be able to meet with her again until after 3 weeks, because she's going to Costa Rica. 

A member of our ward, and our upstairs neighbour, was willing to come with us to a couple single sisters the other night. Barb is super solid, really into reading the Book of Mormon, and really wants to know what God wants her to do. She's super solid, and committed to come to General Conference this weekend. She's super awesome, as long as you don't bring up Islam, which she usually does. One the complete opposite end of the spectrums, we met with Shelley for the last time. She ranted about all her problems (again) and the things she's not willing to take responsibility for. The spirit was absolutely not there. Brother Marepeza bore testimony to her that God loves her, and she snapped and started talking about how much she feels God hates her. She is very emotionally and mentally and physically unstable, and we wish there is something we could do to help her, but she needs help beyond our control. It's not a good place for missionaries to be going, so we won't be going back there. She is honestly crazy. She tried to illicit our help in suing a bunch of people, saying "for each hour you help me with this paperwork, I'll listen to you preach. Anything you want. I'll even (bleep)ing pray!" Sorry, Shelley, that's not how God works. She belongs on the Funny Farm. But in Canada, nobody call it a farm, they call it an Acreage. So she belongs on the Funny Acreage. 

All day yesterday, we cleaned an old missionary apartment. We figured it would take about 2 hours, but it ended up taking 8. That was pretty fun. Then last night, we met a lady while she was walking, and found out she had just lost her nephew to cancer, and she had taken in his 5 kids because their mother is unstable. We set up a time to meet with her again, and testified, right then and there, on the sidewalk, that God is taking care of her nephew, and the Plan of salvation is real. It was amazing to see how we were placed in the perfect place at the right time. 

All in all, I've seen the ways the Lord blesses our lives. Some people have to be brought very low before they're able to be taught, and others just need to open their minds and hearts to the spirit. I'm so glad I've been able to be a part of this work, in helping out Gods children. I love it, and I hope y'all do too! 

God loves all of you, no matter what. I know that is true. 

Have a great week! 

-Elder Trevor J. Wells

Pictures:

1-4These shoes were given to me by a good friend, Clancy Crane, and they have served me well. But I think it's time to retire them. #TractingProbs

5. A family in our ward has a pet chinchilla! 

6. Bench.

7. This is what happens when you have no investigators..... 

8. At the end of our 8 hour cleaning project from yesterday (3 Utahans and A Potato...Elder Nelson, Elder McEwan, Elder Wells, Elder Smith) 

I'm Going On a Mission

I’m going on a mission, I’m going to serve the Lord

I’m going to freeze my tail off, I’m going to go knock doors

I’ll make it through the MTC I’ve heard I’ll like it there

I’m going on a mission

To teach and lose some hair

I’ve got my suits all packed and ready

I’ve read true to the faith

The field is white and set for harvest

It’s time to shave my face

My family I will leave behind

My friends and my cell phone

I’ll be away for two long years

But I won’t be out alone

As I pack my one last tie, my mom sheds one more tear

I puff out my chest and smile and say I don’t have any fear

Of course I know that is a lie

I’ll get homesick a lot

But I know I’m doing right by this,

God’s children should be taught

I’ll testify of God the Father and of his holy son

I’ll leave and serve with all my heart and say thy will be done.

Brown Eyed Big Sister

By Trevor Jordan Wells

My first best friend was a brown eyed little girl

Who showed me the way to live in this fun, new world.

She would take me by the hand and show me how to be,

How to walk, how to talk, how to sing, how to see.

I never had to go to my friend's house, she lived just down the hall

The things I learned from her, she'd always be there when I call.

She and I would go on expeditions in our minds, somewhere far away,

Trying to live like Peter Pan, never growing up, we would always fear the day.

But that day came and went, as we know all days do,

With bags all packed and goodbyes said, she went to USU.

She learned to love the college life, and I struggled to get through school,

We both loved and lost and cried and found that procrastination can be cruel.

She fell in love a time or two, and fell out just as fast

We gave each other life advice, and talked all about the past.

She came home for a few summers to check up on us all,

But that summer was never long enough, once I got my mission call.

We were excited I'd be serving the Lord, but I knew it would be rough,

To leave my brown eyed best friend home, with all my worldly stuff.

The day soon came when I had to depart, so we picked her up on the way

Her brown eyes filled with tears, and so did mine, but I'd be back one day!

The letters I get from her tell me to work harder still, and keep on pushing on,

Looking at it from the inside, my time is going, soon to be gone!

I know back home she's still a Utah driver, with Idaho in her veins

Her spiritual example has shown me how to hand God my life's reigns.

My best friend is my big sister, who's seen me through it all,

She's older than me in age, but I'll always be more tall.

She knows me inside and out, my loves and hates the same,

She's put up with me for 19 years, and still I call her names.

I'll never look to anyone the same way I look at her,

She is one of my biggest role models, my emotions she will stir.

I feel I never say it enough, but her smile is a work of art,

I love my brown eyed big sister, with all my blue eyed heart.

..........You Lost Me

Week 30

7 months on Friday! 

Salutations! How goes life? 

Mission life is great. I love it out here. Especially since it's been warming up a little bit, finally to about an average of 0 Celsius every day. Same as our teaching pool. (Literally though)

We went on exchanges Tuesday night to Wednesday night, and I got to be with the great Elder Alvey from Ogden, Utah. (No relation to president Alvey from singles branch, as far as we know.) Our exchange was honestly awesome, being able to be a Zone leader for a day was pretty crazy. Nobody was home when we knocked, but that's ok. We had some good experiences and were able to learn a lot from eachother. 

Oh! And we had dinner with the temple president. That was pretty awesome. 

We tracted into a really cool guy named Marlon the other day, he decided to let us in and tell us his life story. He talked a lot, and I was tempted to sing "The Time is Far Spent" but I thought better of it before I did it. Luckily he took a Book of Mormon, and we told him where the church was, and invited him to come. We kept watch for him on Sunday, but he didn't ever show. 

Oh fun experience, we were tracting our neighbourhood, and this one guy opened the door. Super elderly guy, couldn't hear us, said, "hang on, let me get Karen." Karen comes to the door and says, "come in! Ron used to talk to you guys all the time!" So we went in, they gave us a bowl of fruit, water, and then we sat down to talk. Karen had the news on, so she started rambling on about politics and how terrible the US President is, and then she went off about the Canadian Prime minister, then she asked if we keep up on the news. As missionaries were not supposed to get involved too much with politics. Then she basically reprimanded us and said, "well you need to keep up on your government because it's all going to hell." She asked us a few things about Mormons, some specific things about the temple, which we couldn't be so detailed in answering, because it's sacred. Then we somehow got on the subject of her husband Ron. Here's the thing: we never met with Ron. The missionaries years ago did. Ron is now dead. Karen continued to tell us all about Ron, and how much she misses him, and that she feels his presence all the time, and he's definitely still around. The more he wants her to be comforted, the more she gets a bit of pressure on the back of her head, and she knows it's him. Apparently he's also been going over to the neighbour, because he wakes him up by yanking on his leg... we tried to teach while we were there. But the spirit wasn't there at all. Gotta love Canada. 

We finally were able to meet with a man named Cory, who literally talked for about two hours. The whole time he was talking, he talked so fast, and covered so much, I couldn't keep up. (Hence theI didn't say anything the whole time we were there. He and Elder Nelson talked about everything. I was waiting for the spirit to tell me what to say, but the spirit wasn't there. Cory was being way too analytical and nit picky. And I'm not one to bash. But the work continues to move on! 

Our one most solid potential, MaryLou, is on a trip to Cancun with her daughter until the first part of April. Sadly that means we won't be able to teach her until she's back. But! She did take a Book of Mormon with her to read on the way! 

Other than that it's just been a lot of knocking doors! One lady said when they were driving through Utah to get to Mexico, she could visibly see a difference in Utah compared to the other states. There's just something about Utah. And I can attest that that is basically Zion! That is the promised land! 

Alright everyone, have a great week! Keep on keepin on! 

Love you all! 

-Elder Trevor J. Wells

Pictures:

Elder Nelson (befuddled)

Stewardship selfie

Video of the back roads of Alberta 

GUYS ITS FINALLY ALMOST NOT NEGATIVE TEMPERATURES

Week 29 

Hello Everybody! 

It has been a super swell week! 

It's been snowing like mad and finally this week we are GOING TO HAVE POSITIVE TEMPERATURES! It feels like forever since that has happened. I'm so excited, my friends... if you couldn't tell. 

Let me begin by telling you all about the lunch we had Wednesday with an amazing Sister from our ward, Sister Buck. She is a very exuberant lady, she's a little bit older, and I don't think anything could get her down. We went to a super down home restaurant on the bottom floor of a little Stony Plain museum. The food was absolutely spectacular. The entire meal, sister Buck was giving us life tips, and I was mentally jotting them down because she is all knowing, I swear. She's so smart. 

Alright, all y'all of my fellow missionaries, if you ever get the chance to receive a priesthood blessing from your mission president, DO NOT PASS UP THE OPPORTUNITY. I received a blessing from President Pattison, and all the words he spoke were exactly what I needed to hear, even though I had only told him I needed a blessing and explained a bit why a few minutes before that. It's crazy marvellous how he knows me and my circumstances through the spirit.

To make a short summary of the crazy woman we met with the other day, she spouted off the problems she has had in the last fifteen years, and then offered us a job doing her paperwork for a bunch of her lawsuits.... missionaries aren't supposed to do that. So yeah. We're not going to do that. She wasn't very happy with us, but it's not our place to get involved with that. Anyways. -Now back to your regularly scheduled Elder Wells Email.-

It's really funny to see our faces after we've been tracting for what feels like three days straight, and we finally find someone who says, "come on in boys! Teach us about Jesus." No lies, y'all. That happened like three times, and we almost had to pray to double check if it actually happened. And the first lady called herself a Bhuddist Catholic. Let me tell you, she had a really relaxing vibe all throughout the house. Super duper chill. Loved it. 

And to end the week, on Sunday as we were scraping ice off our car, we accidentally locked our keys in our car... and it was running. We were late to ward council, but luckily we live in the same town as the mission vehicle manager couple missionaries. Blessings for sure. Eventually we got it fixed and whatnot. 

In other news, we haven't been teaching hardly at all. There's a lot of work to be done, but not a lot of people are willing to change. So we just knock doors and do service and eat the member's food. No just kidding, but really, they feed us a lot and I love it. 

Last night we did some pretty interesting service for a member, he asked us to help him load some things in his truck, he runs a Mac's Tools truck. So we figured it wouldn't take too long, but when we got there, the real problem was getting the back door (kind of like a drawbridge door on a castle) of his truck down. So we jumped up and down on it for 15 minutes. Because we're dignified young men in shirts and ties, and when we're asked do help, we do it. It finally came down and we got the giant tool box in the back of the truck. And we all lived spiritually ever after. 

Hope everything is well for all y'all back home! I have really seen the ways the spirit teaches us through others this week. It's been a huge tender mercy to see all the things the spirit has been needing to teach me. 

It's a great day to be alive. Love the Lord and He will love you back.  (He loves you anyway but it sounded good so I'm leaving it in the email.) 

Have a great week everyone! 

-Elder Trevor J. Wells

Pictures:

1. The Fleet

2. Redneck Creativity

3. The Riverbend Zone (minus Elder Nelson, not sure where he was)

4. Canada is pretty

5. Canadian backdrop