Merry Christmas!!

"Hello everyone from beautiful Canada Toronto! Its been a great last week here as the work continues to go forward, and many hearts and lives are touched by the Spirit of the true meaning of Christmas. You dont have to look very far to be able to see how much Christmas means to so many different people. I have always loved christmas time as it is the most beautiful time of the year to celebrate giving. How much joy there is to be felt in serving others! What a wonderful blessing it truly is to be able to lift the feeble knees and the hands that hang low this Christmas!

As my companion and I talk to so many people a day, most of the time we just find ourselves wishing everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS! And what a marvelous response we have them also. Everyone wishes us a merry Christmas too!

All are Children of God and I know this is so true. I had a very special experience the other day with being able to feel the love that God has for us because he sent his son to earth. The other night as I prayed I felt a very strong feeling come over me that I knew was the Spirit. It whispered to me that our Savior truly did come to the earth and that the miracle of his birth means that all of us can have Hope in life eternal.

Much has happened this week, and one of the greatest was being able to spread the Christmas cheer by holding a concert with all of the missionaries in our Zone. The concert was for a charity and we each had our different performances. the concert was held in a large shopping mall called: Bramalea City Centre. It was packed with thousands of people! We had rehearsed for around 2 weeks of practice before the day (Saturday) and we were all set to perform. It was great to be able to see everyone come together to make it happen as we could see that it was all about trying to spread the Spirit of Christ into the hearts of those who were going to be there. We performed in the middle of a very busy section of the mall. there were people everywhere and we were scrambling to get everything set up and sound checked. We did so and we had many different acts perform with one of the Australian missionaries(sister mandla) performing Christmas carols. I, with two other missionaries performed feliz navida and it was great! President and Sister clayton came along as well (Mission president and his wife), and we got to perform in front of them and many others. It was so great! and it reminded me of the true meaning of Christmas. That it really is all about love, and not just any love, but the love that originates from our Father in Heaven, and the kind of love that moves us to help another person feel that they really are a Child of God.

I know that this Church is true. I know that my Savior lives. I know that I am loved by a Heavenly Father. I know that you all are children of Him that loves us so very much.

I love the Lord with all of my heart.

Merry Merry Christmas to all!
Because of Him we have the Gift. The Gift comes because of Him. Remember Him and know that there is peace on earth and good will to all men. How beautiful is Christ our Savior. Come unto Him and let him in this Christmas. He will bless your life more than anything else.

Look to love others. Give of your time. Smile. Help another. Tell them you love them. Be there for those in need. Spend a little time being a little more kind :)

I love you all,

Merry Christmas! Make it a beautiful one :)

Elder Wehi "

Teach them to walk in the Light

"This week has been a great and unforgetable week. This week has marked something spectacular. This week has been a week of learning and growing. I have seen the Lords hand in this work every day. I see Christ every day, whether it be in anothers example or in the miracles the Lord performs for us daily. His hand is over all and we are all in His hand. How great it is to know this is true!

I thank the Lord every day that I have been called and set apart from the world to represent His Son Jesus Christ. The world has need of His love. The world needs Him. When we come to see the Atonement in our lives we come to see the purpose of missionay work. Just like Alma and the Sons of Mosiah, they knew what the Atonement meant to them and therefore they shared the same feeling with others because they knew how much of a difference it can make in any life. Its all about having faith in every footstep.

There have been many experiences over these last couple of weeks that I wanted to share with you. I know that each one of these stories has changed my view on Gods love for His children and it has helped me to come to know Him more. To come to know my purpose, and that my purpose is found in helping others come to Christ.

The first story is about a man who we met the other week. This man reminds me of the true purpose of missionary work and why we are here to serve. The other day we had another missioanry come to our area because his companion was in another meeting. We were all studying together when we saw J walk past our apartment window. We raced outside into the cold winter air (and I went without a jacket which would prove to not be a good idea, especially when its an average of -5 here in beautiful Canada Toronto) to catch up with him. We ran over to him as he was crossing the street and he seemed to jump at seeing me not wearing a coat or a jacket of any kind. We talked for a little while and as we did so I began to get very very cold. My feet were freezing up and my ears felt....(well I couldnt feel my ears haha) and I just wasnt in the best shape. We were about to leave when I felt a simple and gentle, but such a powerful voice come to me to "Sing him a song". I felt kind of odd with that, but we did and as we did it brought the Spirit so strongly into this mans heart that he started to cry. As we were singing and while we then prayed with this man afterwards, the strange but beautiful thing was is that I didnt feel the cold. I didnt feel the cold at all. All I felt was a peaceful and warm aura come over me. I knew that even though it was super cold out, that inside I was warmer than I had ever felt. The Lord knows each of His children and we must run to help them whenever we can, putting aside our own wants for the needs of others.

Another story is about a man that we have been meeting with, and who was passed off to us as a refferal from the sister missionaries. He is a great man. He has had a history of Word of Wisdom issues and concerns in the past, but he clearly wants to give them up. He struggles a lot with this, but we know that He can overcome it through faith and repentance on the Lord Jesus Christ. We had a lesson with him the other night that I will remember for a long time. It was another cold evening around -2 degrees. We had a member come with us to the lesson. The member that we brought along for the visit had also had problems with the word of wisdom when he was younger and we knew that for some reason we had to bring him to that lesson that night. We arrived and we couldnt go inside his house because of his family being all smokers and him not being comfortable with having us in the house with all the smoke. We went to his garage where we sat on these plastic chairs in a circle. We began to start teaching the lesson when I felt such a strong impression that we had to use our member as the main focus of the lesson. We introduced a principle from the message of the restoration and we asked the member to share his Testimony on this. He did and Him and our investigator clicked straight away. The lesson then turned from being a formal lesson to a lesson about friendship and seeing each other through personal experiences. The member and our investigator talked amongst themselves for the entirety of the lesson and we knew that they had now formed a bond and relationship that would last for a very long time and that our investigator now had a true friend at church. This would go on to prove very vital to our investigators attendance at Sacrament meeting.

And last but not least....Guarav!

We met with Guarav on saturday evening to go and walk around the Temple grounds. We hoped to be able to do so for a while, and it wasnt until that evening that we had had the chance to do so. I will share with you my journal entry for the saturday: "Tonight was a very special time for Guarav. Tonight was his interview for his baptism tommorow and it went so well! We met earlier outside the Temple where we walked around the grounds and shared each of our testimonies of the Temple and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There was a very special moment where we all stood at the doors of the Temple and watched our reflections in the window. As we stood in silence, without saying a single word, I felt and heard a voice come into my mind and fill my heart with such peace that I hadnt before felt whilst serving my mission. The voice whispered:" This is your purpose. Bring them to Christ. Bring them to the Temple." It reminded me straight away of a similar voice i had heard previously at the MTC whcih said: "I have a purpose for you here. You have been prepared for this time." I instantly in that moment of realization came to see my purpose so clearly! My entire purpose as a missionary is to truly invite others to come unto Christ. Bringing souls unto Him. Everything we do as missionaries is because of Jesus Christ. Everything is possible through Him. He is the Way. He is my example. s a missionary, we must be AS HE IS and try our best to do so. I know that my purpose is never about me. My purpose is completely and purely for helping others and bringing souls unto Christ. He is their Sheppard and He knows them

Our friend Guarav was Baptized yesterday! It was such a beautiful day and it filed my heart with such beautiful emotions. I saw heavens light in Him and I will forever be grateful for this opportunity. He bore testimony and he thanked us for being his missionaries. I know without a doubt that a mission is worth every sacrifice and that the Lord has a plan for each of His children. ITs all about Christ and coming unto Him. I know this with every single part of my soul and heart.

I love the Lord and I love His children.

Til we meet again,

Elder Wehi"

Beautiful Brampton blessings from above

"I love you all and I am truly so grateful for your support! I think about you often and I am always excited to hear about how life is going for you. Know that I love you so very much. I cant even explain how much my testimony of the importance of families and the Gospel has grown whilst being here on the field! Whenever I think of how much the Lord has blessed me, I feel so overwhelmed with joy that I cry, I jump around, and I do so many weird things. The Spirit is very strong here and I love everyone around me. I mean it when I say that I love all of the people here in Toronto. Heavenly Father has given me eyes of Charity so much more than what I had before. I see with eyes of faith and feel with a heart full of love for others. This love comes directly from Christ himself. I know this is true.

I find so much happiness in knowing that God has a plan for all of His children. I feel my saviours love in all the world around me. I do. It fills my soul with great feelings of tender warmth and contentment. Whenever I see the Autumn leaves of feel the brush of the cool wind across my face, I thank God that everyday I am able to represent Christ in such a beautiful world and in such a beautiful place such as Canada Toronto. I simply cannot begin to describe how much I love it here. I love the people. I love those we teach. I love my companion. I love being a missionary. I love church on sundays. I love the families and the YSA. I love the stories of those we meet. I love my Lord and I love being able to talk to so many different people every day about the importance of following the Saviour Jesus Christ. It is always about Christ. Christ is my King and my exemplar. I love Jesus Christ with all of my heart and with all of my might, and with all of my mind, and with all of my strength, and with all of my soul, and with all of my energy, and with all of my desire, and with all that I am. I love Jesus Christ and I know that His Gospel is the Way to true and lasting happiness in this life.

I am seeing that Christ is becoming more real to me and in my heart every day. Every day I study the sixth chapter of Preach My Gospel which is about the Christlike attributes. I study these every day and go throughout my day looking to be more Christlike. I cannot say enough to invite you all to learn of Christ and to seek to be more like Him. Always put your trust in Him in every circumstance.

I know that Faith, Hope, Charity and love, with an eye single of the Glory of God truly DOES qualify us for the work! also faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, brotherly kindness, humility, patience, and obedience are so important too!
I love that we have a perfect example to look towards. That example is always Jesus Christ. Put your trust in Him. He is waiting for you. I know that this is all true.

---------------------------------------------------------------

This week my companion and I went pumpkin picking with a member from our ward. We saw many different kinds of pumpkins laying around everywhere and it was a unique experience. I loved it. They also had a weird board that had the 11 pumpkin commandments. The strangest 'commandment' was that you had to love and cherish your pumpkin. I had a laugh.

The day afterwards on tuesday we had a Zone conference with mission president. There are 11 companionships in our zone. Elder Turner and I are in the biggest area and we cover two zones! We are also in an area where they usually place Zone Leaders because of the level of responsibility placed upon the missionaries in that area. It is truly a pleasure to be serving here and when I am also. I love it in Brampton! At the Zone conference I was able to give a talk on dilligence. I was originally going to be taking notes from Preach My Gospel, when I felt the Spirit tell me to take another way. I ended up giving a talk on the Atonement and how an understanding of what the Atonement means is what will make us more dilligent in our efforts to share the Gospel. I gave the examples of the Sons of Mosiah and Alma and how because they had tasted of the change wrought in their hearts by the Atonement of Christ, they were incredibly anxious for the welfare of other souls as well. It was a great blessing for me to be able to share such a principle with the other missionaries because the Atonement means so much to me. I was also able to meet with President and Sister Clayton for an interview with both of them. I love them! They really are the best and perfect for me and my companion. I love them both with all my heart. They are the greatest and I look up to them so much!

We have two of our investigators who are planned to be baptized this coming sunday. The first is Jasdeep. He is from India and we began teaching him from the first lesson. He was found whilst contacting. He approached the missionaries. I have come to love this man and I feel a greeat desire for him coming closer to Christ. We have become his friends and have had many great moments together. The other is Marty. He is solid! We love him too, but still have to teach him many more lesson before he will be ready for baptism. We know that he will be baptized though as I was privileged to be able to give him a blessing where I felt the Spirit say to me that he would have the opportunity to be baptized. I love them both and they are becoming the fruits of our labors!

We are also teaching 3 other investigators at the moment, and I will attach a photo that we took just yesterday of all of us ( the sisters included). I love all our investigators and look forward to teaching and learning with many more.

I Know that prayer is real. I know that the Spirit is real. I had a very humbling experience the other night whilst teaching Jasdeep. For a while Jasdeep had not been keeping his commitments, but we knew he had a desire to do so. One night we came over and started to talk strictly about the importance of keeping commitments and I started to lose my way in the lesson. I began to be too bold with what I was saying and Jasdeep closed himself off to us. I will never forget the moment he said: "what you said to me has closed all doors." My companion and I now needed a miracle to occur. And so it did! My companion was inspired enough to ask if we could kneel in prayer. As we did, the Spirit instantly came back into the room and we know that Jasdeep felt something he had never felt before. He felt of gods love for him. I knew from that night that the most important thing for us to do as missionaries is to 'help' others to come unto Christ by having love and charity for them. To be kind and to extend a hand of invitation rather than obligation. I found out that night in a very real sense that God is aware of all of his children and that Prayer is so very important in finding our true relationship with our Father in Heaven. I know this is true.

Last friday night was Halloween! and guess what!!!! I saw snow!!!!!!!! It was so great! I ran outside with my companion and just jumped around. It was cold, but so worth it!! I loved it and I look forward to seeing it again, but maybe not feeling it so much haha.

Yesterday was fast and testimony meeting and I had the privilege of being able to bear my testimony. It was the first time on the field that I had the chance to do so, and I loved it. I felt the Spirit so strongly as we listened to the inspired testimonies of others and when I was able to share mine own. we had three of our investigators at church and I was able to testify to them of the truthfulness of the Gospel. How great it was to be able to be there with them!

I love you all and I wish you all the best in all that you do. Remember to always send my love to the family and that I always find joy in hearing that you are doing so well. I love you all and I know that while distant separates us; the Gospel brings us together in ways that are so great!

I look forward to hearing from you soon. Know that I always pray for you all. I really do love you all.

Your friend, Son, and mate in the love of the Lord Jesus Christ,
He really does love us!

Elder Wehi

P.S I am sending this email to some others also because of the need to share my experiences with others also and due to the lack of time I have to send it. I love you all! So SO SOOO much!"

Toronto EH!

"What a blessed 1st week in the mission field. I left the MTC on the 6th in the morning and traveled to Canada where I arrived in the evening. It was a long day! We were able to meet President and Sister Clayton and share a meal together. We had a brief testimony meeting and afterwards were taken to a hotel to sleep for the night. It was to be a big day in the morning, as we were to be getting our new trainers! As we were sitting together, the anxiety of knowing who was going to be my trainer for my first transfer was intense. Elder Turner is my first companion and my trainer. He is from Arizona and is, well, lets just say he is much smaller than me. He has a big heart though and knows how to work. The next few days after that was me getting acquainted with the new area of Churchville YSA North in the Brampton Zone. I was able to meet with the members and work with them for lessons. My companion and I have been dynamic together and the work is hastening on. We are very similar in the way that we are not morning people and our eating habits could improve. We are enjoying the time together as we have already seen many miracles from the Lords hand.

There was an experience the other night that showed me that the Lord will hasten his work in His time and that he is mindful of all his children because he loves us all. The other night, my companion and I were following up on an investigator that was in a far away part of our area. We came to an old apartment building that was not in very good condition. My first though was to judge my surroundings based on what I saw, but later on I would find that no matter where we might find ourselves, that God looks to His children always in love. We couldnt find the investigator and so we thought we would climb the apartment stairs to find the roomn number. We heard a baby cry and some yelling come from behind one of the doors in the corridor. I looked to my companion and I could tell he had the same feeling. We had to knock on this door. We did so and a man with a baby came to the door. He told us to come in. Hesitantly we did so. I have to admit I didnt know what to expect, but we took a step of faith and trusted in the Lord. The man had a partner and they were having an argument that had escalated quickly. We came just in time before the mother of the child was going to leave and possibly not come back. We were able to sit in with them and eventually shared a message about families. The spirit flooded the whole room as the baby stopped crying and the peace in the room was immense! We prayed with them and shortly left  afterwards. Before my companion and I left, my companion told me that the baby began to cry as he left and wouldn't want to let go of his shirt. I know that there was a purpose for us being there that night and I also know that Heavenly Father is always mindful of all of His children. He loves all of us and I know we were instruments in his hands that night to help bring the Spirit into these persons home.

I have only been in the field for a week now, but the miracles and the blessings I have seen as too many to count. I have seen the light of the gospel shine in the lives of those who didnt even know who God was. This work is so important and we are all enlisted. It takes courage to extend the loving arm of charity to others, but it is more than worth it. I know that a mission is more than worth it. It is a privilege and a pleasure to represent the Lord Jesus Christ.

Keep up the Good work everyone and know that I love you always!

A brother, son, and friend in the Lord,

Elder Wehi"

What an Experience!

"Our purpose as missionaries is: "To invite others to come unto Christ, by helping them receive the restored Gospel through Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the end." This is why I am here at the MTC. To know my purpose whole heartedly and to become truely converted to the Lord before I can help others to do the same. What a blessing!

This week has been really great! There have been so many different opportunities to learn more about myself and my purpose as a missionary. I am grateful for this blessing that has come into my life. The biggest difference I can see in my own understanding of becoming a missionary is that everything we do is about Christ. Christ is the centre of everything. His Gospel applies to everyone.

At the beginning of this week I was able to see how the Atonement of Jesus Christ not only blesses the lives of those we teach, but also myself and my companion. My companion Elder Brown had been struggling for a long time with difficulties that arised before his mission and I was able to help him to resolve his concerns about his mission through the faith that can come in the redemptive power of the Atonement of Christ. Since taking hold of the Atonement and its peaceful and cleansing influence, my companion has become a different missionary. He is more willing and able to participate and has a greater emphasis and purpose for the work. How grateful I am for this miracle.

I have seen my testimony and conversion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ grow immensely and I know that there is a purpose behind all that the Lord does for His children. Nothing is coincidence! I find that my purpose of being here at the MTC is more than just training for the field, but it is for the other missionaries that I serve with here as well. I love them all and love the people we have been able to teach. Sarah Mae is on of our progressing investigators here at the MTC and through the Spirit we have been able to help her to come to a greater knowledge of how the Atonement applies to her own life. We will be setting a Bapitismal date with her hopefully later today. Hurrah for Israel!

So on other news, I have had the pleasure of being present in a priesthood choir practice for the General Conference, attend a MTC devotional that was presided over by Elder Ballard, and do some endowment sessions in both the Salt Lake City and Provo Temples. I have been collecting memories of my time here at the MTC and it has been a truely once in a lifetime experience. It has been great to see how much food they eat here in America! It feels like home! All the missionaries have been refering to me as 'Aussie' and they tend to ask me A LOT of questions about Australia- Which is quiet interesting as that would never happen at home!

I love it here. It really is incredibly beautiful.

Our District leaves the MTC this Monday and I personally leave at 6am here (U.S time) and get to Canada around 10am. I will be sending some photos hopefully soon too.

Remember that I love you all, more than you know.

Continue to have Faith in Jesus Christ and to find Joy in the journey.

The Gospel or nothing!

LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Elder Wehi"

So much to learn in so little time!

"G'day everybody from way over here in Beautiful United states,

I have been so busy! We had a branch presidency meeting last night and was called as the District leader for my district. I have been able to plan for each days work, schedule for where we need to go, what we need to do, and even what we need to think. There hasn't even been time to think! But, its been challenging me in a good way which has allowed me to use my time wisely and to make my choices effectively in a way that helps me to grow as a disciple and representative of Christ.

Today I had the opportunity to attend the Salt Lake city Temple! IT IS BEAUTIFUL! Wow! I took photos but will send them to you when I have the chance on the mission field. What a blessing it was to be able to do this! The spirit was very strong, and It was such a blessing to be in the celestial room with so many different missionaries. It is so beautiful and so peaceful in that Temple. What a blessing!

Coming to the MTC, I was tired. All the traveling really hit me hard, but I was able to have a great nights rest the first night I arrived here. I have honestly learnt SO much! About my purpose, about my role in teaching, and about how we need to see others through the eyes of how heavenly father sees them. We have had opportunities to teach a lot and also many times to learn during the day.|

My companions name is Elder Brown and he is from Spokane, Washington. He is the best! I love him. He is a quiet achiever, but I know that he has a testimony of the importance of this great latter day work. He has helped me to understand about unity in companionship, and I have had the great blessing of seeing the MTC experience shape him into the missionary he is becoming. I had the chance to talk to him last night and just let him know that I am here for him more than just his companion, but as a brother. I know that meant a lot to him.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Centre of my life and my testimony of this church. I know that he lives and that he suffered for me that I wouldn't have to. I had a very strong spiritual experience last night when we were having a workshop on teaching people, not lessons. Earlier during the day I was praying to my Father in Heaven that he would help me to meet my plans whilst being here at the MTC and that I would be able to feel his love more firmly and deeply in my heart. He answered that prayer. When we were watching a video on how Christ is the centre of our teachings and our purpose as a missionary, the Spirit came into my mind and spoke to my heart. The spirit said: "I have a purpose for you here. I have prepared you for this time. I love you." I knew right away that it was the voice of the saviour. He has a plan for me and I know my purpose. My purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored Gospel through Faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end.

There is much to be done and much to learn. I love it here. I love the missionaries. I love the people. I love the mountains. I love Christ. I love wearing this badge! I love you all.

May God bless you always and may Christ guide you unto Him,

Elder Wehi"

Longest Flight and MTC

Elder Wehi's first weekly email and he sent it directly to me as Megan Green.

"G'day everyone! How are you all? I arrived into America in the morning and had the great privilege of being able to meet many different people from different walks of life. I was able to talk to them all about the church and share my testimony on the importance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. How grateful I was to be able to have so many wonderful experiences traveling to the MTC and through to America on the flights. The longest flight was from Melbourne to LA, which was around 15 hours. I slept heaps! but, I was also given the opportunity to share some thoughts about the mission with a man from Australia who was also on the flight. I talked to all of them and they were really friendly and receptive to the messages I was able to share. I met a young man who had had a Grandfather who was a member of the church. The young man told me that he had a strong relationship with his grandfather and I felt as though it meant alot to him to talk to someone else who was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I would often tell them how I was a missionary and they would ask me where my badge was! It was great!

When we finally arrived into America I was greeted by a very different kind of scenery. The American Scenery! Its...different...haha. Im not kidding, It is so so Beautiful here in Salt Lake/Provo. The mountains are huge! The trees are strange, and my lips are always chapped. I arrived into the Salt Lake airport around mid day and met another two missionaries (Elder Cruz from Mexico, and Elder G from the Phillipines who reminds me of Christine so much!) We came to the MTC and received our badges and a little orientation. We came into the MTC early as international missionaries and therefore we haven't been given a companion as we just traveled as a bunch of missionaries, but will later on today. How great it is to be an ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Cafeteria (where we eat) Is HUMONGOUS! not even kidding! This MTC is so big! Talk about Americans haha.
I will send some photos through of the international missionaries and I here at the MTC next time I email home.

We had a MTC devotional last night with all the missionaries. Elder Ballard Spoke to us. He did it without a teleprompter and told us that he wanted to just speak to us as if we were his grandchildren. He was great! An inspired man of God. I have been blessed to be received by so many smiling faces here at the MTC. There are many American missionaries, but I have been able to get to know personally and stay with many of the international missionaries. Elders and sisters from England, Fiji, China (Elder Ma is my current temporary companion), South America, and some from Australia who know Jalen.

The food is great! its all you can eat which is even better! haha. But, I have been making wise choices, line upon line ;) about the kind of food I partake of here so I dont stretch my suit too far. An Elder here likes to refer to his weight gaining as the suit shrinking in the hot desert weather.

Anyway, I have to go but I love you and and thank you for everything.

Talk to you all soon.

Elder Wehi.

I love you!"