Great day family,

   

      This week was a tremendous week! I loved it and it was very adventurous. I started out the week with a  good p day of relaxation.  Then we I left and went alone to the zone leaders pension here in Neuquen.  They are super struggling so I went to help them and see what I could do.. And in fact.. I could really work with them, because a missionary got super sick and I went an took him to the mission house and I spent the afternoon with him.  While I was there at the mission house, it occurred that President was going to go to Roca.  A city about 1 hour away where he was going to have an interview with the Stake President.  So, him not having someone to go with, Invited me to go with him on the trip to Roca. It was him and I alone and there we were able to deepen our conversation and I really just had a good talk and learned a lot just from a small trip. It was cool that he even trusted me enough to be in the meeting with the Stake President as well.

      Then, On wednesday we worked out in our area. and it was good day and on the wise, I got super sick.  I couldn’t really even walk my stomach was hurting me so bad.  That had not happened to me in sooo long.  So I stay in the pension a little on Thursday but we still worked and did some stuff.  Taught some lessons.  Then, we took off for Bariloche on Friday.

   While we were down there we visited 4 cities and talked about the importance of Preach my Gospel.  There is a 70 coming at the end of April so we have to prepare the mission to be a mission of preach my gospel.  So we were working with that the week and it was super cool and we just barely got back from Bariloche.  There, I saw one of my converts and he has the priesthood and is giving references to the missionaries and passing the sacrament and doing wonderful.  That made me super happy! I felt great!

I Love You Family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Como anda familia??

This week was super great.  Probably one of the best weeks that I have had in a very long time!! On p day of last week president, while we were just kickin it in his house, we were having a blast and then all of a sudden he invites us to talk... dun dun duuuunnnn... ruh roh raggy I thought to myself.. What does he want to say? So we sit down and he asked.. Elders are you ready? And he just laid it on us.  He gave us some scripture and we talked and we came to the conclusion that we are not baptizing as much as we would like.  So he said, hey, we need to do something.  He said go to zones that need help.  You decide.  Take some money and go. Help them baptize.

That is what we did. I went to a city named villa regina and then my comp went to a city named zapala.  We were like 5 hours away from each other and it was a blast.  I worked with every companionship the whole week.  I had many experiences and many good opportunities to train and show how to do many things.  I really felt humble during the experience that God trusted me to help in that aspect of the work.  I really enjoyed it.  We ended the week with many miracles and many good opportunities to baptize.  We should expect 20 baptisms from that zone  in this weekend and the next° it should be something super great! I’m super excited.

Now we are back in the mission home and we are writing. We are going to be celebrating a missionary’s birthday today and then I will leave to do the same thing this week, just with a different zone!!

Family, I love you! Have a killer week!

Elder Wessel

Buenos Dias,

  This week was super and I’m super great! Ha I’m loving the mission still.  I’m just still enjoying everything.

   This week we had leadership council and it was super great! We brought all the zone leaders up to Neuquén and we talked a lot about all the new things in the mission.  We had just had the transmission from Elder Oaks and the mission department of the church and included all that we had heard and learned from them to the council and added some new ideas for Neuquén.  We talked a lot about how our main purpose is the teaching of repentance and nothing else.  We realized that in the Book of Mormon, repentance is what is being taught to all the people that are getting to know God and what all the missionaries in the Book of Mormon teach first.  We helped and set plans with all the zone leaders and sister leaders to better our teaching and base it on repentance.  With that in mind, we knew not far behind was the end goal of baptizing more souls and helping them come unto Christ.  Side note; in the month of December and January, we doubled the amount of Baptizms we had from the year before.  And this year, we have 100 less missionaries.  We can clearly tell that the Lord has many things set up for this mission and loves us a lot.

      With all those things said, we had realized that our mission had not been the mission that plans super well.  We have been very lazy with our planning and we have not been deservers of the success because we don’t act according to the will of God.  So we stressed the importance of studying and planning so we may have the spirit during the day.  My comp stated a quote "an empty mind is Satan’s workshop." we applied that to our daily functions.  If we don’t have a full day, we will be ineffective and won’t get a lot of things done.  We set goals so we can have things to complete.  As we work to those goals and we are focused on them, satan has no where to enter and ruin the day! So I appreciated that and have been trying to change my mind on how I think and how I plan! We focused a lot on preach my gospel as well where it teaches us how to plan.  And a lot of it was just there for us to use, and we didn’t use it.  We held ourselves back from blessings that God had in store.  But, now humbly I realize that everything that we received is from God so we can be happy and progress.  There is actually a thing on LDS.org that I want you guys to read! it’s called seven happiness principals.  Look it up!

    This week with the teaching... we taught.  A lot.  But I feel like our investigators aren’t understanding because they haven’t been completing there commitments and haven’t been going to church. This is my first week in a long time that I hadn’t had investigators in church. It was super sad and honestly made me feel like all the hard work that was done during the week was in vane... it was tough.  But, God provides.  He loves me guys! it’s so real.

    We have a rule in the mission that we can’t be in the church unless we have investigators, (yes we can go to take the sacrament) so obeying this we left and went and look and we didn’t stay there.  Later that day we were with a lot of members and they started giving us a ton of references and loving us.  But something really weird happened and dropped my excitement... I got a little down with myself.  We took a seat on the curb and there appears a less active sister with her boyfriend.. .they had been reading the book of Mormon and he loves the story of Joseph Smith.  They invited us over to drink some juice and we taught the first lesson.  IT was fantastic.  He now is going to read and pray and come to church with us!! I’m loving how God loves us!

Love you guys,

Elder Wessel

All the new missionaries

Buenos Dias familia,

    I would love to start out with just saying that... AHHHH yeah! The mission is great man! I have been on a really big roller coaster ride this week! Of trying to balance administrating the mission and running my area with my wonderful companion Elder Motzkus! Seriously, it has been just a way of balance in our life as walking hard, proselyting missionaries and being able to attend the phone when people call for problems and being able to excite the missionaries to do a little more than what they think they could be doing.

 

Helping at the airport

    Mom, I don’t know why you didn’t know, but yes we have been in our area since the first week of January! Working hard and loving everything we do! Honestly I love it! because I got the old feelings of just tiring myself until my body just hurts at night and we get home and plan, and we have to be behind the mission so we know what’s going on, so we can help them, so we always go to bed late and super tired and sore. But as we get out of bed it’s like this miraculous thing were my body is 100 percent and I have enough energy to run around the world 4 times and not get tired.  The lord loves us! Seriously he is aware of us.  It’s pretty amazing.

 

Missionaries leaving

   This week all the old missionaries that completed the mission took the plane ride home and are with their families. This group contained some of the greatest missionaries that I have met.  They had a great faith and did everything to help the mission grow.  And they were all great and wonderful friends of mine.  It was a hard to say good bye. However, the newbies got here with a head full of pride and a body and mind full of excitement! They were so awesome to have them, and they helped us get back on track and remember our purpose as missionaries!! What a wonderful group of missionaries.

   Having said all that, we were too busy with all the administrative stuff so we weren’t able to get to our area until Thursday afternoon.  And God blessed us with some miracles. Wow... We got there and we don’t have very many people right now because we just opened the area.  So we were contacting and we knocked on a door and there was a young man with his guitar in hand and his girlfriend that he lives with, and his 10 month old baby.  He invited us in and sang us a song and it was super spiritual.  We taught repentance and told him the decision is now. We have to get baptized.  We asked him how he felt and he started crying with his GF.  They said that they had been praying to get back to the church.  But... they didn’t come on Sunday.  His brother is a Pentecostal man and put bad ideas in his mind.  so we have a battle!! WE WILL WIN!... Or.. GOD WILL WIN!!

   Then we just were able to go around with a some members this week as well and things just went great! We found a lot of new people and now have some new baptism dates!! Things are great!!

I just know God loves us! There is no other greater truth than that.  GOD LOVES US: CHRIST LIVES!!!

Los AMO.

Elder Wessel

Hey dudes, the doors open. 

IM pumped on the mission guys!! I love the mission! But it has been hard this week. 

We have been starting the new program and this week was super extraño and we just had a hard time getting started ya feel me! I feel the spirit and my studies and I feel things working.. But I can tell that it is going to take some patience. Really I don’t know what to talk about this week.  This week was a week of trials. 

This week we finally got into our new pension and it is super big and nice! We have to have a big one so we can hold the new missionaries and the ones that are leaving.  So it’s pretty cool.   But they cut our gas and now we don’t have means to cook or have hot water and we have been getting super cold in the shower in the mornings.  You have to turn on the water, dive in get all wet, turn off the water, soap up yourself, turn back the water and get the soap off and listo.  You get out quick.  It’s a very effective way to start the morning!!! :)

Other than that, we have had a rough week. Where we just started the area.  they didn’t have any investigators before. So we came in, and it’s been hard... we have been pressing forward in the work. And doing our best! But man, it gets to the point when we are walking so much, talking with a lot of people and nothing happens so we suffer so bad that there is nothing else to do than laugh.  So it has been fun! We suffer but the Lord loves us.  So we are alright! 

I promise things are going to get better.  We will have success next week! We are going to do some great big things with my comp elder Motzkus! It will be gangsta! I love him.

The baptism was last week.  The Elders were teaching him before but they would not accept.  So we went in and got it done!! It was great!  His parents were less actives and they got active!

So now we have the p day.  President is taking us to a dino museum! So I love the mission! Things are great! I have a testimony super strong! I know that God lives.  And things are great!! I’m happy!! :)

Love,

Elder Wessel 

Holy moly, can you guys believe that it is 2016 already?? That is super nuts. 

So this week was just a bunch of preparation for the whole new model area thing that Elder Oaks talked about.  I’m super pumped about it and I’m super happy! I’m excited to get back in the field and have the zone leaders come to my area to see how to work. I am praying that God prepares the people here so things will work.  Now, Things haven’t really kicked off yet. 

We had a consejo and I doubt we will see many results for a while.  We will be expecting some good things!! 

Only one experience this week that I want to share. 

One of the zone leaders of the new zone that was created, called me the other night.  He said,  ¨Elder Wessel there is a problem.  We have the district in catriel and things are rough.¨ The zone is a zone of all branches in the mission that we want to get them together and have a good enough attendance so that they can become a district.  He explained that there is no priesthood.  There is no one out there that helps the missionaries and they contact all day and nobody accepts them.. They contacted 200 people and not one received them.  So it was sad.  He said Elder, I think you guys should close this branch.  When I heard that.. My doubts came and I almost agreed with him.  I have heard many bad things about this city from other missionaries and really they have only baptized 1 person in almost 2 years.. it’s ridiculous.  But the thought came to my head, They need to be like Alma and Amulek.  How Alma was thrown out of the city. They were rejected and nobody wanted them to be there.  But he went and received revelation and went back and taught them to repent and be baptized. That was on Friday night.  On Saturday morning, after sharing the thoughts Friday, I received a call again.  He said, we shared that story with the elders.  They are going to go and teach repentance. They are going to go among the people and show them that they are sinners and God will condemn them unless they repent.  They called, with an excitement for the work with only words of gratitude.  (Elder Wessel thank you for not doubting, thank you for calling us to repentance.) I have never felt so good in the spirit for a long time.  I love the way God works through me! He gave me revelation in the moment and I love it. 

I love the mission.  I love God and I know he lives!! 

Elder Wessel

My Companions Birthday

Holy dudes?? What has happened?? All my friggen best friends are getting married!! That’s so radical I can’t even imagine it!! How is Colton Hill doing?? I bet he is married as well!!  Yikes.. And Clara Marsh, Tyson Bowden! Wow... the whole world is changing...

 

But me, I’m still me! Loving the heck out of the mission!! I’m happy as can be and I would not want to be in any other place in the world rather than here! Especially at this time when things are going so well!! 

 

So this week we have been preparing the leadership council and have heard new instruction from the Apostle, Elder Oaks.  He sent some instructional videos to our President and he informed us of the new changes in the mission field around the whole world.  First off he started off with doctrine from 3 Nephi 11.  Where Christ comes to America and plots the gospel there, for all to hear.  He states his purpose and he calls people to repentance. 

 

The interesting thing of this story is when Christ comes, the first thing he does is testify that he is the Christ. Showing that when people obtain a testimony of the living Christ faith will grow strong and will empower us to do many things which we have thought are not possible. He then lets the crowd come up and touch his hands, feet and side.  Testifying that it was him, that was crucified and suffered for our sins, our afflictions and he came for us! Doing so, calling people to repentance so he could use his atonement to clean us from our sins. 

 

The very next thing, he calls up Nephi.  Gives him the authority to baptize and tells the people, upon repentance, ye shall get baptized in the water.  Exactly how ye have seen me do it.  If we look at this, he helps people have faith; he helps them see that we are sinners, gives them a chance to repent and then cleanses them with baptism... In verse 36-40. This is my doctrine.  Repentance and baptism.  If we teach anything other than that, we will have the gates of hell open unto us. 

 

Its super interesting that Christ himself did not come down to teach about all the details.  He came to save us.  He wants us to come unto him.  That is what we are doing! I’m participating in the work that Nephi did in 3 Nephi. I am fulfilling the work of Jesus Christ as it says in the scriptures!! HOW GREAT IS THAT!! What a blessing!

 

 

Then also, as assistants, we have not been able to focus on an area.  Actually our President took our area away and we have just been his right hand men.  It has been fun, but hard to get accustomed to. So that is something I have been struggling with, not being out in the field teaching the things which I have recently mentioned.  But this week, with the instruction of elder Oaks, there is a new system that the church implementing in the whole world.  Areas of example.  Laboratory areas.  Where the assistants are there to set the example. They are there to help missionaries understand how to work well with members, baptize, work with the ward council, mission leaders, and the bishop! All those things we are going to be able to do again! President told us, I knew something like this would happen, for that, I knew I had to call you guys! By the way, I’m super pumped. That is the missionary that I am.  Is a field missionary helping people become better! I love it.  I am so happy and excited to be able to be trusted of the Lord for this position.

 

So this week was just a lot of preparation for that happing now in the mission.  Our following area and where we are going to be working.  We will still hold the same responsibilities and still help President, we will just have this extra wonderful job!!! I’m so excited.  So President this week gave us the liberty to choose where we want to work.  What place would be the most successful for us to be the examples.  We thought about Neuquen.  We are going to stay here. We went and have been interviewing bishops in many different wards and found out that the bishop in Neuquen is the one that will help us the most! I’m super pumped and so happy to serve the Lord!

 

I know I am week.  I know I am not the best.  But I know that as I do everything I possibly can, God’s grace will come and save me from my short comings.  I know that in 2 Nephi 25:23 it says that "we labor diligently.. To persuade our children and also our brother to believe in Christ.. For we know that it is for grace that we are saved, after all we can do."  With no doubt I am pushing myself.  I am doing and going to keep doing everything I can do. God will do the rest.  I trust in him. 

 

This is my message.  After all we can do, his grace is sufficient.  Lets be Diligent.

 

Elder Wessel

Whats up Fam?? how ya´ll doin?   

Sooo this week was interesting.  We have had a good week and we are baptizing more and more each week and I’m so excited that I start dancing like a crazy man around the house!  But seriously, I don’t have very much to write about so ill just let you know how much I enjoy the mission.  I have never been so happy in my life.  I really feel like I’m smiling, being excited all day, laughing, serving and there is nothing in this world that has brought me so much happiness in this life.  That is to say if we didn’t count Christmas music.. ;) I love Christmas music! haha  

Thanksgiving dinner Argentina style

This week we did transfers! We did the whole reunion and everything.  It was one of the coolest things ever.  Kind of scary as well when I am the one moving the missionaries around and their whole life is depending on where we put them on this board.  SOOO we prayed hard and seeked very carefully for the guidance of the spirit.  I had a cool learning experience while we were doing this... At the start of the meeting, we knelt in prayer for guidance.  As my President embarked in the prayer, I fell to temptation, and opened my curious eyes.  I didn’t see any angels or anything weird.  What I saw was my President hunched over on his knees, head bowed to chin to chest, eyes humble closed and his countenance what beaming humility and submission to the Lord.  As I heard the pure words ask for guidance the room filled completely with the spirit, I didn’t see anything but I felt and could sense the angels guiding the thoughts and the actions.  The coolest thing about it is we were laughing and happy during the whole thing.  We were serious being robots with the spirit.  We enjoyed the things that God had blessed us with.  I loved that experience and I thought I would share that.

 Transfers went from 10 am -1 pm on Tuesday morning and it was awesome.  But it’s cool, the week went on and we realized that we ignored the spirit on something’s, or the spirit would guide us to other changes that we needed to make.  And it was an experience that I’ll never forget.  Even now, I’m still receiving things and promptings for the mission.  IT’S INCREDIBLE that God trusts me enough to be here.  I feel great. I hope I’m fulfilling my purpose.  

Other than that, I’m writing today because next week will be all the transfers and we won’t have time.  All the old missionaries are going home, and the new ones get here.  Soooo, yeah.. I’m writing today! I will probably read everything on Monday!! 

Side note, yesterday on Friday, we talked on the radio with a member.  We went to the radio and testified of the book of Mormon and it was cool!! It was a new way of testifying what I know to be true!

 Family, I love you guys!!  DONT FORGET;  

 The mission is incredible.  I love everything about it.  I love learning.  I love coming closer to God. I love being used by him!!  Let’s all glorify God in our daily acts and bring people unto him.  

 Like the story of Alma the younger when the angel came to him.  He said I come to fulfill the promises of God.  HE has heard the prayers of this people and of his servant who is Alma, your father.  Alma the younger changed because of the faith and prayers of other people!! let’s change people’s lives.  Let’s pray for other peoples.  Let’s leave our comfort zone and do things we wouldn’t ever do, to bless other people!! 

 Love you guys!!!

 Elder Wessel

 

Missionary's in Chas Malal

So.... sorry I forgot to write this last week.. We were super busy and honestly didn’t have time.. haha but there was nothing really to report.  So all I’m going to talk about now is what I’ve been up to.

 

Chas Malal

    This week we were still traveling helping El Presidente with all his interviews.  We actually went down to Bariloche to interview all those missionaries.  That is where the President and my comp got robbed.  I did not.  Don’t worry.  We were at lunch and nothing happened to us.  No one was hurt.  They broke into the truck and stole the camera of our pres that is super nice, then they stole his mac book, a dell laptop, his I pad, and my comps camera and his memory cards.. So that yes was sad... but things are great we are still happy.  I learned a lot from pres that day and his patience with the Lord.  He new immediately that the Lord is trying us of our faith because we are in a great work and he told us... "Something huge is going to happen Elders." haha so we are excited and super humbled to learn from him.

  This week after bariloche we went up to villa la angostura and helped the missionaries there, we spent that p day in villa... super gorgeous!! haha great.  Then we went on home.

 IN our mission, we have fell from an average of like 30 baptisms a month to like 15 these past months.. We worked hard and did a tour of our mission, teaching the importance of baptism and the gospel is what makes us happy!  If people don’t get baptism they cannot access or use the atonement of Jesus Christ.  People can literally not repent unless they get baptized by water and by fire.  It is the only way.  We have to work with our heart, might, mind and strength exactly how Doctrine and Convenience 4 tells us so we can achieve that goal that God has.  If we don’t serve diligently, searching to save souls, we will appear before God with the sins of all the people that didn’t receive the gospel because we were not brave enough to talk to them...  Like is says in Enos,  if we do achieve these things, "Come unto me, good and faithful servant."  There is a place prepared for thee in the mansion of my father and glory on high.  I want that promise. I know by serving the lord, glorifying his name, bringing souls unto him I can hear those words!! I’m super excited!! After teaching those words to the mission, we ended up baptizing 40 people in the mission last month. And we started of diciembre with 14 in the first week.  That just doesn’t happen in our mission.  WE ARE SO BLESSED BY GOD!!!! We changed the name of December... it’s called in Spanish, BAUTICIEMBRE. (diciembre)  so BAPTIZEMBER.  It’s a great month and a great way to give a gift to Christ and God.  A savior has been born.  Do YOU GUYS REALIZE THE MIRACLES GOD MAKES FOR US WHEN WE ARE OBEDIENT??? ;)

 Then things just have been going well.  We are with President doing transfers now for the next transfer the spirit of revelation is strong and awesome.  

 We are planning a leaders council for the month of bauticiembre, and in the AP spot, there has not been a baptism in this area for more than 2 years... So me and my comp, put all our faith and ideas together, and we thought that before the council we could baptize one person so that the mission could realize that its possible.  We don’t even have and area, and we went with some missionaries to some old investigators that have been to church, and we had a spirit filled lesson outside his door.  HE had never wanted to get baptized, but last night he committed himself to get baptized before the council!! Wow!! God completes with his promises!! GOD LIVES!!

 You guys I love my mission.  It’s awesome!! There is nothing better! I’m too happy... I don’t want to leave!!

 I love you guys!!

Elder Wessel 



PDay with El Presidente

SoOOOO this week was fantastic!! We did a huge tour of our whole mission, and we started on the Friday before that and we got home Saturday night!! Let’s get started... 

We left on Friday of the last week and we headed down to Esquel. Esquel is the farthest zone away from the mission home.  SOOO it was a fun trip.  We were able to pass by a ton old places that my comp and I have been and meet some really incredible people!! Really we have been so happy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To Try and get better we have made a presentation to help the missionaries  to understand their purpose here in the mission.  Y eso es john 3:3-7 he who doesn’t get born of water and the spirit cannot enter into the kingdom of God... something like that.. But we have thought a lot of that and know that we need to help people understand that if we don’t help, people cannot repent. They cannot participate of the atonement of Jesus Christ. It will be impossible for them unless they have made those covenants with the lord.  So our job is highly important. And some missionaries just highly don’t understand.  So that has been our struggle to help them understand that this is not a game.  We are here prepare people to meet God.  I wish the missionaries could understand that. WE would be an outstanding mission.  Honestly it’s still super awesome.

 

So we have taken a road trip from Esquel which has traveling, and then we went  to zone of Bariloche which has El Bolson, then we went to San Martin with has Villa la Angostura, then we went to Zapala which has Chos Malal, then we went to Cutral Co which has Ricon de Los Sauces.  Then we went to Plottier and then nqn oeste, and then Roca and now we are going to finish all the other zones that we lack. We did that all in a week.  It was a long trip. Believe me!

 

So really I have been able to just see some real changes in missionaries and see that repentance is real! I feel like that is our main job right now.  While we don’t have an area, we just are with the missionaries calling them to repentance.  WE have all ready seen many changes in missionaries.  Some missionaries have called president telling him that they are sorry for what they have done and want to change after they have met with us.  President calls us his sons that he never had.  He is super happy and last night, he told us, you guys are the best thing that has ever happened to me.  That made me feel really good.

 

 

 

 

 

Because adjusting to the new mission way has been hard.  I was so use to working hard and finding people and now that it is different, he understands and he shows a lot of love. I REALLY appreciate what he has done. Missionaries are baptizing more, we are a more obedient mission and we love the Lord.  It’s a testimony every day that the atonement is real and CHRIST LIVES!!

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING.  And happy New Year!! President asked us to make him a turkey for thanks giving, but they don’t celebrate it so he wants us to give it a shot with him!!

 

Love you guys!!

 

Mom send me recipes now!! Before tomorrow!!!