Cool story time. We were walking around a sketchy area late at night talking to every thing that moved when we got to a man by a dumpster. We talked to him for a bit and it became apparent that he was missing something. He told us that he was in the dangerous trade of "supply and demand" and that he was content with his life. Elder P is really good at asking questions and it got to the point where he asked this man  "What are you missing in your life?" Things got really quite and the spirit came rushing in when he said "My Momma." This man had plenty of rough edges but he still clung onto the one person who had ever shown him true sincere *undefiled affection. We told him of someone who had as much love and more love for him who created a plan that allows us to be with our loved ones again. We don't really knew how he took it but he did say that he was waiting for us to go over and talk to him when he saw us walking around and that he was glad that we did. We are getting in contact with him 2 days from now so we will see what happens. I am thankful for those opporitunities that the Lord gives us to meet someone who has been prepared and is looking for truth. It takes a lot of trust on his part which leaves a lot of responsibility on our part. Always be ready to share the Gospel it needs to be on the tip of your tongue and when it is the Lord will bless you by seeing others come to Christ. I love you all and to all a goodnight -Elder Wagner

This week has gone by incredibly fast. The ward is really beginning to like us a lot! we have dinners scheduled for the next month and a half it is a miracle! Also the work is really moving along as usual when we got here the elders were not working with anybody, but now we have got appointments scheduled almost every night. We are still Working with the family from Uganda and have a meeting with them tomorrow. Now that we have all these people that we are working with now we just have to sift the wheat from the tares. I have a feeling that I am going to be here for a while which I am perfectly content with. I love Woodbridge it is busy busy busy with all sorts of different people.

   Alright funny story time. Elders do this thing sometimes where they have pictures of girls they are staying in contact with and they show them off to other Elders. This happened once in Farmville and it was a picture of a highschool graduation picture of somone in a ward this Elder had served in. I thought she was quite cute but I also thought it odd that she was writing him because this Elder was very interesting. He talked about how they have future plans and stuff and I was a greeny so I didn't really know anything. Any way so fast forward to yesterday. We are at a members house and I was looking at the pictures on the wall of their children and one of them was the exact same picture that I saw in Farmville. I asked the family if they new a "certain" Elder and they said yes. "We even sent a picture of our daughters graduation photo to him and his companion because we thought they were nice." The light bulb went off in my head and I started laughing really hard. I explained to this family the experience that I had 8 months prior and how this elder thought he was going to marry their daughter. The whole family looks at me shocked. Then we all start laughing. I feel bad for that Elder but is to funny not to share. 

   Miracles continue to happen here. I have knowledge that when we pray in faith for something and it is a righteous desire and we then go out to accomplish it God will answer our prayers. Its just a fact. I have seen it time after time. The only problem is that we have to remember to do it. Recently I have been constantly checking myself to make sure I am applying all the things that I have learned because if we don't use it we forget it and if we forget it we might as well have never had it in the first place. I remember in Elementary school they taught us how the government is full of checks and balances so things don't get out of control and so we must do with our lives. Check yourself before you wreck yourself! Love Elder Wagner

October 27, 2014

I got a lot to say so I will just dive into it. My new companion is Elder P. I actually served around him in Charlottesville and we get along quite well. He is a hard worker, obedient, loving and happy. So Mom yours and my prayers were answered! 

   So we are shotgunning an area. Which means we don't know anything, and we don't know anyone. This last week has been just trying to figure out what is going on in the Dale City area. We still don't even know our address yet haha.

   The last elders that served here pretty much just sat in the apartment for 3 months straight so we are practically opening a new area. Our days have been filled with tracting, visiting members and trying to get in contact with way old investigators. I can't say any major cool things have happened. We are just trying to figure out what the heck is going on.

   It is especially hard when neither of us have a GPS or a map. So we have gotten lost quite few times. What has made it even worse is that our bikes got stolen the other night. We left them unlocked for a very short amount of time and we came back and they were gone.... So that is unfortunate. Though there are some bikes that we can use for a little bit so it is all good. My time is limited so I will leave it at that. The church is true and the book is blue. -Love Elder Wagner

November 3, 2014

 Dad you crack me up. It is actually really funny we taught this guy named J for quite a while and he said he used to steal bikes all the time ( I'm pretty sure he still does haha) so I was going to call him up and ask for some advice but I lost his phone number. Dang it! I am riding a sister bike right now and probably will stay on it till it breaks down. I took a picture of it, but I forgot my camera, More pictures next week I guess!

   Sounds like you had an interesting experience with the missionaries Mom. It is quite frustrating for us missionaries when people cannot recognize the spirit, but the thing is that people will recognize the absence of it when the missionaries stop coming by. So either way they are influenced by it and then it becomes their choice if they want to feel it again.

   As far as being converted you should read a talk by Elder Bednar. He explains pretty well that being converted never ends and that so long as you are making progress you are good. I have to tell myself that quite a bit. The more I ask Heavenly Father to help me improve the more I notice things that I need to improve on. Before the mission I never gave it much thought. I thought I was a pretty good kid and I was to some extent. But now when I am the best person I have ever been in my life as far as trying to develop Christ like attributes, I feel so inadequate. Ether 12:26-27 clears up that mess pretty quick though so it is all good :)

   This week has gone by pretty quick. We had a cool little miracle. This week me and Elder P have done away with logical finding. By that I mean when ever we go tracting we used to just pick up where we left off from the day before. But after a powerful zone meeting we realized that is not the way God would have us find his prepared children. Instead, everyday we pray for God to send us to specific area and then when we get there we pray again for God to guide us. Then we turn into Finding Machines. We look for any sign of movement in the neighborhood, Talking to every single person we see, knocking random doors on nothing but a whim, and being incredibly persistent with people. We know that God sent us their so to pass up any opportunity or impression would just be plain out crazy.

   Immediately after we tried out this new finding technique. Crazy stuff has happened. We were doing just this when we biked into some strange *coltasack. We passed up about 5 houses talked to a guy who was definitely not interested. Than knocked on a house a couple houses past him. A teenage girl who is from Uganda opens the door and Elder P goes into the usual door approach. She tells us that her family is Catholic and that they probably would not be interested. She begins to close the door when I say "Mam we have the most important message that you could ever hear in your whole entire life please would you spare a short amount of time to hear it. She Contemplates for a little then motions for us to wait. She walks inside the house and brings out her father. He comes out and says in his Deep Ugandan accent if you are talking about Jesus you can come inside my house. We go inside and he motions for us to enter. He then calls his whole family up consisting of 4 children and then says please share your message with us. Me and Elder P then taught him and his family the restoration. He was taking notes the whole time and his family was intently listening. It was a powerful lesson and we set the whole family to be baptized on the 29th of November to which they said yes to. We walked out of that lesson thinkin what the heck just happened? Experiences like that where the whole family is involved in the first lesson rarely if ever happen. We were no doubt led there and I am grateful that God aloud us to be the Elders to find them.

   Other miracles have happened but they are also long stories. Simply put the Lord will provide. I love you all and am grateful for everything You have done for me. Love ya! Elder Wagner