Here in VA things are kind of slow but we have found some new people to teach and are working really well with the ward. I don't know if I told you this but this whole next week all we are allowed to do is read the Book of Mormon. President wants us to finish it in a week and it is exhausting! But really cool at the same time. Something I have noticed is how much it says "Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandment ye shall prosper both spiritually and temporally. And Inashmuch as ye shall not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off." It is so simple and so important! I bet ya it says those words or something along those lines about 50 times in the first hundred pages haha. It must be important or something!

   Oh yeah and S got baptized!!!!! I wasn't able to make it to hers but in the first lesson we invited her to be baptized on the 20th, but we had to push it back to the 27th. She is no longer smoking, or drinking! it is incredible she has been trying to quite smoking for the last 50 years and all it took was some desire, a couple of meetings with the missionaries, and a ton of prayer. It is a miracle. I am writing her, F and R. I am going to stay in touch with them as long as I can So that when I get off the mission I will know where to find them if I ever get a chance to make a visit. Well that is all the news that is news Stay strong and carry on! Love -Elder Wagner

Hey Family I will just jump right into it. BYU played UVA which is the big school in Charlottesville. So I was glad to hear BYU beat them. I heard from the members I heard it was pretty close, which is unfortunate, because I wanted BYU to utterly destroy them so that this place can learn how to be humble haha, but I guess " I ought to be content with what the lord hath allotted me." Quick quiz! What chapter and verse is that quote form in the BOM???

   This past week has not been easy. The area I am in is very country and it is not easy to find people to teach and it is hard to get members out with us ase they all live so far away. Driving from one end of the ward to another takes an hour and a half! However we have been teaching quite a few people. One of them is  someone who I will just refer to as B. 

   She wants to be baptized but she is in a very complicated living situation that she needs to move out of before she can. She is practically dependent on her ex boyfriend who doesn't like missionaries who hates her but won't let her leave. And there are 3 kids involved.. it makes me sick. The other night we felt we should stop by and it turns out we caught them outside in a heated argument about whether or not we should come over anymore. When he stormed off  B came  towards us and started going off about she is not going to lose us ( tears were falling down her face as she said this) and that we can only come by during the day and her ex isn't home. 

   Just then the guy walks towards his shed and begins to tell us that we are home wreckers and that he is going to call the church on us. The only thing that went through my head at that point was to control myself and keep my mouth shut. What I wanted to do was have me and my Hercules of a companion walk over there and show him what the word "wreck" means. Ohh but that is kinda of a hard one when you have the saviors name written across your chest. Anyway things cooled down and we are still teaching her. Keep her in your prayers she needs everyone of them. 

    Besides that nothing to crazy has happened just walking, knocking and talking to folks who claim to be die hard Christians but when asked "if there was more to learn about Jesus Christ would you want to know about it? and they say "no thank you I am comfortable with my beliefs." I just want to shake them while saying "He who hath ears to hear let them hear!!" Sometimes I do say that but it is pretty much pointless by then. The Best thing is just to smile and leave. 

   Hey Dad I am very interested to know more about your families conversion story! Could you share it with me sometime?

   I love you all and am proud to be apart of this family - Elder wagner

Quick week in review.

 A ton of stuff has happened this week. I will just blow through it super quick. We interpreted a blind mans dream, found one of investigators totally messed up on the side walk, made a full grown man cry when we asked him what his purpose in life is, met the missionary who baptized my companions parents 15 years ago, tracted in a torrential down pour for 2 hours with nothing save our testimonies, told a man that he is a modern day Pharisee, casted countless pearls before swine, Set a lady named Sheree on date to be baptized on the 20th of September, as of yesterday she has quite smoking, bought some awesome shoes, gained a greater faith in Christ and his redeeming qualities, and biked.

   That sums up my week you are in my prayers love -Elder Wagner

transferred

Sept 8

Being transferred! and two baptism planned  :)

I am getting transferred!! I have been in the Lakeridge 2nd ward for almost 5 months I love everybody there so much. I'm pretty sure I also know everybody better there than I do back at home haha. I cannot possibly imagine a better ward. Don't get me wrong I am sure there are better but there was something special about this one and I will come back to visit someday!! I know everybody says that, but I really am going to try super hard too.

   Oh hold on a second I will be back this weekend, because Flavio is getting BAPTIZED! I got a member ride and everything already. We have been working with him this whole transfer and just yesterday he finally made the decision. We had a grand scheme. We knew it would be fast and testimony meeting and those can be absolutely great or just the opposite. So instead of leaving it to chance we called a ton of people the night before who we thought that their testimonies would be beneficial for Flavio. We then called the Zone Leaders and set up a baptismal interview right after church so he couldn't escape. And it all worked out and he felt the spirit from some awesome testimonies as well as throughout church. Then afterword's we asked if he really did want to be baptized and he said Yes! So then we were like ok great meet Elder Johnson down the hall way in 2mins, he will be conducting your interview haha.

   He really has progressed a lot and he is super ready. His girlfriend is going to temple square to serve a mission and now the next step is to just get him to go!! Man that would be the best thing ever.

   So the following weekend I will be coming back to this ward again for Sheree's baptism! She is awesome within three times of teaching her she had a full testimony of the BOM Joseph Smith and the church. She could have been baptized in one week if it weren't for cigarettes. But in a week in a half she will be ready.

   At the beginning of this transfer I was pretty down and frustrated with the lack of  progressing investigators, So we pretty much dropped everybody and looked for those who were willing and ready. We knocked on practically every door in our area and from that we found a lot of potentials, many investigators, and 2 people who have been prepared. This work is hard mentally physically and spiritually. Sometimes I find myself thinking how am I even doing this right now, but there is something about knowing the truth that pushes you to do things you never thought possible.

   I do not know where I am going yet but I am sure It is where I need to be. Remember the church is True and the book is blue ;) Love Elder Wagner