Letter from Kelson #9 - I am still alive and Kicking!!!

Good Morning From Sunny California!!! CAN I GET AN AMEN!!!!!....(PLEASE PROCEED TO SHOUT OUT LOUD "AMEN", THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING). This past week was super awesome, but also challenging beyond belief. This past week was the last week of the transfer and things were going crazy. We started of the week with a full white board of people to tech and bring the Gospel to, and by Friday we had maybe 2 people left. Everyone just started dropping like flies!!! We were unable to make contact with any of them, we had people tell us that they will not be continuing to learn from us, and we also had people ignore us when we stopped by... A bit of discouragement was really hitting us hard this week. We were struggling all week to try and fill our days with things to do and people to teach. I think we went Tracting (Door knocking) for an hour or two just to see what we could find. But alas we were unsuccessful in making these things come to pass. Sorry if I just made everyone who reads this lose all hope of seeing greatness come forth out of this e-mail, but I haven't even gotten to the greatest part of all... Are you ready for the big Finale??? KATHI WAS BAPTIZED!!!! AND THEN CONFIRMED ON SUNDAY!!! See I told you it was the greatest part. The whole week before (the one of complete and utter disappointment) I was so focused on what was going on I kind of forgot that she was getting baptized, we went and visited her every day beforehand, but I didn't think about why we were visiting. Then on Friday I remembered and my week stopped sucking. She was baptized on Saturday, and might I just say that it was amazing! She looked so happy and ready for this moment. On Sunday she gave me the opportunity to confirm her a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have never before felt the Spirit of the Lord so strongly in my life...as I said "Receive the Holy Ghost..." I felt as if I hadn't had the Holy Ghost with me and I was receiving him into my life again. I then proceeded with the blessing and my anxiety of what to say, my worries about promising things that were not going to be fulfilled, or completely saying something stupid, dropped out of my mind like a bowl of Petunias (for Alaric and Rhys, Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy). My mind just came up with words that made sense and I spake them as they came to me. After all was said and done I closed the prayer. Kathi stood up and shook the hands of the Priesthood holders in the circle (mine included) and I thought all was going to be fine, you know...like return to your seats and continue on with Sacrament meeting, but it didn't happen that way. Kathi threw up her arms and said "Oh well..." and then proceeded to give me a hug. For those who don't know, Missionaries aren't supposed to give hugs to people of the opposite sex...I was a bit astonished and I said "you aren't supposed to do that". She apologized but I didn't mind and the bishop then told everyone in the congregation that it is really hard not to hug a missionary. I don't know why I was chosen to come to Sacramento, California to preach and teach and bring people unto Christ, but I do know one thing... I am here because this is where I am needed. There are people here that only I have the personality, ability, and lack of good jokes that will bring them unto the Fold of God. This makes me quite a bit happy and nervous at the same time, because as I teach and learn more and grow, I am changing. As these changes happen and people just seem to fall through the cracks I feel like I failed in letting my light so shine before men. However through this failure I have learned one thing, that success will happen later. If I started off with absolute success I wouldn't learn a thing, it is the times that we fail that build our character to the successful people we are meant to be. That was my week, this week is transfers, which is why I am writing on Tuesday and not Monday. I will remain here in my area for at least another 3 months, because there is a training program that I am in, and it requires 12 weeks of training, and then I will lead the area with my next companion after Elder Outlaw...not too excited for that... Thank you so much for reading what I have to say, and sharing my experiences with me. I am overjoyed when I get letters from people who say that they have been reading my e-mails and can't wait to hear what happens next. Please continue reading, because without an audience I am just a fool who is rambling on about how much he is thankful for people who read his rambles. I hope that all of your lives are blessed with the necessities required for your standards of living, and I pray that all of us remain in good health as the time goes on. In service to the Most High God, Elder Kelson Wheeler