Yep. It Snowed Again. :)

Well, hello everybody! I can't believe that the month of May is already drawing to a close. This transfer has been quite a different experience. I've grown a lot, and it's gone so fast! Right now, as it turns out, we don't have many investigators. Actually, most of them have dropped us. So right now I'm doing damage control. We have transfers next week, and I am pretty sure that I am staying here in Hampton. I am perfectly fine with that! I have loved the people here in Hampton, and even though it's been a little bit rough for a first transfer in an area, I still know that there are prepared people out there. All it takes is a little bit of faith.

Aside from that intro, nothing much happened this week. We are trying to find people in every way possible, so we will see how things go. Just pray for us! :)

It also snowed on Saturday...but now it's sunny, so it makes up for it. :) My parents will post pictures for this week on my blog!

I hope that you have a good day!

By the way, I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve in this beautiful valley. I love the people here, Canadians are nice, and I love the accent. I think I'll come back home with one. Also, a funny phrase I've noticed here is they say "pretty well" instead of "pretty much". So I pretty well have that phrase covered.

 Working hard in the ward office.



 Here is a lighthouse picture for my mom.

 Here are Elder Dooley and I with the Graef Family!

Elder Dooley and I are blessed to be working in the Hampton area. 

A Slack Week

Oh my goodness...this week was very unique! Do you want to know why? Because for the first time on my mission, I got to wear slacks! It was absolutely crazy! The weather got up to 22 degrees (73 degrees Fahrenheit). It was weird being able to feel heat come from off the sun for once.

Aside from just the weather improving, in general, the missionary work in Hampton is improving as well! We've been able to get into more teaching appointments, we've been able to find more people to teach, and we've been able to uplift and inspire members of the Kennebecasis Ward! It's been such a learning experience, and although this week has been rough for me, we received so many blessings and rewards for the work we've accomplished. We now can work with the momentum that we have, and things will continue to be better, and despite all of these things, despite those who reject the gospel, I know that I will be blessed, and that's what truly matters.

Alma 26 has meant a lot to me in recent days, I read that the reason the Book of Alma is the longest book in the Book of Mormon is because it is the most applicable for our modern day needs. As I read it, I really understand the missionary application to me.

We had a lesson with a couple named Paul and Amanda. They are getting married this Saturday, so that clears up one concern! :) They were both really receptive to the gospel, and seem to have the desire to be baptized. She wasn't as sure just yet, but over time that will change. He wants to be baptized.

We also met with Russell Chetley again, and he has been reading the Book of Mormon and seems to enjoy it. I don't know how interested he is in switching religions, but it has been fun to teach him at the very least :)

We've been really fortunate for the lessons that we've been able to get involved with. I hope that as time goes on, we will be able to continue to see success even in darkness. I will press on! :) Have a fantastic week everybody, and always remember that miracles have NEVER ceased! :) (Mormon 9)

I love you all! Have a great week!

Elder Wanlass

Mother's Day....Wow!

I literally cannot believe it. Here we are, once again, doing another Skype call! :) I can't believe how fast my mission has gone! I've enjoyed getting to learn so much, whether it be through the scriptures, my companions, or through prayer. I've been able to see miracles, God's hand in my life and in the lives of other people! It's been a fantastic sight to see. Hampton has taught me a lot about myself, and a lot about what I need to become.

Mothers Day Skype Call!!

This week has been very eventful. We don't have any investigators right now, because we had a lot of lessons cancel on us, but we have picked up some pretty solid potential investigators! One of them is named Jesse. He is a 20 year old guy who met us at the gas station. We were going to the gas station to talk with a referral somebody had given us, and we ran into him instead, he seemed pretty happy about it, and really willing to listen. We have a lesson set up for this week :)

We also met a family! :) It was so great! Paul, one of the people we met a week ago, he invited us right into his house, and said he was busy at the time we originally set up for the lesson, but instead he invited us over tonight to visit with his whole family! :) So that's what we are going to do! :)

This last Wednesday as well, we had a pretty neat experience. we decided to knock in a trailer park in Quispamsis. As it turns out, we went to this one guys house, and talked with him for a little bit. Elder Dooley was the one who was talking (it was his turn to knock), but I had the impression that I needed to say something. I asked the man if he believed in God, because he was leaning towards not speaking with us. As we talked, he said, "I believe in God, but there are so many churches that all say different things. It's hard to know where to turn." I then testified to him that this church was established by God, and not by man. His countenance changed, and he accepted a pamphlet with our number on it. It was quite a miracle. A simple miracle.

Of course also, there was the Mother's Day Skype Call, you can't forget about that! :) It was a good call, filled with fun talk about the culture here, family happenings, and mission happenings. Also, I'm expecting a selfie stick in the mail soon enough :)

Other than that, I just want to focus on the simplicity of the gospel! Our purpose in this life is to have joy, and to become more like God! I love those two simple truths, and I want to make sure I am truly enjoying every moment of my mission :)

Love you all! Have a fanTASTic week!

Elder Wanlass

Here I am looking kind of tired.

This was a first for me...milk in a bag.

Poutine...my favorite..so unhealthy.  This is a famous Canadian dish here.  It consists of  french fries, gravy and mashed potatoes.

Elder Wanlass and Elder Dooley's Accidental Mudding Adventure

This week was quite the week to be honest! We had a few adventures, we saw a lot of success, and we talked to quite a lot of people here in Hampton! We've been able to see a couple of miracles, and the work is definitely progressing as we've been working hard.

We started teaching one young girl named Narissa. She is 14, and her grandpa is very active in the church down in Saint John, one of the biggest cities in New Brunswick. We were on Facebook, and we decided to send her a message. As it turns out, she had never officially talked with the missionaries before, but she knows all of the lessons, wants to get baptized, and it was amazing to hear! We invited her to attend church this Sunday, and she did end up coming. She really loves church, and it was quite a miracle that we even got a chance to teach her in the first place! We committed her to baptism on the 30th, her parents should be okay with it, according to her, but we are going to talk with them this week and figure out exactly what the situation is.

We also had the opportunity to teach one interesting man...his name is Russell, we got him as a referral from one of the members here in Hampton. They had picked him up hitchhiking and he lived in the middle of nowhere (literally) so we, being the missionaries we are, headed out to find him. We got to cross the river on a ferry! Which was AWESOME! We then went along the river to where this man's house was, which was on a giant hill. It looked abandoned. I knew that if this man was home, he would have either shot us or let us right in. Luckily, for us it was the latter. We talked with him about religion, and the man essentially agreed with everything we were telling him regarding the restoration of the gospel. We then showed him the Book of Mormon and encouraged him to read from it. I believe he will! He seemed to take it nicely. Then...he got out this New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures filled with Jehovah's witness pamphlets and said that they made a lot of sense to him. I asked him afterwards if I could have them, and he gave me most of them. The good news is he doesn't have them anymore :)

We are getting ready to cross the ferry.

This week Elder Dooley and I were driving over to Sussex, one of the members told us to go down a specific path, so we did. Turns out that the road turned out to be more of a trail. And boy was it muddy! We had to drive a few miles through it, and at the end...the trail was covered in snow. So we had to turn back across the muddy and dreary trail and make it back on to the road. A FFLA (funfilledlearningadventure) at its finest.

Aside from that, we did a lot of other aspects of missionary work. :) A lot of people have not been contacted in this area for a very long time, so I've been trying as hard as I can to talk with everybody that I see, because I know that they are all children of God. The message we share is not hopeless. It is the work of God and it is to change the World. :) I'm here to be the best missionary I can be, and to give my whole self to this work.  I love this gospel. I love my Savior Jesus Christ!

I love you all! Have a great week! :)

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One last picture before the big transfer.

Elder Dooley and I in Hampton, New Brunswick.

"Mudding Adventures"

The beautiful area of Sussex.

Trees...lots and lots of trees.