I Am Your Host- Elder Wanlass! (and the lamest email ever.)

Hello everybody! This week not much happened to be honest. Just finding and talking with People. This quite possibly might be one of the shortest letters I will ever write, to be honest. 

1. One of our recent converts named Al is a taxi driver and he talks to a lot of people about the gospel who need it. He came to us last Monday and gave us literally 40 names of people to go and stop by who might be interested! It was a neat experience! :) 

2. We had a google translate door conversation -  We had one pretty cool story. We were knocking and we found this one guy who couldn't speak any English. He was really friendly with us though. He didn't know who we were, so he ran over to his phone and got google translate. I had to type in what I wanted to say, and it translated into Romanian for him to read. Once he found out we taught about Jesus Christ, he let us right in and pointed to pictures of Jesus. He invited us back later. We are now friends on Facebook. :D

3. We had really good interviews with President Pratt and we talked about Charlottetown and things. :)

4. We got blue suits that we wore for a ward activity. They were donated to us by a member.  :) it was a lot of fun!

Thanks everybody, I promise this is going to be the shortest email I ever do!

Elder Wanlass

 Ward Party!!

 Elder McAteer and his wife are the Senior Missionary couple serving in our ward.  We love them!!

Zone Conference and a Week of Finding!

Hey everybody :) This week has been pretty good. Not too many exciting things happened, but we are working hard and trying to find more people to teach. Sorry I've been really bad with pictures, we just haven't had much happen. I'll try and take some today at the Chocolate Museum or something :) Anyhow...

This week we actually had a pretty good week, because we had a Zone Conference with Elder Perkins come! :) Elder Perkins is in the Seventy, and he spoke to us on how Preach My Gospel is so necessary for us in the mission field, as well as how to teach the Restoration more directly and with more purpose. It was really good and helped me reflect on what I could be doing better to teach the restoration with more boldness.

This week we found a few different people from all sorts of ways. We knocked into a couple people in St. George, New Brunswick. One is named Joy and she is Filipino. She let us in right away and just talked to us for a little bit. We asked her if she wanted to meet for a lesson and she gave us all her contact information, so that was pretty cool.

We also found a new investigator named Courtney in Calais. She let us in and had talked with missionaries before, and she was willing to have us come back. We taught her the restoration with one of the priests in our ward, and she really liked it. She's been reading the Book of Mormon, and wants to know that it is true. I think that she will have a lot of potential.

Other than that, not much else to talk about, I will get you more pictures soon enough. :)

Anyway, Bye!

Elder Wanlass

 President Pratt giving me a much needed massage.

Zone Conference with some of my friends.

I'M ON THE EDGE! Of the Mission!

Hello everybody! This week was a pretty good week overall. We've seen some good things happen, and we had some fun this week too :) Our investigators are doing well overall. We weren't able to meet with as many people because our investigators were sick...but they are still reading the Book of Mormon, so that's good. We had some pretty interesting times this week as well.

I actually got to go to Fredericton this week for a little bit. We went on exchanges to Fredericton with the zone leaders. It was a great exchange, and I had a lot of fun :) A stake activity was actually going on, so I got to see members from Caribou and Hampton and St. Stephen! :) It was so good to say hi to some familiar faces :) I love them all!

We also had the opportunity to go all the way down to Eastport, Maine, which is on the very bottom boundary. Remember that time when I said that I was on the Northern boundary in Edmunston and Fort Kent? Well, now I'm on the southern boundary. We can literally see the end of the mission from one of the member's houses here. Crazy! :) 

In Eastport we were able to try out an amazing Lobster Pizza. :)

Anyway, moving on to actual missionary stuff, we picked up a new investigator this week named PJ Barnard. He is a really cool guy that we found in our records. He is very soft spoken, but wanted to meet with us. He doesn't really have a religious background, but he had wondered about prophets and about the purpose of life. Our first lesson with him was a little scattered, and he didn't talk as much as we were expecting him to.

Afterwards though he wrote a comment on our facebook saying that he was grateful for getting to learn from us. We are meeting with him again tonight. It should be a good lesson. :)

Sandra is doing pretty well...she still hasn't come to church, which is a little concerning...if she doesn't come soon we will have to drop her :( 

Anyway, the area is beautiful! We have talked with a few people who want to meet this next week :) so that'll be fun! :D

Anyhow, that's all I got this week. Thanks everybody! :D

Look who I ran into?  Sister Rebecca Stepp from my Caribou Ward.  She was at the Stake Activity in Fredericton.

Lobster Pizza!

What Do You Get When a Bishop, 4 Missionaries, and a Jehovah's Witness Meet Together?

Hey Everybody! It's been a pretty great week here in St. Stephen! We've seen some pretty good things happen and the work is moving forward! We've been able to meet with a few of our investigators, and we are finding people who want to come to church! So that's good. 

Right now we have three investigators, but we were only able to meet with 2. Sandra Beaumaster is a very nice older woman who really does want to come closer to God. We ended up putting her on date for October 3, and I really believe that she can make it. She just has to have the strong, firm testimony that will keep her active in the church. We are working towards that, though, so that will help a lot. Sandra introduced actually to her cousin Reid, who is also wanting to investigate and come to church. Unfortunately, neither one of them were able to make it because Reid had an allergic reaction to some medication he took, and Sandra was sick... but they will get there eventually.

The area of St. Stephen is really pretty. I'm so blessed that I get to be here in the fall. Between the trees, the scenery, and the ocean, it's something out of a dream. Next Monday we are going to go exploring in St. Andrews, which is a tourist town right on the beach. So pretty!

I'm really grateful for the members here. We got to have a corn boil in Calais this Saturday, where many of the members gathered and played ball and ate burgers. It was so fun! :) 

Another cool thing that happened took place at the local food bank that we do service at. (Here in St. Stephen we do a lot of service.) We got to talk with people about the gospel as we carried things out for them. One guy we met taking his groceries out. When I first saw him, I wasn't sure how interested he would be, but I had an impression to ask him about his life. He recently moved up from Bangor and wanted to find hope in his life. He wants to meet with us this week with his 8 year old son! So cool! :)

I definitely know that this church is true. I've been able to witness so many amazing things, and feel the promises God makes with us come true. I know that there are prepared people out here, and I'm so grateful for my chance to serve. Most importantly, I know that our Heavenly Father loves us, and he shows this love through are ability to change through the Atonement. How amazing is this gospel?

So I guess I should elaborate on the title of this email. Last night we had a fireside at the Bishop's house that us, the sister missionaries, and some of the members and the Bishop were a part of. It was really great, and we had an awesome discussion on how to do missionary work. Randomly, there is a knock on the door, and Bishop answers it. It was a Jehovah's Witness missionary that had been talking with our Bishop. He was invited in, and he taught us a whole bunch about his beliefs...so that was fun. All of us were very quiet and just listened politely. A couple of the members though were questioning things he was saying. He was a really nice guy though. :) Fun times!

Anyway, that was my week this week!

I love you all!

Elder Wanlass

Some of our Zone Conference pictures!!

My favorite!  Milk out of a bag.

Another beautiful view where I serve.

Salutations to St. Stephen!

Hello one and all! This week was quite the adjustment, and I'm still figuring everything out, but I'm doing pretty well. :) St Stephen is a great place. There are a lot of tourists around this place, which makes for an interesting dynamic. Most of the towns around here are for tourists, which is pretty sweet. Places like St. Andrews, St. George, and Deer Island. :) I haven't been able to explore too much around Maine yet, but I'm actually in the states right now. I'm very excited to serve here and help the members and nonmembers come closer to Christ. 

This week was pretty bittersweet though. I loved the Hampton area, the people were so nice, the ward was awesome, and I got to meet so many amazing people. :) I'm especially going to miss our investigator Mike Durley, who has been making leaps and bounds. I'm also going to miss my companion Elder Taylor. He was a blast to serve with.

Anyhow, here in St Stephen we have a couple of investigators. We have one in Canada and the other is in the states. The hardest thing about serving in a bordertown is that your investigators have to be able to cross the border to come to church, which unfortunately, Our investigator Warren can't right now. We are meeting with him pretty consistently though, and we have a lesson with him later tonight.

Our other investigator named Sandra is doing pretty well. She has some health problems that keep her from coming to church sometimes, but she really does want to learn more about the savior and come closer to him.

Other than that, not much has happened! Just trying to get used to a new area with some new people and new missionaries to talk with :) It's gonna be a fun transfer!

Love you all!

Bye!

Elder Wanlass :D

Saying goodbye on transfer day with Elder Taylor.

More wonderful families I said goodbye to in Hampton.

Welcome to New Brunswick from Maine.

The above four pictures Elder Bate and I our on a ferry headed to Deer Island.  Part of our area where members live.

I MADE IT TO CANADA 3: The Revenge of Maine

Good day everybody! Elder Wanlass here. Well, transfer week has come, and with it some exciting news. I'm getting transferred! :) I'm going to St. Stephen, New Brunswick from Hampton :) I'm going to be very sad to leave this ward, but I think that it will be good for me to go out and to see other areas. I know that the Lord needs me in St. Stephen.

St. Stephen is a border town and is right next to Calais, Maine. We serve on both ends of the border. So that means that I'm right back in Maine again! And to make matters even better, Elder Bate, who I started my mission with in Caribou, is going to be my companion. He's from Kanab, Utah, and is 6' 9". So that's pretty exciting to see him again. St Stephen is also considered the Chocolate capital of Canada, so look forward to that. :)

Hampton has been doing pretty well too, we've been finding a lot of people lately, just not many are available due to the last month of summer being upon us.

Speaking of which, I can't believe I've almost been out a year. That literally is the strangest thing. I'm going to spend nearly half my mission in or around Maine... fun times :)

Anyway, other than transfers, nothing much has been happening. We've been visiting people all over the place and saying goodbye.

I'm going to see MPH signs, Fahrenheit, the American Flag...wow! 

Love you all!

Elder Wanlass

This companionship has been one of my favorites.  Elder Taylor is a great guy.  He will now be taking over as the District Leader in the St. John's Area.  Below are a few of the many wonderful families in Hampton that I will miss.

I'll miss this guy too.  He is awesome!!

Where Did All of the People Come From?

Hey everybody! This is Elder Wanlass :) It's been a pretty good week this week. Unfortunately, same as last week. Progress has been a little slow with everything right now, and this next week could be my last week in Hampton. We will see! I'm going to try and work as hard as I can so that we can find people who are interested. I've seen a huge change in the people here in Hampton from the time when I first started here, and it makes me really appreciative of the doctrine that as we are anxiously engaged in a good cause, miracles and changes of heart can happen.

Mike is doing pretty well. He is progressing slowly, but surely. He still wants to come to church and get baptized, but he just needs to conquer smoking, and then everything will be fine. We also met another lady named Sandra. She met with missionaries in the 60's, and invited the Pentecostal missionaries, Mormon missionaries, and Jehovah's witness's over for "Bible Studies". We taught her about reading the Book of Mormon, and answered some of her questions on the Restoration. She seems pretty interested, and we will definitely see where it will go.

This week we ran into a lot of not very nice people! This week in Sussex there was a flea market going on, and people from all over Canada visit. Needless to say, where there is a gathering that huge, you know that it would be a good place to visit. Unfortunately, we ran into a lot of people that were vulgar, rude, and honestly, just not very nice. It was fine, we still talked with some people, but it just was interesting. We also were knocking this week in some pretty sketchy areas in Sussex, and some people were threatening to call the cops and stuff.  All in a week's work :)

Anyway, I love you all! Talk to you later!

Elder Wanlass

Yes, this is the beautiful place I serve.

Elder Taylor and me!

Elder Taylor and I with the sister missionaries.

Elder Taylor