Fun pictures from the last few months

Letter from 1-10-12

Dear Mom, 

  Do you realize that my one year mark was last week?  Pretty crazy if you ask me, plus the possibility that this was my only Christmas on my mission if I want to go to school winter semester next year.  Crazy thinking that it's really been a year already and I'm now on the downhill slide.  I don't think about it much, but it's still a little bit scary.

  Elder Taumalolo and I are doing great.  I'm not quite fluent in Tongan yet, but we do say our prayers every night, or at least try to, in Tongan.  We're having a rough spot in finding people, but we know that the Lord has people prepared for us, we've just got to be doing our part and be obedient and diligent so we can find them.  Besides just running around and trying to catch people at home it's been a pretty uneventful week.  We had a mission president's fireside last Sunday though that I sang in.  I sang "Come thou Fount" in a group, and Elder Taumalolo and Elder Kioa accompanied us on the Ukulele.  It was way awesome, I wish I could've recorded it.\

  Well, there's not much more I can think of today.  I'm sorry to hear about the water heater.  Didn't that happen another time too?  Maybe my memory is failing me after all this time.  I hope everyone is safe and well.  Give everyone my love!

 

Love,

 

Elder Sean Wise

Letter from 1-3-12

Dear Mom,

  Lake Poway is AWESOME!  The actual lake isn't all that big, but the ward area sure is, and the members are just amazing!  We've been having dinners every night so I've had the opportunity to meet many of the ward members and get to know them.  They are so missionary minded and so kind to us, I really want to stay here for as long as I can.
  Lake Poway is part of the Poway stake, one of the largest in the mission actually.  The stake Presidency actually has a vision of being able to split the stake within the next year and a half to two years, so we're really excited to help that progress.  We've set a goal of seeing five people baptized before the end of the transfer, so please pray for us, we're trying our best.

  Elder Taumalolo is actually from New Zealand.  His parents are from Tonga, but he's lived in New Zealand most of his life.  He's actually trying to teach me some Tongan, so we're having fun with that.  He's a great guy though and a wonderful missionary.  He really wants to be obedient, so that's a major plus in this work.  He also has an amazing testimony and he loves the work.

     Well, that's pretty much it for this week.  We've been working with a lot of less actives in the ward and we're trying to add some part member families to our teaching pool.  I'll attach some pictures from New Years eve, and please don't ask about them, just take a look then "move along, move along".  Well, love ya'll and hope you know that!

 

 

Love,

 

Elder Wise

Letter from 12-21-11

Dear Mom,

  Thanks so much for your e-mail!  I know I've been bad at communicating, but I look forward to them every week.  The time has been going by fast.  This morning I dropped off an Elder at the airport to go home and I realized that that's what makes missionaries "trunky".  You get so old in the mission that no one else knows missionaries that you spent most of your mission around.  But, that's a part of life, all things end in time.

  Speaking of things ending with time, it's transfers! I actually found out this morning that I'm going to be transfered out of the San Diego 1st Ward.  Yes, it stinks that I'm going to be transfered right before Christmas, but I guess that's a testament to things needing to be on the Lord's time and not on ours.  The Lord just needs me to be serving somewhere else for a time, so I will happily go where He sends me.  Though it does get a little scary at times, I guess that's a part of coming to "Trust in the Lord in ALL things".  So, I don't know where I'll be for Christmas Day, but I promise I won't be calling till about 1:30 my time.  Who knows, I might have some news that Paul and Neijon got married and Baptized on Sunday!  Keep them in your prayers if you would please, we have faith to see a miracle.

  I'll be good and not open any packages I get till Christmas, but you know how I am with gifts, especially at Christmas time.  I have a ton of photos to send ya'll, but that'll have to wait till next week, because I forgot my camera today.  I love ya'll very much and I hope ya'll are keeping the "Spirit of Christ" in your lives!

 

Love,

 

Elder Sean Wise

Letter from 12-14-11

Dear Mother,

  Thanks so much for the e-mail.  It's almost time for another transfer to end, and we've been spending a lot of time with some of the Elders who are going home.  I was talking with one of them and we realized that that's what makes Elders trunky, when they realize that no one else in the mission remembers who older missionaries are.  I've made a ton of friends with them and I'm going to miss serving the Lord with them.  But, they've got another work calling them, so it's time to move on.

  Elder Dennison and I have been doing great.  We hope that we stay here for Christmas Day, but we're really learning that in the service of the Lord you go where and you go when HE wants.  I kind of think of Jonah for a little bit.  He didn't go to Ninevah when the Lord wanted him to go, so he had to learn that the Lord has things on His timetable and we need to learn to stick to it.  All I know though is that I'm going to miss dearly the members in the San Diego 1st ward.  They are awesome members and I've made friends with all of them.  In fact, we're going to the Temple today with a couple named Steadman.  Bro Steadman is our Ward Clerk and Sister Steadman is the ward Primary President, and they are just AMAZING!  I love them!  But, once again, I've got to listen when the Lord calls my name and be willing to respond promptly.

  I SO GUESSED THAT PRESIDENT CANNON WOULD BE CALLED TO THE STAKE PRESIDENCY!  The minute ya'll said you were moving and that Dad was going to be released I knew he was going to be it.  I love the Cannon's and President Cannon will be a wonderful second counselor to President Riding.  Thanks for letting me know that everything will be good with my records and everything.  I can't lie and say that I wasn't thinking about it at all, because I was, but thanks for assuaging my worry.  As far as calling goes for Christmas we have Sacrament meeting at 11 and I believe it's only going to be about an hour long, so I'll probably be calling about 1 my time or so.  I'll make a set up call first to make sure everything is ready, I won't be able to Skype this time though.  The Brethren have come out and said that Skype is to be used only for International missionaries, I say that I qualify, but I think that'd only be if Texas seceded from the nation.  So, I'll only be calling, you'll have to rely on pictures to "see" how I'm doing.

  I love everyone very much, and I hope that everyone really keeps the "Spirit of Christ" this Christmas season, because that's what it's all about.  The presents and traditions are nice, but it's really all about the gift our Father gave to us of his beloved Son.  I hope we keep him in our hearts always, not just at this time of year.

 

Love,

 

Elder Sean Wise

Letter from 12-7-11

Dear Mom,

  We're actually going to be going in the evening next Tuesday.  Probably around 5 our time.  We're going with some members from our ward so that's why we're going in the evening.  I'll still e-mail that morning, but I'll be proselyting in the morning in order to spend the evening in the Temple. 

  President Clayton didn't quite approve of us standing on a street corner and crying repentance to everyone like Dan Jones, but he did say that we could stand on a street corner and hand out pamphlets to people.  We were a little miffed that we couldn't be like Dan Jones, but I think handing out pamphlets will be hard enough.  I'll let you know how it goes.  We had Zone conference on Monday and that was quite the experience.  President Clayton has definitely been called of God to lead this mission at this time.  It's been amazing to see him take to his calling like a fish to water.  It's always a treat to sit and just learn from him.  I can't wait for ya'll to meet both President and Sister Clayton, they're such wonderful people.

  I'm happy to hear that everything is going great with the move to Arkansas.  It sounds like the Lord has a lot in store for both you and dad while there.  I look forward to seeing the new home.  Oh, and tell dad that I don't plan on bleaching my hair after my mission...I might grow a goatee just because I challenged Jon to see who could grow the best one when I'm done, but after that nothing else!
  This week has been pretty quiet actually.  We've hit a dry spot in finding people, but we're trying hard to do our part.  I know that the Lord has someone prepared to hear the Gospel, we've just got to go out and find them.  We're working also on being bold in declaring repentance to everyone.  The other night a man started talking to us on a bus and when we ended up getting off on the same spot he kept talking and really he was making a lot of nonsense about the Book of Mormon just being a historical record and took some other stuff in the Bible way out of context.  I wouldn't say I got fed up, but I decided that I had had enough of him slandering the Book of Mormon and I testified to him that it was true, that it is the word of God and that he hadn't done his part in being sufficiently humble enough to ask God and receive an answer.  A little harsh maybe, but it needed to be said, and I didn't have any qualms about saying it.  I hate being silent now, I'm tired of people just saying what they want.  It's just been gettting more and more on my nerves so to speak as I've been serving and I'm pretty much saying "enough is enough" now.  It's actually kinda cool.

  Well, that's pretty much our week.  We've been doing a TON of walking trying to find some Former Investigators that we can teach.  My shoes are losing their traction now.  I might also have to send my copy of the Book of Mormon home to be rebound soon if I can.  It's kinda starting to come apart at the hinges.  As far as Christmas gifts go, I've thought about it and I realized that I'm only in California so it might be best to just send me some American express Giftcards or giftcards to Kohls, Ross or any place that I can buy socks, possible a new pair of sunday shoes that I only wear on Sundays, and of course TIES!  I haven't become obssesed with ties, but I need some new ones to add a spark of "newness" to my collection, and to add some variety.  I'm also thinking about buying an Ukulele because I've been learning how to play it and I'm going to start learning how to play hymns on it as well.  I'm better at it than the Guitar...maybe that's because it only has two less strings?  Well, that's pretty much my Christmas "wish-list" if you want to call it that.  All those things are really just so that I can focus on bringing souls unto Christ this Christmas.  I really enjoyed the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional on Sunday, and I'm all fired up!  I hope ya'll are too!

 

 

Much Love,

 

Elder Sean Wise

Letter from 11-24-11

So...ya'll actually decided not to just lease the home and you're selling it? Well, I kind of prepared myself for that eventuality.  I can't help but see the Lord's hand in this, but to quote the Mormon Battalion video, "Sometimes faith is needed to make a decision.  Sometimes it's needed afterward."

  Well, this week has been pretty great.  We've been really trying to find new investigators, so in an effort to do that we spent yesterday morning going through the entire list of formers and seeing who we felt impressed to try and re-contact.  Needless to say out of a list of over 70 people, we narrowed it down to about 42.  We've had our work cut out for us recently.

  I've been spending a lot of time recently though really pondering on the Atonement, especially on how it relates to Missionary Work.  I actually ran across a talk given by Elder Holland entitled: Missionary Work and the Atonement...coincidence? I THINK NOT!  Since I've studied that talk it's really brought forward how that is really what we are doing.  When we ask what are the first things a non-member should do, it's not Baptism or any of the commitments from the first lesson in Preach My Gospel, it's to have Faith in Jesus Christ and Repent.  All of those commitments lead towards those two outcomes.  A scripture that's really been coming to mind recently too is in 2 Nephi 33:6-7.  This Scripture really sums up how I've been feeling recently and the things I'm trying to accomplish.  Who would've thought that Nephi was such a smart dude?  Or should I say "inspired"?

  I don't have much time this week, but know that I know that I'm serving the Lord and loving every minute of it.  I'm so thankful to be out here serving him and I pray that my service may be acceptable in His sight.  I love each and everyone of you, and know that I pray for ya'll daily.  I look forward to the day when I see each of ya'll again.  "May the good Lord bless and keep you".  I know the Savior lives, and I know His Atonement is real.  I know He loves each and everyone of us, and He wants to see us again.

 

 

Love,

 

Elder Sean Wise

 

Letter from 11-7-11

Dear Mother,

  Well, can I say that we had an AMAZING end to our week last week?  Because we did.  On Sunday we had the privilage of seeing three of our investigators be Baptized.  Joseph Cardoza is 28 and he met with the missionaries over a year ago and if there's anyone I've ever met who had been prepared to hear the Gospel it was amazing to teach him, and we'll continue to do so.  The other two baptisms were the 14 and 12 yr old sons, Clinton and Clanton Atti, of our Marshallese investigators.  Their parents Paul Obet and Neijon Nashion have to wait till December till they can get married and then Baptized.  (Hence the two different last names.)  But, the boys are going to be a huge help in getting their parents to the waters of Baptism.

  Well, now comes the interesting part.  We've Baptized two of our investigators and we've still got four with a date, but we've got to keep finding those people who are prepared to hear the Gospel.  It's rough, but we just found out that Elder Dennison and I are staying in the area, so I know that the Lord has prepared more people here to hear the Gospel.  I'm excited because I've been in the San Diego 1st ward for four and a half months already and this next transfer will make it six!  In my first six months I served in two areas and one of them was in the Hmong Branch!  Talk about time flying, it's literally speeding by (can anyone say "Jump into Hyperspace"?)!  I feel like I should still be in the MTC, but I've learned sooooo much while I've been out here, and I know that the Lord only has more to teach me if I but rely on him.  I'm a little anxious too because I'm getting to that point where I'm "over the hill", but I'm excited for the future.  I know all things are possible and safe when we do what the Lord wants us to do.

  To answer your question Mom, I was able to Baptize Adelina back in Lemon Grove, and I've been asked to confirm a couple other people.  I LOVE EXERCISING THE PRIESTHOOD I BEAR!  Some of my best experiences here have been when I've had the opportunity to bless others through the power of the Priesthood.  I've got A TON to tell you when I get home, they're just very personal.  They'll just have to wait for a little bit.

    I love all of ya'll very much, and continue to pray for all of you!  Keep the faith and know that the Lord is in control!

 

Love,

 

Elder Wise

Letter from 10-11-11

Dear Mother,

  I've been GREAT!!!!  Things have been going really great here in San Diego.  Elder Dennison and I are getting along just wonderfully, and the work is progressing at amazing speeds!

  A typical day in the life of Elder Wise huh?  Well, I guess we start out the day pretty much like everyone else.  Get up, work out (or lounge it depends on the morning we're having), get ready for the day, then have an hour of personal study and then an hour of companionship study.  After that, we head out on our bikes.  We set a goal to catch up on all of the referrals that we've received, so we decided to contact 4-5 referrals a day.  So in the process of that we either have to go to downtown, old town, Hillcrest, or stay in North Park for a few hours and contact people.  We come back to the apartment sometime during that to have lunch, then we head back out for either more contacting, or if we have an appointment with someone we head there.  I'm really getting to know the bus system really well in this area.  As far as teaching anyone new we actually have a few people.  First off is a lady named Roseanna.  She was a referral from a member up in Penasquitoes who told us she had a friend that lived Downtown that wanted to talk with the missionaries, so of course we went over pretty quickly.  She's in her 50's I'd say, and she moved here from Indiana.  At first it just seemed like she was coming to the church for just temporal aid, but after talking to her for awhile, and not a little help from the Spirit, we found out that she was looking for a church that was a "family".  She was getting pretty emotional at this point, and I won't go into too much detail, but I started smiling and I told her that that was exactly what the Gospel of Jesus Christ was about, and what our church is about.  I told her that she had a loving Father in Heaven who wanted her to return to live with her heavenly family and she immediately started smiling and told us she wanted to come to church and experience it for herself.  She wasn't able to this week because of health problems, but we have another lesson with her this Saturday and we're going to teach her some more.  Other than that we have a few other miracles as well.  A family moved into the apartment right next to the Marshallese family in our ward and guess what? Not only are they Marshallese as well, but they are realated to our members, AND they were taught somewhat in English where they had moved from, so we were pretty blessed, and the Lord had his hand in this.  Last night we taught them for FHE with the Mauns and we got the entire family with a Baptismal date for 10-30-11!  5 people with a date in a single night!  I'd call that a miracle what about you?!?!?!  One last little miracle then I'm done:  Sunday night after church we were downtown and waiting at the bus stop after contacting a few people.  A guy came up to us saying that he had been raised "Mormon" and said he was wondering where the church was.  We gave him a pass along card with the address on it and he said he'd try to come on Sunday then walked off.  About 10 minutes later a young man, about 23, came up to us and said he was also a member of the church, but he was the "black sheep" in the family.  He said he'd been raised in Saint George, but had gotten into some rough spots and had found his way to SD.  He said that he'd always known it to be true, but he just had a lot of things getting in the way of him and full communication with the Spirit.  After talking with him awhile we gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon and asked if we could stop by some time and just read with him a bit.  He got really excited and said we could stop by whenever we want, just give him a call first.  So, I will hold my position that miracles do indeed still occur in this day and age. 

  Well, that's pretty much how my life has been going.  Fun huh?  Well, thank ya'll soooooooooo much for everything ya'll do and all the support you give me.  I LOVE YOU!

 

LLL,

 

Elder Sean Wise

Letter from 10-4-11

Dear Family,

  I hope everyone had an opportunity to listen to, or watch, General Conference this past weekend.  I've never realized how much of a blessing it is to be able to literally sit at the feet of the prophets no matter where we are in the world.  I hope ya'll caught the not so subtle testimonies of the Book of Mormon.  It's true when they say that the Book of  Mormon is the number one thing that leads to conversion.  I mean think about it: if the book is true, then Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God.  And if he's a Prophet, then the Church of Jesus Christ was restored to the Earth.  What joyous news!!!  How could we not share that information with others?! It's been such a joy to listen to the Prophet and Apostles speak and I hope everyone is taking their words to heart.

  Well, another six weeks has gone by, and that means transfers!  I'm actually staying in an area for more than three months though this time, but I did get a new companion.  His name is Elder Dennison, and he's from Missouri.  He's a few months younger than me in the mission, so I'm actually Senior Companion now.  It feels a little weird, I must say, but at the same time it's not that big a deal.  We've been getting along really well and I'm looking forward to serving with him.  We're actually also biking now since our car was given to another area last transfer, so I've been getting in some good exercise everyday.  I'm just borrowing a bike from another Elder, but who knew that other biking equipment was so expensive?!?!  I feel for mom and dad now buying all that biking stuff for us over the years.  Other than that, things are a bit slow.  The San Diego 1st ward is an amazing ward, but the area is pretty tough.  As our ward mission leader put it, people come to downtown San Diego, or to Hill Crest to hide and they don't particularily want to be found.  But we're pushing on, and trying hard everyday.

  As far as Spiritual experiences go, I had an amazing one on Sunday after the second session of conference.  We got a call from our Bishop that there was someone in the Balboa Naval Medical Center from LA that needed a blessing.  We found a member in the ward that could get us onto the base and went up there to see her in the ICU.  She had just had a baby seven weeks ago and then she gave birth they found out she had Gall stones so she's had to have them removed.  Elder Dennison annointed and I pronounced the blessing.  The feeling of the Spirit was soooo strong that I felt like I'd burn out of my suit.  After the blessing we were talking with her and we realized that some of the things I'd said in the blessing we definitely didn't know before hand, for instance I mentioned her being sealed to her husband and afterward found out that he's a non-member and is in fact a so called "atheist".  It was just amazing to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord as we blessed on of his beloved daughters.  Needless to say that one made it to the journal.  I'm soooooo thankful for the mission and for all that it's taught me, and continues to teach me.  It's hard sanctifying your life and consecrating it for the Lord, but I know that it's worth it.  I hope everyone is safe and know that the Lord is looking after ya'll.  I Love Ya'll!!!!!

 

 

Love,

 

Elder Wise

Letter from 9-27-11

Dear Family,

 

  Facebook is an amazing tool, as long as you can stay away from farming...President Donaldson actually commited each of us to "friend" both him and sister Donaldson on Facebook once we leave the mission, so I'm definitely going to stay in contact with him.  I really do miss the two of them.  They helped me in more ways than I can count.

  Well, six weeks are over and it's time for another transfer, so the verdict is (drumroll please):  I am staying in the San Diego 1st Ward and Elder Kanuch will be leaving.  So, at least for the next six weeks I'll be here helping the wonderful people of this ward bring people unto Christ.  Dad, you asked about what we did to build trust with members?  I guess it's got to do with the "teaching people, not lessons" aspect of missionary work.  We are ourselves, but we're also missionaries.  We're friends with the members, but we always make sure that we have the Spirit with us.  I wouldn't call it "hanging out" with members, but there's also no reason why we can't enjoy the peace and friendship that comes with that.  I think that missionaries focus too much sometimes on "being the missionary" that they lose sight of who they are and what their personality is.  When Gordon B. Hinkley's father said, "Forget yourself and go to work", he wasn't talking about being this robotic person that only ever cares about numbers, or about what we "should" be doing.  It means forgetting the things of the world and bringing your "self" to the work.  Let me explain what I mean: If I can impact a member of the ward, by being a friend to them just as much as I impact an investigator then why not spend some extra time with a family getting to know them, and in return showing them that you're a person that they can trust to know their friends and teach them.  I think that's got so much to do with building trust is that the members get to know "us".  Now, that doesn't mean you have a right to mess around and goof off, but this is where you "put off the child, and become the man".  I still joke sometimes with members, and I still have fun, but they always know that I am a missionary and that I have things to do, but they get to know me.

  Other than that things are still great.  Mother I received your card, thank you so much.  Lami's uncle was actually the one who Baptized him, and his extended family has been GREAT at fellowshipping him.  I still here from time to time about the Hmong branch.  I miss them and I hear that the missionaries can't actively teach there any more.  Just go around and check on members and such.  I think it can be sooo much more, but who knows.  I miss each and everyone of them, I'll take you to meet some of them when we come back to visit. Well, I've got to get going. I forgot my camera so I can't send any this week, but I will next week.  Give my love to everyone!

 

Love,

 

Elder Wise

 

Letter from 9-20-11

Wow Dad, I must say those glasses and that hairdo are definitely classy!

� Well, Lami's Baptism did go through!� It was an amazing Baptism, his uncle performed the actually ordinance, but his parents were there, as well as many members from the ward, so there was a ton of support.� Next week will be his confirmation and we're way excited for it.

� As far as working with the Ward�council I'll send you a sheet that we were given that details all of that.� It's basically everything that the Brethren spoke about at the new mission president's training, just shortened and outlined.� I'll send it home in a letter for you, it should explain pretty much everything.� But we attend Ward council pretty much every week, but it depends on the Ward council itself.� If they want us there to give a report, then we'll be there and visa versa.� But we keep in contact with them throughout the week seeing what we can do to help them out, and seeing if anyone's been on their mind.� It's a pretty tight-knit relationship, have to have LOTS of trust.

� Well Elder Kanuch and I are doing great!� Next week is transfers, again, so we're a little worried cause we feel like one of us will be leaving.� I'm pretty sure both of us will be training though because 10 elders are leaving and 17 are coming in.� That's enough to open up a few new areas, which we need to do.� But we're teaching a lot and learning a lot.� I have plenty of cool things to share with ya'll once I get home, there just to sacred and personal to share otherwise.� Other than that we went to the Temple today so the next time I'll be able to go will be in December, which should line up perfectly with what Mom was saying about your quarterly temple attendence as a family.� I'll let ya'll know exactly when I'm going when it gets closer to that time.

� I hope all is well on the job front.� Something a member brought up that I was thinking about was: have your thought about any administration jobs in the Medical field?� I'm sure you've been looking, but it's just a thought.� Give my love to everyone, and a big hug and kiss to go along with it!

�

�

Love,

�

Elder Wise

Oh, and by the way, you remember President Thurston (sp?) right? The Mission president for home?� Well, he's apparently good friends with the Clayton's, so they were down here two weeks ago spending time with them and I got to meet them.� He said he'd say hi to President Riding for me when he saw him in October...needless to say I can't get away with anything now, President has a directline to my stake president...Hahaha just kidding!