Finding the elect!

I have got to say, I love West Virginia. Just today, I have seen like 5 people that we pass on the highway just in full action of picking their nose. Not even kidding! Hahahaha, maybe they just had an itch, i dont know. I can't judge. Anyway, these people rock. It's really funny how people out west always dream of people in West Virginia as just sitting on a porch plucking at the banjo, drinking moonshine and inbreeding. I'd be a lier if I said that it didnt happen, but it all happens down in Boone county. haha. Charleston is quite normal(normal being like Portland) and the people rock. I really do love it here. There's a family here that has a 3 year old who absolutely loves me. We were sitting next to them in sacrament, and te kid realized I was there, and ran at me and essentially tackled me in Sacrament. Hahaha. Soooo funny!

Elder Peiper told us last week that he was essentially sent here from Salt Lake to tell us that each companionship could find, teach and baptize someone before the end of the transfer. We're going to be doing a lot of fasting and praying over the next month to help us have enough faith to do this. We're gonna have to really work our butts off! It's all going to be alright though.

We have an investigator who's currently paying his debts to justice in jail, and we've been able to teach him there. We just found out this week that he's getting out soon and going back to his mom's house in Parkersburg! Sure, that's not our area but its crazy how quick you learn that it's not about the numbers and teaching someone for the sake of baptizng them, but that we actually learn to care for these people. He's way cool! He's read the quad like 10 times over the course of like 6 years he's been in jail, and has read through all the presidents of the church books. He's also read the comprehensive(I can't even spell the word!) history of the church.

I'm also sending some pictures of Us at chirstmas, and playing basketball and some other stuff. I actually do the dishes! Can you believe it?!

Love yall!

~Elder Shain C Wiederholt

888 Oakwood Rd Ste 310

Charleston, WV 25314

sacrificing goats

Things are going really good. Elder Dumke and I are really trying to make some personal and companionship sacrifices to become better. I'm actually forcing myself to be cleaner by cleaning up my desk everyday, and making my bed. A shocker, huh? As a companionship we're going to wear a suit everyday for 40 days. We're way stoked, and today is the second day. We're going to go buuy another suit so we can change things up a bit.Things here are going well too. Transfers are tomorrow, hence why we're emailing today. We are not actually sacrificing goats, but I thought it would make my email sound more interesting from the get-go.

We were visited in the mission by Elder Peiper of the seventy last weekend. He really counciled us to have greater faith, to trust those in authority, and to focus on the elect. The entire mission is super pumped to go out and work our hardest now, and we're already seeing the profits of it. He also interviewed me for a couple minutes, which was an awesome experiance.

Other than that, nothing too exciting is going on. Just loving life and everyone around me! Love ya'll!

~Elder Shain C Wiederholt

888 Oakwood Rd ste 310

Charleston, WV 25314

Yet another week, down the drain!

Not a whole lot has happened this week. Nothing too exciting at least. A whole bunch of exchanges(4 in 5 days to be exact) and then Elder Peiper of the 70 coming this weekend. We've been busy busy busy for sure. Especially with transfers coming upon us once again here soon. We had a good week as far as finding and teaching goes, but we also drove a good 300 miles this week and so that was kind of tough. Yuck.

Sorry for an unexciting email! Hopefully more next week! Especially with me speaking in front of the coming general authority. YIKES!

~Elder Wiederholt
888 Oakwood Dr Ste 310
Charleston, WV 25314

Tender Mercies

Things are really starting to pick up. Not just in success, but just in the business of our schedule. We are going to do exchanges with 4 other companionship's over the next week, and attend 3 district meetings. The Holidays really have taken a toll on a lot of missionaries, and the lack of progress in their area's hasn't been helping. We're really trying hard to figure out how we can help all of them to see success in their missions and get things moving in their areas. I like being busy, but it's tiring. It's especially crazy to think that this transfer is 2 thirds of the way done already, too. Before I know it, I could be off!

Just a fun story of the week. On Tuesday and Wednesday, I was on an exchange with the missionaries in Spencer, WV and so I came here to Charleston with the missionary thats being trained there right now. We were determined to see miracles happen. We started to work, and like nothing was happening. We were completely shafted by a family that we were excited about teaching and so I was down about that. We continued working hard and we tried a follow-up across the river in a town called Kanawha City. She fell through and we went back to the call, and I remembered that our Mission President committed un to do 2x2x2's in Zone Leader Council. A 2x2x2 is when we go to a follow-up or something, and knock on two doors on both sides of the house, and then 2 across the street. One lady invited us back, and another took a Book of Mormon and asked us to come back that weekend. We visited her last night, and she's SWEET! Her family is incredibly prepared for the gospel. I swear that God is watching out for us because jsut the things that these people have gone through in their lives are exactly what my companion and I have gone through and that allows us to connect with them, and help them build a greater love and faith in Christ. Essentially, I'm stoked!

In a couple weeks, I'll be meeting my 4th general authority during my mission. Elder Peiper of the the 70 is coming to tour the mission, and he's inviting me to speak in front of a good half or two thirds of the mission, and interview my companion and I individually along with others. I'm way excited. We're all studying out of a scripture list that our mission president and assistants came up with. We're reading 2 Nephi 1-6; 28-33, Mosiah, Alma 1-42, 3 Nephi 9-End, 4 Nephi 1:1-18, Mormon, and Moroni 6-10. I've got smaller references read and studied, but I gotta get to work on Mosiah, Alma and 3rd Nephi. It's gonna take some hard work, for sure!

Well there hasn't been a whole lot going on. Just a lot of Tender Mercies from Heavenly Father that keeps this work going. Love yall!

~Elder Shain C Wiederholt

888 Oakwood Rd Ste 310

Charleston, WV 25314