MTC Pics

We have some pics here but we have no idea who they are :)  Jake said he didn't have time to write on them.. so I guess he's leaving it up to us to know who's who.

Pretty sure this is his Jazz fan buddy.. one of his fav's

Be good to him Argentina!

He made it!
Letter from mission home:

¡¡ Hola Familias !!!

How are we all doing?  Let me tell you .  I am tired! It has been quite the adventure.

I would like to inform each and every one of you that your Missionary has arrived safely into our arms!!  Last night, as all 20 of our new Missionaries arrived, they had the privilege to eat dinner with our wonderful mission president, President Avila, and his family.  Everyone has Smiles and we can honestly feel their energy and excitement to share the Gospel!!  They are an amazing group. 

Today was a day full of even more training meetings and each had the opportunity to be interviewed by President Avila . . . in Spanish!  Your Missionary has met their trainer and many are traveling the last leg of their journey to their area right now. 

Feel free to respond with questions.  Just know that your child is Safe and Happy here in the Grand Misión Mendoza!

We love you.

Look at that cute kid second from the left..so glad to see him happy & safe!

"Thank you for your participation!!" Jake loves being volunteered:)

Hey Everybody,

So another week down the drain. How is everybody doing? A little update, we got our travel plans. Which means that I have a visa, and that I will be leaving on monday. So I am so stoked. I can't wait to get out there. So Utah huh, hahahaha I am just loving this. NO ONE is saying anything about the game because they know that there team sucks. And that they said a bunch of stupid stuff about how they were so much better than us. So it is great.

Also sorry about not being able to write last week, I didn't get any letters until thursday and then I got all of them at once. I feel bad that I couldn't answer them then, but I hope you understand. So travel, we leave here at three in the morning fly from salt lake around six and then go to dallas. Then we have a three or four hour lay over there, and fly to new york where we also have a three or four hour layover. Then it is off to Buenas Aires, and we still have no idea how we are getting from buenas aires to Mendoza. So that will be interesting to say the least. So we fly out of new york at like nine at night and get there at like nine in the morning so it is going to be an all night flight. I hope I can get some sleep or something. But ya know it is all good. I have heard that it is a bus that is like ten hours or something to get to mendoza, so that will be very interesting. And also like forty plus hours of travel time. I can't wait to be smashed into an airplane. But oh well, I get to leave here and that is all that matters. 

So I should have plenty of time to call everybody. How am I doing this by the way. Do I need to find a calling card? Or are you guys sending me something.  I just need to know the best way to do everything. So fill me in. 

My companion and I got picked to do this how to begin teaching for the new elders that come in this week. So tomorrow night we have to go in and teach some fake investigators in front of 500 people. It is going to be so much fun. NOT!!!! The note they gave us just said thank you for your participation not will you do it. SO I guess there was no need for the thanks if they are forcing us to do it.

I need covers for my scriptures. I don't have anything to put them in. I hear that you can get stuff when you get down there, but I don't have anything now and I don't know if you guys can find something. The spanish ones are a little longer as in taller than my english ones. And it is two separate books, my english ones are a quad. So I don't know if that is possible but if you can that would be awesome. So ya anything you can do. Also there is a kid in here that had his mom go to a copy shop in provo and got him a shrunken down preach my gospel...he said they had them in spanish and english. So maybe check that out. Because that would be helpful to have to not have to carry around the huge book I have now. If you can that would be awesome. If not no big deal.

Thanks for the ties again I love them all. And also thanks for the packages they are wonderful. I love getting everything you guys send. I will be sending my extra stuff on like saturday, so you should expect a box of stuff around the first part of next week. If all goes according to plan. So keep an eye out for that one.

So M. Russell Ballard came and talked to us this past week, and also we are supposed to be getting an apostle tonight to talk about the new ensign that came out about the book of mormon. They gave every missionary a copy. If you haven't seen it I would suggest looking at it. It is amazing. I don't however have it in spanish. Which would be nice to have. But oh well life goes on.

I am guessing this letter is jumping around, but that is how I usually write so deal with it. Mom I think I am going to keep the two suits if I have enough room. Because it would be easier for me to have it than, to have you send it to me. So I will just take it with me. But like my basketball shoes and some shorts and stuff I will be sending. I hope that I am not over the weight limit in my bags. Because it seems pretty pricey to be so that isn't good. I will have to make things work. I might send one of the pair of sheets home. Because they are heavy and that is one thing I have extra of. What do you think? I don't think I need anything else, but at this point I really don't know. I have gone through everything and I think I will be ok. But we shall see won't we.

I don't really have a whole lot else to say. Other than I love all of you guys and thanks for the support thus far. I am going to need it for sure in the next few weeks trying to understand people. I hope it goes better than I think, because I feel like I won't understand anything. Which is not very comforting at this point but it will all be good. I will have no choice but to pick up the language. I'll be good though. I hope I have answered all of your questions about things you need from me. I think my lay overs are like 10 to 2 and 6 to 9 on monday. Or something close to that. So I will try and call everybody during those times. I hope all is well. And the leller fellers aren't being to big of stinks. I love you all and I'll talk to you soon.

"I miss my little sleeping bear"

Hey Fam,

How's it going for everyone? They are moving everything around here at the mtc so the mail situation is all screwed up. They will give us mail if it is a written letter or sent through ups or fedex. But dear elders and mtc delivery, I won't see until thursday or somthing like that. So if I didn't answer your letter, it's because I don't have it. Just so you know. So this week has flown by once again. They always seem to fly when I get to p-day haha. Because that is the one time I get to just sit back for a little.

The schedule here is full of everything at every time of the day so I don't get to relax at all. But that's ok because I don't need to. I am about ready to be out of here. I know I am not ever going to be prepared, but I am getting tired of provo and byu fans all day everyday. It's all good though. So let's see there isn't anything new like usual haha.

Mom I think it is two weeks from yesterday that I leave. I think it is the 26 or 27th i'm not sure what that monday is. And I should be able to call that day, so should I call the home phone or where will everyone be? I don't know how long I will have to talk to everyone, but hopefully I will be able to just talk for a little. But promise me now that there will be no crying...Because I can't handle that. jk i'll prolly end up crying, but seriously don't! haha

So I can't think of anything I am going to need. I mean if there is anything you guys think I might need that I don't have send it on over. But I will be sending a lot of stuff home because I have gained a lot of weight in my luggage and stuff. I don't really know what from, but ya. So I will have to shed some of it. Oh but thank you for the ties. They were all awesome I love them. And the raisen cookies mmm. I am not planning on getting much stuff while down there. Because I here that it takes forever to send stuff. So thank you for the packages now. I mean I would love to get stuff, but I know it is expensive and I don't want to be a pain or anything.

Hey dad if possible I would love to have my priesthood line of authority. I mean if you can't that's okay, but it just seems like it would be something nice to have.

So the language is coming I hope. I don't think I will be able to understand anything when I get there but ya know. For here it is doing ok. I know how to conjugate most everything, but the irregular stuff kind of sucks. Ah it will come soon enough. I just thought about it, and since I am trying so hard, if the lord needs me to understand it sooner he will help me if not. Then oh well. So I am not getting stressed about it. I know it will all be hard, but if I just rely on the lord it will all work through and go the way it is supposed to.

Everyone is telling about their friends and familys near death experiences and I am like come on. I don't need to hear that right now. I mean I know the lord is going to protect me, but I don't feel like I am ready for all that. haha.

How are them lellow fellers? It sounds like they get naughtier every week? Tell ger-bear to shape up or ship out. haha Oh I miss my little sleeping bear. And the bird that doesn't let you grow. I guess I miss that little tird wird too.

I still have room in my picture books so that means you have to send me more haha. I am going to just print some off and send them when I send all the extra stuff home. So you can see some pics then if that's ok.

I really don't have a whole lot going on, other than I am ready to be out of this city and away from the people in it. Keep these letters if I ever try to change my mind and go to byu after my mission. Because I do not want to. Aight, Aight.

So I hope all is well, and I look forward to getting the dear elders when the people decide to stop being lazy and start sorting them. They have like ten girls that just sit in the mail room and do nothing or play on facebook, and they can't sort some mail while they are sitting there? Ya it is stupid but oh well.

I love you all and can't wait to hear from you! Thanks for the prayers and support.

Con Amor,

Elder Wheeler

P.S. I know more spanish than those two words haha, but it doesn't make a difference for you guys so that's why I only do that. Um also tell hermano Moss his spanish is awesome. And that I read his emails. I am always willing to read them if he needs the practice. If you could pass that along I would appreciate it. Thanks again.

"So let's just say everyone knows that I am a Utah fan.."

Hey Everybody,

Thanks for all of the letters this week, they all helped so much. So right after I got back from the temple last week. Guess who came to talk to us...Elder Holland, and man was that good. I am feeling a lot better now. Thanks for all of the concern. So how is everybody? If I am doing well I hope all of you are.

First off before I forget, Mom that deoderant makes me break out. I don't know what it is, but it is not going to work...So I don't know what you want to do? Also if it's possible, my belts always seem to big or too small on the dots. Like they weren't made for me or something haha. But I was wondering if it would be possible to get one of those zip tie ones. It looks like a normal belt, but they click through, I don't know what they are called, but they seem to look like they work good. So if you find one that would be cool. But other than that everything is good here.

We got to move this morning. And when I say got I mean had. They decided they wanted to renovate the place we were living in so we got to pack everything up and move it to the other building. Fun stuff haha not. The other building has a little nicer bathroom, but I mean I don't think any of the places here are that nice except for the buildings the sisters and the senior missionaries are in. But hey it's not going to be nice living conditions down there either. Or atleast I am not planning on it being that way so it's all good. I mean that is really the only exciting thing since Elder Holland's talk. Which by the way I have two pages of notes from, and I would be willing to copy them and share if anyone would like them. But if not that's fine too.

Oh also I don't know if I asked already mom, but they said that I was going to have to get one of the shots like the day before I leave. Because that is when the six months were up and if I didn't they wouldn't let me go so I don't know what to do...

But anyway I am doing well, and I get to go to the temple very soon so that is cool. I love going to the temple, it calms me down and it is just relaxing. I love that everyone on the way, says hi and says they loves us. It makes you feel so good. This lady last time was in the middle of a conversation on the phone and just stopped talking so she could say hi and thay she loved us. So if a complete stranger does that we gotta be doing something right, right? haha.

So I don'tknow if any of you know, but in spanish I feel like someone that we won't name on here pronouncing the names of the book of mormon. haha Oh man, if only he were speaking spanish he would have been pronouncing them all perfectly haha. But it's all good. I just have to try not to laugh everytime I pronounce them haha.

Oh also I know you will all appreciate this one, but I hate hearing all about jimmer and byu. Ya it doesn't even deserve to get capitalized. I think every person here is a byu fan or is too scared to admit that they aren't. Because I had to here all about how they one and all that crap. So I need to hear about my Utes. haha. I hope they don't let me down while I am in here because I will never hear the end of it. I have something Utah on all the time when I am not in my dress up clothes. So let's just say everyone knows that I am a Utah fan. Which I am fine with because otherwise I would be associated with this team down south and you don't want that.

So I got me a haircut today. Ya it was a little overdue. Becuase it is the first one I have gotten here. But I felt a little more comfortable because the girl cutting my hair cut her brothers who has like seven callic no idea how to spell that. But ya it looks pretty decent so I'm ok with it.

Other than that I am doing well and hope that you all are too. I love you all so much!

Oh ya I almost forgot do you have any ideas for teaching. Like em or ben or anybody. Did you use any object lessons that you think would help me. Because I have just been trying to come up with stuff like that so I don't feel like I am talking the whole time and people aren't understanding a thing that I am saying. So if anyone has any ideas or anything let me know.

Thanks again for everything I love you all.

Love,

Elder Wheeler