High on the Mountain Top

This next week Elder Wadley will hit eight months. I can't believe it. Honestly it is going so fast. In the first couple of months after he left, I thought two years was f-o-r-e-v-e-r, but it is crazy how Sunday evening rolls around, and it is time to re-cap yet another week to my missionary.

A month ago, Sam and I challenged our kids (and ourselves) to be electronics-free on Sundays. We are trying to make more of an effort to keep our Sabbath day holy. It was really hard at first. Like really hard. Especially for me. I was surprised that I default so often to the TV, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. I still use my iPad to write Jayden, to do my Spanish lessons, and to read the scriptures. Since we have so much down time on Sundays now, we have been playing board games and cards as a family. The girls and I break out "the card factory" and make handmade cards, and I am almost finished reading the Doctrine and Covenants.

This is just one of the blessings that I have recognized from having a son out serving a mission. We are more motivated to make better choices. Sure there are still a lot of things (tons) that we should be doing better, but his dedication to obedience is rubbing off on his family 3,000 miles away. We are all trying a little harder to be a little better. Thanks, Jayden.

Here is Elder Wadley's email this week:

Well congratulations twins on passing road!! Oh and good luck mom haha!

Sorry Kika, math sucks! 

Oh and tell Shayne no worries when i did road i started driving on the wrong side of the road on a freeway exit and Coach Rice had to yank the wheel pretty good haha! 

Well my week wasn't a whole lot of interesting.

Monday we didn't have money to do anything so we just kinda slugged around doing nothing haha it was kinda relaxing honestly. We had a really good zone meeting they talked about a lot of good stuff that the president is doing in the mission. 

Tuesday was really normal as well we just taught and walked up and down a bunch of hills:)

Wednesday was pretty cool we had a recent convert show us her brother and he has a farm above the city in the top of this mountain! He reminds me a lot of uncle Paul. He is 84 years old and runs this farm. It reminded me of working on the farm. It was cool! He is a really nice dude and the view from his house is amazing! I will attach some pictures. They are really short over here so it makes me seem like a giant!

Notice how the people are in coats, and Jayden is still trying to cool off after serving on the surface of the sun in his last area.

Manizales, Colombia

The sign says: Private Property, Be Careful, "Perros Bravos" which means VICIOUS DOGS, not brave dogs like I thought. Needless to say, my Spanish is still a work in progress.

Thursday was normal. We have a lot of normal not interesting days:)

Friday i had an intercambio with Elder Ampuño. He is a really cool dude and i had a really good time with him! We had a good day as well probably one of the best i have had here in Manizales. At the end of the night we had choir practice haha! We were going to sing for our president when he came down for the district conference but we didn't end up singing.

Saturday we had conference with our president and it went really well he is really good! He talked about a lot of really good topics and did an all around amazing job! His wife during the priesthood session went and checked all the houses and our house was the cleanest out of all of them ha! (I find this hard to believe)

Sunday as well we had conferences with out president and again he did an amazing job! He is really powerful and spiritual as well and cuts peoples heads of with so much love haha it is really good! (I had Jayden clarify this. "Yeah he tells people they are doing stuff wrong and tells them to be better really well haha direct and loving! Really good!")

Yeah anyways that was my week nothing too interesting.

Questions

1- (Any miracles/ tender mercies this week?)I have been noticing the real power of prayer in this last week! When you really pray with faith, God works miracles!

2- (Have you learned any funny Spanish slang or phrases?) Yeah a little bit of them haha (Yet no examples. So much for trying to spark conversation. Bless him.)

3- (What do Colombians think of Americans?)We are rich. 

4- (How is your health? Have you needed to use anything in your medical bag I sent with you?) All is good! I have used some stuff from there:)

5- (What do you wish you would have brought with you that you didn't bring?) Haven't really thought about that. Not much ha

6- (What would have prepared you better for your mission?) Studied more, scriptures, preach my gospel, and participated more in seminary and church stuff

8- (Do you need/want anything?) No i am all good:)

Oh and while i was reading the Book of Mormon this week i found some pretty cool stuff!

One is you know how in General Conference when there is a topic that is really important they usually talk about it three times??

Well i found this scripture 2 Nephi 11:3

"And my brother, Jacob, also has seen him as I have seen him; wherefore, I will send their words forth unto my children to prove unto them that my words are true. Wherefore, by the words of three, God hath said, I will establish my word. Nevertheless, God sendeth more witnesses, and he proveth all his words."

Also i was reading and Nephi said that the words of Isaiah are really important and that in "the last days" we will be able to and should understand them or in other words you should study Isaiah;) 2 Nephi 25:8

"Wherefore, they are of worth unto the children of men, and he that supposeth that they are not, unto them will I speak particularly, and confine the words unto mine own people; for I know that they shall be of great worth unto them in the last days; for in that day shall they understand them; wherefore, for their good have I written them."

Anyways thats all i have this week! Love you!!
Elder Wadley