Baptisms on the Colombian Coast

I think I have kind of checked out on this blog. Maybe this is how missionary moms get "trunky." Our e-mails get shorter and more boring than normal, because we know the light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer. I have also been nesting a little, like you do your last month of pregnancy- getting his room ready, and preparing for his homecoming.

My heart is heavy too, for him. For him leaving the people he has grown to love so much. They say this separation is more painful to missionaries than the one two years prior when they left home. Because in the back of their heads they know that they will be returning home one day. Elder Jayden will never again return to the people of Colombia. Maybe for visits, but not set apart as a missionary, with all the rights and privileges that come with that call.

As he has been winding down his last few weeks as a missionary, he has been working hard.
This past week they had three baptisms!

I asked him a little about what he wanted by way of food for his homecoming. I told him I would have brownies for sure (they are his favorite, and he has missed them!)

Here is his e-mail this week:

Well honestly brownies yes! I feel like whatever will be fine though i think i am just going to get sick either way from the change of food so i guess it doesnt really matter what it is! Also 1`oclock church is going to be weird as well..... every church building here always starts at 9. Well i guess like dad always says "change is always good," but i dont know if i am quite ready...

Well this week was good and bad. I have been a little off this week. I guess i have been stressed and sad i guess you could say. Even though maybe i have not been up to par God still has taken care of me and given me a lot to be thankful for.

We also had three baptisms this week. two in our area and one in the other area. It was cool because we got to baptize them in a pool. It was a really cool experience and i was able to feel the spirit really strong even though we weren't in a church building for the baptism.

Honestly that was about it for this week pruebas, paciencia, y bendiciones.

(tests, patience and blessings)

Love you!

Elder Wadley

Our baptisms were: Jairo and the kid is Diego (i baptized him) and the other girl is from the other area her name is Maybelin ( i think is how you spell it!)

Side note: The day after Christmas, Elder Wadley transferred back up to the coast of Colombia. It was a long (12 hour) bus ride, and the coast is where he started his mission. It is super hot there, the missionaries are allowed to wear hats and sunglasses. His area is called Sahagún.

These baptisms took place in a local swimming pool.

This last picture he sent will always be one of my favorite mission pictures of my boys. One I will keep forever. He looks so good in his whites, and he looks so happy- a fullness of joy.

He also looks more filled out, and more mature and just different- and all those things tug at a mama's heart.
To notice the things you have missed by being apart for two years, balanced by the changes he could only have made by separating himself from you.
23 days.

Feliz Navidad, 2016

Internet connection from Colombia has never been really great- but it is always so good to see even a glimpse of Elder Jayden's face, and hear his voice- that is is hard to complain.
Technology is awesome, isn't it?
I also wonder sometimes if Satan is running the internet.
It seems like the times when the internet was the worst, were times that Elder Wadley was bearing his testimony (in Spanish) or where we were trying to have a Skype family prayer.
When we were joking around and being silly, connection= clear as a bell.
Something slightly sacred= choppy and crappy. (Looked like Max Headroom, throwback from the 80's.)
My favorite part of the week of Christmas was that Valeria went home for the holidays- and my Snapchat was a constant stream of sneaky Elder Wadley pictures!

Snapchat screen shots from Valeria.

These were from a party- where Elder Jayden was dressed as a carrot for some reason.
Quite an exciting week on social media for me!
Elder Wadley and Elder Brendan timed their Christmas call to be on Skype with the family together. We had a split screen with both of our Elders.
We talked with them, they talked with each other.
We invited a couple of Elder Jayden's friends over who have recently returned home from their own two years of mission service.

It's a thing for these return missionaries to grow beards. Just because they can.

It was so nice to see my boys! And to know that next time I see Elder Jayden I will be able to give him a big fat hug felt pretty good.
I got a surprise e-mail from him the following day. Christmas was Sunday, and normally p-day is on Monday, so I wasn't sure if I would hear from him again the very next day.
It was a surprise to hear his e-mail chime in!
Here is what he wrote:

Well hey i will just hit you with a quick one!

I had the longest travel day ever haha almost 12 hours on a bus! I am super tired! 

I was the only one that was going to Sincelejo so i traveled alone haha but since i am sending you this email it means i got here in one piece and that i am alright! I am with my new comp and he is a really good guy, Elder Robles. He is a convert as of three years ago and is really cool! So far everything is going good! I am hot but the good thing is that the area seems cool and the house is decent. Sahagún has a weird natural smell to it.

It was really good to see you guys yesterday!! Love you!!

Elder Wadley is going to "die" in this area on the coast.
Missionaries have their own little weird language.
To "die" in a place, means that it is your last area, where you finish your mission and go home.
The coast is hot and humid, and pretty much the exact opposite of what he will be coming home to.
We are currently at a bone-aching 20 degrees here at home.
Speaking of dying- I bought an extra blanket for his bed.
It's electric.

Dealing With Stress

I have had a more stressful than normal week. In my local church (ward) they called me to the the president of the young women organization. This puts me in charge of 30 girls 12-18, and in charge of staffing positions to run the organization. I have jumped in with both feet, learning the program, and getting things organized. This on top of the regular holiday season. When things are new, it takes some time to get a routine down, and I am not the most patient of people.
I wrote a little to my missionary boys this week, about the stress of the changes I was going through. Here are Elder Jayden's words:

Well mom i will let you know that my week has not been very interesting. We have seen some progress in the area which is good but nothing phenomenal. But still i am pretty happy for what we have! 

Well i don't really have any stories or any pictures either, i have honestly been kinda out of it in that aspect. I will try and get some for next week though! 

I am glad to hear that the calling is going good! Sorry about the stress it is a killer! I remember when i got to the office there was so much i had to do and i got super stressed as well and i developed an eye twitch. and it wouldn't go away for the longest time! No worries though once you get the hang of it all will be good and you will be almost stress free!

Trust in the Lord! 

That's about all i have for this week! 

We started English classes again this week! So far nobody really comes but it will get there! 

Love you! Merry Christmas! 

Elder Wadley

I wonder, when did he get so wise?
A little reminder to focus on being grateful, to be patient, and things will work out if I lean on the Lord.
And I am happy to report that I haven't developed an eye twitch.
Yet.
This boy is Skyping home for his last time on Christmas day.
It is all that a missionary mom wants for Christmas, all other gifts pale in comparison to seeing the far-away face that they have missed so bad and hearing their (Spanish-accented) voice.
Valeria went home for Christmas, and took some gifts in her bag for Elder Wadley. I was able to send him homemade fudge, and he requested an American football.
He is home for good in 49 days. :)

Unexpected Convert

This week has been a crazy one for me, and it is almost missionary Monday, again.
Slow posting on my part, apologies.
Here is the update from Colombia:

Well this week we are still trying to find new people to teach and not really having a whole lot of luck! We have had some weird and good people answer their doors and whatnot but when we go back they aren't home.

For example we knocked on one house and started to talk to this girl that answered the door, she was maybe 17ish. She had talked to the missionaries before at a friends house but then lost contact with that friend and the missionaries. We started talking to her a little more and she was apparently only at that place for a group photo and they were taking pictures. She ended up telling us that she wasn't interested and that her friends there weren't either because they were all trannys and homosexuals. It was kinda awkward but i mean thats just the kinda stuff you get knocking on doors in Colombia.

Other than that we haven't been doing much else. It has been contacting and walking basically. Nothing really interesting. 

I did finally get my hands on a conference magazine and have been reading it! It is really good! 

That's basically been our week hah! 

Here are some pictures of the dead pig trucks:)

Elder Wadley

I am not sure what is going on with the pigs. It looks like this guy is selling pig parts right out of the truck. Those are some huge pigs.

The work sounds a little frustrating for him right now. I have been praying for him to find some success in this area, so he can finish his mission feeling like he has made a difference, and leaving no regrets.
His time is getting limited, which is both exciting and heartbreaking. These are the same feelings I had when he left, but in reverse, if that makes sense.
When I think about his success- I think about all of the people he has taught the gospel to, and the people he has baptized. Usually this is what people ask about when a missionary returns.
I think anyone who has been involved in the work, as a missionary, or as someone who supports a missionary knows that this isn't all that the work is about.
First and foremost, real conversion comes to the missionary himself.
This is the true success.
I've watched my boy gain an unwavering testimony of Christ. I've watched him study the gospel, share it and teach it, and live it every day.
I have watched him develop a close relationship with his Father in Heaven, strengthen his faith, to deepen his prayers, and serve the people of Colombia with his whole heart.
Somewhere during the course of this, Elder Wadley converted himself, and another person.
His mother.
No one told me this would happen, but it did.

The past two years have changed me, more than I ever thought was possible.
So when I think of his success- I put myself on his list.
I get to thank him in person in 54 days.

The E-mail That Was 36 Words

The only reason I am even posting this is for the cute picture that was sent with it. Other than that, this missionary Monday was a total bust for me! Both of my boys phoned it in this week.
Here is Elder Jayden's WHOLE E-MAIL.

Well congrats on your calling! I am proud of you! 

This week wasnt a whole lot of anything. 

I will shoot you a picture of me in front of a fat dog statue! 

Love you!

Elder Wadley

Yep. Really. I waited a whole week for that.
He must have had plans or something because he sent that and was offline.
The picture is cute of him though.

Sam and I wondered if he was wearing sweat pants? His pant legs look kind of bunched up like they are too short.

We are wondering how freaking tall this kid is now?
I also got a kick out of the Colombian men in the background.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I don't know about a thousand, but it is more than the 36 he actually wrote this week.

A Colombian Thanksgiving

Knock on wood, packages that I have mailed to Colombia always get there! I read somewhere that would-be thieves are superstitious about tampering with any package that has images of the Virgin Mary on them. Every package I have mailed Elder Wadley has been plastered with Virgin Mary stickers. I am not sure if it has helped or not, but I feel pretty good about the success of the packages reaching him!
I do have to think ahead. It takes an average of six weeks for him to get what I send. Less time when he was assigned to the mission office- but some of his areas were a several hour bus ride from the mission office, so packages to an outlying area have to wait until a zone conference, interview or a transfer.
I mailed him a Thanksgiving package the end of September. I sent a super ghetto Thanksgiving dinner: a couple packages of Stove-top stuffing, instant potatoes, gravy packet, craisins, turkey jerky and pumpkin pie flavored pop-tarts.
His e-mail this week made me happy!

Well i will have you know that i got us to celebrate thanksgiving here! Everything worked out perfectly! The zone leaders had a meeting on Wednesday so they were able to pick up my thanksgiving package so we could eat stuffing! Everyone loved it!

We ate mashed potatoes, stuffing, chicken, and mac n cheese. Its about the best we could to do in south america and with such little time:) It was good though i will shoot you some pics!

Other than that our week went better! We are slowly finding a little more work! 

We got a refereancia this week from a member haha! We went to her house and we talked with her for a little bit and taught her a little bit about prayer. Well we finished up and asked her to pray haha oh man! She stood up and like grabbed my hand and was like thanking us for everything. Then she was all like lets pray! Went and stood behind us and grabbed our shoulders and shook them and started intensely going off "praying". It was a pretty funny experience, i mean she was really nice and everything but it was kinda weird. 

It seems that we have been having a lot of kinda weird and funny experiences lately which has been really great!

Other than that the week was pretty normal! 

I will hit you with some Thanksgiving pictures!

Love you!
Elder Wadley

I asked him about Camilo- the less active member they found last week from the weird window shouting- he said they are having dinner there this week, and things are progressing.
I am still amazed about how all of that happened.
It reminded me of the conference talk this past October from President Uchdorf: "Fourth Floor, Last Door."

""God rewards those who earnestly seek him,” but that reward is not usually behind the first door. So we need to keep knocking. Don’t give up. Seek God with all your heart. Exercise faith. Walk in righteousness. I promise that if you will do this—even until the fourth floor, last door—you will receive the answers you seek."

Keep knocking, Elder Wadley.

A Couple of Miracles

This week Elder Wadley was witness to a couple of miracles.
I am always amazed that if we are willing, the Lord can and will use us to do His work. Not just if we have a badge, and are set apart to be His missionaries, but just in our day-to-day life. The days I pray to be an instrument in His hands, are interesting days. Opportunities for service come. Sometimes small, and some that require a little more effort- but I know that when we act on these potential experiences, the Lord puts more trust in us, and provides more opportunity for us to receive the blessings that come from serving others for Him.

From Elder Home-In-79-Days Wadley:

Well our week was pretty fun! I have been able to get to know my comp a little bit more and he is a really good guy! We have been working pretty good and have seen a lot of miracles in our area.

Also had probably the best Sunday ever yesterday! 

It started out with us meeting a less active member. We talked with her for a good while about why she was less active and the stuff that made her go less active. When at the end she said that she had seen us go down by her house a couple of times, especially my comp. She recognized his face and everything. The thing is that my comp has only been here for a week and that was our first time going up that way the whole time he has been here. This is also his first time serving in Medellín. She was like blown away and started crying saying that maybe it was God trying to tell her something. Really cool experience.

The other is that we were rushing to an appointment the other day and some guy yelled at us saying "Elders do you want a glass of water?" I remembered what the house was so we went over. I had no idea what the guys name was or who he is. So we went and knocked on the door. Some old lady opened it and i asked her if there was a guy home and she replied "Camilo?" I went along with it and said sure. She let us in and we followed her up to the third floor. At this time i still had no idea who or what his name was or if this was even the guy that yelled at us haha! I was like freaking haha! They called him and were like "the missionaries are here." There was an awkward silence and then he was all like "send them up!" Haha it was sooo cool! Turns out he was a member as a little kid but is really, really less active. Really nice though and we have lunch with him on Wednesday:)

Really cool experiences and stuff that has happened this week! 

That was about it though! But honestly a really cool week! We are happy and having fun! 

Love you guys!

Elder Wadley

 And I got photos!
This is Elder Wadley and Elder Munoz making arepas. (like a thick tortilla)

This is the arepa that they both signed. I am not sure why- maybe it is hanging in their apartment now, like some sort of burrito/taco decor? I am not sure what is going on here.

And Medellin, Colombia at night.