“Jamie, You're the Man!”

Thanks for passing this on Sue, it's inspiring!
By Heidi S. Swinton

Jamie Wheeler turned 29 on September 5th . But by all accounts, he's been celebrating for months. His district celebrated his birthday, and when the senior missionaries had a get together, Jamie requested a chocolate cake with sprinkles – don't forget the sprinkles -- he kept telling me. We even presented him with a birthday badge.

Jamie is serving a mission with his parents, their third mission -- so far -- and their second to the England London South Mission. They have served in the Salt Lake Inner City Project as well, and there are more on the horizon.

When they arrived in England , my husband set Jamie apart as a Church Service missionary to accompany his parents. How blessed is the mission who receives this couple and their remarkable son! They have caught the essence of President Monson's teachings, “Do something for someone else to make his or her life a little better. Find someone who is having a hard time, or is ill, or lonely, and do something for them. That's all I would ask.”

Jamie has special needs. That doesn't stop him from street contacting, knocking and any other measure of missionary work put before him. He is endowed and attends the temple. He sings with gusto – great gusto sometimes – and he beams with love when he sees someone he knows. Even those who scowl on the street get the endearing Jamie smile. Ask anyone who has been street contacting with Jamie and they will tell you, Jamie is bold. Paul's words: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ” describes Jamie Wheeler.

The Wheelers -- James and Catherine -- serve in the Hamble River Ward in the Portsmouth Stake on the south coast of England . What they with the help of Jamie have done for the members, for the people in the community and for their fellow missionaries is nothing short of a miracle.

We have been talking about miracles in the mission. We have pointed missionaries to President Eyring's talk in October 2007 General Conference where he reminded us to “remember” the Lord's hand in our lives. As a mission, we took his counsel to heart and have looked for miracles every day. What is amazing is that they DO pour down from the sky, as consistently as does the rain in England .

President Eyring told of writing down a few lines every day for years. He would ask himself, “'Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?' As I kept at it,” he explained, “something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.”

One of the things God has done for us in England is send Jamie. His is pure; he is inspiring.

At one Zone conference focused on getting investigators to Sacrament meeting so that they could feel the spirit of the Lord, the mission president asked for a volunteer to step up and read the Sacrament prayers. Without even raising his hand, Jamie leaped to his feet and came forward. He read from the scriptures the prayer on the water; it was a spiritual moment everyone of us there will never forget. As he said each word, “that you may always have his spirit to be with you” the Lord's promise resonated in all our hearts.

When one of his zone leaders was called to serve as an assistant, Jamie filled in until the new companion arrived. “The day he was my companion,” his fellow missionary, then about a year in the field, explained, “he was so enthusiastic for the work; he had so much desire. He just made me realize how much more I could be doing because he was giving everything.”

His parents are prolific chocolate chip cookie bakers and Jamie is the designated taster. (He's quick to tell you that fact.) Since it's difficult to get chocolate chips in England , his dad chops bars of chocolate into chips by hand. Right now, they are at more than 40,000 cookies distributed in their two British missions. Each one, a bit of a miracle.

When the Wheelers visit the less actives, Jamie stands at the front with the plate of cookies. The door opens and his folks greet them. Then Jamie steps forward with the cookies and with all the goodness in his heart he says, “I love you.” The door swings open and the people take them in. “Knock and it shall be opened unto you” has taken on a whole new meaning in this mission.

The elders like to clap him on the shoulder and say, “Jamie, you're the man.” His comeback is speedy, “Yes, I am.” When we stand to recite our purpose, “To invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end,” Jamie adds at the end – “like my Dad.”

We have learned a great deal from the Wheelers. We have learned about pressing on and serving with whole-souled devotion. They could have stayed in their ward on the hillside in Salt Lake but they are in a tiny little two bedroom flat, a kitchen with no window. But it doesn't matter. The light of the Lord Jesus Christ pours down upon them and upon everyone they meet.

Jamie's mother and dad beam they serve by his side; sometimes there are h tears in their eyes as sit at the back watching him mingle with the missionaries. My, how they love Jamie; we do too.