This blog is kept by Elder Asher Wilson's family. It will include his general emails and various pictures. It will be updated each week after each new email is received. We hope you enjoy it!

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Monday. April 27. 2015-Week 38



Mi familia!!!

Well let's just start off by answering one of your first questions. Missionaries don't take breaks, don't need breaks and don't want breaks and most of all I am just going to keep working until I break hahaha!! This is the work of the Lord and I know for a fact that in the short life of Jesus Christ, He sure as heck didn't have time to take breaks because there were people who needed to hear the gospel!! It doesn't matter if we are teaching, walking the streets, in a taxi (or here in Peru a moto taxi), or in the dang bathroom I am going to talk with every person in Peru because I am one of the only people here who knows how to walk forward with faith on the path that our Father in Heaven has made for us!! I have officially eliminated the word break from my vocabulary because I don't have time for a break because the people who don't have the gospel in their lives don't have time to wait. Our work: D&C Chapters 4, 18, 33

Well it sounds like you guys had one heck of a week like always!! School and sports and church and friends (and in Tater's case....special friends hahaha never brush your teeth bro;)) and working and on top of it all that crazy woman Grandma Sue was at our house wow.....you had your work cut out for ya this week haha. I am so glad that you guys had the chance to see grandma and pass some time with her. I sure do miss her a lot.
 
How is everyone doing with their Book of Mormon reading? I sure do hope that every single person that lives in my house is reading their Libro de Mormon. It guides us and it helps us to feel the true love that our Savior has for us so READ IT!!!!! A LOT!!!!!

So as of right now I have no idea when we are going to Skype because I think we are going to baptise on Mother's Day so it will be later in the day. Elder Gonzales is going to talk first so we will talk I'm guessing at like 6ish?? I'll work out the plans this week but we will be doing it at Gino's house. 

This week was crazy but great. I am working my butt off. I have a ton of things to do with training Eldercito Gonzales, planning a ton of reuniones con mi distrito and on top of it all trying to baptise the world but trust me its a great thing to be busy on your mission.
 
I got letters this week so thanks mom!! I love reading about what going on at home and also your conference quotes were awesome!!
 
This week Elder Gonzales and I worked our butts off as usual but we also focued a ton in reading his Book of Mormon. He is reading like 2 chapters a day but we, together, are reading like 7 or 8 chapters a day and just trying to nail out his Book of Mormon. He has a million questions and I love it because it makes me feel like he is really learning. He is coming along great with reading but wev'e still got a ways to go!!
Rony is getting better!! We visited him a ton and he talked with the bishop and through prayers and fasts he is really starting to feel the love of the Lord in his life once again. Keep praying for him. We also came across 2 new investigators this week that were awesome!! They have such a love for our message and what we are sharing and I can smell some more baptisms in the near future. Please pray this week for Viviana Viera, Carla Carasco, Maria Viera, Maria Atoche, Jamil and Jael, Gabriel Bravo, Marcos Maldinola and as always my buds Rony Sanots and Gino Fossa. We will be baptising Jamil and Jael this Saturday and we have goals to baptise about 6 more in these next 2 months so keep them prayers acoming!! 

With your questions about Gino. His family is awesome!! He has 3 brothers and a sister I think but only his mom and his sister are members. He works as an English teacher in one of the universities here in Piura and no he doesn't have a girlfriend right now but we are working on him hard to find one so don't worry he will have one soon!!!!!

The gym is going great!! I'ts really a crap pit but hey it has weights and machines so I am just going as hard as I can right now because I don't know if there will be a gym in my next area. I am also running every other day and doing sprints because dad told me to before my mission so I am in pretty good shape right now. Like I could step on the lax field right now and kick some serious butt haha!! Elder Gonzales likes the gym a lot but hates to run haha and also Gino has been starting to work out with us!!!

Well that's about all for this week. We have interviews tomorrow with presidente Rowley (his last ones with us because he leaves in 2 months:(  ) so I am going to receive some serious revelation!! I love you guys so much and I hope that you are happy and that you know that I am happy here!! The church is true and by the time I'm done here all of Peru will know it!! I love you guys and am always praying for you!! Hope you have a great week and tell Tate to take it easy with the ladies hahaha!!!!

Much Love 

Elder Wilson

Monday, April 27, 2015

Monday. April 20. 2015-Week 37




At a museum today. Elder Wilson & Elder Gonzales


Mi Familia!

So I thought I would just start off by telling you all how lucky you are. There is an old lady in our ward and she has had 3 children serve missions and she thinks its the craziest thing that we get to email every single week because she only got one card a month from her kids while they were on their missions!!! If that's what we had to do I don't think mom could do it hahaha.

So it sounds like everything went great this week....except BYU freaking lost again!!!! To Westminster for that!! Oh I can't wait to get home and shut that goal scoring machine of Troy Vance down!!!! Love ya Troy! 
Looks like you are all having a great time with grandma, she is a party animal haha. Keep her busy, she needs it!!
Tate I love hearing that you are kicking some serious butt out there on the soccer field!! You are an animal, but only because you take after your big brother haha.
Perry I hope you will remember all of the parts to your play for when I get home in 1 year because I want to see it all!!
Wow I am always so happy and proud of you guys and you always look so great in all of your pictures and stuff. Better than when I was at home!!! Maybe I'll just never come home......haha;) 

This week was a great one but man am I tired. Maybe it's because we finally talked the local gym owner into opening early for us so we can work out!! Heck ya I am officially back in the gym and going hard. It's seriously a big blessing because I have been doing push ups and abs and running for basically the last year and it's good but it just wasn't getting it done for me. Now we are still running but we also have the gym so we are waking up early and going hard every morning!!

This week I had a big reunion for leaders with Presidente Rowley. He gave us the topics of all the lessons we have to prepare (because I have to teach a reunion to all the people in my district every week for like 2 hours!! The first one went really good though) and he also gave us all the run downs on how to be a good leader. It's a lot of responsibility to be a leader here in this mission but it is also really awesome! I am learning so much and I have had the ability to help many people and missionaries to be more successful here in the mission. It's crazy to think that I am a missionary with experience now but wow my 1 year mark is coming up really quick!!

Everything is going great with Elder Gonzales. He is learning like crazy and he is actually learning to love the work and the people. For me there are 3 things that make a great missionary. 1. Your ability to feel and act through the promptings of the spirit 2. Your obedience 3. Your love for the people. These for me are the signs of a great missionary and Elder Gonzales is really coming along quickly in these 3 categories. He for sure lacks in his knowledge of the scriptures and he doesn't know how to teach great but I can promise all of you that he will be an amazing missionary because he has a love for this work and the Lord. He's not thinking about his home any more and he is just getting to work reading and studying like a mad man!! I love it!! I have read the Book of Mormon and the Bible and Doctrine and Covenants and all the other things of the church and they are all amazing. I have such a strong testimony of all of the words of these books but if you read it as a missionary you will see that they are all very common and teach the same thing. It is to follow the example of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and I am very happy with my companion because he is doing just that. Trying to become better every day and literally trying to be like Jesus (#primary hymn).  

This week we had the confirmation of Gino Fossa!! He is now an official member of the church!! I was so happy and the spirit was so dang strong it was just an amazing overall experience!
 
This week I also had another crazy experience. The sister missionaries called me and said that we needed to go to their area to give a blessing of health to one of the ladies they are teaching. So we went and talked to her and got to know her and all of her problems and then we blessed her. I gave the blessings but I know that they were not my words. I had never really felt so controlled by the spirit before it was amazing. It was one of the strongest times that I have felt the Lords power in my life and the lady we were blessing felt it to. She started crying and we talked to her for awhile after. Wow I am seriously so grateful to have the priesthood in my life and for my ability to help people come unto Christ through this power. I will continue to use it and magnify it for the rest of my life because I know that to complete with the will of my Father I must show forth His power to the world. 

Today we went to Piura Central with Gino to check some stuff out and to go to a museum of some famous Peruano and it was a good time. We don't really do much here for P Day so it was something different.

Also I just want to ask you all to pray so hard for Rony this week. I am not going to say anything about what's going on but please you guys and everyone you know pray for Rony Santos because he needs us so much right now. Also pray for Jamil and Jael, Hermana Maria and also Gabriel Bravo because they all have baptism dates!!

That's all for this week. Just teaching the gospel and trying to change some lives while I'm at it. I know with all my heart that what I am doing is the work of the Lord and that he has a plan for me to help many people come unto Him. I have had amazing, underscribable experiences here that I will never forget and more than anything I have felt the power of the Lord and the love that He has for us.
 
I love you guys so dang much and I hope all is going great in the life. Keep working hard and praying harder because He is always listening. Well talk to you all next week!! The church is true and the book is blue haha!! I love you all!!

Much Love

Elder Asher Dean Wilson
 

Elder Wilson & Gino.


I asked Asher who this bust was and he said, "It's the head of Miguel Grau and he is a famous Peruano and we are in Piura Central." I asked what he's famous for & he said, "He was some sort of naval hero or something but Peru still lost the war to Chile so I don't know why he is famous hahahaha."

"Just talkin with Miguel."

 

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Monday. April 13. 2015-Week 36


With Gino on his baptism day.
 
 
Mi Familia!!!!

What a dang week this one has been!!! I am dead tired but happy as all get out!!! It sounds like you all had a great week at home. I'm sorry you were sick all week Perry girl:( But it's good that you are feeling better now. Tell Maddie that I say Happy Birthday!!! Also Tate keep kicking butt on the soccer field. You've got to stand out bro because I want to play together at BYU!! I almost died when I read that Tate is actually going on a date!!! What a flippin miracle!! I never thought that I would actually see this day come and I am surely going to mark the 25th of April on my calendar hahahahaha. Love you bro. Be smart and be safe. 

So I am currently with a new companion. Elder Mauricio had a transfer last week and now is in a different area:( I really was sad to see him go. I am now with my new companion and he is very new. His name is Elder Gonzales and he is 20 years old and is from Baranca, Peru, which is about 4 hours north of Lima. He is a great guy but this is also his 5th day here on the mission!! He is a brand new missionary and I am his trainer!!! Talk about a huge responsibility!!!! He is awesome and so ready to work but he still just doesn't know anything haha. We are learning slowly but surely and I am trying to give him as many opportunities as possible to experience success in these first few months of his mission. He is sort of a spaz haha but I like him a lot and really think these 2 cambios together are going to go really great. Please pray so much for Elder Gonzales to learn quickly and for me to be a great teacher!!!!

So yes, I am now 19 years old and yes, I do feel old hahaha;) Everyone thought I was super young out here on my mission being 18 but now that I am 19 everyone just thinks I'm normal old Elder Wilson again hahahaha. I did have a great birthday though. So this is the first time in my life that this has happened but I actually fasted on my birthday this year. We were fasting for the baptism of Gino and a couple other things so when we passed by all the houses of our members and stuff they all tried to feed us and had cake but we had to turn it all down for another day. It was hard but we were very blessed through it all. On my birthday we set 3 more people up with baptism dates!! Hermana Maria Viera for the 26th of April and also Jamil and Jael Farfan for the 3rd of May. How awesome is that!! Through my birthday fast I now have 3 more people to baptise in these next few weeks!!! Please pray for them so much because they are all amazing people!!!
 
The next day was one of the greatest days of my life. We were able to baptise Gino Gaettanno Fossa Peña as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!!! It was such an amazing service and the spirit was crazy strong!!!!! So like you pointed out in your email, I did not baptise Gino. Gino had originally picked me to baptise him even when Elder Mauricio was still here so we were all planning on doing that. On Friday night I knelt down to pray at night and prayed to receive revlelation as usual and I felt so strongly that my companion, Elder Gonzales, should baptise Gino. It was really hard for me to accept because Gino is seriously one of my best friends but I listened to the spirit and talked to Gino and he said that it was ok. I am so glad that we were able to make the change because it just helped Elder Gonzales start his mission of soooo great. He got to baptise in his first week here in the mission!! So I gave a talk at his baptism and it was all good. What an amazing experience to see Gino be baptised and I know that the Lord is truly working through me right now. After the baptism we had a big party at Gino's house to celebrate his baptism and my birthday!! We ate and talked and they slammed my face into a giant cake hahaha!! It was really a great time and I am so so so so so so so grateful for this family!!

So I am not sick at all, the weather is miserably hot you seriously just can't escape it and Rony is doing great. He is having a tough time remembering to read his book of Mormon but we are still working with him like every other day. He is working more now so it's a little harder but he could use your prayers to stay a little more focused. We are also still working with a lot of people to work towards baptism and to return to the church so please pray for Maria Viera, Jamil and Jael Farfan, Viviana Viera, Antonio Castro, Juan Tallero Gabriel Bravo, Marcos Maldinola, and Moises Hernandez because they could all use your help. I think that's a big enough list for this week haha. 

So all is well here in Peru. I still love my mission so much and it is awesome because I know the language now and I can just preach the gospel. I love you guys so much. I don't think you understand how big of a help you are to me every day. I love you emails and mail and I really feel your prayers every day. I love that you always have my back. I really do have the greatest family ever!! Keep up the good work. I love you all so much and hope you have a great week!!! Love you!!!!!!

Much Love

Elder Wilson

P.S - It's ok if BYU drops a game right now cause it ain't gonna happen when I get back!! and if Troy is reading this keep puttin in work on the field son!!!!!!

Birthday of Elder Garay
Ward Conference
 
My one day with Elder Beltron
 
Meeting my new companion, Elder Gonzales

 
With my first companion, Elder Orellana, and my new companion, Elder Gonzales
Happy Birthday to me with eggs & flour in my hair haha
Best day-Gino's baptism
Celebrating Gino's baptism and my birthday
Awesome crab cowder Hermana Fossa made
My birthday cake
The sister missionaries made me a birthday lunch


Last night with Elder Mauricio
 
Elder Garay and Elder Mauricio











 

Monday, April 13, 2015

Monday. April 6. 2015-Week 35

Elder Wilson & Gino.


Mi Familia!

Hey guys!! Well it sounds like you guys had a wonderful week with family and also an amazing Easter Sunday. I am so glad that you all had the opportunity to focus on what is really important about Easter and cut out the crap with the Easter Bunny hahahaha! I can promise you right now that I will never celebrate Easter in my house with the Easter Bunny and eggs!!!! 

This week was a great one and sad one and a very powerful one. Geno and Viviana are progressing like crazy!! We have been working with them soooooo much to find their faith and to really know for themselves that the Book of Mormon is true. Wow I have gained such a testimony of the Book of Mormon in this mission it is crazy!! There is nothing else in the world as powerful and as perfect as that book and the amazing message that we can receive through its words. I have read it, I have studied it and more that everything I have prayed about it and I can tell you all that I know with 500% of my heart and soul that it is true. It changes lives and it brings happiness with it!! For this exact reason we will be baptising Geno this weekend (my birthday weekend!! Talk about best birthday present ever!!!!). So please keep praying for all of them and putting their names in the temple and all of that good stuff because they need you. 

Conference was amazing!!!!! I will write you a letter about what I liked the most but for short I think my favorite talk was from either Elder Causse or Elder L. Tom Perry. They are spiritual giants and every time I hear them talk I learn soooo much!! They only share the simple truths but they speak with the power of Christ and that is what changes lives. I read somewhere that it doesn't matter how much you know because you will never teach with the power of Christ with just knowledge. Testimony is everything and those men share their testimonies with power!!!!!!!!! Also they talked a ton about marriage and the importance of being parents this conference so I think I'll be getting married right when I get home......hahahahahahaha;) We also watched conference in the stake center with air conditioning!! 10 hours of a/c!! It was amazing!!

Also a side note. This week a drunk tired to kill Elder Mauricio with a brick. He started calling us liars and devils and said that he was going to kill us. So we just stood their and looked at him and he came charging at us. We dodged him first and I was about to drop that old fool but then a guy came out and kicked the guys butt and made him leave. This guy is one of our investigators now hahaha. The Lord works in strange ways. 

So we had a transfer this week and yes it was very sad. I had really gotten very used to Elder Mauricio and we were having so much progress in this area. He is gone now and I am with a temporary companion because my new companion is still in the CCM en Lima!! I am going to be training a new missionary for these next 2 cambios so please pray for me and him to get along good and quick and for me to be able to help him to be a great missionary. I am also now a district leader here in the mission so also please pray for me to receive revelation to help my area because I am in charge of a good number of people now. I know that the Lord has put His trust in me and I won't let Him down!!!

So this week I will be praying for your pictures and also for presidente Monson. Ohhh wow I hope he is ok. I couldn't handle that man passing on!! It's still not his time!!! I sure do love our prophet.

So that's all for this week. I hope all is well at home and I hope you are all doing all that you can to be true disciples of Christ. Think about it and change whatever is necessary in your life to be closer to Him and to do His work. Read, go to church, pray and share what you know with everyone. It's not an option. We are here to share the gospel not to keep it to ourselves. I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!! Love you!!!!

Mucho Amor

Elder Asher Dean Wilson
 
 
 
**All of these pictures are from Gino. He posted them on his Facebook page. It's been such a blessing to see these pictures (Asher is in need of a converter for his camera that will allow him to send more pictures that he's taken. I'm not sure if it's something that is hard to find there or if he hasn't had time to get one?) But I am SO thankful to Gino sharing these photos!
 


Elder Wilson & Elder Mauricio.