Monday. June 29. 2015-Week 47

 

Mi Familia

So happy to hear that all is going great at home. Tate's moving, dad's working, Perry's crafting and mom......well it sounds like she's just doing everything haha. Can't believe what happened to Wiggins!! That sucks so bad because I know all that work that he has done to get those bees ready and plan this whole trip. We've gotta make sure to keep him in our prayers. Also this trip in Meridian sounds like its going to be a sweet party!! I wish I was there to see everyone but hey I've got more important things to do. Give everyone a big hug from me and tell them I say hi. 

I need sports updates!! I don't know about anything that's going on in the U S of A!! I don't know if dad is watching the soccer tournament that is going on in South America right now but everyone here in Peru is going crazy because for the first time in forever Peru is playing great and has made it to the semi finals!! Viva Peru!! 

Well what a crazy last couple of days these have been. I was officially transferred. This weekend we passed by about 20 different families in our area saying good bye and it was seriously the worst. When you serve people with all of your heart for a such a long time it is seriously just like leaving your family. I love all of those people in Jorge Chavez and I will never forget them because they have literally changed my life and helped me to grow in countless ways. I am going to miss messing around with all the neighborhood kids, going over to Gino´s for dinner and other stuff, going to church in the best ward in mission Peru Piura and baptising all of them like a crazy man but like you said I am needed in a different place for a reason right now. It was also terrible saying goodbye to my Elder Gonzales but I know that he is ready to move on on his own and will be a great missionary. 

So in case you were wondering I have been changed to the area Sullana. Sullana is about 45 minutes outside of Piura and many people have told me that it is the hottest part of Peru. Wooo hooo another area to die of heat haha. But this transfer was a little different because I received a new calling. I am now serving as a zone leader for the mission. A zone leader is basically in charge of all of the district leaders and works directly with the President to complete specific goals and tasks. So basically what I am saying is that I have a lot more responsibilities now. My new companion is Elder Garay!!! Remember my old leader in Jorge Chavez and also in Tumbes? Yep well now we are companions!! I am way excited to work with Elder Garay because he is just full on energy and ready to work. He is from Paraguay and really only has a few years as a member of the church but his testimony is crazy strong!! So ya a new area, a new calling and a new companion but I aint afraid!! This is the work of the Lord and He has called me specifically at this time in this area to complete a work that nobody else can. He has great trust in me so I cannot and will not let Him down!! I am going to learn all about this area and these people and I am going to love them and serve them with everything that I have because they are special children of our Father in Heaven and they need my help to find the light in this life that can so often be a place of darkness. But it's not only me that can do this work but it is us as a church and as the family of God. We must reach out to help others. We must show our love and support to those that need it the most. We must be examples of true Christ like attributes in every moment. In these 11 months here in the mission I have found such a love for this work and my only hope and prayer is that we as children of God can feel the importance of helping our brothers and sisters to find the strength to only open the door for Christ and to shine forth their spiritual light. 

I have not met President Rasmussen yet but I am sure excited to meet him. I am going to miss Presidente Rowley like crazy because he is like a father to me but I am so ready to start to work with president Rasmussen and to receive revelation through his teachings. Its going to be a hard change but hey the mission was never meant to be easy. I am going to be meeting him and his wife this Friday. 

Well I know I didn't share much this week but it's only because I am in a new area with a new companion and hey I have a lot to learn but just know that I am happy, healthy and preaching the gospel!! I will give you all a better update next week but for now I love you and I am so happy to hear that you are all happy. I know for a fact that this mission doesn't just bless me but it also sends blessings to all of you. Keep working hard and loving the gospel and our Savior Jesus Christ and we will talk soon. Love you all!!!!!! 

Con mucho amor y cariño 

Elder Wilson

 

A little going away party for Elder Wilson at his friend, Gino's, house.

 

 

Open house to present the church to new people.

 

 

 

Monday. June 22. 2015-Week 46

 

Cooking up some cuy-yuck! He says it's delicious!

 

Mi Familia!!!

¡Feliz dia viejo! Or in other words, Happy Fathers day old man!! Hope you had a great one and that you know I was thinking about you the whole time!! Your hat is sweet and it looks just like the type of hat that all the Piuruanos are using here in my area of the world everyday!! Love you dad you are a great example to me and everyone in your life and I hope you know it. I couldn't ask for a better dad than you. 

Wow mom you wrote a ton today but it's ok because I like to hear all about what's going on. Wow so good to see Tater back up and on his feet!! I have been praying all week for that kid and I know the Lord is hearing all of our prayers to help him heal quicker and have the Spirit stronger in his life. Summer life sounds just as great and crazy as ever with sports and the girls and friends but with all that stuff going on don't forget to read your scriptures!! Personally and as a family!! It is our spiritual map to guide us back to the presence of our Father in Heaven and if we don't read it and apply it in our lives we will never receive the guidance we need!! Read the book!!!!!

This week was extremely crazy and awesome and spiritual and a little sad. To start off let's talk about the temple. I did not get to go to Trujillo to actually see the temple be dedicated, I just got to see a transmition for satellite. Yes I was quite upset but after watching it I was just so full of the spirit that I couldn't be mad. Presidente Utchdorf and Elder Bednar are amazing and their messages were amazing!! I had never really seen a full dedication before but it is so so special and I thank God for giving me the opportunity to just see it!! This is a new start for the people here in Peru. An opportunity to change the history and practices of Peru and really become a people dedicated to God. This temple is just another small part of Heaven here in the earth. Never take the temple for granted!! It is so special!! Elder Uceda from the quorum of the 70 said there are 5 things we always need. 1. A picture of the temple in our homes, visible for all to see 2. Family history!!!! 3. To buy our temple clothes and always have them clean, ironed and ready to go 4. Never let your temple recommend expire!! 5. Attend the temple as frequently as possible. These 5 steps can guide our lives and help us to make great promises with our Father in Heaven.

We also had a baptism this week, it was for a little girl that was born in the church. The thing is that her dad sorta left them on their own and they weren't planning on getting the baptism done for Aiko but we started teaching her like 1 month ago and she finally got baptised this week!! Her grandpa baptised her and it was such a spiritual experience!! Gotta help in every way that you can!! 

The last big thing that happened this week is that Presidente Rowley is going home. This is some of the saddest news I have ever heard. He has played such a huge part in my life it is crazy and now he is just leaving. Very hard for me to see. So he came to visit us for the last time in our house this Friday and we talked and did a practice of a visit because he wanted to see how far we have come in our missions and then we took some pictures and BAM he was gone. We talked for like 45 minutes but it seemed like 10. He did leave me with some final words of wisdom and inspiration but I'm not going to share them because he really did say some stuff that is very special for me. I testify that Presidents of missions really are called of God because they change the lives of many young people like me all over the world and help us to complete with the will of our Lord. I am so excited to met our new presidente next week but I am going to miss Presidente Rowley like crazy. I love that family. Please pray for my new mission president!!!!

So this week we have two new people with baptism dates!! Hermana Viviana and also a new investigator named Cecilia!! They will both be baptised in these next few weeks. Marcos is struggling because of his friends but still progressing. They need our help a ton so please ask our Father in Heaven to help them through prayer!! 

So if all goes as planned I should have a transfer this week. I don't know where I will go or who will be my new companion but it is going to kill me to leave this area. The have a huge part of my heart and I will never forget them. This is going to be a tough last week.......

Well that's all for now. I love this work with all my heart and I will never stop working for my Lord because His work is perfect. I love you guys and am always praying for you!! Keep working, praying and reading hard and I know you will all be so blessed. 

Also....going to finish the BOM again in like 2 days!!!!!

Much Love 

Elder Wilson

p.s. Que bonita Perrycita! I love your new haircut!
 

 

 

With Gino and Gino's mom.

Last visit with President and Sister Rowley.

A family from the ward.

I told Asher that Perry might never forgive him for eating this and she would probably need therapy after seeing this picture.



Monday. June 15. 2015-Week 45

Missionary night watching Meet the Mormons.

 

Mi Familia!!!

Wow.....what a relief to hear that everything went well with Tater. I was praying like a crazy fool these last few days so that everything could go well. Then Tuesday at like 11 at night I got a phone call from Gino and he never calls that late so I thought something was wrong but he told me all went well with Tate so thanks for thinking to tell me all went well through him!! Tate keep fighting bro. This time is gonna suck but you just gotta be strong and put your faith in the Lord and don't put your head down. I won't stop praying for you. Glad to hear that everything has gone great for the start of summer break!! Hope you all get to do lots of cool stuff and enjoy every second of it.

This was a great week here in the mission. We started off the week with a big reunion with Presidente Rowley. This was his last reunion as mission presidente so it was really sad. He still isn't leaving until the 30th of this month but this was like his last big bang. It's going to be so weird to have a new mission president!!!! I am so used to presidente Rowley after being with him for the last year and now to change everything is just gonna be a little rough. It's ok though because I know that the Lord has called a new president that is perfect for this mission at this time. I know that the Lord that called an inspired man to help us better ourselves by bettering this small part of the world through the glorious message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was a great reunion and we learned a ton and all I can say is that when I get home from my mission I am going to find those 2 amazing people so all of you guys can meet them and love them too!!

The rest of the week we have just been teaching como locos!! It's been a little hard this week because the whole of South America is in a huge soccer tournament called la Copa América so everyone is hard core stuck to their T.Vs watching it!! A lot of people wont even let us in their house when they are watching the games because they want to focus!! So ya that sucked a little bit and especially when Peru lost their first game haha wow people were not happy at all!! But it got better and we managed to get some really good visits in and are really getting some amazing people ready to be baptised!! One person that we are still teaching is Marcos Maldonado. He has been losing a little bit of his interest in these last few weeks and its been terrible but two days ago Gino said that he wanted to go with us to his house to talk to him so we went. We gave the lesson and then Gino nailed him with his testimony and wow.....his testimony changed the whole lesson. Marcos really felt the spirit when Gino shared his feelings and experiences and after Gino finished I shared some of the pictures I have of our family and explained about how through the great plan of salvation we can live as families forever. The spirit was so dang strong and I finally felt that Marcos is ready to move forward to baptism!! We are working on a date and he needs to go to church a few more times but please pray for him because he needs our help!! Your prayers really do make all the difference here in my mission!! 

So that's about all for this week. Working, working and working some more. I have always loved to work before my mission in sports and school and working on the farm and with Wiggins but now I love it even more because I am working for the Lord. It's different, its harder than anything else I've ever done but it is 100% perfect and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love serving my Lord and God because I know that when I am in His service that He is blessing the ones that I love and that is all I could ever ask for. I love you guys so dang much and I am so grateful for all that you do for me. Keep looking for opportunities to share your testimony with those in your lives because through the Lord you have the power help people repent and really change their lives through covenants with our Father in Heaven. I love this work and I love all of you so much!! Hope you have a great week and I am always praying for you!! Scripture of the week: Joshua 24:15 (And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.).

Much Love 

Elder Wilson

 

Kathy and Rodrigo the kids of my pensionista ‏

Our ward mission leader Hermano Timana ‏

 

Multi Zone Reunion



 

 

Monday. June 8. 2015-Week 44

La Familia!!!

Wow you guys are already in summer break?! How is that even possible!! It seems like school just started for Tate and Perry and now they are done!! Haha crazy to think that at this time last year I was pulling all of my stuff together to get ready for my mission!! Well I hope you guys enjoy it and get to do lots of great stuff and more than anything that Tater´s knee can get better quick. Elder Gonzales and I fasted and prayed for ya this week bro and I hope you know that everything is going to go great. Through your faith anything is possible. So just put your faith in the Lord in this rough time and just know that He will help you.

This week was so short!! It seems like I was just emailing home yesterday and now I am writing you again haha. Time flies too fast. This week was packed with stuff to do!! More than anything right now in our mission we are all focusing on trying to find new families to teach and baptise so we have been going to town trying to find them for ourselves and also through our members. It is impossible to do the work of the Lord solo as a missionary so for that reason I am so thankful for everything that our ward is doing to help us. This week we had 2 big Family Home Evenings and we came across 2 new families and also a few new investigatores!! It is such a blessing to have a ward that does everything that they can to help the missionaries because we have a hard job haha. We are only in 1 area for a little bit of time and then bam we leave to a new area so we really don't have much time to know the people here. Our members on the other hand live here and know everyone so when we can coordinate our efforts to bring people unto Christ it is a beautiful thing!! So yes the F.H.E's went great and now we are starting to visit all of these people and they are really listening to us and a few of them even want to be baptised!! Love my ward!!

 

This week I had my big reunion for leaders here in the mission with Presidente Rowley and it was a thing of beauty. This was his last capacitation here in the mission so he just laid it all out and told us how it is. His testimony is so strong and it just hits me soooo hard every time I hear him talk!! I am going to miss that man so dang much!! He leaves the 28 of this month so he still has a few weeks left but it's going to kill me to see him go:( I am so excited to work with the new president but it's just going to be such a change. So please pray for our new mission president!!

 

The last big thing that happened this week is that it was Jamil´s birthday!! 15 years old!! So we went to his house and smashed eggs on his head like we always do haha I have the most awesome video of it!! 

Ok so this week you guys need to pray for a few people. Hermano Carlo Chapilliquen, Viviana Viera, Omar y Margarita, and Marcos Maldonado!! We are trying to baptise all of them in these next few weeks but we need your help!! 

I'm only gonna answer a few.

Best Part: My reunion with Presidente Rowley.....

Funniest: A huge fat man got on his roof and started running around butt naked haha tons of people were taking pictures of it!!!! ........

Favorite Scripture: 3 Nephi 14:2-5 (Don't judge!! We are far from perfect and the best thing that we could possibly do is help others and love them with all of their imperfectness.).....

Gino and Elder Gonzales are great!! They are both learning so much reading the Book of Mormon for the first time and I am really just trying to be here to guide them along!! Love those 2!! Also we are working on getting Gino married and he is getting with it!!.......

Food: This week we made some crazy sausage, egg, cheese mixture and it was awesome haha college food ideas!! 

Ok well that's all I've got for this week. Just want to end with a little thought. Alma 38:9 ("And now, my son, I have told you this that ye may learn wisdom, that ye may learn of me that there is no other way or means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Christ. Behold, he is the life and the light of the world. Behold, he is the word of truth and righteousness."). There is no other way for us to be saved or even to think of being saved except through Christ. He is perfection and He loves each and every one of us more than we can imagine. I am so thankful for what He has done for us but sometimes I wonder if we really do all that we can to show it to Him. We need to watch the path of our feet and establish our foundation upon His principles and His example. It will never be easy but we know the reward that we will receive. ETERNAL LIFE!! It is literally waiting for us and all we have to do is take it!! Press forward clinging to the faith and I know that the Lord will always extend His hand to help us. This life is a battle but through the church, the scriptures and our faith we have all that we need to win. Never give up on what you know to be true and you will be eternally rewarded. I love you all so much and I hope you are all happy. This is the Lord´s church and I am so thankful to have a family supporting me in this work that I am doing. Hope you have a great week and Tate I'm praying for you buddy. Love you all so much!!

Much Love 

Elder Wilson

 

Monday. June 1. 2015-Week 43

Hermana Marlena-She is always looking out for me and cooking for me and also is the mom of our investigator Viviana!! She is awesome!!

Mi Familia!!

Well like you guys said 10 months down in the service of the Lord!! Where in the heck has the time gone!! I talked with Elder Russell and Elder Moses this morning (they were members of my first district in Zarumilla) and they almost died when I said that I had 10 months because they remembered when I first showed up!! When you are focused in the work time doesn't exist!!

Sounds like you guys had a crazy awesome week. I swear as soon as I left home you guys just started doing all kinds of awesome stuff!! Just waited for 18 years to start going on crazy adventures and good stuff like that hahaha I feel loved;) I've heard lots about jump creek but I never went but it looks cool.

 

We should all fast together as a family this weekend for Tate's knee surgery!! I'm going to do it so join me!!

Well guys this week was crazy and terrible and amazing all at the same time. Let's just get the bad stuff out of the way. This week for about 3 days I was terribly sick. Like throwing up and spending some serious time in the bathroom kind of sick. I have had the flu before at home but here it is freaking powerful haha I seriously thought that I was going to die!! It was honestly miserable, no other words to describe it. The worst part of it all was that this Friday was the baptism interview for Hermana Maria. I really didn't think that I could do it because I couldn't walk 5 steps without exploding..explosively!! But I got down on my knees (very slowly) and offered up my soul to God. I told Him how important this was for me to be there for Hermana Maria and that if I couldn't go then she most likely wouldn't be baptised and let me just say He answered my prayers with power. I was able to walk about 2 miles from our house to pick up Maria and then another mile to the church and then to wait for the hour during her interview and finally to return home, to fall over and die for the rest of the night haha!! All I could think about as Alma 26:12 ("Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.") which is my favorite scripture. Read it, think about this story and it will strengthen your faith in Him. So yes we did baptise Hermana Maria this weekend!! It was an amazing service especially with her 7 children sitting there in the front row watching the whole thing!! She is a super mom and has done everything for her kids and now has really sealed the deal because the whole family are members and they have plans to get sealed in the temple of Trujillo in 1 year!!!! I love this family so dang much and thank the Lord every day for giving me the chance to work with them over these last almost 6 months!! I baptised her for invitation and when we entered the water she just kept saying wow....que vacan haha which means how awesome haha!!!! Great day overall and now we just keep working with her to make her stronger in the church!!

Now for some of your questions.

1. We are teaching a ton of families and are really seeing some success with the family Sanchez and the family Olaya so please pray for them. Also pray for us to find families that are ready to be baptised because that is our goal!!

2. Haven't heard anything about Rony and its killing me. I really don't know if I will ever see him again. Please pray for him.

3. Gino is good and so is Elder Gonzales but I had to kick his butt about a few things this week. It's all good now though. We had lunch in Gino´s house today with the district and we cooked tacos!! First time eating them in my mission!!!

4. Favorite Scripture of the week. Helaman 6:3 ("Nevertheless, the people of the church did have great joy because of the conversion of the Lamanites, yea, because of the church of God, which had been established among them. And they did fellowship one with another, and did rejoice one with another, and did have great joy."). I love the message it has about how happy we as members should be for the conversion of our brothers and sisters.

So that's all for this week. I am great. I seriously love this work so much and I wouldn't trade it for anything!! Who would!? This work is perfect in every way and I know it is part of Gods plan for me. I won't stop working because people need me. I hope you guys have a great week. I love you so much and I'm always praying for you!!

Much Love 

Elder Wilson

 

 

Lunch at Gino's

 

The district.

Baptism of Hermana Maria