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, March 30, 2016

Monday. March 28. 2016-Week 85

Prisila's baptism day!!


Familia Llacsa!!



Mi Familia!!

Hey guys!! Happy late Easter. Happy to hear that you guys passed it so good and really had that great chance to focus everything in on our Savior, Jesus Christ. We didn't do any sort of Easter eggs or Easter dinner or anything like that but we did have a pretty cool day at church. General Conference is this week so all of the churches here moved fast and testimony meeting to this week so we got to share our testimonies Easter Sunday. It was awesome!! Seriously the coolest and most memorable Easter of my entire life. Everyone just testified of Christ and his life and his sacrifice and everything that he did for us. So ya that was amazing to see how strong all of our members are and also to share my testimony with them. It was also President Rasmussen's birthday yesterday!!!! So we went over there at night to eat with them and then sing happy birthday to him. They are really super amazing people. We also had a huge family home evening to top the night off with a bunch of member and non members. We watched some Easter videos and shared a lesson and played Habla Chancho (Il'l teach it to you guys when I get home!!). It was an awesome Easter.

This week we have been in full on interviews!! That Instagram picture that you saw of Elder Gandarillas and I is seriously what we have been doing all week. We are in charge of seeing if all of the missionaries have good, organized area books (the books that we use to track the progress of our investigators, new converts and less actives). It is a lot of work because there are always a few problems and a ton of questions but it has really helped Elder Gandarillas and I to love all of the missionaries here and also to step our game up with our area book haha. So ya for the rest of this transfer (the next 3 weeks) we are going to be finishing up all of the interviews.

Now about the important stuff. Our area is kicking some serious butt right now. Everyone is just super excited and loving mission work!! Our members are giving us good references and bringing their friends to church, our investigators are reading the Book of Mormon, praying and receiving answers and Elder Gandarillas and I are working like crazy men sharing the gospel with every single person that we see!! Seriously there is no one that escapes us hahahaha!! This week something really strange happened. We have been finding a lot of new people (including a family that is called the Familia Ituria and they are super amazing and ready to be baptized!! Please pray for them!!) but this week we found a special class of new people. Every one of the new people that we found were men over the age of 65!! I'm serious!! We have a 72 year old man that told us yesterday that he wants to get baptized!!!!!! Just a huge testimony for me that the gospel is for EVERYONE. It doesn't matter the age, color or personality everyone needs this message.

So as you guys could see in the pictures Prisila was baptized this week. It was seriously one of the sweetest things that I have ever seen!! Elder Gandarillas baptized her. It seemed so weird to me the whole time because I could only think about Perry's baptism. Just a sweet little girl doing what she knows to be right. It really can't get any better than that. So now she is an official member and all of her family is active in the church once again. Please keep the familia llacsa in your prayers. 

This week I was reading in Jacob in the sixth chapter and a few things called my attention. First off in verse 3 it says "and how blessed are they that labor diligently in his vineyard." All of us as members of his church have been called to labor in his vineyard and many of us have had miraculous experiences doing so. The blessings that we receive through our studies and our abilities to share with others are innumerable. Later in verse 7 it says "after you have been nourished by the good word of God all the day long, will ye bring forth evil fruit?" That was interesting for me. We have all heard and been nourished by the good word of God but what are we doing to put that word in action? Are we bringing fourth good fruit? Are we loving and serving others? Are we keeping the commandments? Are we trying to become more like Christ everyday? Finally after a bunch of warnings I love verse 13. "Oh be wise; what can I say more?" We are members of Christ's church and he has given us all that we need to obtain true happiness in this life. All we have to do is be wise. So think about the things before you do them and just be wise so that the Lord can bless you in all of your actions. Don't let your decisions be temporal. Make it a goal to always have an eternal focus. 

Well I love you guys. Its sort of super sad that we are coming down to the last part of the 4th quarter here in the mission but that's just when you've got to play the hardest right!?!?! I am focused and working harder than ever because that is what the Lord expects of me. So that's about all for now. Just preaching the gospel and playing some freaking hard core soccer!!! Dude Tater you have no idea what kind of spanking you have coming your way when I get home hahaha!! The church is true!! 

Much Love 

Elder Wilson

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Mondy. March 21. 2016-Week 84

Let us present Hermano Carlos y Hermana Dorris!!!!!! ‏



We were the witnesses.




With the Bishop and his wife.

This is our soccer crew!!!! We would smack Taters team around any day of the week hahahaha!!


Mi Familia

You guys are so awesome. Always positive and pressing forward and doing what is right.......now that's my family. 

Tater!! Bruh happy birthday!! 17 years old dude how does that even happen!! When I left you were a little 15 year old and now you are some sort of man and much taller than I am haha. Hey just so you know I thinking about you and praying for you and your special day. I hope all went well. Just think bro in less than 1 year you could be sending your mission papers. This is going to be the most important year of your entire life until now and you just need to do all that is possible to make sure that God knows that you are on his team. "Search ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all of these things shall be added unto you." So party it up.......but make it a Jesus friendly party ok hahaha!! Love ya Tater.

So glad to hear that all is now well with Papa Gary!! Really is an answer to our prayers. Hoping that all is still going well with you mom. Haven't heard much about that. Just know that I'm praying for you. 

This week was super crazy!! First off we went to some small town called Tambogrande with President and Hermana Rasmussen to do some delivery of medical equipment to the hospital that's out there. So the church bought all of the stuff and sent president out there to represent the church and he took us with him. It was a super cool experience just seeing how happy and thankful these people were for what we were giving them. I seriously love this church so much!! We aren't just here to teach the gospel but we are here to live the gospel!! We serve others like Christ did and that is what is the most important. Really an awesome experience and we got to know some really cool people. 

So this week the Llacsa Family got married!!! I sent you guys the pictures. Everything turned out perfect. The whole family went and a bunch of people from the ward too. Elder Gandarillas and I were the witnesses. Second time doing that in the mission!! 

Hey I seriously don't have any time at all to write because we've had a bunch of stuff to do but next week I'll write you a much better letter!!  I love you guys and hope you have an amazing week!! 

Much Love 

Elder Wilson

Friday, March 18, 2016

Monday. March 14. 2016-Week 83

Bring on the rain!!





From President Rasmussen: "We had a heartwarming experience today making the delivery of much needed neonatal equipment to the Tambogrande Public Health Center." #piuravida



Mi Familia

Hey guys just writing to say that I'm not dead haha. Sometimes we just have crazy days here around the office and not a whole lot of time to write and today was one of those days. So I'll give you all a quick update on what happened this week but I really do not have a whole lot of time to do it. 

First things first.........HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOTHER!!!!!! One year older and wiser too haha but really mom I'm super glad that you had a great birthday rockin out at some sweet Toby Mac concert!! Sort of sad that you didn't have all the family there to celebrate with ya though but just know that you were in my thoughts all day long. I just hope that you know how much I love ya mom. I honestly couldn't ever ask for anything better in my life than such an amazing mother like you. YOU mom have helped me in more ways than you will ever understand and have really played a key role in helping me to become the man that I am today. Thank you for always being honest and loving and true and loyal and helpful and wise and all of the many other characteristics that describe you. So to say it with little words you are the best mom and I hope you had an amazing day like you deserved. Love ya mother. 

The rain has stopped but the sun has come out even stronger than before. We played soccer this morning and holy crap I got sun burnt so dang bad!!!

Well this week was so freaking crazy!! We seriously didn't even have a single second to rest (not that I'm asking for or want any time to rest just saying we went hard!!). To start off the week we had to welcome the new missionaries to the mission. It is always such a cool experience to be there at the airport to see all of the new missionaries coming off of their plane and walking their first steps here in Peru. Many times they look scared or worried or tired but this group that came this week was just full of awesome missionaries!! So we spent all day Tuesday with them giving them the whole welcome speech and some special training, then training the missionaries that are now the trainers of these new ones that showed up, and then putting them together in their new companionships and giving another training session. Ya its a long process but it is always awesome to see the energy of the new ones coming in!! Later this week, on Thursday, we had our Mission Leadership Council. Elder Gandarillas and I were in charge of teaching over 2 hours of the council so for that we spent a lot of time planning during the week so that we could be ready. Our theme was how to help investigators go to church. That is easily the biggest problem here in the mission. We have so many great people that read the BOM and want to learn more but they just have the hardest time getting themselves to church. So in our training Elder Gandarillas and I talked about 3 things. What we need to do, what the investigators need to do and what the members need to do so that we can have more people at church. It all turned out super great and it ended up being a super efficient meeting. Just want to share one part of what we taught the leaders with you guys. It's the part when we talked about what WE need to do. 

We as missionaries live lives that are 100% dedicated to serving the Lord. We leave every day dressed in our church clothes and we go about teaching and testifying of Jesus Christ. Even though we spend all of our time devoted to the work of the Lord we know that the Sabbath still needs to be something special for us. Our question to all of them was, What are we doing as missionaries to make the Sabbath day different from all of the rest of our days? We cannot treat Sunday just like any other day of the week because it is not just any normal day. It is the day that the Lord has set apart for us to rest from our labors and pay our devotions unto the most high. It is a covenant that the Lord has made with our ancestors that is still applicable today and it must be applied if we wish to receive the blessings that the Lord has for us. 

So now I want to ask you guys the same question. What are you doing at home to make the Sabbath day different from all the other days of the week? Are you preparing yourself to take the sacrament? Are you avoiding doing things like homework or watching TV or listening to worldly music? Studying all of this just made me think a ton about how I have treated the Sabbath in the past and that I was some sort of dumb kid before because I didn't realize all of the blessings available. Well it's never too late to make the change, especially because it is only for one day a week.  

Well like I said really not much time to write all of the details but that's what I've got for now. Also please pray for the Familia Llacsa. They are getting married this Friday!!!!!! Heck ya!!!!!! I'm going to be the best man for the second time in my mission!!!!!! They are awesome but they do need your prayers. And keep praying for Juan!! Hey I love you guys!! You're in my prayers!!!

#Hallelujah

Much Love

Elder Wilson

Monday, March 7, 2016

Monday. March 7. 2016-Week 82

RAIN!!!!

A picture of Elder Gandarillas and I that an Elder drew of us.

Happy Birthday Alexis!!!! This family are members of the church but we are working on reactivating the son and baptizing the dad.


Elder Gandarillas.


Mi Familia,

Sounds like another great week in the Wilson home. School and soccer and birthdays and barfing and all the other good stuff that go along with it. You guys never cease to surprise me and especially the story about that dog food dumper!! Crazy hahaha!! 

I'll for sure be keeping Papa Gary in my prayers here for the next while.

Aaron Harbaugh!!! Get that kid to email me!! I want to hear from him!! 

So about my sweet scooter. I'll let you guys warm it up for me while I'm here doing the Lord's work but when I get home that sucker is mine!! I am going to grow out the stache and rock that sucker like a champ!! Well just thought I'd let you know.......

Well I hope you guys enjoyed a nice, DRY Idaho this week because here in Peru we are getting destroyed!! It has rained so much this last week, like 5 of the 7 days. It's not normal rain either it's crazy Peruano rain!! For example, on Friday we were working on getting all of the transfers set up for the mission and out of no where it just started to rain like crazy!! It looked like someone had turned a huge shower on in the streets!! So we finished up our transfers thinking that the rain would stop but it just kept on falling and we had a lesson to go and teach to a family on the far side of our area and we weren't about to miss that so we pulled on the rain jackets and took off to the street. Well the streets were not streets any more but rivers!! The water went far above the curb and was flooding into the houses and creating huge lakes in the parks and other areas. We couldn't find a taxi to take us to our lesson so we went walking. After crossing rivers and walking through knee deep water and literally enduring to the end we made it to our lesson and it went great. The man had a ton of questions that we responded to with the Book of Mormon and the spirit was very strong. They were especially impressed that we had left our house in the rain to come and visit them haha. Well on the way home we had people stick their heads out the windows and yell at us that we are crazy but we just told them that the work of the Lord must press on. After hearing that they just started to cheer us on hahaha!! Finally when we were getting close to our house we got a phone call saying that we needed to be in our house because the streets were dangerous. While I was talking on the phone I couldn't see very well where I was walking and I fell straight into a huge hole in the road full of water!!! Like way above my knees!! Yep it was a serious adventure that night but not even a Peruvian rain storm can stop the work of the Lord!!

In these past few weeks we have been praying and fasting like crazy to find families. We have found a few good ones but this week we found an amazing one!! We were walking in the street the other day and a 2 ladies that were sitting in front of their house just started yelling "Elders" at us so we went over and talked to them. They told us that before they had talked to missionaries and that they wanted us to go by their house one day to talk with the whole family. So we did and it was a memorable experience. We got there and the whole family was waiting for us. Parents and kids and uncles and aunts and grandparents. They were all together because the mom of the family is super sick and she is going to die soon. They were looking for answers but didn't know where to turn. We decided to talk to them about the Plan of Salvation and how families can be eternal. It was awesome and very guided by the spirit. They all had many questions but we were able to respond to them with the Book of Mormon and they were very surprised. In the end of the lesson I shared my testimony about our family and how we are going to see Gaven again and one of the aunts of the family asked what do we have to do to become an eternal family. We explained it to them and every single one of them promised us that they would do whatever it takes to complete these steps to become an eternal family. It was a very powerful experience and I was just thankful to have the testimony that I do about our eternal family. Lives many end and difficult things might happen but through the gospel of Jesus Christ we can and will receive the blessings that the Lord wants us to have and many of the things that we wish to have. Please pray for the Familia Coello Alvan Ojeda Guzman!! I know its a long one haha. 

Juan is now ok with the loan shark thanks to all of your prayers on his part but he still wasn't able to get baptised this week. He is now in the hospital with serious kidney problems and he just isn't doing to good. He has acted sort of strange in these past few days and we have just felt that he isn't 100% prepared for his baptism. Not just because he is in the hospital but we have felt that he still has a lack of testimony. So we have planned to work with him sharing the stories of Christ from the Bible and helping him to do connections of these stories in his personal life. We are going to start with the story of Jesus and Peter walking on the water and then we are going to work with the story of the rich young man that couldn't give away his wealth to follow Christ. I want to ask you guys to keep praying for him because he needs it but I also want to ask you to help us in another way. Mom you are a convert. What was the thing that most impacted you or helped you to make the decision to be baptized. Did you have doubts? How did you overcome your doubts? I have helped many people with this in the past but Juan is just a little different and I thought your story could maybe help us a little bit. Thanks for your help!!

This week in sacrament meeting I was reading in the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 25. In verse 13 a part says my soul delighteth to prophesy concerning him and it just made me think of everything that I am doing. My soul really does feel a great joy to testify of Christ. There is nothing more that I would rather do because it is perfect. I love being a missionary and I love testifying of Christ. 

So that's it for this week. We just keep moving along here in the mission and trying to do the work of the Lord but I just thank all of you for your prayers and fasts for us. They are felt. Keep on keepin on family. I love you guys a ton and hope you have an amazing week!!

Much Love 

Elder Wilson