Monday. May 30. 2016-Week 94

Beach selfie.

With Elder Mooring.

Elder Culaca.

On a rock tower and majestically looking to sea.......haha. ‏

Mi Familia

Well guys today is officially the first day of my last transfer in the mission. It is a super weird feeling and I don't really know what to think about it besides that I am going to work my dang butt off for this last month and a half!! In the words of Elder Culaca Vamos a destruir el mundo!!!! We're going to destroy the world!!!!! 

Glad to hear that all went well in your trip and with Grammy y Papa. It sure will be good to see them again. Tater excellent job on the soccer field. Keep it up bro and don't let the Nationals beat you!! Also Perry good luck on your soccer try outs. I know you are going to do great!! 

Last night was a super sad one for me but also awesome. We were in a lesson and our phone just kept ringing and ringing but obliviously I didn't answer it because we were teaching a family. When we left I called the number back, because it was an unknown number, and Elder Gandarillas answered!! Elder Gandarillas finishes his mission tomorrow and I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to see him before he was off to Bolivia but he had called me to say that he was in Paita trying to find me haha!! So we met up and I got to say good bye to that fool. Honestly that was a hard one. Elder Gandarillas is seriously my best friend in the mission and who knows the next time that I'll be able to see him because he lives in freaking Bolivia!! So honestly that was a huge blessing for me to be able to see him off. He also told me that all is going great with Kevin, Yolanda and Raul and the Familia Llacas!!

In this last week we have been tearing it up in our area!! We have been finding a ton of new people to teach but it has been hard getting people to make the choice to get baptized. I don't know what it is but they just haven't been understanding the importance here and its' been sort of hard. So this last week thinking with Elder Culaca we decided that it was time to just focus in on the people that we are teaching and really finding out what they need. When Elder Godoy came and talked to us he taught us an awesome way to do it with the baptismal interview questions so that's what we did. We did it with 3 people up to this point and all 3 of them have committed to baptismal dates. After all we had been teaching them and trying to do for them all they needed was someone to answer the small questions that they had about the church and a few commandments. It just made me think. I have been studying this for the last 2 years of my life but now I can really testify as did Alma in Alma 31 verse 35. The souls of these people are precious to God and it is our responsibility to help them return to His presence. If we do it right and really look to help and love the people and not just shove information down their throats the Lord will give us the part of His spirit that we need to convert. So ya that's how we've been doing it this week and it looks like were going to be  going out guns blazing in this last transfer. 

Also this Sunday we had a huge show-up at church!! Usually we have less than 100 people there but this week 124 people went!! We are getting there and all of the members are super excited and helping us a ton in the work. 

So as for something about the gospel. This week I have been reading and studying the story of Abraham in Genesis and I came across something that I really liked. In Genesis chapter 18 it is talking about when the 3 holy men go to Abraham and tell him that his wife Sara would give birth to Isaac. Well during this time Sara was about 100 years old so she didn't believe it. So she went in the tent and started to laugh because she thought that they were crazy (verse 12) but in the next verse is the teaching that I really liked. Verse 14 says, "Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son." That question got to me. Sara was 100 years old basically and it was impossible for her to have a son but there is nothing too hard for the Lord!! If there is anything that we can realize in this life is that nothing is too hard for the Lord and that through our faith and our obedience to his laws and commandments all things are possible. Not only did Sara give birth but she gave birth to a son who would be a huge part in completing the promise that Christ made with Abraham. Nothing is too hard for the Lord and if we look to Him in all things he will direct us and guide us back to our Heavenly home. He will not allow us to fall because He loves us. 

Ok that's all for now. I love you guys. Time is short but still lots of work to do so please pray for Luis Arevalo, Rosio Chapilliquen, Hermana Vanessa and her family and the family Collazos and for Elder Culaca and I. You guys are the best and I love you a ton. Hope you have a great week!! 

Much Love

Elder Wilson

Monday. May 23. 2016-Week 93

Back with Elder Gandarillas!!!!

All of us were in the same room in the CCM and we are still going strong!! Elder Volcanes, Elder Clawson, Elder Mooring and Elder Spencer.

Sister Rasmussen was a little teary eyed haha.

The boys and the Rasmussens.

Reunited!!

Elder Culaca!! I freaking love this guy!!

They call us the triangle of truth.......(E Mooring and E Spencer)!!!

The zone with the Rasmussen's and some doctor from Australia.

I know you guys aren't going to like this but I'm not going to write today because I have a ton of pictures to send and it takes forever!! If you have questions shoot me them while I'm on. I'll give you descriptions of the pictures. Love you!!

Elder Wilson

Monday. May 16. 2016-Week 92

Doing service with Elder Culaca.

Conference with Elder Culaca!

Mi Familia!!

Ok I was thinking that today could be another one of those days when I just answer questions because you guys have like 20,000 of them!!!

This week was good besides that fact that we got sick!! To answer another one of your questions we do have a lady that is cooking lunch for us every day but one day she gave us some baaaaaaad food and it really messed us up!! I mean one minute I'm sitting there just fine and the next minute I am full on sprinting to the bathroom because there was some serious fire coming from down under!! So I was really bad for a few days (I seriously lost like 7pounds!!) but now I am ok but poor Elder Culaca was worse. One day we were out in the street contacting and talking to people when he just took off running around a corner. I went to see what had happened and he had thrown up and was really bad. I asked him if he needed to go back and rest or what he wanted but that guy just looks up at me and says that even though he had rice grains stuck in his nose from throwing up he wasn't about to go home and rest because there was work to be done!!!! Freakin boss!! So we just kept on keeping on for the whole week and we were very blessed for it. 

Things with Elder Culaca are sweet!! He is a bro just like Elder Gandarillas was and we have already become really good friends in this short time. I am still waking him up super early in the morning to work out and he just walks around now flexing his muscles hahaha!!

Our apartment is really nice!! The nicest I have had in my whole mission. We haven't had a single problem with it and the only thing that could be a little bit uncomfortable is that our bathroom is so freaking small!!!! I have never seen a bathroom so small in my whole life!!

The people that I am loving in our ward are many. We have like 15 returned missionaries that are always going out on visits with us and helping us to find new people to teach and they are all awesome. We are also helping a few families to get to be a little bit stronger in the church and they appreciate it a lot. For example this week 2 older men in our ward died. We didn't even know them besides from the blessings we had given them and the families asked us to give the talks at their funerals. It was a really cool experience for me because I felt like I was also playing my part in the funeral of Jaja. So ya just doing all that we can to strengthen the ward. 

Our area is really interesting. It is full of churches and other missionaries. The people that we are finding are sometimes really "hard of heart" but that is why Elder Culaca and I have just been focusing on loving and serving everyone. Christ said that he can identify those who are his disciples by how they show love to others. So something that we did this week is go with a huge moto and pick up a huge pile of broken bricks and cement in front of the house of a family that we are teaching. It took us like 5 hours.......but it was awesome because we could just serve the people and honestly that is just my kind of work!! But yes many, many people are taking very well to the message that we are teaching and showing their faith by following it. 

We are teaching a TON of people!! The list would be too long to put here but here's a few.

Luis - He is 20 years old and is awesome. He has been looking for the truth for a long time and he is sure that he is on the correct path now. He also plays a lot of soccer with us haha!!

Fam. Anton -  We did the service project for them. They are going to church and reading and all that good stuff but really struggling with work. Work is just tough to come across here in Paita. They are really good to us. 

Kenji -  He is 15 and loves the message. He has invited us to teach his whole family and now his whole family is listening to us too!! He is an artist. 

Rosio - She is the smartest person I have ever taught in my whole mission!! She is all questions and doctrine and we have been able to answer all of her questions and she is still going to church but just waiting for that answer from God. 

This last conference with the Rasmussen's was great. I loved seeing them and talking with them and I also gave my last testimony in this conference along with Elder Mooring and Elder Spencer and Elder Volcanes from my group from the CCM. It was pretty sad but just awesome to see how far we've come. 

Well that's all for now. I hope I could answer some of your questions. I love you guys sooooo much and hope you have a great week!! The church is true!!

Much Love

Elder Wilson

Monday. May 9. 2016-Week 91

Elder Culaca and I.

Lunch!

At the beach after some serious futbol!!

A classic with Elder Ayala!!

El Distrito!

Mi Familia

Hey guys!! We just got done having a serious soccer extravaganza!!!!! We found a sweet little field right on the beach and just went hard!! But now after waking up early to work out and then play soccer in the sun all morning I am dead......like sleeping on the wall while writing you guys and poor Elder Culaca can't even keep his eyes open!! But ya it's been a good P Day. 

Yesterday was awesome talking to you guys!! Crazy that it was the last time that we are going to be doing it while I am here in the mission. You guys all look super great and sounds like all is going well with the life. So ya I really don't have too much time to write today so I just want to write what I was thinking the other day. 

There is a man that I really look up to named Bishop Duckett. Yesterday he just came to my mind and I was trying to remember all of the things that he had taught me during his time as my leader and being mothers day I remembered something really cool that he had told me before. It was in an interview with him and he sat me down and asked me a question. He said, "Have you ever seen an angel in you life?" Well I was pretty sure that I had never before seen an angel or anything even close to and angel so I told him, No. He then went on to tell me something that I will always remember. He said, "Well you are wrong there because every single day that you see your mother you are seeing an angel." He then told me that mothers are heaven sent angels that are to love us, help us, and guide us and that they deserve to be treated as such.

I can say that what Bishop Duckett explained to me that day is nothing but the truth. Mom you are a heaven sent angel that has done nothing besides bless my life since the day that I was born. You just loved me and did all that you could for me. I love you mom and I hope you never forget it. You are and will always be the #1 for me. Hope you had a great day and that you felt my love all the way up there in Idaho!! I thank the Lord daily for having the greatest mom in the world.

Well that's all for now but we'll be talking soon!! I love you guys and just keep on keepin on!!

Much Love 

Elder Wilson

Monday. May 2. 2016-Week 90

Mi Familia,

What's up Wilson Fam!!!!!! Sounds like the life hasn't slowed down at all back at home!! But that's ok because maybe you're starting to feel a little bit of what we are feeling here in Paita!! I have honestly never worked so hard in my entire life!! When we get back to our room at night poor Elder Culaca always says "Elder Wilson.......me vas a matar!!" Which means Elder Wilson.........you're going to kill me hahahaha!! We have been putting ourselves to the ultimate work test and the blessings are really starting to come. 

Tater keep up the sweet soccer playing bro!! Hope you guys kill it in state cup this year. Take care of those Nationals fools and keep practicing because my soccer skills are almost unmatched right now haha!! 

Ok so about the pictures of my house that I sent. I don't know if you saw the pictures of the bathroom very good. That sucker is so dang small!!!! I seriously can't even get in there to go to the bathroom!! I have to go in sideways haha but ya besides that it's a really nice house. And no cockroaches!!!

Well all the missionaries in my zone have officially started calling me the dinosaur because I am old as dirt here in the mission........it sucks getting old let me tell you haha!! But ya it is really weird being the oldest missionary in my zone but it also has given me a ton of teaching opportunities to help the younger missionaries to learn how to do it right. I think for that reason Jedi Master would be more appropriate than dinosaur!!

So as for my week......

7 Yea, verily, verily, I say unto you, that the field is white already to harvest; wherefore, thrust in your sickles, and reap with all your might, mind, and strength.

8 Open your mouths and they shall be filled, and you shall become even as Nephi of old, who journeyed from Jerusalem in the wilderness.

 9 Yea, open your mouths and spare not, and you shall be laden with sheaves upon your backs, for lo, I am with you.

 10 Yea, open your mouths and they shall be filled, saying: Repent, repent, and prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand;

D&C 33: 7-10

Well that is just about how I want to explain this week. We as missionaries don't have control of how many people accept this message, we don't have control of how many people go to church and we sure don't have control of how many people accept being baptized but we sure as heck do have control over one thing and that is how many people will hear this message. There are many responsibilities that we must complete to be true representatives of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ but if we have any sort of desire to complete with His will we must be willing to share what we know with everyone. Young or Old, Male or Female, from whatever religion or background they may come from we must present every soul with the opportunity to accept this message in their lives so that they too can reach this fullness of joy that we have experienced through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. 

That's what Elder Culaca and I realized this week more than anything else. We are in a new area and trying to get to know new people and it has been sort of hard. But after studying and reading and praying and fasting the only thing that came to our mind is to do what this scripture says. So this whole week we opened our mouths and we shared the gospel with everyone!! Not a person would pass us in the streets without hearing what we had to say and we honestly tried to knock every door in our area. Well obviously there was a lot of rejection that went on but you would be amazed with all of the amazing people that we found!! We found multiple families, we found 20 year old kids passing through some serious problems that asked us for help and we saw many, many miracles along the way. The icing on top of the cake was that this Sunday we were able to bring 8 people to church with us!! To think that we are just starting with mission work in this area and now we have almost 10 investigators going to church is amazing to me. So in the end of it all if you are ever thinking of sharing the gospel with someone and are trying to figure out how, when or to who just trust in what the scriptures say. Open your mouths and they shall be filled.

Ya I really do love this area and our branch is super strong!! It's full of returned missionaries!! They have all been really cool and have gone out visiting with us and I don't know but we are preparing ourselves for great things here in this area. 

So as for skype. I have no idea how we are going to do it. In our area there really aren't too many members that have internet haha so well have to see what kind of place we can find to do it. Just know that I will mostly likely be calling Sunday in the afternoon but I'll call before to let you guys know when. 

So that's all for now. I am loving this new area and Elder Culaca is a boss!! I honestly couldn't be any happier than I am right now. Just loving life and serving the Lord. I love you guys and well be talking soon!!! Have a great week and pray for Rosio, Kenji and his family, Pier and his family, Vanesa and Billy, Hugo, Edgar, and my area!!

Much Love

Elder Wilson