Hello family!

How are things in the old UT? I realized this week that I miss seeing the mountains there. But I´m doing great! To answer your questions Dad, my weight is good. I´m going to weigh myself today because I´ve had some trouble finding a scale around here. But I´m practically skinny, my shirts are really big on me. Haha just kidding about being skinny, but I´ve definitely lost a bunch of weight. My feet are fine, they don´t hurt or have blisters or anything. Actually I have a weird blister on top of a toe that I have no idea how I got it. It´s not on top but on the tip of the 4th from last toe.

My clothes are doing good, they cover my body nicely. They are baggy but it´s okay. As for the language, I understand almost all of what they say but I have a bad accent that´s hard for some of them to understand. But the language doesn´t really impede me too much anymore.

I don´t know why I remembered this but the other week something hilarious happened. We were in a lesson with a less active and I kind of spaced out a little. My companion asked a question, the guy talked for a while and then my ompanion looked at me to say something. So I had no idea what was going on and I asked "And what do you think motivated God to restore his church?" and the member looked at me funny and says "Well that´s the same question that your companion asked, and what I said was..." It´s really funny now but not so funny then hahaha.

Susana finally came back home, but with some bad news. They had to operate on her arm, and she has 6 months of recuperation. That includes not getting wet, and you can´t baptize by immersion without dunking the arm too. So she´ll have to wait. Joyce y Derwin assisted church again this week. They´re doing great. The difference in them after they came the first time is huge. They have this light, and when we meet them they have questions for us about they church that are great questions. This week they had a lot of stress, and they told us that it was because their baptismal date is approaching (28th) but they don´t feel like they´re progressing. So they have a real desire to move forward. They need more money to get married, so we´re going to do an activity with the ward. The ward has a great desire to help in the missionary work, and we´re just working on getting them to be able to do it. Because it´s hard to share your testimony with a friend, so we´re encouraging them to do it. We need new investigators, and we´re determined to get them through references.

My companion helped me to see a problem that I´ve been having this week. Basically, I´ve been focusing too much on the things I needed to improve upon, and because of that I wasn´t progressing very well.  So I´ve been working really hard at focusing on my talents to rely on them while I build up my weaknesses.  But I love the mission, it´s the best. Sometimes I have these nightmares where I get injured and have to go home for a while, and the whole time I just want to come back to Barranquilla. And then I wake up and feel relieved that I´m still here. Even though I´ve been sweating for the last 2 months straight. Well that will be all for today, I love you and hope you´re all doing well.

Love,

Elder Wilson

This week was very difficult. On Tuesday I had to go to the doctor because a vein in my eye exploded. Don't worry, everyting's fine, but we missed all our appointments that day. And when that happens it's hard to catch up. So we weren't able to teach many lessons this week, partly because of that and partly because we didn't plan very well. Oh plus we did exchanges the day of the national soccer game, and I was with the missionary who has some issues with desire to work. It was also raining that whole day, so when we stopped in at a member's house to talk about a lesson we were going to have there, he said he was sick and that he couldn't go out. So we watched the soccer game, and then after he said he felt all better. So I was a little upset because I didn't want to lose any more visits that day, but it's okay. We've repented of losing time and have planned a little better this week. Also Colombia won and is now #2, so if Argentine loses we'll be #1. So I'm praying that Argentina loses. Haha no I'm not.

We were going to have a baptism this week, but they told us last minute that they were actually going to have a vacation. Basically what we found out is that she doesn't have a desire. I think her husband might be causing some problems for her baptism because she acts different around him. She's excited when he's not there and she doesn't talk when he is. But we're going to keep working to get her to strengthen her desire.

The hermana Susana that we found the other week, that's a golden investigator, had her baptismal adte fall through. She fell off a 4 foot ledge and broke her arm, and has been in the hospital for more than a week. Saan really works hard to prevent baptisms in any way he can. So it's been hard since we haven't been able to visit her, and she couldn't com to church 2 weeks in a row. But she's so great I think she still has a strong desire to be baptized.

We've been teaching a lady Joyce and her partner Derwin for like a month, and they hadn't come to church. But we felt like we couldn't drop them since we hadn't done very good at helping them make friends with a member. 

 So this week we taught every lesson in a member family's house, and they came yesterday. And I never understood before the mission how important it is for investigators to attend church, but they told us before we even asked that they felt so good, so peaceful while they were there.  It was awesome to see how the Spirit works through church attendance.

My testimiony in that the Spirit can teach through us was also strengthened through them. We watched the Restoration video on Saturday, and Joyce asked us yesterday why if the church is true there was so much opposition to the saints. And I felt prompted to share with her 2 Nefi 2:11, and it was perfect. We used it to talk about all the thuings that have happened to her the past month on sunday mornings when she tries to go to church. Satan always opposes good. And she also related it to her scripture reading. It was awesome to see that.

This work is very hard. A lot of things happen that make me feel like I'm not doing a good job, and it makes me sad to see when investigators can't overcome the obstacles to their baptism because they lack true desire. But I know that it's the Lord's work, and that he gathers his elect through us if we work our very hardest. And at least we work hard here to improve in every way. I love you all and I'm so glad for the example you set to the family and to your friends who live without the joy of the Gospel. My companion always says "Quiere ser feliz? Sea Mormon." It's the truth. I pray a lot to know if there are experiences I can share to help you all. I love Jesus and I'm so grateful for his sacrifice for all of us individually. I love the people here. They do a lot of really funny things that sometimes we joke about, but I love them for it. My only hope is that the Lord knows that he can trust in me to do his work for him here. I strive every day to show that to Him in my actions. Sometimes I fail but that's why we have the gospel, to turn strengths into weaknesses.

With lots of love,

Elder Wilson

pictures and FAQs

 view from outside our window. not very special

Susana and her neighbor at the family night we had. The pic isn't very good to see what the house looks like, but it's super typical. Except this house has more stuff than most. Usually it's super barren. But they're not too small and like 10 people live in each one usually.

First I'll answer Dad´s questions. We don't really tract at all. We walk to apointments and street contact along the way, but hardly ever tract. I guess it's different here because no one stays insidde. They sis in chairs outside their houses for the heat so tracting is really street contacting.This week we taught only 16 lessons. But we als had lessons with converts and members to train them in missionary work, but still our munbers are really low in the lessons we teach. But we are making a lot of progress. We also lost time this week since me companion is district leader and does baptismal interviews. So that's our goal. We are also working on contacting more, since we are having to drop investigators for not progressing and we need new ones.

I don't eat a lot of fruit as fruit, since it's always as a juice, but I really like lulo and granadilla. All the fruit here is great, i'm going to miss it when I get back. The exercise is difficult at 6:30 in the morning, but we've been jogging and it's so easy down here because there's a ton of air. And I don't know how many miles I walk. At least more than 5 or 6 every day, but I don't know how much more than that. I've lost a lot of weight but I don't know how much because I don't know where to weigh.

As for the blessings, I don't know where to start. First off, I walk all day but I never got blisters, my feet don't hurt, and I have energy to keep going. Some of that probably comes from my Rockport shoes, but the tread is already wearing off from the bottom haha. But the shoes are great. And the blessing from the Lord is greater. Spiritually I've been blessed with happiness. I know a lot of new missionaries get really frustrated and some cry and miss home and all that, but I've been blessed to never have that. I've been blessed just with a desire to work until my weaknesses become strengths (2 Cor. 12:9).

One specific thing I've learned is setting goals and working towards them. Because when I got here I felt like everything in this area and companionship was being done wrong. But I learned to identify specific things to improve and set goals to improve them. Because if you just feel like you need to change everything, you'll do nothing. Trademark Elder Wilson, that was a powerful phrase right there.

I haven't specifically felt mom's presence, but I know I'm surrounded by ministering angels (DyC 84:88) and I'm sure she's one of them. Discouraging things to us are that no one assists sacrament meeting because they work, and that chastity is dead in this city. I feel like half the new mothers are only 17 years old or less. Also the ward mission leader needs some work, and the ward missionaries are inactive.

But none of that matters because it's the Lord's work, and we are his humble instruments. Susana didn't come to church this week and we're not sure why since we haven't been able to visit her yet. Joyce and her partner didn't come either, and we were planning on dropping them but we felt like we didn't do good enough at helping them have a member friend, so we're going to try one more week. Plus there was a fight with smoke bombs and everything going on in front of her house when it was time to leave for church.

We had a great reference family this week, where the dad read until omni in 3 days and then came to church and asked questions in class and everything. And he had to make some sacrifices to come. We haven't met with him yet since church yesterday, but I'm sure he felt the Spirit. Except for maybe when he got into an argument during Gospel Principles about the origin of sin and adam and eve with some old guy. It was hilarious because that's the question we always avoid to avoid contention.

Well more or less I'm out of time, but I'm glad to hear you're all doing well

Love

Elder Wilson

This week was pretty good. We've had a little more success in our area with getting investigators to attend church. Yesterday we had 2 priesthood show up, where one was inactive and the other nonmember. So it was great to se that, since this ward seriously needs more priesthood to bear the load. Some quorum presidencies aren't complete here, and it hurts the effectiveness of the quorum. Thanks Covey for the advice on working better with the bishop here, it's something that's been on my mind a lot and that I'm going to work on. 

The lady named Susana that we've been working with has been progressing niecly. She has a huge amount of faith and desires to get baptized and share what she knows. In fact, the inactive priesthood that came yesterday we didn't even know until the other day we were going to visit her and she was talking to him about how he should come. But I just realized that I think I wrote that last week.

This week I've been feeling like I have a lot of weaknesses as a missionary that impede the work. For example, Our companionship isn't very good at all at using time effectively, and I think it comes down to the fact that we never get references. We ask but not very well. There's a great training video from Pte Monson that says right there that you won't get references just by asking "Do you have references?" So we're working on planning an activity with the ward to get references. But I feel like we need to meet with the bishop and make a ward mission plan that involves the members. So that's one thing that my companion and I have been thinking about all week. 

And now we're going to do it. Basically it's really hard to identify the major problems that we have in a companionship when I haven't seen an example of someone doing them well, but luckily that's exactly the purpose of the Spirit and PME and the church PME videos. And my companion is always really willing to make big changes in the way we do things. We also made a 1st visit lesson plan that works great for when you keep in mind that in the first visit they don't listen to you very well and that they kjust want to talk. We only teach about a living prophet a little and focus in the LDM and prayer. And that leaves us extra time for the baptismal invitation, since when we ask they typically go off about whether or not each member of their family is baptized, a neighbor they know with a cool experience, and why we're both named Elder. So the new plan is better for that.

I've been studying a lot from the New Testament about the teaching method of Jesus Christ. Mostly I've learned about boldness, and authority. Because we have the same authority to teach as Jesus had. So I can tell people that they need to be baptized in the only church with the authority of God, and there is no room for misunderstanding.

I've learned a lot about obedience so far, since there were some problems when I got here. The biggest one was taking an hour and a half for lunch, because the members don't eat with us and sometimes we hae to wait for them to finish preparing or to eat after. But what I've noticed is that the Lord always provides a way. It helps me teach my investigators. For example, 2 Sundays out of 5 the members have given us money to just go buy lunch. But we just go eat whatever's left in the apartment, and we have the energy we need for the rest of the day. Well I love you, I hope school goes well, and make sure to read Scriptures every day.

Elder Wilson

weekly letter

Dear family,

This week's been really great. A lot of the problems that we've been working on as a companionship have been improved upon. And Nick, cut your hair son. I'm excited for you all to be starting school.  In case you aren't excited for it, read D&C 131:6. Then you'll be excited.

Well the coolest thing ever happened this week and it strengthened my testimony that this is the Lord's work. On Wednesday I think it was we were walking towards a guy that was just sitting by the road to talk to him. But his neighbor yelled to us from the window, and told us that she wanted us to talk to her rebellious daughter. She and her daughter saw us walk by the day before and she wanted to call us then, but her daughter felt embarassed. 

So we taught their family, and she's a miracle investigator. When we taught her again on Friday, she had read like 5 chapters out of the Book of Mormon and told us it was "stupendous". Then she brought her daughter, her granddaughter, and her neighbor to church on Sunday. We stopped by Sunday night, and she said "I want to be baptized, when do we start preparing?" Oh also when we went by Sunday night she was at another neighbors house sharing the Liahona with him. He's inactive but he said he wants to come to church with her next Sunday. So basically she's already doing reactivations even though she's not a member. I know that the adversary will do his best with her, but I have faith that she can do it. In fact, she's friends with a preacher that has called her like 10 times since we started teaching her, including like 4 times in the night, to try to dissuade her. But she told us she was going to tell him this time "too bad, this is your problem. Because I'm already Mormon." So yeah she's great. We just need to work closely with her son in law, since he's the only priesthood in the house and the ward needs more priesthood.

I didn't fall asleep this week a single time when I wasn't supposed to, so I'm proud of that. Not even during personal study. As for what I'm eating, it's great. Each lunch is from a different member, and we have a dinner contract with a member. So I eat well without having to cook. And seriously the juice here is delicious. Too bad a lot of the good fruits don't exist in the States. but there is a really good juice that you could probably google how to make that's jugo de melon, or cantelope. Also they make a great juice from watermelon. But all my favorites are fruits that don't exist there, like guayava, lulo, Guayavana, and tomate del arbol. Oh jugo de mora is the best but we can't drink it in the mission. It was in the CCM. You can make it there if you like, and then you can be real Colombians. Mora is blackberry.

I found a great joke in the missionary manual here that says something translated like "sundays and holidays are great for finding people." Here in barranquilla, holidays are useless, and Sundays are difficult. Because everyone rents huge speakers, and they bump this ridiculous music. I seriously mean everyone, I don't think there has been a moment during a holiday where I haven't been able to hear music. So you have to shout to everyone to talk to them. Plus everyone gets drunk.

Love,

Elder Wilson

Dear family,

That's crazy that school's starting so soon. I hope it all goes well for you.

This week was really good. We heard from the zone leaders some ideas that can really help us organize and plan better. One of them went out with us on Tuesday and gave us some advice, and then we had a zone conference where they talked about it even more. So I really think that our numbers will go up this week and following weeks. 

We've been having trouble with getting investigators to come to church on Sundays because they all have work. We've been teaching a lady named Joyce and her family for a few weeks, but they haven't come to church a single time because she had work. But she told us yesterday that next week, if her boss doesn't let her come, she's going to come anyways. So it was great to see that faith from her.

The language is coming along nicely. I've improved a lot in my level of understanding what the people are saying. So I feel now like I can actually teach based on what the investigators say, which really makes it a lot easier to rely on the Spirit. Plus I've been improving a lot in my confidence to talk to everyone on the street, and to have a real conversation with them. And as a companionship, we've really improved in controlling the lessons. Basically it comes down to not asking questions unless they are truly inspired, because it's very likely that the people will talk for like 10 minutes answering one question. So at least it's really easy to figure out what people's needs are, because they tell you on the street when you greet them.

My companion is doing great. He's the district leader and there is a missionary in our district who's having some problems, so he's always having to worry about it. But he's great, and I learn a lot from him about charity and pacience. Well I don't have much to say about this week, except that 2 nights ago my neighbor was bumping this horrible music until 5 in the morning, so I fell asleep in church the next day and apparently everyone in the ward noticed haha. so I'm repenting of that. I am always tired, I think because of walking around in the sun. But at least I don't sleep in the lessons. Love you guys!

Elder Wilson

weekly letter

Dear family,

This week was pretty good. I finally ate something I didn't like, but it was just because a lady from the ward overcooked the rice so it wasn't very good. But seriously the juice here is the best. And as for the rice, they have something here that I've only eaten once that's called rice with coco. Basically what they do is cook rice in coconut milk, and it's super delicious. You should all try it at home. But there might be more to it that just cooking it in coconut milk, so look it up first.

I have a few more photos to send this week, which is good because I don't have that much to say. But I love everything about the mission so far. Even the walking is great. It's blazing hot, but it's the best because everyone's playing this happy, tropical music with like steel drums and whatnot, everyone stares at me with this hilarious look on their face and tries talking to me in English, and just because everyone here is super friendly. We don't really have a problem with getting in. The problem is with the investigators not keeping commitments. And because some of them don't listen to us because they're distracted by everything, no matter what we do to get their attention. Sometimes it's hard not to laugh, like yesterday we taught this guy and I invited him to be baptized, and he totally missed the question and started talking about his son. So it's funny but frustrating. And some people love to talk, so it's hard to teach a lesson under a half hour. Actually I don't think we have done that yet. So those are some of the problems we have but it's still great.

Elder Caballero and I get along really well, and he's been a great companion for me. He's really good at teaching especially.

We had 4 investigators show up at church and it was great to see them. Plus an inactive family we've been teaching.  2 of them were from a great family, the Nuñez family, who got married so that they could be baptized. They have a date for the 24th but we still have to teach some principles. The mission rule is not to teach more until they keep their commitments, so the teaching goes slowly. Plus an investigator who we can't actually teach because he has some mental problems, but he's great, comes to church anyway.  We found out during gospel doctrine that I guess he's already a member, but I think he maybe was a little confused. And the other person that showed up is Gisela. She's the mom of a member. She's attended a lot but not baptized.  She only speaks to me in English. But she's great, she just feels really lonely because she doesn't have anyone in her life but her daughter, and her son who's in the army. So yeah, that's what's going on here. I've been pondering on Mosiah 2:41 a lot this week. Read it and think about it.

Love,

Elder Wilson