Mar 23

This week was an excellent week. The area is really interested in hastening the work of salvation, so they have been doing a lot to improve ward councils here in Colombia. This week the area president, Elder Uceda, came and met first with all the zone leaders and then with all the members of ward council in the 3 stakes from Barranquilla. In the first meeting he gave us a time to talk about all the challenges that there are which prevent ward councils from being very effective. He also gave us an awesome training in the importance of inviting with actions, not just with words. He said that a lot of us missionaries just ask them to pray or tell them to go to church and that's it. But we have to pray with them, read with them if they don't read, and pass by them to go to church so that they can know that our invitations are serious. I already do those things but it changed the way I see invitations. 

The meeting with all the ward councils was awesome, first because I have served in 4 wards and 1 branch from Barranquilla, so I was able to see a lot of people I already knew. Yalissa Rodriguez, a convert from Alfonso Lòpez, was there as well and I was so happy because I saw that she's still very strong in the church. People really glow with a spiritual light when they're converted to the gospel. I also loved the training because they talked about one of the ideas that I'd given in the first meeting (using an agenda for ward council to prevent everyone talking about whatever) and that made me feel smart.

Other than that the week was a little hard because we had a lot to do in the zone and since our zone is part of the city and 2 small towns outside of the city. I live right by the transport terminal in Soledad, in the Calle 54 with Carrera 15 or something like that. In that general area. 

My companion is really great. He loves eating healthy and doing lots of exercise, which should help me get in good shape before I head back.

Love you all!

Elder Wilson

Mar 16

So this week I got transfered out of Valledupar. I'm actually super sad about it because I really grew to love that place. My area, the members, the investigators, the zone. I came  to Soledad as zone leader again. I started my mission in this same city, which is really just an extension of Barranquilla, so I can say that I speny my whole mission in just 3 stakes and 2 cities. My new area is really good. It's super huge and there's a lot of potential to get a lot of good work done here. the members are great and the bishop is a huge help as well. The only problem is that we don't have a ward mission leader but I'm sure that we'll get a new one soon.

We don't really have a lot of investigators yet because they split the ward into 2 areas when I got here and most of the investigators we had went to the other area. But the people here are really receptive and it's pretty easy to find new ones. The members are helping us out a lot with a lot of referrals.

My companion is awesome he's from Ecuador. Elder Vélez. His old companion, the one I'm replacing, is the newest assistant so he's had some great examples in companions and is also a great example.

I found out today that one of my old companions is less-active now and it made me really sad. But I'm sure that what he learned about repentance in his mission will help motivate him to repent some day soon.

Well I love you all!

Elder Wilson

Sorry I forgot my spiritual experience for the week.

This week we did exchanges with some elders from our zone and I went to work in their area. we were walking in the street and I felt like we needed to talk to a lady. So we walked over to where she was and I contacted her. Turns out she's super interested and that she's gone to church with her husband a bunch of times before. S I thought it was cool to see how the Spirit guided us there. But then when we finished up and left,the missionary who I was with told me that he had been searching for this lady for a long time because she was an old investigator from their area book. I loved seeing how the Spirit works through all the missionaries to accomplish His purpose. It doesn't matter if they have a lot of time in the area or just a little, He guides each one equally.

Mar 9

Hey I'm really sorry but today we had a zone activity and my companion and I had to stay after cleaning and I don't have time to write today. There are transfers tomorrow and I'm pretty excited to see what will happen. I really have no clue this time.

Mar 2

This week was a pretty great week. We were able to have zone conference and it turned out great. President Searle has been really concerned lately with helping missionaries really consecrate themselves to the work. Help them give everything to serve the Lord. I really liked what was said because I was abloe to receive a lot of ideas on how to help the zone and more importantly how to consecrate myself.

A cool experience to share this week happened yesterday when we were finished with the day and heading to dinner. We always walk up the same street when we're in this neighborhood at night, but yesterday I felt like we had to walk up a different street. We did, and while we passed by a member's home my companion felt like we had to stop in and see why one of them didn't go to church that day. when we got there, she started crying and told us that she felt bad about some sins she had and decided that she couldn't go to church for a while while she was fixing them. We testified about repentance and invited her to church again. I really liked the experience because I know it's a lot easier to prevent someone turning less active than to rescue someone who already fell away. I loved acting as an instrument in the Lord's hands. 

Well sorry that's it for now, I got to Internet late because we were doing a deep cleaning in our house (it needed it). I love you all!

Elder Wilson

February 23

The highlight of this week was probably that I drank coffee. The first time I broke the word of wisdom I was in my mission. We found this awesome family and had a great lesson, and then they offered us arepas with coffee. I'm usually really careful but I was negligent this time and I drank without smelling first. I took a big gulp before I realized it was coffee and spat out what was left in my mouth and said sorry I don't drink coffee. I think the funniest part was that after I spat it out my companion saw that one of the investigators drank it hahaha. But hey, they say that Colombian coffee is literally the world's best coffee, so who could resist??

We are working really hard here in our area and in the zone. We have some investigators with a ton of potencial. Santos and Ana Dilia are ready to get baptized as soon as they're married, and the ward is getting mobilized to help with a fund raising activity. We are working with a lot of families and we are seeing a lot of progress. 

This week we recieved a few referrals, which was awesome because it's not all that common here. One was a young woman who has already been to church a few times. She's really excited and even though her parents aren't interested, they gave her permission to get baptized. She has a baptismal date for April 4th.

This week is zone conference and we're pretty excited for that. President Searle has been teaching a lot about consagration lately, and it's been awesome to see the difference he's made in the mission. I know without doubt that he receives revelation for the mission, just as any church leader can receive revelation for his stewardship.

I love you all!

Elder Wilson

February 16

 the Guatapurí river here in Valledupar, with the siren in the back. The legend is that if you bathe here you never leave Valledupar, because of the siren.

 my companion, a member, and another missionary from the zone. He's a great friend and he lives in Pleasant Grove. He's headed home next month.

 my companion and I with Edgardo, an investigator we've been teaching who happened to be in the river. While we were there he jumped off the bridge in the background into the water, and I got it on video :)

 an airplane they shot down, story goes it had drugs inside

This week was really great. We were able to work hard and pass our goals for the lessons we taught. We have been working with a couple investigators who are really great and are progressing a ton. Two of them are Santos and Ana Dilia. They are really getting excited about the message and have plans to get baptized beginning of March. The problem has been that they need money to get married and it's hard for them in their situation. Please pray that the promises we've made that if they try they'll have the money can be fulfilled.

This weekend Breiner Murillo will get baptized. He's just 11 years old but his sister and cousins are already members. He's a great kid and I know he'll be a good missionary.

Love,

Elder Wilson

Februray 9

First off, sorry that this week I won´t be sending pictures. Today we went to the river and took pictures with the famous Valleduparense siren but my computer can't read my SD card, so it´ll be for next week.

This week was really great. We had some cool experiences of following the Spirit. One of them happened one night when we were about to enter a dangerous neighborhood to visit a less active family. While we were entering, we felt that we needed to go visit a convert family close by. We went staight there and they told us that theis son was sick, but that he'd said that we were going to stop by to give him a priesthood blessing. It was awesome to have that experience of hearing and obeying the Spirit to see miracles. Then we went to the other visit and had a great family night with a young family who's trying to come back to the church.

This week we had leadership council again, and it was awesome because Elder Torres, an area seventy, went to the meeting to train us. He talked a lot about humility, and taught us that is we are proud then we cannot participate correctly in the Lord's work. He compared us to a plumber, who when he is doing a repair job decides which tools to use and how to use them. The tools don't choose themsleves, but if they don't work he'll use another. It really made me feel really proud and that I needed to repent; it was awesome.

Another cool lesson we had this week was with a less active lady who told us that she has been so busy and worried and discouraged because of some debts that she has, that she hasn't been able to concentrate on spiritual things. We watched a mormon message about the voice of the Holy Ghost, that talks about all the voices in this world that can drown out the Spirit. We all shared our testimonies about listening and feeling the Spirit, and she decided to have more faith and trust in god, and obey the commandments. It was cool to see how the Spirit could change her heart.

Maybe my favorite part of this week was that when we went to Barranquilla for leadership council, they gave us permission to visit Esilda Cortina, one of our converts here in Valledupar. She's been in Barranquilla for a few weeks because she had cancer and she's getting the treatment. She was a little discouraged because she feels really alone and no one has called her to see how she's doing. She's there with her daughter, who's great and is a member, and some cousins who are super into another religion. It was great to visit her because she really looked happy to see us and I was also really happy to see her again.

Thanks family for all your support and love, please think about writing to me some of your spiritual experiences because it's what I love to read. Love you all,

Elder Wilson