A Real Investigator and a Fake Address

Hola mi familia y mi amigas

 

It seems like every week thereis issues with my keyboard.This week the spacebar does not want to work so I amsorry for the poorly spaced email. I have a lot to say in the hour that I have so lets get to it.

Okay so this week has been great. Mom I got your package on the 25th and all the candy is gone already. Do not worry. I shareditwith my companion. The Kit Kat felt like heaven. Also mom a good talk by Elder Uchtdorf is one called The Infinite Power of  Hope. He also gave one on truth that I think Dave would enjoy. If you send pictures I might be able to print them out in the field but no promises. Also, no more packages after today. They will not get here before I leave so if you want to send some thing send it Panama to the mission home. Also mom, could you shrink down a copy of my patriarchal blessing. The one that I brought is worn out down the middle and it makes it really hard to read. You should be able to ghet a copy fromLDS. org. Use my record number on one of my old recommends. Gracias!

Entonces, lets talk about the title of this email. Every week we go to CRE Which is like the TRC for Guatemala. Its where people come and volunteer to be investigators or less active members for the missionaries. Well On Tuwesday we were at  CRE teaching a Lation elderwhen all of the sudden the lady came over and said that he had to go because he deportes (when we work out) so he left and Hermana Worth and I were sitting there wondering what in the world happened and what was going to happen now. Entonces we were sitting there and the lady came over with a guy and said we would teach him. You could tell by looking at him that he was not a member. Hermana Worth and I just looked at each other, incredibly nervous wonderingwhat to do. He said his name was Jorge and we asked him what he knew. He said nothing. So we started with the Book of Mormon.Well Hermana Worth started with the Book of Mormon. When shegets nervous she rambles and when I get nervous I close up and try to think really hard about what to say. Entonces, we taught him about fe en Jesuscristo, arrepentimiento, and then we got to baptism. At this point I had lost what Hermana Worth saying and then I  felt the prompting to commit Jorge to baptism. It terrified me. Why would I commit him to baptism. He did not even know what that meant. But the Spirit kept pressing me to do it so finally when Hermana Worth ended her testimony I leaned forward , look at Jorge and asked him if he wanted to follow the example of Jesus Christ. He said yes. Feeling a little more confident I extended the commitment and after a fewmoments he said yes. I was ecstatic! We asked him if we could get his address so that othermissionaries could come and teach him.That was when he became nervous. We pressed him, assuring him that he could send them away if he decided he did not want them, Hermana Worth handed him a paper and pen to write itdown. He gave us a city and an area in that city but no matter how much we pressed him he would not give us a street or house number. Basically it was not a good enough referral. He said he had to go and so we ended our lesson with a prayer. I felt really good, even though he hadgiven an address that would not really help I know that we planted a see and while Hermana Worth was frustrated about the fake address we did our best to comfort one another. I am sure there will be many more times just like that one. I was just glad that I followed that prompting because I knowI would have regretted it later. Hopefully some day Jorge will take thediscussions and want to know more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Another exciting thing that happened this weekend was having Elder James R. Martino speak to us. He is a 70 and he came to talk to us about being powerful missionaries in the field. He said we should never be afraid to open our mouths because God will fill them in the very moment that we need it. I want to be that kind of missionary. I know it will be hard but worth it and I labor with my Savior in His vineyard down in Panama.

Spanish is going well. I feel like I am contributing more and more to all the lessons. It has gotten to the point where Hermana Worth teaches about half and I teach about half. Granted miy Spanish is not perfect by any means but my teacher and Hermana Worth tell me all the time that they cannot believe how fast I am learning the language. I am now focusing on speaking in a way that invites the Spirit. The otherday Hermano Chavez was having us recite the First Vision and when it got to me I decided I was going to try and say it like I was teaching.I look at Hermano Chavez and pictured Brian and said it. As I began to describe what Joseph Smith saw I felt in my heart that I was saying was true. That heavenly Father and Jesus Christ did in reality appear to and speak to Joseph Smith. I could see in Hermano Chavezs eyes that the words I was saying were being confirmed by the power of the Holy Ghost. I was perhaps one of the most intensely spiritual moments I have had here at el CCM.

Some thing not so good. Hermana Worth and I had our toughest lesson this week.We were teaching Brian the PLan of Salvation. We were so flustered during it that we forgot to use one scripture and only kind of bore our testimonies at the end. It was horrible andboth of us felt like crying afterwards. We talked to Hermano Chavez about it and he told us what we already knew. He encouraged us by saying that we were the best companionship inthe district with Spanish and with teaching.He said we needed to try and be better every day. So we decided to review what we had taught him about the Plan of Salvation. His only hang up is ordinances for the dead. He just does not understand why they are necessary or even if we need them. Hermana Worth rambled to answer the question and I sat there quietly thinking. Suddenly the thought came into my head to draw on what he already has and not to shove knowledge down his throat.So when Hermana Worth stopped talking I looked at Brian and said. Brian Do you believe the Bible to be the Word of God. Yes.  BRian do youbelieve the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. Yes. Do you believe that God loves all of His children. Yes, I do. Entonces Brian. We have learned from the Bible and from the Book of Mormon that this is the only way that all His children can have the opportunity to return to Him. The only way. And if you have a testimony of these books. Andif youpray to know,you will know also that God has given us this as a blessing His children. Brian will you pray about this.

At this point there were tears in his eyes as he looked down at this scriptures than back up at me and said yes, he would. I am not sure what happened, or what Hermana Worth said but she ended the lesson and we shook Brians hand and went inside. As soon as we got in there Hermana Worth hugged me telling me she could not believe it. I felt like I had not done any thing. I had never felt like an instrument of the Spirit but I knew in my heart that in that moment the Spirit has used me to tell Brian those things. It has been the m ost spiritual lesson of my time here at the CCM. I know that God will help me, if I am faithful to have more experiences like that. I pray every day for more of those experiences. I want to be a tool in the Lords hands to bring others unto Him. I want it with all my heart.

 

I know that no witness comes until after the trial of your faith (Eter 12:6). It has been a scriptures that I have thought about a lot this week as we have taught our investigators about the iomportance of praying for answers. Alma telss us that if we even have the desire to believe we should let that desire work in us. Faith is not have a perfect knowledge but to hope for things are not seen that are true. So many people are afraid to read The Book of Mormon not because of finding out that its not true but because they worry that they will find out that it is. The Book of Mormon has the power to change the life of the reader more than any other bnook I have ever read. i see it as I commit my investigators to read it. I see it as I read it and I see as my teachers testify and teaching from it.

We focused on the power of the Book of Mormon with Adrian this week. He does not like to read and when we assign him verses to read we never know if he will read them or not We bore testimony about the power of prayer and scripture study and the necessity of the revelation.We told him that he hasto read The Book of Mormon because our entire message, the entire reason we are our here, hingeson the truthfulness of that book. If it is not true we might as well leave the CCM and go swim at the beach. But it is true. Our investigators need to know it and wee need to know it. That testimony needs to burn in our souls. We gave Adrian a handout of scriptures from The Book of Mormon, like we did with Brian, so that he can have a spiritual experience with the Book of Mormon. We will teach him tomorrow. I will let you all know how it goes. After the lessonon prayer and scriptures Hermano Solano came up to me and said what a good job I had done. I had told a story which requires a lot of past tense and apparently I had used it correctly. I had also sharedmy experience with finding out that theBook of Mormon is true and he told how important that was to share our personal experiences with our investigators.

Also we had to push Bryans baptisimal date back because he has not gone to church and taken the sacrament three times. We are hoping that our lesson that we gave to him an hour ago will help him understand and gain a testimony of the importance of going to church.

We watched a devotional by Elder Holland about how the biggest convert on our missions should be ourselves. I hope that is the case for me.

I only have a few minutes left so I wiant to just bear my testimony with you guys. I love this work so much. I have been working really hard to give my whole heart and soul to God. I have honestly struggled this week with a lot of things but I can my Lord andSavior JesusChrist supporting me through it all. I know that God lives. That thisis His work that we are doing in the dispensation of the fullness of times. This is the final stand of His people again Babylon. It is nowour time to turn and fight the enemy. We canot yield to the restistance of the world but we must go forward boldly remembering that now unhallowed hand can stop this work. Hermano Solano told us that we must give all our hearts toGod. Every thing we have, or we will not be able to do His work. I know that this is true. We cannot encourage others to change if we do not first change ourselves. I know with all my heart that this is His work.That the Book of Mormon willl change your life if youwil feast upon and drink in the words and testimonies of Christ that are found there. We learn from it that the words of Christ will tell us all things that we should do. It is my testimony of this book and my Savior, who through Joseph Smith restored His Gospel, that has brought me out here. It is the reason that I can look at my investigators and say that I know these things are true. Thereis power and joy and pece in this Gospel and we must continue with steadfastness, reading and praying. I can promise that if we will do these things we shall stand before God at the last day and we will see him as He is for we will be like hHim.

I love you all. I am so grateful for all you support. Keep sending the dearelders, I love them. Until next week. I am praying for you and think about you every day. There is no where else in the world I would rather bee. The Church is true. I declare that with all that I am.

All My Love and More
Hermana Wilson

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

Fwd: Gain A Testimony of Every Word

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Haley Wilson <haley.wilson@myldsmail.net>
Date: Tue, Apr 23, 2013 at 11:00 AM
Subject: Gain A Testimony of Every Word
To: "Marla Beck (Mom)" <marlajbeck123@gmail.com>, "Don Wilson (Dad)" <donwilson18@live.com>, "Christel Wilson (Grandma)" <christelew@aol.com>, Cameron Wilson <cameronwilson99@gmail.com>


Dear Family and Friends, First, I cannot retunr on this key board so
its going to be weirdly formatted. Just a few housekeeping items
before I jump in and tell you a little about a lot of things that have
happened this week. We can now email anyone we want and we have an
hour to do so. So exciting! Also mom, I am really wanting some more
pictures of the fmaily and stuff. Espeically pictures from when we
were younger that would be great. We use them in lessons with
investigators some times when we talk about our families. Its a great
way to really connect with the investigators. Also, I had to buy a new
suitcase. The big one that I brought ripped laong the linging of the
zipper and I pondered long and hard about sewing it but it ripped in
just the right spot that it would have never held. So when we went to
Walmart last week I bought a smaller one. Heres to crossing our
fingers that I can fit every thing when I fly down to Panama in three
weeks. Also, mom and Megan. Everyone here says you are both beautiful.
Just thought you would like to know! Recently we watched a devotional
by Elder Holland that talked about some really aweomse things. Holland
is always awesome but this time he talked a lot about the love God has
for us and how as missionaries we are, aside from the prophet, the
most prayed for people in the world. He said that we do not have a
right to defile the name we were on our chest. It is an honor to be a
respresentative of Jesus Christ. We got some new roomates. Both are
nortes and headed to Nicarauga. They are sweet girls and last night we
spent twenty minutes before bed showing each other pictures of our
familes. A lot of them have love interests that they left behind or
are currently serving missions as well. I am happy to be unattached
and able to comepletely focus on the work. Even though they do not say
it I can tell it distracts them some times.Thank you to everyone he
wrote me letters! I got three last week and have already replied to
one. i will reply to the other two tomorrow. Expect them in about two
weeks. Also if you have the time to look up Moroni 8,3 you should do
it. Hermano Chavez wrote it on the board for us and it is officially
one of my favorite scriptures. Speaking of Hermano Chavez he gave
Hermana Worth and I feedback on our teaching the other day. He said
the only thing we need to work on is being persistant with our
investigators. He told us that we ask very powerful questions and we
can tell that we plan very carefully before every lesson. That has
definitely been a struggle. I am a very careful planner and Hermana
Worth just likes to go out and completely let the Spirit guide her. We
are trying really hard to find a blanace and this week it hss been
frustrating for me but I am trying really hard to stay humble and
remember that my way is not the only way to plan a lesson nor is it
necessarily the right way. Okay so on to our investigators. It has
been a great week for Brian and Adrian. First Brian. When I left you
guys last he was saying he was not sure if baptism was the right thing
for him. Hermana Worth and I made a hand out of scriptures for him
that we asked to read so he could have his own spiritual experience
with the Book of Mormon. When we met with him next we asked him which
one was his favorite and we read 2 Nephi 4, 20 to 22 with him. He told
us that when he read it he felt peace. We bore testimony that was the
Holy Ghost. We asked if he had recieved an answer about baptism and he
said he was not sure. We asked him if he believed that he felt the
Holy Ghost when he read the Book of Mormon. Yes. Do you believe the
Holy Ghost testifies of truth. Yes. So do you think the Book of Mormon
is true... yes. So if the Book of Mormon says that we need to be
baptized by someone holding the authority of God do you think we
should it... yes. At that moment there were tears in his eyes as I
leaned for and said, in Spanish, Brian, will you follow the example of
Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone holding the authority of God.
Yes.Hermana Worth and I wanted to cry but instead we laughed. And
Brian laughed at us. It was a wonderful feeling. We bore testimony of
all the blessings he would get from his decision. We taught him about
obedience and all i wanted to do was hug him but obvious that is not
allowed so I settled for a good firm handshake. Now we have to get him
ready for baptism. We also committed Adrian to baptism. He has been
hard to teach because he has a really short attention span but we
taught him about the Plan of Salvation, in Spanish. I was so nervous
all day about teaching it because its a lesson you get nervous about
in English and now I had to learn all the Spanish words and phrases to
teach it in Spanish. I had a little break down that day, Saturday I
think, because I was stressing about being able to teach Adrian and we
were trying to plan two others lessons and I looked at Hermana Worth
and said I wanted to go sit on the stairs for a minutes. I cried for a
good ten minutes. I knew I could do it but it just felt so
overwhelming. Hermana Worth was very kind and we had a pray together
and then she encouraged me to pray. When I got myself together enough
to go with the class to teach a lesson in Spanish to some Latino
elders Hermano Chavez came up to and said that he wished that he could
hug me and help me feel better. I am very grateful for teachers that
care so much about us. Speaking of which. Hermano Solano also gave us
teaching feedback and he asked if we wanted the good or the bad first.
We told him wanted the bad so we had the good to look forward to. He
said we should be more direct in our commitments. Never say, puede
leera, or puede orara, basically never say, can you read, or, can you
pray. Always say, will you read. So he told us that and we were
waiting for him to say some thing good. He paused for awhile and then
he said, thats the thing, there isnt any thing good. We both sat there
stunned. There had to be some thing good about what we had done in our
teaching that week. Hermana Worth looked like she was going to cry and
I was ready to get up and leave. The Spirit had been so strong in all
our lessons we had to be doing some thirng right. Then he laughed and
said he was kidding and it was time to be serious. We said we could
not believe him after that when he told us that the puede thing was
the only thing we needed to work on. He said scriptures were great and
our questions were powerful. He loved the wooden puzzle we used as a
visual. Speaking of which, mom if you have the chance could you see if
you could get one in Spanish for me. I know its a lot to ask but it
would be handy to have. No worries if you cant. Its like a wooden
circle and the pieces fit into it. Anyway Hermano Solano told Hermana
Worth that he liked her accent. She has studied Spanish for three
years and spent four months in Costa Rica so she is really good and
some times really carries the lessons. Then he turned to me. I had
been so discouraged that day and he looked at me and said. Hermana,
your Spanish is amazing. I cannot believe how much you contribute to
the lessons and how well you speak. You  need to be an example to the
rest of class and speak Spanish with your companion all the time. I
feel God has truly blessed me with the Gift of tongues and I am so
grateful for it. I know that with His help i can only get better. Okay
so  here is some thing not so great. Our new work out time is in the
evening at 730 which is really nice because its not hot outside. Well
this past Saturday we were playing volleyball with a super flat ball
and an elder, my zone leader to be more specific, spike it right into
my face. I was worried it broke my nose and it like knocked on the
ground. I felt so sick but I got back up and finished the last five
minutes of the game. As were walking off the court though I go so
dizzy. like I had to sit down and the MTC Presidents wife looked at me
and said I might have a concussions. I was so scared! All I could
think was that I did not want to forget my Spanish. They looked at me
again and said I was okay but that I needed to go right up to bed. I
got a blessing and all I remember from it is that Elder Holyoak told
me i would be okay. Sunday was hard because I felt like someone had
punched me in the face and just felt sick all day. Hermana Worth and i
did teach our Sunday School lesson in Spanish though and it went
really well. Sacrament meeting was interesting because there was this
huge bee like the size of a half dollar flying around us. We kept
trying to duck to get get away from it but we were in the milddle of
the meeting so we really could not get up and move. The branch
president kept looking over at us and we felt bad because we are sure
he could not see the bee so it probablly just looked like we were
being disruptive. Another good thing that happened this week was when
we went and read the Book of Mormon up on the temple grounds. I was
walking within eyesight of my companion who was reading when a lady
approached me and we talked in Spanish, completely in Spanish for like
ten minutes. She told me about her niece that is in Panama and showed
me pictures and I was able to ask her where she was from and about her
family. It is really hard to understand people here though. They speak
so fast! Hermano Solano says they speak faster in Guatemala than any
where else in Central America so hopefully I will be able to
understand people a little better in Panama. Okay back to some
spiritual things. Hermano Solano talked with us about Mateo 14 which
is when Pedro walks on the water. He told us that we may feel like we
are drowning in the language or in the expectations others have for us
or that we have for oursevles but if we cry out as Pedro did, ayudame
Senor. Christ will immediately reach out his hand and help us. I read
a great quote in my personal study this morning that said. Learn the
Gospel so well and teach it so effectively that people will want to
forsake the worldly for the heavenly. That is my goal as a missionary.
To teach with power and be worthy to have the Holy Ghost in  my
lessons. The other really spiritual thing that happened this week was
when Hermano Chavez talked to us about the Book of Mormon. He told us
that we need to have a testimony of every verse. There is not a page
in the Book of Mormon that does not testify of Chrsit or the love of
God. He gave us ten minutes to go read up in our rooms and pray about
it. When I read and prayed I knew that I already knew it but I felt a
renewed desire to devour all that was in front of me. I know that it
is the word of God. That Satan tries so hard to tell us that it is
not. That God no longer speaks to us but I know with every fiber of my
being that he does. Just like it says in Moroni 10,6 every good thing
is of Christ. If you have not read the Book of Mormon in a while renew
your efforts to read a little bit every day. It invites us to read it,
ponder upon it, and then ask God if it is true  (Moroni 10, 4 and 5) I
know that if we do this God will give us an answer and we will know by
that same Spirit that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. That Joseph
Smith was a prophet and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints if the Gods kingdom once again restored upon the earth in
preparation for the second coming of the Messiah. I am witnessing
every day the power The Book of Mormon has to change lieves. Above
all, I am witnessing how it has and is changing my life. Because of
the Book of Mormon I know that my Savior lives. That He loves us. That
He died for us. He is the only name given under heaven whereby men can
be saved. I know that God has a plan for us. It is a plan of mercy and
a plan of happiness. The joy that is found in the Gospel of Jesus
Christ is eternal and complete and it is the only way that we can have
lasting peace in this life. I invite all of you to feast upon the
words of God. Find out if it is not sweet and good. I promise that if
you drink deeply from these living waters you will never thirst
again.A few last things. Mom please send this email to Grandma. I was
not able to change her email address. Also  Grandma, please let me
know what going on. I love it. It will not distract me. Mom I am so
glad to hear every thing is going well. I will put Megan on the prayer
roll in the temple here tomorrow when I go. My Pday is currently
Wednesday but it sounds like they are going to let us email on
Tuesdays around 10 o clock my times so thats just fo ryour
information. I love you all so much. I know that this Church is true
and that this work is the work of the Lord. For whatever reason I have
been prepared to take the Gospel to the people of Panama. I know that
it is only through Him that i can suceed. Remember what it says in 2
Nephi 31,20... Now behold you must press forward with a steadfastness
in Christ, having a love of God and a love of men... it is now time
for the people of God to stand, turn and fight for what is just and
true. It is not a battle for the faint of heart. God is sounding his
trumpet and he is calling for those who carry the shield of faith and
the sword of truth. I pray that God is with all of you. Know that I
think and pray for each of you. Continue to write and send your love.
I look forward to it all the time. Fear not what man can do for God
will see you through and when he comes again we shall see Him as He is
for we will be like Him. I love you all. Thank you for your support
and your paryers. I will talk to you all next week. May God keep you
until then. All My Love, Hermana Wilson Please forward this to
everyone mom. It wont let me send it to anyone else. Especially Bishop
Fulmer

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

Surprise!

Hola Familia y mi Amigos

 

Surprise! We get to email tonight instead of tomorrow because we{re going into the city and will not have time. They told us like five minutes ago so I am sorry if this scattered and not really together. As always I want to say a few things before I jump into my email. First, mom I got your dear elder letter so it took like a week to get with me. It seems like the way to send mail. Second, if you are going to send me packages you can send them here to the CCM but you have put Hermana Haley Wilson as the name, not Sister Haley Wilson. It makes it easier to get here and every thing.

 

Alright things that have happened since I last wrote. First, I forgot to include this in my last email but the first Sunday I was here apparently some elders did some stuff to invite some bad spirits into the CCM. The MTC President met first with the elders and then with the sisters to cast them out of the CCM. It was a big deal. An elder could not stop shaking because he could not fight them off. He was given a blessing and was okay after that. Anyway while the CCM president was talking to us he told us this story about this dream that he had had when he first came to the CCM. He said in his dream he couold see hosts of Lamenites in the street trying to get into the CCM and then he saw Nephite soldiers at the windows of the CCM protecting it. He said that we are protected by angels at the CCM and that the only way for bad spirits to harm us here is if we invite them in. He gave a powerful prayer calling for protection from both sides of the veil and things have been fine every since.

 

Okay so next thing. We have a new teacher. His name is Hermano Chavez. He teaches us at night to help us with the language. He has been closely observing our teaching of Brian and he gave us feedback this past Friday (I think..). He told us that the secret to missionary work is love. When you have the pure love of Christ for your investigators that can see and feel it and feel the Spirit. He said he could really tell that we loved Brian and that was what was goin gto make us better missionaries and help to bring people to Christ which is what we are here to do.

 

Another exciting thing. I taught my first lesson completely in Spanish. We went over to this building called the CRE, which is basically the TRC of the Guatemala MTC where volunteers come to be taught by the missionaries. Hermana Worth and I taught a 13 year old girl names Ameda. She was so cute! We taught her about the four principles and I was able to say a little bit about each one and bear my testimony in Spanish. It was a major confidence booster. We also got a new investigator named Adrian Sanchez. He is 19 and is not in school but is interested in learning more about the Church. Hw is really hard to teach because if we just talk to him for too long he starts to get fidgety and distracted by stuff going on around us. However, our day teacher, Hermano Solano told me that he was really impressed with how I am progressing in speaking the language. He keeps asking me if I am sure I never studied Spanish in school before I came to the CCM. It really makes me feel better about all the mistakes that I make when I am speaking.

 

So the other day a bunch of little kids came through the CCM. They had name tags on that said, future missionary and we felt like celebrities. We stood in the hallway and shook their hands and said hello. Then they sang to us and gave us these little pencils with the Letters HEJ which is Choose the Right in Spanish. It was super cute and is definitely one of the highlights of being here at the CCM I told these three girls that I liked their dresses but they just came me a weird look so I wonder if I said it correctly.

 

Okay, so here is what is going on with Brian. First let me say that I have never felt such pure and unconditional love for someone as I do for him. All I want for him is to have the peace and joy of the Gospel that I have. To come to understand the eternal joys that being a member of the Church brings. When we taught him about eternal families he teared up as he told us about his father who had died six years ago. We showed him pictures of our families and talked about how we were all sealed together because of the blessings of the temple. It was obvious he was feeling the Spirit and that he loved the doctrine that we taught him. This last time that we taught him we tried out best to do it completely it Spanish. When we were walking about the companionship that taught before us said that Brian was thirst so I grabbed him a little paper cup of water. Well I guess he did not see me try to hand it to him because when he shook my hand he squeezed the cup and spilled water all over both of us! I was so embaressed but we were all able to laugh it off and it really helped everyone relax before we started teaching. We then proceeded to share our favorite scriptures. I shared Isaiah 41,10 and as I struggled to bear my testimony in Spanish about how this scripture changed my life it was like we were all hit with a tangle cloud of the Spirit. All of the sudden it was just Brian and I and I was telling him that this scripture had changed my life and how dear to my heart it was. Even though I struggled with the words I knew that he was feeling that Spirit and that he understood that what I said was true. It is the most spiritual experience I have had up to this point in my life. Hermana Worth that commited him to baptism and he told us that he was not ready. We asked him about it and he said he said he was afraid that after he got baptized he would fall away. We bore our testimonies of the Atonement and how even if all we can do is pray and read our scriptures some times that is enough. No one is perfect and we cannot let our fear of failure doing what God wants us to do. This time I asked him and after a long pause he said he would if he recieved an answer that the Book of Mormon was true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet. I hope with all my heart that he recieves his answer. Only time will tell though. We left him with the commitment to read Moroni 10 with the promise found in verse 4 and 5. I will let you know what happenes when we teach him this Wednesday.

 

Sunday was good day. It was kind of stressful because we went to Sacrmaent not knowing who would have to get up and speak. We all had to write talks in Spanish and listen intently to see if our name was called. I was nervou sbut thankfully did not have to give up. I do not feel ready to give a talk in Spanish. Also on Sunday we watched the Testaments in English. If you guys have not watched it in a while I strongly recommend it. I have such a testimony that Christ cam ehere to the Americas. Heavenly Father loves all His children and that is the mssage I am taking with me to Panama.

We also had a devotional by Elder Bednar about doctrines, principles, and applications. It really made me reevvaluate how I plan for lessons and give my lessons. My favorite things was when he talked about how as missionaries we are to guide our investigators to the doctinre and they need to find the application. We tried that with Adrian today. He seemed more talkative today which was wonderful and I am hoping that the portion of the Book of Mormon that we assigned him to read will touch his heart.

Well I do not have much else to share. The Latinas love that I studied Hebrew and they keep havin gme write things for them in Hebrew its fun. One more thing. On Sunday we had exchanges and I was companions with Hermana Dawson who I ran into at Beehive clothing the day I went through the temple. She is super sweet and I am so glad to be serving in Panama with her. Still holding out for some mail. I think we only get it about once a week.

I am so grateful to be here at the CCM. The days are long but i feel like I grow and learn so much every day. I love this Gospel. I love the people I am teaching and have yet to teach. I cannot wait to get out there and share this wondeful message of peace and joy with the people of Panama. I am grateful for all your payers. Know that I think of you often. I love my Savior so much. I have learned to rely on Him with every I have these past two weeks. Mom, I may get to call you on Mothers Day. There are rumors. I will keep you posted. I know this Church is true. With all my heart I can testify of that. It has blessed and changed my life and I hope to be an instrument in the Lords hands to change the lives of others these next 18 months. I hope all is well. I love you all so much!

 

Hermana Wilson

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

They Juice Everything!

Hola mi familia

 

Okay so a few housekeeping items before i jump into my email. First, mom could you get on Facebook and let my friends know that i cannot email them while in the CCM. The rule is only immediate family. Grandparents is a gray area that I have not asked about. Alos could you let everyone know that I am really aching for some mail. You can write letters through dearelder.com for free and it would be nice to get some mail some time. Also, mom tell Jordan that they turn every thing into juce (but they do not add sugar and stuff like they do in America, its just the fruit juice and water) my favorite is the watermelon juice! Its so yummy!

 

So the first week at the CCM has been up and down. First some highlights. People have been telling me constantly that I have a good accent. Hermana N. (the MTC Presidents wife) told me that i have a good accent when she heard me reciting the First Vision to mi companera. Then today i was talking with one of the teachers about how I studied Hebre (we were talking in Spanish) She told me I understand a lot and I just said maybe but I am not able to speak a lot. It has been very encouraging to hear from other people that it sounds like the language is going well. Some times I get frustrated because I feel like I do not get enough practice with the language but I am enjoying the work and the scheduled days.

 

Okay, a not so good thing. Sunday I was really struggling. Like I would cry randomly for no reason. I asked if I could speak with the MTC President to see if he could offer me some kind of counsel and advice. I do not know what prompted him to do it but he started talking to me about the different kinds of pride (after we talked about some Hebrew stuff, he loves that stuff and whenver I see him he always asks me to tell him some thing new). Anyway,  he talked with me about pride. He said it seemed like I had this image of the missionary I thought I was or would be when I got here and I have come to realize that I am not quiet there yet. He suggested I work really hard on being humble and relying on the Lord. It was a very eye opening conversation and I am really grateful for it. He then gave me the fathers blessing I was not able to recieve before I left. He said a lot of wondeful things in it and I have been at peace every since.

 

Alright, now about our investigator. Here at the CCM en Guatemala we teach real investigators from the beginning. In Provo that I have fake investigators but here we are blessed with real investigators that are genuinely interested in hearing about the Gospel. Our investigators name is Brian Ramirez. He is a college student studying engineering and works at the CCM for community service. He has never really heard about the Church and became interested in it because of his friend Danny who is supervisor and member of the Church here at the CCM. Brian wanted to know why Danny was so happy all the time. Why he did not drink coffee or do things on Sunday. So Danny suggested he talk with the missionaries and the eight companionships in our district have been teaching him ever since. Its hard to share Brian with six other companionships but we are pulling it off. The last time we taught him we mostly answered questioned about the homework we had commited him to read (3 Nephi 11) which talks about Christs visit to the Americas. It also talks about how we should baptize and so Brian  had a lot of questions about baptism. He also asked why its always Jesus Christ that shows himself and never God the Father. That questions made Hermana Worth and I sweat for a minute because we were not sure how to answer it. We basically said if Heavenly Father were to show himself to people all the time there would be no reason to have faith that Christ was the Son of God because we would all know. Entonces, we shared that and I was able to bring it back to when Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in the First Visions which we had taught him during our last lesson. The thought of commiting him to be baptized crossed my mind but it did not feel like the right time so I decided to hold off. We are teaching Brian tonight for the last time. Hermana Worth and I are going to teach him about eternal families because he lost his dad six years ago and we both think it will really touch him. Only time and the Spirit will tell if we will commit him to baptism. We will get two more investigadores over the next few days. I will talk to you about them later I am sure!

Last awesome thing that happened this week. Yesterday we were on the temple grounds and our teachers was telling us what he wanted to read from the Book of Mormon. This woman and her two children were walking around the temple and her little three year old boy saw us and came running over. I thought he was going to give me a high five so I put my hand out but instead he threw his arms around my legs and hugged me saying, Missionaros! Missionaros! He then went around and hugged all the Hermanas and shook all the Elders hands. His sister, I think she was like five, did the same thing. It was so cute and along with going to the temple to do a sesssion, was definitely the highlight of my week.

I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be here. To be a missionary for my Savior Jesus Christ. Every morning I wake up and put His name on my chest. I stand as a representative for Him, doing what he would do if He were on the earth. I can feel God holding me up as I try so hard to learn Spanish and to come to know Him better. The week here has already changted me in ways that I cannot quiet describe. There is a joy in the Gospel that cannot be found anywerhere else. I know that if we want peace in our lives, lasting peace that it can only be found in the Gospel of Jesus Chrsit, the message that myself and the other missionaries are preparing to take to our respective areas of labor. The field is white. There are so many people looking for the truth, do not be afraid to open your mouth because God will put into it what you should say. I love this work, My Savior, and the people I am teachin gand will yet teach with all my heart. I am praying every day to come to understand and have the pure love of Christ. This work is a work of love. I am coming to learn what that means. I love you all so very much. Time is short and I did want to read the emails that you guys sent me so I will go ahead and wrap it up. I know the God lives, that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. That this work is His work. I am learning how to teach and share this message with the people of Panama and there is no where else I would rather be at this time in my life. I love you all so much. Please give everyone a hug for me. Mom I love the little emails. Keep sending them. Please send letters too! I have more time to do that than to email.

All My Love,
Hermana Haley Wilson

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

Hola from Guatemala

So my teacher is awesome (Hermano Serano) he let me email real quick
and let you know that I am okay. In fact, I am doing great. Yesterday
was long because we did not get to sleep when we arrived. I went to
bed at like 830 and slept like a baby. Mi companera es Hermana Worth.
She is awesome and already knows a lot of Spanish. We are in a room
with four other girls, all latinas, that speak Spanish fluently. It is
great because the moment I wake up I am being talked to in Spanish.
Hermana Worth and I memorize things together (We have already
memorized su objetivo or my purpos) and she is helping me memorize The
First Vision. She tells me I learn fast and I am grateful that she
helps me so much and answers all my questions. The MTC is tiny. I
think there is about 172 missionaries here. 40 missionaries were on my
flight from LA to Guatemala and 24 of them were sisters. Crazy! Well
time to go. All My Love Hermana Wilson


NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

God Be With You Til We Meet Again

Well this is it everyone. I get set apart in a few hours. The next update you all will receive will be coming from the MTC in Guatemala. I get set apart in a few hours and after that I am officially a missionary. It still doesn't quiet feel real. I don't think it has really hit me that I'm leaving tomorrow night. When I got my call back on December 5, 2012 I couldn't believe that I had to wait until April 3rd to leave. Especially because I had put my availability date in the middle of February.

But the Lord works in mysterious ways my dear readers. I have learned so much by coming home and spending the last four months here with my family. Not only that but I have had an excess amount of time to study and I like to think I have used it to the best of my ability. Two weeks ago I finished reading Preach My Gospel from cover to cover and I have formed a basic foundation of Spanish grammar and vocabulary through the program called Duolingo.com. My advice to all that are preparing to serve missions is to use the time they've been given before they go into the MTC. I was lucky enough to not have to go back to school. I used a lot of that time to do family history work. While I spend the next 18 months focusing on the salvation of the living. I spent the last month or so, focusing on the salvation of the dead. In addition to the 60 or so people I performed ordinances for during the Fall Semester (with the help of my dear friend Elder Favero now serving in Spain) I have found more than 120 more people to do work for. I know that my efforts will be blessed and I am excited to do all their work when I come home from Panama.

Beyond all the time I have had to study and do family history work I did my best to get in shape and make a little money. I babysat the cutest four little kids about three days a week. The youngest, Ethan, is about 11 months now and when I first met him he cried every time he looked at me for the sole reason that he did not like unfamiliar faces. When I left though, even when he was cranky I could get him to smile. I said goodbye to them a few nights ago and the three girls (ages 3, 6, and 9) hugged me a million times. I am so grateful for the change I ha to babysit them. I learned a lot from them that I know will help me both on my mission and in the future as a wife and mother.

Finally, my calling at church. I taught the 9-11 primary aged girls. I loved teaching them every week. I feel like my ability to teach concepts of the Gospel has been improved and magnified after spending time sharing with them the Gospel that is so dear to my heart. They wrote all over the chalkboard yesterday, messages of love and good luck. It was one of the sweetest things I have ever seen and while I did not have a camera to capture it in a photo, it will be carried in my heart for a long time to come.

Yet I feel the greatest lesson I have learned, the one that I will always be remind of on my mission is how much God loves all of His children. I can't tell you how many times I felt inadequate as I thought of the faith God had in me to call me to serve His children in Panama. It is a mantle of great responsibility that will be laid upon me today, the same mantle that was given to Christ's disciples when He ordained them to be apostles. I am to stand for Him, even in the face of persecution and disapproval. I am to walk with Him, even when all the world turns their backs and slams their doors. I am to speak for Him, even when the words fall on ears that do not want to hear. Most of all I am to live like Him. In a world where morality is a fickle thing and personal choice and freedom is used for the gratification of the moment and the now.

I am a missionary. I am set apart from the world. Made holy and sanctified through the atonement of Jesus Christ and the work that He has called me to do. I stand with the least of His children that I might lift them up to Heaven and their Father. My call is not simply to baptize. It is to warn, to teach, to uplift and to testify of my Savior and my King. I leave armed with the truths of the Gospel and protected by the endowment of His Holy Spirit. I go forward with faith, nothing wavering, knowing that no matter what successes or failures I face, God will be with me. I go ready to return with honor. I go to change lives and hope that the life I change the most is my own.

I have such a testimony of this Gospel. I love my Savior so much. I am ready to stand with Him no matter where that is. I am ready to proclaim in the midst of mobs and and armies, assembled against the work that Jesus is the Christ, the living Son of the living God. That His work is once again upon the earth. Restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. That through Him came the Book of Mormon, the living word of God. That if we read it we will come closer to Christ and have more peace and happiness in this life than we have yet known. I am will raise my voice for  God's prophet, President Thomas S. Monson that lives upon the earth today and the revelation from God that He receives. I raise my voice that all may know God's truths, the Gospel truths, of eternal families, of temples, and of Him. I am ready and now I bid you all farewell. May God bless you till you read again and more than that may our Lord be with you... until we meet again.
 

"Therefore, fear not little flock; do good, let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock; they cannot prevail" (Doctrine and Covenants 6:34)