Only Trust and Be Believing..

Hola Todos!

First a happy birthday to my sweet mother whose birthday is this Wednesday... I love you so much and hope that my package gets to you in time... I sent it a month ago.

Second,,, please everyone... just take a deep breath and know that I am okay. That I am loving my mission... there is no where else in the world I would rather be in this moment then here in Panama sharing the message of the Gospel of jesus Christ.. what a better way to remember our Savior... when I wrote last week I was still very frustrated and honestly in shock with what happened so please... I am okay.. I am happy... and the work goes on. 

I wanted to begin by sharing a quote with all you by Elder Holland that I heard and wrote down... its beautiful and sweet and filled my soul with a peace that I have been looking for in my daily prayer and scripture study... 

God is good, He is our Father and He expects us to pray and trust and be believing and not give up and not panic and not retreat and not jump ship when some thing does not seem to be going right. We stay in... we keep working.. we keep believing... we keep trusting... following that same path... and we will live to fall in His arms, to feel His embrace and hear Him say... I told you it would be okay... I told you it would be alright...

Some times the blessings seem so far away... some times in the moments of darkness it seems hard to see the tiniest specks of light.. but if we look.. and if we wait and if we trust I know from all my experiences that the light does come... it does... God has the tendency to take our hardest trials and turn them into the biggest blessings.. 

For example.. this week was such a big blessing.. I will not say that every day was perfect but it was so wonderful because I had the chance to go to my old area and spend almost the whole week there. 

I stay with Hna. Gomez who is from Honduras... we had the opportunity to see a lot of miracles together but the biggest one was when we went to visit an investigator Thursday night with a member... it was the first time that Hna. Gomez was going to me the... companion I guess is the right word... of her investigator... Enelda is her name. Enelda had told us before that Alberto... her companion.. di not want to marry her because of the age difference and that she could get married later in her life. The hard thing about that is they have two kids together so its not like we can tell her that if she wants to get baptized and he does not want to get married ther eis the option of separating... anyway the point is... I went into the lesson with expectations that he was going to be this hard, proud old guy that did not want any thing to do with us.

When he got there from work we waited while he helped dress his little girl of seven years old and his baby of six months for bed. It was raining like it only rains here in Central America and I said a quiet prayer that God would just give us thirty minutes to talk with him. It was hard because their little boy Alberto was sick with a fever so they were trying their best to calm him. When we started to talk the rain let up enough that we could communicate.. we jumped right into the fact that Hna. Enelda wanted to get baptized and that ifshe wanted to get baptized that had to get married. But I told them that we wanted them to work together for this because through the Gospel of Jesus Christ they could together forever... he was completely receptive... completely.. moreso then Enelda.. he said that they would go to Church on Sunday if they did not go out of town for Mothers Day... he said that he wanted to know more.. that he wanted to be more united with his family... he started reading the pamphlet that we left for him before we left the house.. it was one of those moments where you just know you have found a family that is going to make it to the temple... 

To end this all too perfect lesson the member that acompanied us offered to give a blessing to their baby.. it was a beauitful moment and the spirit was strong.. it was truly inspired that we ran into this member on the way to their house... we were not planning on having anyone go with us..

The other miracle of the week was to see Hno. Valentine... he had this light about him.. one of my teachers in the MTC told me that he had seen the face of God in the face of his investigators and when I saw Hno. Valentine Iunderstood what he meant... the love that I felt for this perso.. this child of God... and difference I saw in him... I knew in that moment that God lives.. that the Church is true.. and the only way back to our Father in Heaven.

I am out of time you guys.. just know that I love you so much... I know this work is His work.. I know that every thing works together for our good. that Goid is in every thing.. I have transfers so next week I will be writing you from a new area with a new companion... pray that all goes well... I love you all so much... Happy Birthday mom... 

Con Amor, 

Hna. Wilson. 

A Forgotten Blessing...

I forgot to let you all know that while I am not in Pilon anymore the hermanas there told me that Valentine Betancourt got married two weeks ago and was baptized and confirmed this past weekened... it is a testimony to me that while we may not see the fruits of our labors we never know who we will help come to salvation.. Hna. Chavez and I are celebrating a little bit to know that while we did not see his baptism we know that we helped him.. through the Spirit... come to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ...

The Light Will Come

Hola Todos!

This is going to be a short email because I cannot really tell you guys what happened this week... lets just say that under orders of President Carmack my companion and I cannot be in the same room together alone for any length of time. I have left my area in Barriada Kuna and am changing areas every days with the different sisters that are in Colon... I have spent Saturday, yesterday and today in Margaritas with Hna. Alvarez from Costa Rica... tomorrow I will return to the area in which I spent four and half months in Polon with Hna. Gomez from Honduras.. Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be in Cativa with Hna. Castillo from Mexico... and Monday and Tuesday leading up to changes will be with Hna. Gonzales from Guatemala in another part of Pilon... this problably does not mean any thing to any of you but the point is I am leaving Colon again and going to a different area... I will have a new companion also... maybe I will get to open an area and train.. I have wanted to train for a while now but I know that every thing happens in the Lords time and that He is working perfectly in our lives..

On another, more happy note... I am trying to overcome my fear of committing people to be baptized. As I said before I have spent the last three days with Hna. Alvarez from Costa Rica... she only has a month in the mission but we spent the day contacting and looking for people.. I suggested that with every contact we bring up baptism from the beginning and just see what happens... the worse thing that can happen is that they will tell us know and that they never want to see us again..

So we ended up talking quiet a few people.. it was interesting because I could feel the spirit telling me... the moment that we extended the invitation to be baptized.. if they would say yes or not... we invited eight people to be baptized that day together and three accepted... unfortunately one of them is not in our area but it was an invigorating experience when we heard them say that they would prepare to be baptized... and every time I practiced new ways to somehow guide the subject of the lessons around to baptism and while some of the people we talked with were really hard and asked a lot of hard questions the few that we found that were receptive and open made it all worth it... I will leave Hna. Alvarezs area feeling like I helped a little and learned a lot in the process...

I dont want anyone to worry about me. I am sad and hurting for what happened this week but I know that it will me gain experience and strengthen my faith. God never gives us any thing we cannot handle and I have to believe that this will all work together for my good... I love you all so much... I am sorry that this is such a short email... the work is moving forward quickly... the Church is true.. of this I know with all my heart... I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior... I know that our trials are opportunities to get to know Him just a little bit better... we claim to be disciples of Jesus Christ and often that means that we too must kneel for a moment in Gethsemane and take a few cross laden steps toward Calvary... I took a sip of that bitter cup this week but the pain is swallowed up in the joy that comes when I think of the blessings that in the Lords time I will see... I know that after this dark night will come the dawn... I know that every thing works together for our good... be strong and carry on. Until next week... I love you all so much.

Con Amor,
Hna. Wilson

Hola!

So I was not able to get to the internet in time today... I just want to share my testimony with you all that I know the Church is true... this is His work and He guides it... love you all... remember to pray always and give gratitude to God always.

Love, 

Hermana Wilson

The Best Numbers, The Hardest Week

Hola Todos,

I am not quiet sure how to express how I feel right now. I am going to keep it short and not spill every thing that is happening to the whole world but this is the hardest companionship I have ever had. Hoever its the best numbers I have seen my entire mission but it does not make me happy because I know that we are not really working at a uited team. I am pretty sure my companion would be happy if I went somewhere and jumped off a cliff. I have tried making her breakfast and doing little things before her but it does not make a difference.... I am out of ideas and quiet frankly my desire to do these things for her is dying also.

Okay... so that was the negative thing I had to say this week... this week was not all bad... it was full of beauitful little miracles... I never cease to see the hand of the Lord.

I think the best day that I had this week was when i had the privilege of working with a member here in the area named Nubia. She is 19 years old and is thinking about serving a mission. When we started the day together she told me she was not sure if she wants to serve a mission and so i had the personal goal to show her how fun it could be to be a missionary. That day all of our appotiments fell for various reasons andthen it started to rain Panama style... which means hard enough to turn the roads into rivers.... I told her we could go inside and wiat it out or we could use it to our advantage and go looking for new investigators. We decided together to keep working. I told her that I had faith that if we keep working God would make the rain stop. We walked for about fifteen minutes looking for a house to contact and all of the sudden it just stopped raining. We went to contact a woman who was sitting outside with her two daughters and as I talked to her I realized that she was not responding to my questions at all but was actually talking on the phone. Embaressed I excused myself and we kept walking. When we reached the end of the row of houses we decided to turn around and go back. I said a little prayer telling the Lord that if we needed to talk with the woman I had tried to talk with earliar that she would say some thing to us as we passed. At that mmoment we came up on the house and as we passed she called to us... telling us that she was sorry and and asking us what we had wanted.

Exciteldly we told her who we were and talked to her about the English class I would be teaching on Saturday. She let us in and we sang a hymn with her and talked to her a little bit about the Plan of Salvation. She told us openly that she was Evangelica but that she was in awe of the sacrifice that w eas missionaries do... she said that we would always be welcome in her home... we will be going back to visit her on Wednesday. Prayers please!

The other miracle that we had together is honestly the joy of my life. Her name is Ailyn... she is 17 years old and is as golden as they come.... apart from the fact that she has to finish school this week so we cannot visit her as often as we would like. I went and visited her with Hna. Nubia and she had already started to read the Book of Mormon I had left with her the day before. She had tons of questions and ate up every thing we said like she was starving. We talked about Nephi and she told us that she could not wait to read the story. She came to church this Sunday and loved it. The young women were excellent with her and they are taking her under their wing like one of their own. She is going to participate in the drama th eyoung women are going to do this Saturday for the activity we are planning and also is planning to go with the other young women to  a dance this Friday at the stake center. I do not know if she will be prepared to be baptized on the 30th which is her baptisimal date but I know that she will be prepared to be baptized very soon and I wait anxiously for that day. She asked me yesterday if she could serve a mission and I told her that she could.... she just has to get baptized first... her little sister allso loves church too and her mom has decided that she wants to come this week to see what her daughters are learning and doing. Ailyn is really a light for me here... I know she is one of the people that I have come to Panama to find...

Later in the week I had the privilege of working with Nubias sister who recently came back from a mission in El Salvador. Again all of our appotiments feel through so we did my favorite thing.... contacting. We were walking towards the end of our day together when i saw a woman laying in a hammack and I said... hermana we are going to contact this person. When we started talking to her she told us that she had been a member of our church once.. its not abnormal here in Utah, Panama... We sat down and talk with her and what I thought would be like a twenty minutes appotiment turned into an hour... I was a little more forward with her then I normally am.. I asked her how she felt because she was not... how do you say... keeping her covenant with God... she laughed every time we told her she needed to go back to church and at one point I looked at her and said... hermana i am here in this area as a respresantive of Jesus Christ and we did not come here to talk with you today by accident... God prompted us to come here because He wants you to come back.. its time to come back Hermana... because thorugh the Gospel and the Church is the only way that you achieve salvation for yourself and for you family.... He loves you so much... and for that... we are here with you now... She told us that she is going to do her best to go to church this week... she has been inactive for 30 years... she said that she did not want to say were were angels sent by God but she told us that she felt that she can talk openly with us and she did... it was one of the most spiritual experiences I have had in a long time because I know I said the things that God wanted me to say and that this hermana is on her way to coming back to curch.

The other miracle I had with Saria was when we were looking for a nother inactive member and I found her grandduaghtrer instead. We talked with her and shared the message of the Restoration... she responded relaly positively when we shared the First Vision with her and accepte a baptisimal date for the 7th of December.. then we discovered that she lives in Pilon when it a good ways away. I happily passed the reference on though and am hoping that the other hermanas will enjoy having such a wonderful investigator.

So as far as number go it was a really geat week. We taught 58 lessons and worked with members every day... despite the difficulties with my companion I am finding joy in working closely with the members here... they are wonderful.. I wish I could bring them with me my entire mission...

I love my area and I love this work. I love all of you and mor ethen that I love my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. i can testify that He supports us in our trials and through our afflicions he prepares us for blessings that we never even imagined. I know that He lives. That He is always there, helping us. We just have to trust Him. I am almost out of time so i am going to send this off. i look forward to hearing from all of you very soon. Until next week.

All My Love,

Hna. Wilson

Utah in Panama

Hola Todos!

So I am absolutely in love with my area. It is so small but so amazing... the members are working with us every day and we are seeing a lot of less actives coming back to church. Things are a little bit more complicated with investigators but we now have five investigators with baptisimal dates so we have some thing... believe it or not the challenge is still getting them to come to church.... and they only have to walk five minutes... but the work is like that here so what can you do except keeping trying different ways to motivate them to come to church...

I did exchanges with Hna. Navas this week... she is from Honduras... she is one fot he hermana leaders that we have here in Colon and it was one fo the best days I have had since separating from Hna. Chavez. We worked so hard that we got back tot he house at 8:30 and that was with canceling two appoitments and our dinner... the work is crazy here. Hna. Navas and I spent a good portion of time talking and she told me that she cannot think of any thing that would keep me from training... so I think it might be possible that I could train here in Barriada Kuna... I have always wanted the opportunity but I know it will happen in the Lords time. I learned so much from Hna Navas that I am trying to apply to my teaching this week.... 

So we had 49 lessons this week because we did divisions with members almost every day... its awesome that there is so much work... I have never been so busy my entire mission.... 

The miracles of this week were first that we had the entire Porras Family in church this Sunday for the first time in a long time... they were recently sealed in the temple and went inactive so my companion and I have been working really hard to motivate them to come back to church. I am hoping this is the beginning of them remembering the covennats they made in the temple so that they can have they can be together forever.

The other miracle that I had when I was working with a member yesterday was when I went to visit Hna. Rita Quintera. She has years and years of not coming to church. When we went to visit her she told us that was busy and that she did not have time for us. The member talked her into letting us in... the plus of having a member who knows your investigator or less active... we had asked her before why she was inactive and she simply said just because... she really did not hav ea reason...

When we started the lessons we would ask her a question and she would answer it very briefly and say like... so why are you.here and when ar eyou going to leave. I said a prayer in my heart that God will help me reach her... somehow.... we asked if we could sing a hymn but when we pulled out  our hymnbooks I felt impressed to ask her again why she was inactive and she told me because none of the members said hello when they were walking int he street... just all these excuses... then an idea came to my head... thanks to the Spirit... and I asked her how she thought her relationship with God was right now... she said good... I asked her if she thought God was happy that was not going to church... she told me that she was not going with her sons who are Evangelica either so that we should n ot feel bad that she is not going to church... so I said... hermana... we are going to use an example... if you ask your son to do some thing for you every week... and every week he says like.... yeah mom I will... I promise i will... but he does not do it... and then the next week he says he will do it and he does not do it... how woud you feel.... and she said she would feel bad... obviously... and so then I said... when we get baptized we promise God that we are going to go to Church every Sunday and keep our covenants... how do you think He feels that you have not been keeping the promise you made to Him.... and she paused for a long time and then said..  you hav ea good point Hermana... okay... I will go this week... and when we ended with a prayer she asked God to forgive her for all the years that she had not gone to church.... she told Heavenly Father in her prayer that she was going to come this next Sunday... and when she ended her prayer she thanked us for the visit... it was like a complete 360 and one of the most intimate moments I have had with the Spirit my entire mission... I left knowing that in that moment I had been an instruments in the hand of God to find  one of  his sheep that were lost...

In the words of Hna. Navas.. . the area is like Utah... only Panamanian... because its like its own little slice of Zion in the middle of Colon where almost everyone are members or less actives and the only thing to do is just to motivate everyone to keep there covenants... I love it so much... I love this work and I know that it is His work and He is the only one that knows how to do it. I hope that you will all do the little things that will bring you closer to the Lord every day... I love you all so much... until next week.

Hna. Wilson

Back to Where It All Began

Hola Todos!

So maybe you guys are not going to believe it but I am back in Colon. Its both happy and sad. Happy because I am doing what I always wanted to do... opening an area... they took the elders out of the area that my companion and I are now in and so we are both completely new here... it has it challenges but the members are the best members I have yet to meet in my mission. Since coming here we have worked with members every day.

The area is small... like five streets... President sent me here so that my foot could have a chance to get better but I feel like my time here will be short so I am trying to enjoy. The ward has a personal goal of 170 people in church and right now we are seeing about 120 every week... I am hoping with all my heart that wee can see that number reached in the next six weeks.

So my companion is from Guatemala... again... its my third companion from Guatemala... it makes me laugh... maybe God is trying to tell me some thing about my future haha.. anyway her name is Hna. Romero... she is from San Raymundo.... a municiple of the captial of Guatemala... she is very sweet and I am working hard to love her and adjust to being with someone new. I think that is the hardest thing for me at the moment... getting used to the change. 

So I have to share with you guys that miracles I had yesterday while I was in divisions with a member. We went to visit a less active member named Evelyna who has not been to church for three years. We were talking to her and she told us about a year ago she had a dream that a white sister and her companion came to tell her that she needed to go back to church.  she said that maybe we were an answer to her dream and that it was time fo rher to go back to church. Its hard for her because her husband is not a member but we are going to be doing familiy home evenings with her every Friday to help strengthen her family. 

The other miracle that I saw was the with the same member and we went to visit a less active named Ana Maria... she offered the closing prayer and in the prayer she told God that she knew He had sent us to her to reactivate her and help her return to Church and she asked for the strength to do the things she she needs to do to come back. She also has a lot of opposition from her husband who is not a member but we will visit her this week and see what we can do to help her. 

Alright.... attached is a picture of my new companion first and second a picture of Hna. Chavez and I... I miss her so much but know that at some point in our missios we will be together again. 

Until next week. I love you all so much. I know this work is the work of the Lord. 

Hna. Wilson