PLEASE TELL EVERYONE THAT MY EMAIL IS WILSON.NATALIE@MYLDSMAIL.NET.
THERE IS A NATALIE WILSON SERVING IN TOKYO JAPAN AND SHE DOESNT DESERVE MY EMAILS!! HAHA I WANT THEM, AND SHE DOESNT, SO SEND IT TO THE RIGHT ONE! :P
--
Hermana Wilson
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
EARN YOUR PILLOW
June 24, 2015
not-so importants:
..merry 1/2 christmas eve! june 24, halfway to christmas!!!
..whoever told me to be prepared for lots of soup where i have no idea whats in it was right. but hey most of them are really good! haha
..
BENDICIONES (blessings) :
..spirit was so strong with my investigator Jose. He is usually a really tough investigator. hell fall asleep or be distracted by a million things. once i learn the WOW vocab ill teach him that lesson. but this night, 6/17, he was going through a particularly hard trial and our lesson brought tears down his face and the love of God for him was SO STRONG even a blind person could see it. my heart was brunging! it really helped me bc I was able to gain a stronger love for him and you arent truly effective in lessons until you love your investigators.
..later that night (7 days ago) we prayed for Elder Openshaw. PRAY FOR HIM. when he checked his email he saw that his entire family (parents and siblings) died in an airplane crash. hes staying on his mission. and man oh man, when we prayed for him... that was the miracle of my week. i KNEW God was watching over Him (hes in Micronesia, shoutout to David T.) and was hearing our prayers. it was one of the most incredible prayers ive been a part of. the veil was so thin and my testimony was definitely strengthened. dont doubt for a second God is unaware of you.
..Ether 12:27. being shown my weakenesses so i can improve. it gives me something to work on. i have so many but im grateful for them bc life is about improving yourself and trying to become better. the trick is to have faith that the Lord can actually help you become better. and He definitely can.
..taught my first 45 minute lesson in spanish! and even cooler, the investigator was speaking PORTUGESE!! the gift of tongues is real everyone.
..friday was a really hard day for me. i was about to have anger tears, i was just so stressed. it was a miracle in itself that we didnt get the feedback we were supposed to bc we had half an hour of down time. H. Miles played the piano and I sat with her and sang along (in espanol of course) and i think thats truly the only thing that could have calmed my heart in that moment. i think ive talked about music in every letter so far but ill say it again, the spirit can definitely be felt through music. "the angels SANG......." (not saying i sounded like an angel, dont worry. far from it probably;)
..the cocineras (cooks) love us SO MUCH! even if its just a cookie they always decorate the little dessert plates. theyre so cute! and theyre always so happy! they work so hard! bless their hearts!
..being able to have a good sit down chat w my companera. we were both able to get things off my chest. its not a strength of mine to talk about my problems but after shoving them under the rug for too long, its needed. and it was. i love my companion. shes the best. it was definitely by inspiration we got assigned to each other.
..surprise oreos on our desks! with an i love you note attached and scripture. D&C 24:8, its great, go read it!
.. Hermano Cesar (maestro) played us music one night while we studied. he even played my request, "i will not be still" (the one cookie sang at my 1st ward farewell). a tiny twinge of homesickness at first, i wanted a concert from the one and only lillian, but it only lasted a second. i love that song and i love music and i love how it can bring the spirit & inspire & uplift! i miss it!
..presidente gonzaleS MIXED the latinos and the whites in futbol. (our schedlues changed, were with some of them now). end segregation!!! its my goal to have a latino pass me the ball bc he wants to, and not bc the president of the CCM has to pull him aside and tell him to. :p oh well! motivation, right_ :)
..h burnham agreed to workout with me! totally unexpected. shes the equivalent of.... a mix between anna sawyer and.. valerie wadman? man i miss working out. none of the hmas here want to. but i finally got to do a little and it felt great! cameron, yes, i brought my gorilla strong t shirt & ill have lots of recruits for you in 18 months! haha.
..i saw the two PRETTIEST bird this week. they were seriously bright yellow. i love peru. its so pretty here! i love whenever i get the chance to go outside. it helsp!
highlights:
..the elders in our district gave us each a vile of consecrated oil. for if we ever need a blessing and they dont have any, we can have some. it meant the world to me. so thoughtful of them. thank you elder cleverly! (new district leader, hoorahhh)
WE GOT TO WATCH THE TRUJILLO PERU TEMPLE DEDICATION. !!!!
i was praying so so so hard that President Uchtdorf would come to the CCM. so hard!!! for a week! i forgot to have you all pray for him last week but its ok bc my prayers were strong enough. he didnt end up coming but i know my prayers were heard and i know ill shake his hand someday!
anyways.
SUCH AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE BEING A PART OF IT. my favorite parts were first, watching uchtdorf outside sealing the cornerstone. he was so happy!!! he was smiling and laughing. yes hes an apostle of god but hes also a real man! with the love of christ in his soul! watching him with the children reminded me of the savior. he was so loving and playful and it was just so completely tender to watch!! second best part was singing the spirit of god at the end. it was SO POWERFUL. the spirit bore a solid burning witness to my heart that everything i had seen and participated in was true. that the trujillo temple IS the house of the lord and that souls both living and not will be blessed! ive been blessed just being a part of it! our voices rang out and im positive angels sang with us.
funny moments:
.."you know youre a good companion when you risk your life over a suitcase" H Burnham
.."here. touch me. AHA. you cant." E Hildebrandt
.."anyone know what a centurion is?" "isnt that a 1/2 man 1/2 horse?"
.."youre not very tall Elder, are you?"
..Brian the Blind Woman. "pan...? :) ...PECADO" E Hildebrandt
.."tengo fe" H Wilson
.."my heart was just pounding so fast... PECADOPECCADOPECADO"
.."Lost in Lima"
i love you all!! i miss you but know youre in my prayers, by name!
quick thoughts..
can someone please send me emails for riley affonso, austin james, kristy emrich? &then all the missionaries serving rn? i have no addresses!
TODAY IS MY HALFWAY MARK! ive learned so much and i cant wait to learn more! its been so humbling but so incredible! i love this work! i know im exactly where i need to be and i know i have support in my role as His representative! the church is true!
alma 2:30
d&c 45:62
alma 36:18-21
moroni 7:47
Hermana Wilson
my tag & the temple!
my district! finally!
front row: burnham, cicotte (comp), wilson, kingston, collins, miles
back row: wilstead, jenkins, cleverly, hildebrandt
i saw that on the mormon website, is that a thing or no? hah
happy delayed fathers day dad!
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
ROUND 2 IN PERU!
hola everyone!!! :)
FIRST THINGS FIRST.
shoutout to my papa bear!! happy fathers day! thank you for supporting me 100% in being out here. im so blessed to have your support and to have had you as my dad. you have definitely been a big influence in teaching me life lessons and getting me where i am today. im just a tad bit too far away to tell you in person but ill tell you over the snail internet, happy fathers day! go on an adventure & tell me all about it so i get jealous. ;) just dont get stranded anywhere.
to everyone else...
i hope you enjoyed my long email last week! :) i ran out of time & didnt have time to reply to (or even read on the computer) my emails.. so, from now on, shorter emails! :p i did have time to take a picture on my camera of your emails and got to read them later! no printing in peru (syd) but thats okay. maybe in bolivia. to those who wrote me, THANK YOU! and to those who didnt.. repent and write this week. ;)
not so important things:
-were not allowed to ride rollercoasters as missionaries but we can ride the buses and really, its the same thing if not better. such an adventure everytime! you jump on and you jump off and theres people touching you on all sides and its just so great! as hma burnham said today.. "its just so exciting! just the thrill and not knowing if youre going to die!" haha if you knew her, itd be even funnier. theye great though and it gives you a nice chance to talk to someone without them running away!
-supermarket browsing is awesome! there are fish of a million different kinds including sqwuid and octopus and the eyes are still totally there! theyre really pretty but not tempting at all to eat, hah.
-look up these fruits: maricuya (is my favorite tasting. you can only drink the juice though bc if you eat the fruit itll hurt us norte americanos.) granadilla (its a slimy fruit with the weirdest seeds inside. you eat it if you need to..... go to the bathroom, well say that. elder gerkin, the equivalent of elder calhoun, stuffed an entire one into his mouth and ate it. gross. the outside is orange, so sorry bryce, one more to learn hah. ) and chirlmoya cumbe (i thought it looked pretty, no idea what it tastes like).
-sidenote : how do you pick out a good pomegranite? dad? limarys? ayudame por favor?
-p days are stressful! haha my entire pday last week was spent trying to get my laundry done. lots of exercise though! happinss!
-there are more hermanas than elders! yes! go hermanas!
-today we got the new batch of missionaries. 37 norte americans and guess how many elders??? ONLY 3 ELDERS. santa baca! holy cow!
-the Peru MTC (CCM) is the 3rd largest MTC. which is weird because there are only three buildings and the third building is used for staff only, we dont go in it.
-my AC doesnt work in our room but its ok bc its finally starting to get cold and feel like winter! i still only sleep with a sheet, hah. i did bring my blanket though and people like reading that. josh barlow, your message brightens our day. thank you. :p
-if we were allowed to have nicknames mine would be lion (with the accento). i stopped counting how many times people talked about how lion ish my hair is, big, thick, etc. my hair is all natural every day plus humidity so.. yup. its fun stuff. :) (no convertyer = no straightener).
-the flowers in the CCM dont smell (i checked) but they sure are pretty! tons of different kinds!
-its impossible for me to wash my hair within the 4-5 min suggested shower time. i might have to go bald mom. im sorry..
-no, my teeth are not yellow and rotten yet but thanks for being concerned (josh.)
-HUGE CRICKETS HERE. one is stalking me. im so paranoid its going to end up in my bed one of these nights.
-team nunca vs team siempre... its a real thing. i wont explain it in detail, but it has to do with the digestive system..
-ive decided the hardest rule for me to follow is not being competive in sports. oh its so hard. especially in futbol. but obedience recieves blessings, so im doing my best! the no cabesa rule is a struggle.
-i have neveer used so many books to study in my entire life!!! but im grateful for them bc theyre super helpful! so many grammar books and frases books and helpful hints and just a million more! i think it weighs 12 lbs total haha.
-the word for hiccups in spanish is hippos, but the h is silent. trust me, i know. i had them for an hour straight yesterday. my maestra couldnt stop laughing at me. it isnt eaasy to teach a lesson and be serious when i couldnt go fifteen seconds without sounding like a shrieking frog. :)
-i got futbol jerseys, finally! happiness.
-last week i got a bottle of INCA COLA, syd & david! i made everyone try it. no one liked it haha but i dont mind it. to everyone who hasnt had it, picture a yellow soda that tastes like bubble gum.
blessings
--the pictures at the lime temple are amazing. my favorite is on of christ coming to the children. there is a girl whos reaching out for christ and the look on her face is just sincere innocent and pure love. i love it! my child will look like her someday.
-we sang outside of the supermarket. spanish hymns and english primary songs. my favorite was singing there is sunshine in my soul today" and elder riddiks beat boxed. somehow it worked. it was awesome. we placed a BOM. converting while beatboxing, thats the way to do it!
-we found the previous elders names who used to be in our room in our ceiling! it was like hidden treasure :)
-fiesta de amoyo. not sure if thats how you spell it but we got real peruvian food and it was amazing. no dancing but im sure there is for the rest of peru!
-read about the savior and His exact words in D&C 93, go read it, its great. theres ´powerful promises in there. and there isnt much that brings the spirit more than reading of the savior.
-hma cicotte gave me a picture of the story of jesus and the adulturous woman. its one of my favorite stories of christ. i love the lessons taught in there. john ch 8. go read it. in the footnotes, for stone, it says gossip. i thought that was super interesting. watch you words bc they can hurt just as much as a physical rock being thrown. love is the answer. stop judging others bc they sin differently than you do. :)
- if i do in fact have to go through the removal process of my 3 little plantar wart friends on the bottom of my foot, at least im in the ccm and there is less walking. that will be a blessing. :)
-went "shopping" w hma cicotte and she let me wear her skirt. hermana fun.
-learned it doesnt matter if your right, if youre able to avoid contention. its not worth it.
-im so grateful for hugs. im fine with not being able to hug the elders as long as i can still hug the hermanas. hugs can make anyone feel better. hma sabir gives the best hugs! shes gone now but i still love her! beuna suerte!
-hma cesar, our maestro, commutes 1 and a half hours each way to the ccm everyday to teach us. by bus. he sacrificies so much for us and just gives us so much love and patience. he is such a blessing to us all.
-strong revelation moment in relief society. this gospel is worldwide (obviously, im in peru..). singing hymns as an entire relief society was just amazing and it hit home with me how powerful love really is.
-devotional from jeffrey r holland. talked about the needs for opening our mouths. challenged us to find scriptures about it. you can find so many in just 3 minutes. his scripture was the first vision. i thought that was interesting. joseph smiths tongue was bound bc the opposing team knew how powerful joseph smiths words would be. words are our greatest weapon. we can share the truth and change peoples lives with them. but not if you dont oym first!
-got to play el futbol with the presidente of the ccm!! haha it was great. hes super old but he can still run! i crossed the ball to him at one point and if he had made it in (just barely missed) it would have made the top 10 of the ccm ;)
-being able to say goodbye to the latinas! it would be so hard if i didnt run into them and they just left. SUCH hard goodbye. first time crying so far. its amazing how much i grew to love them after only knowing them for less than 2 weeks and having a language barrier between us. again though, love... serving each other, and spending quality time with each other... we truly are going to be eternal friends. im so grateful for them in a million ways. keep thjem in your prayers!
-i have been given the gift of love. it hurts sometimes, like having to say goodbye, but.. im so grateful for it. i can see in others the love that heavenly father feels for them and in turn it helps me love them and help them through their difficulties. i have abig heart and it gets hurt often, but i wouldnt have it any other way bc love is the strongest weapon out there.
-el espiritu santo guided me through a leccion with my investigator marita. shes amazing. she had an abusive bf and got ´pushed down the stairs, lost a baby, but is just such a strong woman. the spirit helped me know what to say and it was just amazing to really see the lord working through me. im just one little 5,3 blonde haired girl yet with the power of the spirit with me i feel larger than life.
funny moments:
1 you could snuggle w elder cleverly if youre cold
yeah you can. get over here baby boy.
2.when i kicked elder hilderbrandt straight in the shin and he expressed his love -repentance for not wearing shinguards
3 my whole body is betraying me -h cicotte
4 ella quiere mi-e. hilderbrandt
que en el freaky mundo -h cesar
5so when you say goodbye to someone youre really saying hi to god? e. hilderbrandt
6 a certain hma in my district iddnt know she was supposed to brush her teeth everyday until she was 11. she thought it was just before you had a dentist appintment.
7. arent you sscared of driving hmo cesar?
no way! its like fast and furious!
highlights of the week:
1. watching ephraims rescue on sunday. GO WATCH IT. the pioneers were so so so amazing. they are such an inspiration. i feel so guilty for ever complaining after seeing what they went through. there was one scene at the end that especially touched me. on one esp hard night, one of the members after receiving a blessing danced a jig for everyone.. it bore testimony to me how much of an impact we can have on others esp when they are struggling. love and happiness and the light of christ can make any dark situation lighter. choose to be happy.
2. sunday night i felt impressed to sing as a floor. i got ppl out of their rooms and we sang god be with you tilll you meet again (in espanol) humno 89 i think. the gringas AND the latinas sang, in one big circle. tears came out before the first verse was gone. (the latinas and oldest group of gringas were leaving the ccm for their missions). it was so powerful. powerful bc of the love that was shared, the spirit that was present-felt, and that we were UNITED. i do not like how segregaded the latinas and norte americans are. but in that moment... we were one. we are all hermanas. skin color does NOT MATTER. god loves each of his children and we are all in this work together. it was such a powerful moment. we sounded like angels. i wouldnt be surprised if the angels were singing too.
I LOVE YOU ALL!
thank you for sending me love! im praying for you!
xoxo / abab,
hermana wilson
FIRST THINGS FIRST.
shoutout to my papa bear!! happy fathers day! thank you for supporting me 100% in being out here. im so blessed to have your support and to have had you as my dad. you have definitely been a big influence in teaching me life lessons and getting me where i am today. im just a tad bit too far away to tell you in person but ill tell you over the snail internet, happy fathers day! go on an adventure & tell me all about it so i get jealous. ;) just dont get stranded anywhere.
to everyone else...
i hope you enjoyed my long email last week! :) i ran out of time & didnt have time to reply to (or even read on the computer) my emails.. so, from now on, shorter emails! :p i did have time to take a picture on my camera of your emails and got to read them later! no printing in peru (syd) but thats okay. maybe in bolivia. to those who wrote me, THANK YOU! and to those who didnt.. repent and write this week. ;)
not so important things:
-were not allowed to ride rollercoasters as missionaries but we can ride the buses and really, its the same thing if not better. such an adventure everytime! you jump on and you jump off and theres people touching you on all sides and its just so great! as hma burnham said today.. "its just so exciting! just the thrill and not knowing if youre going to die!" haha if you knew her, itd be even funnier. theye great though and it gives you a nice chance to talk to someone without them running away!
-supermarket browsing is awesome! there are fish of a million different kinds including sqwuid and octopus and the eyes are still totally there! theyre really pretty but not tempting at all to eat, hah.
-look up these fruits: maricuya (is my favorite tasting. you can only drink the juice though bc if you eat the fruit itll hurt us norte americanos.) granadilla (its a slimy fruit with the weirdest seeds inside. you eat it if you need to..... go to the bathroom, well say that. elder gerkin, the equivalent of elder calhoun, stuffed an entire one into his mouth and ate it. gross. the outside is orange, so sorry bryce, one more to learn hah. ) and chirlmoya cumbe (i thought it looked pretty, no idea what it tastes like).
-sidenote : how do you pick out a good pomegranite? dad? limarys? ayudame por favor?
-p days are stressful! haha my entire pday last week was spent trying to get my laundry done. lots of exercise though! happinss!
-there are more hermanas than elders! yes! go hermanas!
-today we got the new batch of missionaries. 37 norte americans and guess how many elders??? ONLY 3 ELDERS. santa baca! holy cow!
-the Peru MTC (CCM) is the 3rd largest MTC. which is weird because there are only three buildings and the third building is used for staff only, we dont go in it.
-my AC doesnt work in our room but its ok bc its finally starting to get cold and feel like winter! i still only sleep with a sheet, hah. i did bring my blanket though and people like reading that. josh barlow, your message brightens our day. thank you. :p
-if we were allowed to have nicknames mine would be lion (with the accento). i stopped counting how many times people talked about how lion ish my hair is, big, thick, etc. my hair is all natural every day plus humidity so.. yup. its fun stuff. :) (no convertyer = no straightener).
-the flowers in the CCM dont smell (i checked) but they sure are pretty! tons of different kinds!
-its impossible for me to wash my hair within the 4-5 min suggested shower time. i might have to go bald mom. im sorry..
-no, my teeth are not yellow and rotten yet but thanks for being concerned (josh.)
-HUGE CRICKETS HERE. one is stalking me. im so paranoid its going to end up in my bed one of these nights.
-team nunca vs team siempre... its a real thing. i wont explain it in detail, but it has to do with the digestive system..
-ive decided the hardest rule for me to follow is not being competive in sports. oh its so hard. especially in futbol. but obedience recieves blessings, so im doing my best! the no cabesa rule is a struggle.
-i have neveer used so many books to study in my entire life!!! but im grateful for them bc theyre super helpful! so many grammar books and frases books and helpful hints and just a million more! i think it weighs 12 lbs total haha.
-the word for hiccups in spanish is hippos, but the h is silent. trust me, i know. i had them for an hour straight yesterday. my maestra couldnt stop laughing at me. it isnt eaasy to teach a lesson and be serious when i couldnt go fifteen seconds without sounding like a shrieking frog. :)
-i got futbol jerseys, finally! happiness.
-last week i got a bottle of INCA COLA, syd & david! i made everyone try it. no one liked it haha but i dont mind it. to everyone who hasnt had it, picture a yellow soda that tastes like bubble gum.
blessings
--the pictures at the lime temple are amazing. my favorite is on of christ coming to the children. there is a girl whos reaching out for christ and the look on her face is just sincere innocent and pure love. i love it! my child will look like her someday.
-we sang outside of the supermarket. spanish hymns and english primary songs. my favorite was singing there is sunshine in my soul today" and elder riddiks beat boxed. somehow it worked. it was awesome. we placed a BOM. converting while beatboxing, thats the way to do it!
-we found the previous elders names who used to be in our room in our ceiling! it was like hidden treasure :)
-fiesta de amoyo. not sure if thats how you spell it but we got real peruvian food and it was amazing. no dancing but im sure there is for the rest of peru!
-read about the savior and His exact words in D&C 93, go read it, its great. theres ´powerful promises in there. and there isnt much that brings the spirit more than reading of the savior.
-hma cicotte gave me a picture of the story of jesus and the adulturous woman. its one of my favorite stories of christ. i love the lessons taught in there. john ch 8. go read it. in the footnotes, for stone, it says gossip. i thought that was super interesting. watch you words bc they can hurt just as much as a physical rock being thrown. love is the answer. stop judging others bc they sin differently than you do. :)
- if i do in fact have to go through the removal process of my 3 little plantar wart friends on the bottom of my foot, at least im in the ccm and there is less walking. that will be a blessing. :)
-went "shopping" w hma cicotte and she let me wear her skirt. hermana fun.
-learned it doesnt matter if your right, if youre able to avoid contention. its not worth it.
-im so grateful for hugs. im fine with not being able to hug the elders as long as i can still hug the hermanas. hugs can make anyone feel better. hma sabir gives the best hugs! shes gone now but i still love her! beuna suerte!
-hma cesar, our maestro, commutes 1 and a half hours each way to the ccm everyday to teach us. by bus. he sacrificies so much for us and just gives us so much love and patience. he is such a blessing to us all.
-strong revelation moment in relief society. this gospel is worldwide (obviously, im in peru..). singing hymns as an entire relief society was just amazing and it hit home with me how powerful love really is.
-devotional from jeffrey r holland. talked about the needs for opening our mouths. challenged us to find scriptures about it. you can find so many in just 3 minutes. his scripture was the first vision. i thought that was interesting. joseph smiths tongue was bound bc the opposing team knew how powerful joseph smiths words would be. words are our greatest weapon. we can share the truth and change peoples lives with them. but not if you dont oym first!
-got to play el futbol with the presidente of the ccm!! haha it was great. hes super old but he can still run! i crossed the ball to him at one point and if he had made it in (just barely missed) it would have made the top 10 of the ccm ;)
-being able to say goodbye to the latinas! it would be so hard if i didnt run into them and they just left. SUCH hard goodbye. first time crying so far. its amazing how much i grew to love them after only knowing them for less than 2 weeks and having a language barrier between us. again though, love... serving each other, and spending quality time with each other... we truly are going to be eternal friends. im so grateful for them in a million ways. keep thjem in your prayers!
-i have been given the gift of love. it hurts sometimes, like having to say goodbye, but.. im so grateful for it. i can see in others the love that heavenly father feels for them and in turn it helps me love them and help them through their difficulties. i have abig heart and it gets hurt often, but i wouldnt have it any other way bc love is the strongest weapon out there.
-el espiritu santo guided me through a leccion with my investigator marita. shes amazing. she had an abusive bf and got ´pushed down the stairs, lost a baby, but is just such a strong woman. the spirit helped me know what to say and it was just amazing to really see the lord working through me. im just one little 5,3 blonde haired girl yet with the power of the spirit with me i feel larger than life.
funny moments:
1 you could snuggle w elder cleverly if youre cold
yeah you can. get over here baby boy.
2.when i kicked elder hilderbrandt straight in the shin and he expressed his love -repentance for not wearing shinguards
3 my whole body is betraying me -h cicotte
4 ella quiere mi-e. hilderbrandt
que en el freaky mundo -h cesar
5so when you say goodbye to someone youre really saying hi to god? e. hilderbrandt
6 a certain hma in my district iddnt know she was supposed to brush her teeth everyday until she was 11. she thought it was just before you had a dentist appintment.
7. arent you sscared of driving hmo cesar?
no way! its like fast and furious!
highlights of the week:
1. watching ephraims rescue on sunday. GO WATCH IT. the pioneers were so so so amazing. they are such an inspiration. i feel so guilty for ever complaining after seeing what they went through. there was one scene at the end that especially touched me. on one esp hard night, one of the members after receiving a blessing danced a jig for everyone.. it bore testimony to me how much of an impact we can have on others esp when they are struggling. love and happiness and the light of christ can make any dark situation lighter. choose to be happy.
2. sunday night i felt impressed to sing as a floor. i got ppl out of their rooms and we sang god be with you tilll you meet again (in espanol) humno 89 i think. the gringas AND the latinas sang, in one big circle. tears came out before the first verse was gone. (the latinas and oldest group of gringas were leaving the ccm for their missions). it was so powerful. powerful bc of the love that was shared, the spirit that was present-felt, and that we were UNITED. i do not like how segregaded the latinas and norte americans are. but in that moment... we were one. we are all hermanas. skin color does NOT MATTER. god loves each of his children and we are all in this work together. it was such a powerful moment. we sounded like angels. i wouldnt be surprised if the angels were singing too.
I LOVE YOU ALL!
thank you for sending me love! im praying for you!
xoxo / abab,
hermana wilson
mi y hermana cicotte
all the hermanas in my district at the temple (burnham, collins, kingston, wilson, cicotte)
in bus. elder wilstead, elder hilderbrandt, h. collins, kingston, me
latina amigas! mi hermanas por la eternidad! dont remember how to spell the left two names, but espindola, pabon, puchette, me, ascoy, cicotte. check out our friendship rings!
some not all of the ppl i came here with
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
QUE EN EL MUNDO? I'M IN PERU!
June 10, 2015
so im not quite sure how im supposed to fit this week into one email and in my time limit (not to mention the slow internet, hah). there have been SO MANY MIRACLES AND BLESSINGS, and only in one week! i literally cant wrap my mind around the idea of how many more blessings im going to recieve in the next 18 months.
my MP preofessor Rudy Puzey (someone tell him hi for me, hes the sweetest man ever! emma, your job!) said that the first email of every missionary is the discovery channel letter... all they talk about is the food and the things they see, etc. yeah thats all great, and ill include a little for you (mom) but honestly this week has been so full of miracles! its so great!
i apologize in advance for all of the spelling and grammar errors. its supér hard thinking and typing in english.
not'so important things:
.they keyboard here is not how it is in the US so im constantly backspacing.
.when people say you have rice with every meal in america de sul they arent joking, its super good though!
.i love the plants here! the leaves have pretty designs on them. they make the US ones look boring.
.if you want to send me something, (besides an email) send it to bolivia and have it wait for me there. i wont get anything here.
.theres lots of hmas here that know hma gauger in santa cruz bolivia! they googled blogs for santa cruz and found hers haha. im telling them all to find her when they get there!
important things:
.I CAN PRAY IN SPANISH
.I CAN BEAR MY TESTIMONY IN SPANISH
.I CAN THINK IN SPANISH
tues 6.2.
blessings:
.i made it onto all of my flights on time
.the clouds were SO PRETTY
.i met another hma in atlanta, my second stop. i was washing an apple (iot cost 6 dollars, yay for airport prices) and someone asked if i was a missionary. i turned and sayd ies (it feels SO GOOD to say that) and she said she was one too. her name is hma cicotte (sea cott) and shes from washington. SHES MY COMPANION!! so great. she reminded me a ton of hailey williams in the beginning. shes reminding me more and more of jenna summers. shes great!
.the flight attendant did a magic show for the kids. he had a real bunny. it was awesome.
.the two, thre hour delay before we got on the plane for lima helped me not be nauseas anymore. it was very mich needed.
funny momentsÑ:
my hair was french braided. it set off the security detector bc it was too thick. the security guard literally serarched and patted down my hair-braid. yya.
6.3
blessings
.im so grateful for the spirits ability to take over lessons if we have faith. im literally a spokesperson for God and i was shown that
.i was able to memorize the missionary purpose within a couple of minutes. the CCM (peru MTC) is such an inspiried place of learning. the spirit is so strong and is so helpfulñ in learning
the futbol field is HUGE!!
.hma cicotte and i went into a lesson not knowing what we were going to say but we just listened to wjhat the man was saying and we were able to discover his need and help him with his problem. it was amazing and the spirit was super strong. he had lost his child and needed gods love. we taught him god loves all of his children and that he will be able to see his daughter again.
.my luggage came! theres lots of stuff missing but my moleskin was still there, yay! i was able to put some on my blisters.
funny momentsÑ
i tried communicating with a latina. i asked como se dice *my thought*, and the gringa just looked at me and told me i needed to not think such complicated thoughts. hah.
6.4
blessings
.its already difficult to read in english. my brain is already shifting to espanol!
.i was able to understand my first all spanish lecture w hma luna!. shes my maestra, teacher, and shes the BEST. so sweet, so pretty, so patient, so wondefrful!!
.i prayed for my feet to stop hurting so i could focus on the lesson. the second after we ended class my feet started pulsing again. such a blessing! i know god hears all our prayers even when they seem like small things. always pray. include him in your life!
. a lot of the gringos here make comments about how small the houses are, or talk negatively about the food, or how well be living like kings and queens... es no bueno. south americaa is definitely diff than north america but were all people and we all deserve to be loved and respected. im grateful for th eknowledge and love i have for ALL PEOPLE, regardless of their life situations or background.
.i sat w the latinas again at lunch and they understood me perfectly! :) i love them. theyre the best!
.we had chicken pot pie for dinner! one of my favorites.
funny moments:
.i said i was very pregnant at lunch to my latina friends. embarasada in espanol means pregnant.. i meant to say embarassed.. it was silly bc i had learned the word earlier, i think i just said it bc it was in my mind, but oh man i laughed so hard i cried! so great.
.the entire experience of playing vollibol with the gringas at exercise hour. oh man. i was going to single out just one moment but i cant. ppl getting hit in the head, running away from the ball , etc.... so great.
.we went to exchange money in the city. hma cicotte went up to a woman and asked where she was from in her super white spanish accent. the lady smiled and said in perfect english "im from florida". hahahahah. best two years moment.
6.5
blessings
.FIRST PRAYER IN SPANISH. i am doing a goal of speaking only spanish for 3 days. its hard. today was my second day. it was tempting at one point tonight to speak in english but i didnt, i passed my test, and then when i went to pray i did it in spanish!! it was a simple prayer and im sure i had grammar mistakes but i did it! it was so powerful and so wonderful and i think ill be happy forever now. that was one of my major goals.
im grateful for my testimony. i cant imagine how this would be possible if i didnt have one. but i do. i know this is the true church and i feel the spirit so strongly every day. its wonderful!
.we watched elder l tom perrys funeral. the song playing as they walked out his casket was i know my redeemer lives. it hit me so hard and so strongly that the plan of salvation is true, and that the saviors atonement was and is real. such power song and moment!!
.HMA CICOTTES FACIAL EXPRESSIONS. if you think i have a lot of expresssions (julia, lillie) you need to meet my companera haha its great.
.i was able to play el futbol w hma kingston, another hma in my district on splits. hma cicotte doesnt like soccer. even though it was super humid and one sweaty hour, it was great!
.hmo cesar, our night.afternoon maestro (teacher) sang us a song at the end of the day in english... teach me to walk in the light of his love. it was so powerful. and there is something so humbling and wonderful and strong about when a latino sings in english, or tries... it brought tears to my eyes. he has such a powerful testimony and it definitely shown through his words.
funny moments>
boca to boca! -hma miles (SHE REMINDS ME OF TRACI , MY COUSIN, I LOVE HER.) she mean to say face to face but said mouth to mouth.. to our maestro..
.i showed a pic of a group of my friends to my hmas in my district and they asked if i had any white friends. hah. soy de california!! no utah. ,)
6.6 sabado
blessings
i bonded a lot w hma miles, the one that reminds me of and looks like traci. shes wonderful. we had splits
.hma cicotte braided my hair. such a gem.
.ive decided that hma cesar reminds me exactly of my brother in law, david. his facial expressions and laugh and pretty much everything are the same. apparently theres lots of ochoas in peru though, so.... yeah. he doesnt know david.
.i feel so close to my padre celestial. ESPECIALLY when i pray. the spirit is so much stronger in spanish. maybe its just heavely father blessing me bc im tryuing to do it in spanish, but i think its more than that. idk, but its so powerful. ;3
"i know youre all proud to wear your last name on your name tag.. now you get to wear His (jesucristo)." so powerful, from an elder in my district.
I BORE MY TESIMONY IN SPANISH. today was my last of the three days speaking nothing but spanish. we had 5 minutes to plan and my companion couldnt understand me-was stressed but i didnt give in and speak english. at the end of our lesson i bore my tesimony, in spanish! SUCH A STRONG SPIRIT. another one of my big goals of the mish, and i did it!! i know its only bc of my endurance through the trials i faced. i wanted to accept the challenge from my sister y maestros, but i also just wanted to do whatevers necessary to learn and be able to help the people waiting for me in bolivia. i know theres people waiting specifically for ME and there isnt really a point if i cant speak to them once i get there. i want to be ready.
funny
"if you dont make sense in english elder hilderbrandt (reminds me of aaron weaver, so great) , how are they supposef to understand you in spanish??"
6.7 domingo
.the sacrament prayer in spanish is so much better than in english. i might leave the YSA ward and attend a spanish ward for the rest of my life when i get back. bro dahle was right. theres so much more tenderness and feeling and power when theyre in spanish. i almost cried.
.it was fast and testimony meeting. the testimonies were all so powerful and strengthened mine/my desire to be here. the elders y hmas here are all so great!
.we watched the joseph smith movie. such a powerful msg! go watch it. aside from the story of the restoration, it was tender watching the emotions jose smith had. he cherished his wife. he lovedf the people. he wasnt just a prophet, he was a real person and a great person at that.
.watched 2 apostle devotionals. so great. m russell ballard and l tom perry (a re run of course). i literally wrote down their entire talks i think. such powerful messages! it was conference in the summer haha
.the rest of the day after testimony mtg was english, so i could understand literally everything. our brains got a little break haha.
.the birds sang this morning. they were beautiful! the window was open so we heard them perfectly. theres a lot more sounds here than the US. i couldnt see them. there is a hummingbird that comes to the bush by our window though a lot. that always makes me happy. theyre my favorite.
.i only had about 5 min. i decided i needed to study my BOM in english. we didnt get study time today really. i did, and the second verse i read was PERFECT for what i needed. such a blessing that in such a short little time padre celestial could bless me to give me what i needed to hear.
funny
"i feel so at home! the flowers.. the lace table cloth.. YES." hma cicotte (relief society)
"dont watch hmas! (jose smith kisses his wife" "uhm, 18 months without that? IM WATCHING." hma stone
.i went to the bathroom and hma cicotte and i were walking to another mtg. i asked her to check if my slip was tcuked into my waistband. it was. which means that a huge group of latino elders and my zone leaders had a perfect view of my entire back side. i was wearing my white lace skirt. yay.
"how do you say tee ah nahh hey?" "uhh... teenager??" hahaha. yay for brains trying to think in spanish and english at the same time and failing at both!
6.8 lunes
blessings
hma cesar immitated a guinea pig. funniest thing ive ever heard or seen.
hma pabon, espindolla, ascoy, y puchetta are ANGELS. they give us so much love. they came up at huggged hma cicotte and i when she had been crying earlier.. they are so wonderful.. literally my best friends here. were takin a picture later so ill attach it next week. they leave next week too though. im literally going to cry when they leave.
.i learned how to lock the bathroom stall door! only took me a week. ;) you lift up then over. i was wondering how all the scrawny hmas could do it and i cant.. i mean i know i havent worked out at crossfit with the almenderizes in a week but still.. :p
.had lots of time to study today! weve been gogogo lately and so many classes but today we had time bc most of the ppl in our district are going to peru so they had to go do visa stuff. it was just hma cicotte and i for a couple of hours so we could study. it was great!
.mi el libro de mormon. it takes me a while to translate and understand sometimes, it takes effort, but the effort is definitely worth it. the spirit is strong and i loe it!
funny
"are we just going to be tired for 18 months??"
6.9. yesterday
.my brown clunkers (shoes) are already broken ¿in. yay! no blisters for those ones!
.san bc i have been givenn much in espanol. its my favorite hymn and i love it even more in spanish!! i know i keep saying "the spirit was so strong" but it was!! go sing it! :)
.learned self defense w hma minson today. it was great. i flipped a girl. oops. ;) hma burnham said shed be scared to get in a fight with me. as you should. ;) im armed with the power of God! hah. we named the defense moves after gospel things dont worry. prayer stance, turn the scripture page, etc.
.my best friends aka the 4 latinas mentioned earlier bought mi y hma cicotte friendship rings. theyre the cutest thing ever. i dont have th epicture, but next week for sure. its a little pink heart. we each have a color. they also bought us doritos bc they thought wed like them since theyre american. theyr the sweetest hmas ever! they give us so much love and encouragment.
funny
"if we were meant to go through this life alone, wed all be on separate planets.
" e. hilderbrandt.
today
blessings
i went to the temple today!! it was wonderful!! ill try and send pictures! the spirit was so strong! its SUPER small but so wonderful! ive missed it. it was weird not having any family there. but instead of my mom waiting for me, i waited for hma cicotte and that was a nice moment for us. shes been having a rough week and she was happy to have someone waiting for her. pray for her this week. she deserves it.
last night hma cicotte got a blessing and it was one of the most powerful blessings ever. i know the atonement is real and he knows each and every one of us. dont doubt it for a second. ifyou do go ready one of my favorite scriptures d&c 50 40-42.
i love you alll! i havent cried yet. i do miss you all, but i havent gotten home sick. itll probably hit me this week bc i jinxed myself but im loving it here! loving the work, loving the poeple, loving the language, loving the challenges and blessings that come from them!!
si se puede!
send me pictures and love! te quiero!
hermana wilson
mi y hma cicotte at our missions.
four of the elders y hmo cesar y mi.
Sunday, June 7, 2015
I'M HERE!!
June 3, 2015
parents!
I only have four minutes. i was told to write:
"im here. i have the best teachers ever. im good. " haha so there you go!
it took a while to get here. our last plane was delayed and we didnt arrive to the mtc until 3am, give or take. i was super scared i was going to lose my luggage especially bc they ended up checking my carry on. i guess there wasnt enough room on the plane, weird. i got to sleep a little on the planes but not much. there was turbulence on every plane and i got pretty nauseas. it was a blessing for me that we were stuck at atlanta for so long bc a lot of that went away. just traveling here theres been so many blessings! its wonderful!! the Lord really does watch over his missionaries. i was alone the first flight but before my second flight i went to get a snack. guess how much my apple and box of (sour) grapes cost? 6.30 ish haha ridiculous. but while i was washing my apple someone asked are you a missionary? i turned and smiled and saidyes. it feels so good to say that! her name is hermana cicotte (sea cott) and she ended up being my companion here in the MTC! neither of us speak spanish really so well have to work really hard but shes great and we get along great! i like her a lot. i like all of the hermanas in our room actually (room 213! my birthday! tee).
well i better go! theres elders waiting for the computers. its great here! its pretty small but great! i love you both! thank you for the card mom. no need to worry anymore! THE STONE WALLS ARE HUGE haha didnt mean to hit caps oh well the keyboard is diff. givbe the boys hugs for me!
i love you! this church is true! i know more than ever im meant ot be here! my p day is wednesday.
--
Hermana Wilson
Friday, June 5, 2015
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