Monday, December 28, 2015

Prospero ano y felicidad

not exactly my feelings right not but fake it till ya make it! :)

i hope you all had a wonderful christmas. i loved my first (not sure if there will be a second yet) christmas in the mission. i loved it so much because i truly searched for Christ and in doing so, He blessed me with His love. I hope you were able to feel His love as well, along with those here on Earth you love.

i was surprised how many gifts i got, (thank you to hna cicotte, hna ipanaque, hna mather, hna watt, e. aguilar, aunt deanna, kiera davis). but the gift that wasnt wrapped was also wonderful, seeing seeing my family on skype.. i love you ALL so much. im so blessed to have so much love and support from each and every one of you. thank you. know youre always in my prayers. i hope this new year brings you many many blessings and felicidad.

i think my favorite gift-gift i recieved was from my mom. she sent me two very special and meaningful pictures of christ along with two talks and envelops of gifts we can give to christ. one of the talks is from President Uchtdorf (my favorite) and its called Curtains, Contentment, and Christmas.. look it up, its amazing, and has eternal lessons that can be applied to more than just Christmas time. i love the gifts we can give to christ. He has given us so much, and theres so much we can give in return, but 6 of them are
1 do for others what He would do if He was here matt 25. 37-40
2 pray always  3 nefi 18. 19-20
3 share the Gospel to bring others to Him jonh 21. 15-17
4 quickly repent when we make mistakes alma 34. 32-33
5 keep His commandments johnn 14.15, 21 / hymn 185 (what is that in spanish?)
6 allow Him to lift us when the world weighs us down. moroni 9.25 & john 14.27

my favorites were numbers 1 and 6. i could relate to them most. if you have more scriptures on those topics, will you send them to me? im making a list.

tuesday we had our ward christmas party. the obra misional started off the night with a video, sharing 1 juan 4-9-11, and then we sand la primera navidad (first noel). it was awesome because we did an arrangement taht was in spanish and english and then both and the spirit was POWERFUL. then each organization sang a song, and the primary reinacted the nativity scene (hna celeste´s baby girl as jesus). the bishop closed the activity with his thoughts and testimony. it was special, simple, and wonderful. there were more nonmembers than members there, also a huge blessing. it helped us all feel the true spirit of christmas.

on wednesday we went with hna pastora to the cementary. it was nice to do this service for her. her son is burried in a body slot box (best way of describing it) like the area they keep dead bodies for autopsies. im not sure if its because there isnt room for the bodies here or because its cheaper, maybe both. but they put the body in and cover up the door. (so i know now what death smells like, perfectly. there were fresh ones.). this is her first christmas alone and she is heartbroken to say the least. her son died 6 months ago. we are teaching her constantly about the plan of salvation and family history, and i think that she finally realized why its important when we were there. it was a beautiful moment. sad, but the spirit was there.
we also visited her christmas day in the nighttime. she was all alone in her little house by the creek. she wasnt happy. she was mean. but at the end of our visit, she was in tears. she is mean because she is in pain, and doesnt want to show her pain or let others in. but she let me in, and i was grateful to mourn with her. she said that we were her best friends. we were able to help her feel the love of her Savior, and there is no better gift we could have brought her. (although we also brought her Christmas lights on Monday to add literal light to her life, she liked those). i can feel the spirit so strongly as we visit her and help her prepare to take her family names to the temple. i know with all of my heart that there are people waiting for their work to be done, and that Heavenly Father is helping us. its amazing.

so we recieved cambios last night. the area of the elders closed, they are leaving. hna silvano is also leaving. i however am not leaving. i am here with the world of frutillar. my area is extremely huge and when i recieved cambios i felt so, so, so small.. i dont know what will happen. i thought my area would close. it didnt. the Lord has a lot of trust in me for me to still be here and I will do my best to put all of my trust in Him. i studied Faith for two whole hours this morning. i feel blind like Abraham in Hebrews 11:8, but i have faith that He has a plan for me and I´ll take those steps until I find su camino. it will be a blessing in disguise as my faith is tried in different ways this cambio but i know that He is here to help me. Apocalipsis 3:20.

i love you all and pray that you can feel His presence in your lives.
Hermana Wilson

p.s. shoutout to my SISTER, and best of luck with by sobrinita!! i love you and youre in my prayers!!

im in central right now and dont want to add viruses to my flashdrive /lose all of my photos (again), sorry. next week.

scriptures to read and ponder..
 alma 26;16 (glory in the lord, cant say how i feel)
alma 26;36-37 (boast with joy of God, He is mindful of HIS people here in this strange land of Frutillar)
DyC 88;6 he descended below ALL things and as E. Dallin H Oaks said in conference, is in the perfect position therefore to LIFT us up.
1 Nefi 10_18-19 God is eternal and His way is prepared
&last but NOT least,
DyC 84;106 . strengthen the weak.

--
Hermana Wilson

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

GLORIA A DIOS (bom bom)

because this week is Navidad, my email is going to be a little different. all i want to do is share my thoughts, feelings, and love for my Savior. that is, after all, what Christmas is all about.

Yesterday we had the Conferencia de Navidad with all of the 8 zones in Cochabamba and Presidente/Hermana Hansen. It was wonderful and it touched my heart. So many songs, videos, and testimonies were shared about Christ. Hermana Roberts sang Mary Did You Know, which has always been one of my favorites. A group of about 20 latinos sang a song completely in English and there wasnt a single accent. It was powerful. i dont know why but when people strive to speak another language while speaking about Christ, i can feel the Spirit so strongly. hopefully thats how the Bolivians feel about me. :)

at one point we watched a video by the piano guys of Christ. i found myself watching Christ´s hands. they were big, and strong. and yet they were also gentle. they were constantly loving others. constantly serving others. and most importantly constantly LIFTING others. we all have moments when we´ll fall in life but no matter what trial were going through or what mistake weve made Christ is always there to physically, emotionally, and spiritually lift us back up. sometimes it is difficult to change because were humans, but through the Atonement and especially His grace we can. we can trust Him. we can trust His hands. like the Cristo on the montaña in Cochabamba, His hands are always open to recieve us. i love His hands. we can learn who a person really is by watching and studying their hands. there are stories and eternal lessons to be learned from the hands of our Savior.

now is my time to be the Savior´s hands. its my time to love others. its my turn to serve those in need. its my turn to physcially lift the people who have fallen. to lift my brothers and sisters. to wipe away their tears, to give them a loving embrace, and to lead them by the hand to their Father above (& the pila bautismal ;) there are so many people here who need God´s help. He isnt physically here to help them, but i am. His name physically written on my heart everyday and it is my responsibility, my blessing, to help them. this is my time to give my gratitude to my Lord and all He has given me by giving my all to His work.

it´s a tradition of Christmas to give gifts. but let us all remember that the greatest gift that was ever and can ever be given was when the Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be born. i absolutely love the quote (forgot to write his name, but an authority of the church., from Jesus Christ, Key to the Plan of Slavation, 1991, 16). This elder states "Here was Jesus- a member of the Godhead, the Firstborn of the Father, the Creator, Jehovah, of the Old Testament- now leaving His divine and holy station, divesting Himself of all that glory and majesty and entering the body of a tiny infant; helpless, completely dependent on His mother and earthly father. That He should not come to the finest of earthly palaces and be showered with jewels but should come to a lowly stable is astonishing. Little wonder that the angel should say to Nephi, "Behold, the condescension of God!"¨

i abosolutely love that. the One who deserves all the glory, all the adoration.. yet he was born into the most humble circumstance. He CHOSE to come to a manger. not once did He look for the glory. He knew His purpose. He knew He was sent to do the Father´s will. i cant imagine how the inkeeper must have felt after he realized he rejected the Son of God.

 i love in one of the videos of Christ´s birth when it shows one of the wise men when he sees the New Star and gets tears in his eyes. every time that touches my heart. you can just see the pure love he has for the Savior written on his face. the wise men rushed to the Savior. im rushing to the people here to bring them the same "glad tidings". im "sent unto (the bolivians) to declare it unto (them) also, that (THEY) might have glad tidings." (helaman 13:7). it is possible that we ALL can have these glad tidings, this testimony, this knowledge. there is no greater joy than the fact the Savior came into the world to give us all the oportunity to return and live with our Father in Heaven one day. there is no greater gift we have been given, and there is no greater gift that you&i can give than to love God´s children.

presidente hansen gave us the idea to visit everyone possible, and say, "hello. were representatives of Jesus Christ. wed like to pass into your home to read together from the Bible of Christ´s birth. can we take just 15 minutes of our time to remember Christ together this Christmas?" and then to read from lucas 2 and mateo 2. and after weve read together, to bear our testimonies of Christ. to testify we KNOW He was born, and that He is our Savior. and then when they agree to let us return, we will be able to share the message of His Restored Gospel. i am so excited to do this. it is all i want to do this week. i remember how strongly my heart was beating. it wasnt fast. it was slow. but it felt like it would beat out of my chest. and the desire to share my testimony of the Savior to literally anyone and everyone.

some missionaries dont want to work during Christmas, or they miss their families. not me (I). (dont worry family, i love you DEARLY). but in my opinion, a christmas without Christ is more heartbreaking. a christmas empty of His love is a sadder thought. this is most likely my only opportunity to be a missionary during the Christmas season. i plan on taking advantage of it. it is my desire to bring the true spirit of Christmas, the love of Christ, to the people here in Bolivia.

there was a video shared of photos of Christ to the hymn I Know That My Redeemer Lives. i have always loved this song. when the fourth verse began, i got GOOSEBUMPS. in the video, there was a picture of the angel rolling away the stone from where Christ´s body lay. let me add my testimony to the words of (one of) my favorite hymn(s) that i KNOW my Savior lives. i KNOW that He came to earth, was crucified, and was resurrected. the video finished with my favorite picture of Christ holding a Child in His arms. just like that child, we too can be spiritually held in His arms.

i love my Savior. my Lord, my Redeemer. He has so many names. He has so many roles. but He only had ONE mission, a mission that He worthily fulfilled. part of that mission was to "save His people from their sins," (Matt 1:21) ,that the "world through Him might be saved" (John 3:17), to "fulfill all righteousness" (Matt 3:15), to "save that which was lost" (Matt 18:11), to heal the broken hearted" (Luke 4:18), to "preach", and that "all be made alive" through Him (1 Cor 15:22). mas de todo, John 6:38 tells us why He came to Earth to be born in a manger. "For I came down from Heaven not to do my will, but the will of Him that sent me."

 He fulfilled the Father´s mission because He LOVES us. one of my favorite scriptures i found that can easily be applied to Christmas is 1 John 4:9-11. By sending us His Son, Heavenly Father literally was sending, showing, and giving each of us His love.

 there is no greater feeling than the love of God. the moments in my life that I have felt close to Him, that I have felt His pure and endless love, I am unable to ever forget. one day ill make a journal of all of those moments. to share a few that ive recently felt:
1. whenever i share the first vision of joseph smith to an investigator or MA. The Restoration truly is a sign of God´s children in these last days.
2. whenever i sing hymns, especially "que asombro es" (forgot what its called in english). the spirit always speaks to me when i praise His name.
3. whenever i get down on my knees, bow my head, and pray to my Father. i know He listens, because He loves me.
4. reading the Book of Mormon. an experience i had this week was reading the intro to the BOM, when it says simply that the BOM is published in many different languages today. it hit me HARD, the example that is of God´s love for us. the ability for more of His children to have His word, His Gospel, preached in their own language.. its incredible. its incredible that im able to preach His Gospel, literally translated to "good news", in Español.
5. last but not least, newborn babies (Hna Celeste had her baby). they are so innocent, so fragile. the love that Heavenly Father has for us to allow us to come to earth, recieve a body, learn, grow, experience heartaches, all to return to Him, is incredible.

but let us always remember, and especially this week, the birth of our Savior. let us remember this gift of love for each one of us the Father has given. I know that He knows and loves us individually. His love is perfect, eternal, and too great to understand it. but I testify that it is always here for us to feel. He is always here for us. He will never abandon us. if we are going through a trial, it is because He loves us. He is here to help us grow. if we are broken hearted, He has the power to heal us. He has the power to do any miracle if we put our faith in Him. while He was here He performed many miracles. but let us remember He is an Eternal God, never changing. there are miracles He is performing today. i see miracles every day as i am an extension of His hands, "His loving Hands" (song from Come unto Christ) here in Bolivia. i can feel His love so much stronger as i serve and love those around me, and I know that we all can. let us reach out to those in need. let us recognize the light of Christ we all have in us and "do some good". let us forget ourselves and remember those around us. let us love (1 John 4:7) and remember why (1 John 4:7). <3

i love my Lord. I love my God. I love this oportunity to be here, where I am, in Bolivia. ESPECIALLY now.

Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, are real. They live. They love us.

It is my prayer that we can all remember and renew our knowledge/testimonies of Him this Christmas. <3

May the Lord and His love be with you, and all of your loved ones.

I send my love as well. <3

con un corazon sincero y lleno de amor,
Hermana Wilson.

scriptures
Psalms 144:2
Exodus 15:2
Joel 2:32 & Acts 2:21
 Helaman 14:8
Luke 1:46-55 (testimony of Mary; dont mistake her for being prideful in verse 48, remember her humility in verse 28-29).
Luke 2:10-14
DyC 76:40-42
Hymn 195
DyC 45:3-5

bonus assignment... send me your own testimony of Christ, and scriptures testifying of Him.

--
Hermana Wilson
 every missionary got a stocking from mr and mrs clause :)

hna roberts and i, she has a beautiful face AND voice

 hna cicotte loves me, truly. she brought the sick hermana toilet paper when she had none left on dia de reposo hahaha

im taller than hna gonzalez! whaaat

 I LOVE HERMANA CRUZ (mi tiacita)

and my zone, some of them


Monday, December 14, 2015

Wishbones & broken bones

shoutout to jen gauger for emailing me. im happy to share the love of Bolivia with someone who knows what a wonderful place this is. <3 keep your head up, and believe in good things to come. :)

nonimportants
limòn here could mean either lime or lemon, theres only one word. lemons are "sweet" (they like their ensalada SOUR lemetellya)
im at that point to dye my hair and sking to stop the gringa comments
lunch pensionista looks a TON like ashlee limary, but definitely doesnt act like her
if you have to get a shot in Bolivia, prepare yourself... its not in the arm. its lower...
they have "robots" in peru, that look like people but dont talk. you can hire them to cook, clean, watch your kids, etc. all controlled with a remote
cat meat is more rough than chicken,  and doesnt taste good
a lot of people just boil the jello you buy in the tiendas here and drink it like juice. it tastes like pure sugar. kool aid on steroids?
right before 7:25 el Cristo has a green glow

funny moments
"vamos a dar HUASKA!" -LZ "pero con AMOR!"- hna silvano y yo at the SAME time, "wow. tan unidad" -elder aguilar
"jellogelatinaFLAN!" -lady screaming in the cancha, family ill immitate it for you during skype haha
when my comp left me , of all people to find me, the bishop walked up next to me. i was grateful he was there.
"ustedes conquistan todos los hombres con sus cabello, no? tan larga, tan bonita" -nuestra capacitadora. hm
reaction de Hna Daniela when she saw me in pants. haha.
"ah, sabia que estaba llorando porque me voy a mi casa esta semana.." e aguilar "por supuesto.. no te vayas!"
telling hna silvano my will/things to tell people if i died during the night
&the funniest of all... only a whisper..
"theres hermanas in the offices!"

importants, the blessings
the family situation of hna silvano was cleared up, and all is well. super happy for her, and super happy our prayers were answered.
the smell of the fruitstand we pass is literally HEAVEN
i learned how to make mayonese (2 huevos, half a cucumber peeled, two drops of mustard, a pinch of salt, and probably too much oil, blended).
hna miriam gave me mate de manzanita to heat up and breath under a sabana. u got a gripe hard core this week, its trying to kill me. man oh man, that manzanita helped me. i could breathe. so grateful. shes my angel.
the zone leaders had an interview with us tuesday, to help give us animo after hearing our area will close if theres no progress and see how they can help us, etc. super grateful to have leaders who care about the work.
we had cucumber for lunch wednesday. first vegetableish aqui.
i prayed for protection one night. Heavenly Father heard my prayers, and literally sent us His angels. <3
hna miriam accompanied us to visit hna daniela. she wants to help us. she even let hna daniela have her gen. conf liahona. angel, lemetellya.
hna miriam gave us chocolate cake and mormon cafè for dinner. bless her heart.
hna silvano and i left the zone meeting bc my health wasnt having it. i started crying. hna silvano fetched elder aguilar, one of our zone leaders. only for a moment was i upset she told him i was crying, but he told me about the same experiences im having hes been through and helped me out a lot. super grateful for him & his consuelo/consejo.
i got a package from aunt deanna! idk what its for but im saving it for christmas. thank you!!! :) i love you!!!!!
i have quality friends and people i love in the zone. i didnt think itd ever feel like a family here, but four weeks into cambios and ive been proved wrong. super grateful.
we got a christmas DVD with three awesome messages. i hope we are able to share it with LOTS of peopel.
hna silvano asked me for help in one of the lessons we were in this week. super grateful she had the humility and confidence to reach out to me, and super grateful the spirit guided me in my response.
we have AGUA! (to drink). we carried it down the mountain to our house, a tank in each of our arms, but hey. definitely worth it.
there were stars two nights ago. and a sunset last night. first time.
hna silvano recieved her sustento yesterday, the first time shes had money since being here. super grateful.
the zone leaders came to our consejo de barrio yesterday and it was the most powerful, proactive, overal best consejo ive been in. we were bold but we had the spirit with us and i hope it changes things.
the bishop has SO MUCH love for this ward. hes such an incredible man. he is full of the Spirit. being in his presence is humbling.
we talked with hna monica, our pensionista, yesterday and she told us more of her story, and we now have a decent relationship. super grateful.
hna virginia (MA) and hna celeste (I) came to church with their families. we had TWO ROWS of people in the chapel. only one assistencia for numbers, but hey. proof numbers are NOT everything. i almost cried when i saw them arrive i was so happy.
the bishop said that hna pastora can feel a very special spirit when we visit her. she is a grumpy old lady that has a very strong personality but im grateful she does love us and its always amazing to see the glimmer in her eyes even if its just for a moment when were with her and teaching her and serving her. i love her.
a couple of nights this week, hna silvano and i fell asleep laughing. feels so good to end the night on a good note /unity.
i again, have mama claws for our MAs and I´s. i wont stand for people saying weshould give up on our MA´s, or talk bad about them. i love them, God loves them, and were GOING to help them.

highlights & miracles
we called hna virginia to confirm our noche de hogar, and she told us she was on her way to the funeral of her adopted mom. entonces, fuimos. super grateful for the impression to call and the ability to be there for her. shes hurting badly, but also grateful she came to church (first time in years) and is testing our promise that if she searches for God, He will take her in His arms and help her.
we found hna Rut, sola. she is a member, but practically inactive. we showed her a mormon message and she broke down with how strong the spirit was and opened up to us her problem shes facing with her spouse. super grateful we were able to find her alone, have her confidence to confide in us, and have the spirit with us helping us with every word.
we found hna daniela (menos activa) this week. we had been searching and calling and knocking her door for over a week every day, and finally we entered. she confided in us why she hasnt been coming to church, and im studying and praying as hard as i can to help her. hardest part is over, only uphill from here..
saturday night we came home. i collapsed on my bed, coughing and dying and whatnot. hna silvano came to me, told me to turn over, and massajed this creme into my neck/upper chest area. it helped. it was just a small moment, but i felt her love for me. i was so grateful for her. i was so grateful for her service, and her love, and her concern.

this week i finished reading the BOM. i prayed, following Moroni´s challenge, and once again recieved my answer, fulfilling the Lord´s promise. it was different than before but special. we always teach people how to recognize answers. my answer this time came in the form that we teach, a feeling of peace. i had no doubt in my mind or my heart about its truthfullness, and just complete peace. it was simple, but powerful. i know the Book of Mormon/Libro de Mormòn is the word of God. I have had so many wonderful and powerful experiences truly studying and pondering it and i look forward to all the further experiences ill have to strengthen my testimony. but this time....... in Español. <3 i know that as many times as we read el LDM, we will only come closer to God, concer Cristo mas, and be firmer in faith. i love this book with all my heart.

have a wonderful week!

scriptures
juan 12:46
alma 31:35
3nefi 13:14-15
eccl. 1:15-17 (thank you for this reference Ruth)
DyC 76:5
DyC 59:20-21 ***
&last but certainly not least, my new moto for frutillar, substitute for "mi querida compañera", : Moroni 9:6

--
Hermana Wilson

p.s. theres a lot of changes happening in this mission, theyll be in effect in january. one of the changes is that we no longer have a dinner pensionista, we will be cooking for ourselves. so... if you have suggestions for EASY, QUICK, SIMPLE, CHEAP and most importantly HEALTHY dinners, let me know!!! and also keep in mind... im in Bolivia, and my options are a tad bit limited. :) suggestions, por favor! <3

 the sky was BLACK during the storm, but the sun shone through and illuminated the buildings. LIGHT, (God´s love and Gospel) truly can penetrate any darkness

 first door on the right

this is my house. (the little thing on the bottom, the rest isnt.) 
miriam lives to the right 

 my little elephant leaf <3

 inspiring words

foto from last week, description of our relationship at times

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Lost Sheep

unimportants
ate llama the other day. not bad!
when hna silvano doesnt remind me of heather del nero, she reminds me of kat rivera
our lunch yesterday was a plate of rice, a plate of noodles, and a little chicken drumstick. yay for carbs.
no one here has real christmas trees, only fake ones. maybe the house we find with a real christmas tree will be a sign theyre ready to enter the baptism font. :)
its $100 US dollars for escuela here... public school is NOT free.. kids, stay in school :)
we  helped a cholita start her fire/set up her station. it was an awesome experience, and i officially have zero desires to eat in the calle. :) it doesnt matter how heavenly it smells, it is NOT clean..

funny moments
"soy gorda?" (to one of our investigators, rodrigo, age 10). "mm, un POQUITO nada mas." haha i love the honesty of children
"THINK GRINGA!"
our muscles hurting after i read the dictionary in spanish and hna silvano practices english... the languages use diff muscles.. we talked about finding a place for face massages haha.
"mi compañera es bonita, no?" (contacting methods round 4001)
"hay hombres en la capilla para ti." "y por mi compañera?" "no, no hay." -4 year old girl, sara

importants, bendiciones
i have officially found a place called Ellis and they have BBQ chicken pizza. its on my bucketlist
my wonderful mom sent me aloe vera, just in time. is it possible for eyes to be sunburned? it seemed like it. haha
our zone is going to have a christmas dinner together! we have two months worth of funds, so it will be not only a dinner, but a FEAST. yes. :)
i killed two mosquitos! kind of disgusting how much blood is now splattered on our ceiling but you should have seen our happy dances.. two steps closer to sleeping in peace
lesson of the zone leaders was awesome. basically, the message is if missionaries cant be obedient in only 2 years... theyre not going to magically be obedient and recieve the Lords blessings after the mission. the time were here is important in shaping what kind of servant of the lord were going to be for the rest of our lives. it was super good, and the spirit was super strong.
we found THREE menos activos in ONE day! what! miracles. Dios definitely wants his children to return. :)
Elder Aguilar dedicated our house (better late than never right?). ive never been in a house dedication, so it was an awesome experience. we four kneeled together, and he offered a prayer, and i could definitely feel Heavenly Father listening, and know that we will be protected and blessed in our HOME. its no longer just a house. :) i can sleep in peace now..
finished the obedience with exactitud brings miracles study program. it was awesome to read over all the miracles that have happened from being obedient these past three weeks (theres so much more than what i have time to put in these emails) and all ive learned. my final goal is to continue looking and thanking my Father for Hismiracles and mercies in my life. :)
bold in teaching Hno Mario. i taught simply, powerfully, to the point, and i spoke up. i could feel power that wasnt mine working through me. it was amazing.
seeing how excited hna silvano was to recieve a plato from perù. ( our pensionista is peruvian). its the little things. :)
lunch was ready yesterday on time, and we left before the hour. :) BLESSING.
i feel very strongly in helping the menos activos &hna pastora with their family history, to prepare names to take to the temple. hopefully we can go with hna pastora before navidad. :) how amazing would that be! theres no words.
our bishop and leaders are all telling President Hansen good things about us and our trabajo. :)
my legs are getting stronger and more powerful, its easier to climb these mountains everyday. (an idea of how high we climb, i had to pop my ears yesterday while walking ahah)
finding specific answers to questions i didnt even necessarily knew i had during my studies for both myself and people here in frutillar
Heavenly Father sent us the bishop saturday night when we were walking home fighting back tears. it definitely wasnt a coincidence. we were able to explain tot he bishop what was going on and how we felt and the ened for references, and he offered us his love and advice. tender mercy. <3


higlights
hna silvano recieving revelation to visit hna virginia vargas, MA. so we did. and we found her. <3 she shared with us an experience of how she had prayed to put her life in the lords hands, and then a day later the missionaries knocked her door. she said they were looking for someone else, but i said "no virginia. god sent them there for you. and here we are again." it was a powerful moment and testified to me that God never forgets his children, and that were here to help them return to His loving arms.
humbling experience studying idioma saturday morning. i realized how many mistakes ive been making with small things and i learned so much. i discovered my weaknesses so i can make and work towards goals to make them strengths. eter 12:27. i could also definitely feel the gift of tongues at its work.
yesterday, i almost had no head pain at ALL. the first time in THREE MONTHS. i dont know if anyone was fasting for me, but... if you were, thank you. it was such a tender mercy. i would definitely be the leper that returned to Christ if i had leprocy. <3
our lesson last night with hna rebeka. it was a hard week, ill be honest, but it was nice to end the week with a lesson, and a POWERFUL one at that. we finished 3 nefi 11 together and talked about the doctrine of christ and repentance. the spirit was definitely the one guiding the lesson, not us. and she voiced her concerns to us! we were able to help answer her questions, help jher with her doubts, and help her progress in her faith. i could see a change in her eyes. i cant describe the feeling that was there, but it was definitely sacred and i definitely wont forget it any time soon.

updates....
1. MRI came back, and thank you for your prayers. <3 i have no parasites crawling around my head or tumors. so thats a plus. :) i have migraines no mas, and the doctor gave me some medicine that seems to be helping.

2. we have been told that if we dont have progress in our area before cambios, our area will be closed. it was heartbreaking to say the least. this area is duro, but we dont want it to close. we want to be here. we want to teach. we want to serve. we want the ward to help us. hopefully we can.

have a wonderful week, and remember what this month is all about!
hna wilson.

scriptures
1 cor 13:3 give your love, not your money
DyC 101:13-16
moroni 7:27-29 &37.. OPEN YOUR EYES
1 nefi 7:12 REMEBER

&a little scripture for this cozy time of the year... ecclesiastes 4:11 <3

--
Hermana Wilson
 our mission leader took us to dinner because hes going to santa cruz to get operated on. a farewell correlacion. elder steusser didnt make it into the foto

outside of the pensions home waiting for lunch

 for my sister. i found harry potter floating stairs in bolivia. :)

i love the gazibos in the parks, this is the one in pueblito, one of my favorites

my compañera is a genius, and i love her. :) hahahahha

that moment when you find a family sized chiqitos bag....

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Time isn't real

in two days ill have six months, a third of the mission completed... someone stop time, please? :(

non important things
all i want for christmas is hand written letters. :)
ive decided hna silvano reminds me 80% of the time of heather del nero. which is great, because i miss you!
cambios are now dec. 27, so hna silvano and i will be together for navidad. :) were excited, and itll be super great to meet each others families since weve been through this adventure together from day one!

funny moments
"dijo con AMOR, no sexy!" hna silvano
"i can just see you at girls camp" hna cicotte (had my hair in a bun with my bandana about to wash my face. apparently its a natural look for me ;)
apparently there was really loud thunder one night.. we didnt hear it. the lady of the house thought we were kidding.

cosas importantes (bendiciones)
we had LESSONS this week
hno jose prayed! hes very shy and doesnt say much but he prayed and it was sincere. i hope he progresses.
wrote a letter to hna silvanos family and sent a picture of us. her family is going through a lot right now, and i hope my letter helps them feel better
hna silvano carried my watermelon up a huge hill. arrrrrrrriba.
we recieved water to drink this week! better than having to buy water bottles everyday.
felt hna silvanos love wednesday. she has a different way of showing her love, thats for sure, but i know she loves me. it was a day i needed love, and i felt it, so it was a blessing.
had thanksgiving dinner and pie. :) chicken, mashed potatos, carrots and peas. it was SO GOOD.
conference with elder godoy was amazing. i learned a lot and recieved mas animo para trabajar. :)
hna godoy did an activity. we wrote everything that has been revealed/recieved revelation for since the time of joseph smith (family, temple, baptism, etc etc). SO many things. then she asked for experiences from us with one of those things (which was interesting, almost everyone shared about family&the temple). then she erased it, all of it, and asked how we felt. it really did make me sad. then she said that this is how everyone we pass on the street is. they dont know. they dont have our experiences and joy. time to share! supèr poweful.
hna hansen talked about the lost son, and how the father RAN to him, because he didnt want his son to have to walk alone... so powerful. i love her talks, always. :)
hna callata gave me a hot water pack thermal, not sure what to call it, when my stomache hurt like something else.
i did the challenge from president hansen to offer a prayer of just thanks. after my personal nightly prayer of thanks, i layed in bed. i was in pain and wasnt tired at all. but for the next hour i lay there holding the water pouch to my belly just counting and pondering about all of my blessings. it was a powerful experience :)
hna callata said that the way i taught the first vision was powerful . :) made me happy. it was funny bc i had wanted her to teach it to see how i could better my teachings, but she wanted me to do it and lo hico.
at the end of intercambios hna callata said that i have a special spirit, and that she could truly see my love for the Lord in how i was always serving others and how badly i wanted to work even through my pain. she said i understood what elder godoy said perfectly, that this is the time to love the lord and only the lord, no one else. made me happy she could see that in me. :)
i had a slight stomache pain attack, but it was when we were in the house of hna cicotte, so i was able to use her bathroom and lay on her cold marble floor. huge blessing and perfect timing.
our neighbors let us have some of their water when we had been out for two days. we carried the water in buckets and were able to shower the next day . :)
hna daniela  (ma) and hna rebeka/cecilia (i) were scared when hna watt was there, thinkin gi had been transfered early. i was surprised they were so sad, they love me. :)
we have a new cell phone! no more standing onthe wall in the backyard for signal haha
we have a pension for almuerzo and hna mirian (de nuestra casa) is going to be our pensionista for cena! whoO"! (we no longer have our other one, and if we didnt find one, we would have to pension with the zone leaders, a half huor walk one way four timkes a day.).
we have numbers this weeek!!! the only zeros were fecha bautismal and baptisms&confirmaciones. super happy. :) poco a poco were progressing.
hna callata shared her experiences about sucre, and how there was no numbers or progress, and how she even had to train there, but with time she ended up having FIVE baptisms. hope for frutillar!!
LOTS of members came and greeted our investigadores, hna sandra and hno jose. it touched my heart and i wanted to cry, they were SO welcoming.
hno mamani, our mission leader, took hno jose to church. hes on crutches and wouldnt have been able to make it without a car.
we got lots of service yesterday. hno mamani picking up jose, hna mirian cleaning our bathroom, the zone leaders fixing our toilet, etc etc. the lord is sending us angels constantly. :)

milagros&highlights
hno mario. hes 80 years old and the cutest old man. he reminds me a lot of my grandpa fletcher. everytime we come, he gets so excited, and he tells all his neighbors... come! the misioneras are here! were going to listen to the word of god! his angels are here! alelujah! :) it warms my heart. hno jose and hna sandra were his references.
in intercambios, i was in a trio with hna callata (capacitadora) and hna cicotte (her comp went home for eight days to defend her college thesis). i was there when hna cicotte needed me, well just say that. she had a problem in the past, and its returned, but she hadnt told me... we found out it was stil going on, and i was there to comfort her and give her love. we talked about how to help her and have goals. it was a miracle of gods timing.
biggest miracle... last week i wrote about hno abraham, being golden. well he talked to his pastor and he said hes not allowed to talk to anyone from another religion or visit their church (a little sketchy dontcha think). when we saw him this week he was asking LOTS of questions, trying to prove me wrong. hna silvano was on the phone so i was alone to answer them. but the spirit was helping me with every word and it was amazing to feel myself be the literal filter of the spirit /heavenly father. every question i responded with power. im truly just an instrument in the lords hands. it strengthened my faith a ton. :)

i hope you all have a great week! :)

1 timothy 1:5 (Read in spanish if you can, its better.&diffrent)
moroni 7:8 eternal reality of the atonement
1 sam 16:7 <3

--
Hermana Wilson

ps - thank you sister grish and sister stanley for your prayers. you are both incredible, incredible women who have blessed my life so much.

pss - thank you for your love. <3 a sincere thank you for everyone praying for me. when i heard that, my eyes got tears. im so blessed to have so many people who love me. thank you so much. <3 thank you isnt enough to express how i feel, but language has barriers even in my own.

SHOUTOUT  to my grandpa for continuing to be one of, if not the most amazing and inspirational man i know, even though hes older than all of the general authorities. I LOVE YOU. you're an inspiration to all.


 have you ever laid eyes on anything so beautiful?

navtivity scene at the temple. :) theres also a star

 im whiter than the temple

hna callata, hna silvano, hna wilson, hna cicotte, hna watt

we got whistles taking this one haha

ill always remember the moment we got reunited after intercambios.  :)
such a tender moment. i love my compañera, mi prima, con todo mi corazon

hna callata and i. she changed my life in just a day. :) i love her

not quite as dark outside. the lights were different

hna watt and i have the same name we figured out. i saw her pictures on her wall and she saw my pillow case with signatures (i hid my blanket.. still dont like people sleeping in my bed too much haha). she said "i felt so loved! all these people who wrote such nice things about me!" it was funny. she is super strong. shes the only member in her family but shes serving strong, despite all the people trying to tear her down

 my flash works in case you were wondering

we went to the ward talent show, and it was amazing. 
they let us borrow parts of their outfits after. :) nicest cholitas i ever did meet

our back table chef seated dining thanksgiving dinner. :)

they look sharp but if you squeeze these things, they explode!
its like my bubble wrap hobby on a tree! :) I LOVE BOLIVIA

hay mejores palabras aqui ;)

my favorite.. :)

 i was happy needless to say. funny part about my dress, hna hansen wanted me to put the feathers around my head to be more indian haha. i bought this dress in the grocery store

 speaking of DRESS, check it out... a modest wedding dress. :)
she sent this foto to a special person, but since i am sin novio, here it is for all the world to see

soy modelo, yo se. jaja

long story short, i walked home from the temple without shoes.
my comp thought it was the funniest thing ever :)

 my momma always wanted me to be a balerina...

my comp took this foto. im in love with it,
and this child. he was outside the internet tienda

 so getting an MRI is weird, esp in the mission. i could only wear this green thing and proselyting shoes haha super fashionable i know.  i couldnt wear my plaque, and i wasnt with my comp. my head was strapped in and the wall of the MRI was about a foot away from my face. it was all white except a gray line that ran down the middle of my nose view. it was like a car alarm with different tones and a sub woofer haha. i tried to stay awake bc of an epsiode i remembered from House, but dr chase wasnt there to tell me to stay awake so after a while i gave up and went to sleep

 after my MRI