To Bolivia & Beyond! : Gold dust

my heart &prayers are going out to the missionaries &their families from Ecuador. there was a 7.8 earthquake and more than 300 people died with cities absolutely destroyed. it breaks my heart but the power of prayer is real and can heal the broken heart.

SHOUT OUT to FILA!!! so awesome youre going to cape verde, youre going to do GREAT! :)

on a lighter note, random facts..
so theres dinosaur footprints in Bolivia, just in case you didnt know. theyre awesome. :) a cow with big horns charged me this week, but then stopped in its tracks. i wasnt scared, i just kept walking, and then realized i could have been all pierced and bloody in the street without a cellphone and hna marian that had no idea where we were haha. missioanries are definitely protected. :)

funny moments
"...despues" hna lopardo
"do you want to contact this dog?" hna lopardo "yeah, sure. si quiere." yo (meanqwhile, dog starts barking ferociously) "pucha. even the dogs dont want to listen to us." yo
"im happy your a member hna wilson. youd be SUPER hard to convert." e steuhsser in a zone meeting practice "jajaja yeah shes a stubborn one" e cribbs "yeah, but thats whhy im a missionary. i dont give up." yo
"woah, hermana, por favor...." e preslar
"buenas noches" la gente "MALAS!" hna gonzález y yo
"hna wilson, look at elder obregón" hna lopardo. i look, and hes snuggling with sergio like i was snuggling with hna lourdes around the log circle. "estan celosos no más." yo
"when i was baptized, i got called as nursery president. thats the trial of fire for a convert." hna andrea

blessings
i officially am a master at homemade pizza thanks to hna lopardo, and i shall be baking pizza with my family one day.
although both of our citas fijas fell through monday we were out working at 6 pm and i know that with time the blessings will come.
i taught hno israel & jose english / math (fractions, decimals, negatives, etc) and it made me feel useful &happy. i love teaching english (or teaching in general) and i love helping people. win win.
hna lopardo from the moment we left the house on tuesday was contacting everyone she saw. super happy for her ganas to work and it was a day full of contacting, which someday, willl be lessons.
we played an english game int he zone meeting. e preslar wrote a word on the board and we had to stand up once we ahd a scripture about that topic, and i had scriptures within seconds of each topic. made me happy :)
I GOT A LETTER FROM MY GRANDPA! :) i dont think i could have been more happy in that moment. thank you for your letter and testimony grandpa, and for your support. :) i love you!
we visited papito and found out how he had been suffering. we shared scriptures with him, sang hymns, and left him with brighter spriits and ganas to seguir adelante. super grateful we were inspired to visit him because we had no idea what had been going on.
my foot didnt hurt when we had to work 45 minutes to visit hna carla, and back when she "didnt have time for us", because there were more blockades and no trufis.
i visited a MA and in her prayer, she said "thank you for sending the missionaries, my day is always more beautiful when they come." it was so sincere and it made me feel like a guardian angel. <3
we had a lesson with hna jonovich and the familia varela. they said "i feel like God has led me to this point in my life", and "i feel like something big is about to hap`pen," and "i feel like something is missing, but i dont know what- theres just something more to life i feel, to my purpose." i think my heart burst out of my chest. hna jonovich cried testifying of the love i have for them and that if they continue listening to the missionaries their life and famil will be blessed more than they can imagine, etc. powerful moment. <3
elder obregon and elder macas brought us our food all the way from our pension when hna lopardo was sick and i couldnt leave her alone.
i had the patience to listen to una locita rant about her life and what was wrong. and at the end, the spirit threw words out of my mouth and heart at her and she blinked in amazement and began to tear up, thanking me for what i do, and the joy i walk around giving people, and the love i bring. it was an example to the elders and hna lopardo, and me, that if we listen and focus on how He feels about the people... thasts all that matters.
although all the members of consejo fell through, we did the service project at the duran family´s house (hna jonovich and hna gonzalez spending the nigh so i could go in divisions). AND, later that day, the entire family attended the primary activity and the n ext day at church, eduardo was there first hour and edwin third hour (posibly 2nd as well, not sure) in his SHIRT AND TIE. i wanted to cry i was so happy. im determined to help this family, and i know we can rescue them, it doesnt matter if the parents and abuela and ward dont believe its possible.
Presidente & Hna Jensen, (temple president) came to our ward. Hna Jensen recognized me for my hair haha. they gave awesome talks about how we never truly die and the blesings of the temple.
E obregón gave an AWESOME talk about the obra misional, his conversion story, and how we CAN share the gospel with everyone. how sharing the gospel isnt having a perfect knowledge, its having a desire to do it and being worthy so that the spirit can fill our mouths with the words the people need to hear.
the stake president gave an awesome third hour lesson to the ward about dia de reposo, something this area and all of cochabamba realmente needed to hear. its the best lesson ive ever heard and i think every single person left with ganas to be and do better.
hna marian went on divisions with me and we had awesome conversations. shes preparing to go on a mission although her parents dont want her to, and it was such an awesome experience helping her prepare. :) super uplifting and special experience.

miracles/highlights
the two oldest Durans going to church. :) first time in MONTHS. <3

friday, i prayed with all my heart the Lord would help me with my desires to work. i was able to find two members, one to leave and work with me, and one to stay in the house with hna lopardo (sick). later, the capacitadoras came so i could go to the lesson with the F. Varela. it was amazing to see the clear blessings of my prayers being answered and from my desires to be diligent. every single second of that day was spent studying, caring for hna lopardo, or teaching. it was an incredible day for me and it was fun to compare it to my studies in 1 nefi 16-17.

yesterday at church, in walked gold! hna suianny &her 11 year old daughter emily came to church, without invitation! shes from brazil, here studying, and has a member boyfriend from cuzco peru. he told her to go to church that was close to her house, and she did! and she liked church! and we have a FAMILY! to teach, convert, baptize, and bless their lives forever! its such a miracle and such a blessing and im so excited and amazed at this opportunity.

it breaks my heart when theres zeros in our weekly numbers, when members dont want to salir con nosotras, when people fall through on us, and when theres days without a single lesson. but when i contact my heart out, pray my heart out, walk my heart out, teach my heart out whenever i get the chance... i know the Lord is happy, im happy, and the spirit is with me. i love that the last chapters of first nefi im able to apply DIRECTLY to whats happening here in Tiquipaya and im so grateful im never alone in this work. i know that with hard work and faith anythings possible, and the blessings DO COME, even if they havent arrived yet.

my meditzar scripture for this week is 2 nefi 33:6. i love it. its short, simple, and powerful. it reminds me of when Pres Uchtdorf said this gospel is so simple a child can understand it, yet it takes a lifetime to learn it. my focus for this week is going to be on the simplicity of the gospel. &here is my simple testimony.

I know He lives. I know He loves me. I know He knows me. I know He has a plan for me. I know this is His Restored Church. &I know if we live His Gospel, we will be happy-with our families- in this life and for the next. I love Him, I love His Gospel, and I love His work here in Bolivia.

were going to the temple Wednesday and Zone Conference is Friday, what could be better?

love you & te cuidas,
Hermana Wilson

Mateo 10:40 dont reject the missionaries. :)

--
Hermana Wilson

hnito santiago and i. i lost everytime

i made her pancakes &a smile for her 15 months.

WHY DOES TIME GO SO FAST..

its official, i still hate cats. they only like MY bag, and MY scriptures, and MY hair... my comp says i must smell good

the cookies we found, that looked delicious, and tasted the opposite (with hna gonzález in intercambios)

when you find your name written in the curb like WonderWoman..

i just find this picture hilarious, the difference betwen lopardo & jonovich and hna gonzález & i

salteñas made (&eaten) by angels. :)

super soggy taco salad, made with love

no one liked the taco salad...
they now officially think north americans cant cook haha

they say if you spill your salteña, youre not a good kisser.... hahahhaa

things to love about this picture: hna gonzález fotobombing atras, socks e miller sent me, jonovich looking super attractive for service projects, and a bag full of mandarinas for 5 BS no más