Monday, May 30, 2016

To the heart

first things first,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LITTLE BROTHER CRAIG!!!!!!! craigy, craiginator, craigster, my favorite since day one... i cant believe how BIG youre getting but always remember youll always be my LITTLE brother and the angel of my life. <3 youre in my prayers!
( if youre reading this and see my little brother this week give him a huge hug and tell him i love him! )

randoms..
other shoutout to STEPHEN WELTON! thanks for keeping me in your prayers. :)
to the rest of you... i have 45 unread emails........ dont feel offended if i dont reply, ill try my best
we got locked out of the apartment last night, again...... two weeks in a row... :/
the mornings are officially freezing. i have sweats under my skirt, wool socks, a sweater, and a blanket during studies haha.
ahora no, but last week the moon was SO big and SO bright we literally could see during the night time, it was GORGEOUS. :)
people (investigators, menos actives, members, other missionaries) are literally starting to call me Rapunzel, my hair is getting super long again
i hit my one-year mark this week....... doesn´t feel real.
we dont have permission from president to visit chápisirca, or the other pueblos... its too far (4 hours one way) and the area wants us to focus on strengthen the wards (our ward alone has over 300 MA..) were in before we branch out to the hidden pueblos that havent been introduced yet... itd be too hard for them to attend church and progress. but one day...... <3

funny moments..
someone asked hna brady "did you have muscles before the mission?" "yes, why?" "because your arms are huge and they must have had muscle before, i dont think you can gain that much weight in the mission" hahaha
"COMPIE!!" -hna ururi. we were in a lesson, i got up to pick up a paper that fell, and my skirt was tucked into my waist band atras... que tiras...
"i cant imagine how cold they must be in potosi right now" -hna wilson "you better imagine it, because youre going there next!" -hna ururi
"feliz dia de la madre!" -hna wilson, to a nun walking by. she smiled and said thank you. hna ururi nudged me and said "NO ES MADRE!" hahahha. que mal.
"im going to send you chocolate, and youre going to send me leaves. yeah?" .hna wilson "you want my eyes?!" -hna ururi (ojos vs ojas)
"hermana... you distract me!" hno sergio @hna ururi. she had a bloody nose for an hour and a half and he kept staring at the TP in her nose
"BUENAS NACHOS!" hna amalia
"cell phone?" hna ururi "got it" hna wilson "keys?" hna jonovich "mala!" hna wilson (leaving their house and going back to tiquipaya to search for the dueña for the keys).

blessings
we entered the dangerous part of cancha with bloqueos and gunshots and nothing happened! we were protected and hna ururi has a camera now. i have a resting ..face, and i could finally let my face be normal without the people being upset.
we found music from ecuador, and i fell in love. its so calming and beautiful (instrumental only)
hna migue crespo read her LDM!!!!! and hna margarita!!!!! first time in three cambios here!!!!!
in the zone meeting this week, the topic was prayer &how we can improve our prayers / relationship with Heavenly Father. the spirit afterwards was so sweet and warm inside of my heart, it made me happy  and i know that its something we can all work on and become better. my prayers are definitely different now than before the mission.
hno fernando brought his daughter and her two friends to english classes. it was nice he supported us but im still deciding to stop teaching them, not enough people are coming and we can better use that time to visit families.
hna ururi has reading glasses now. i figured out she too needed glasses, after a YEAR... presidente thanked me for being in tune to my companions´ needs. its the first time anyone in the mission has needed reading glasses so i was able to help president & hna hansen figure out the system. its illegal to sell reading glasses without a doctors perscription.. walmart and dollar tree arent options here.
papito explained the importance of being a leader and loving the people. ill never forget the story he told us of when he was the bishop, someone knocked his door at midnight. he left his bed thinking it was just a drunk but it was a 6 yearold girl saying her parents were fighting.. he grabbed a coat and went with her to her house and separate the parents and helped the family be united again.
president hansen told me during interviews he is happy with me and the work im doing (which is as if the Lord was telling me), and that the light in my eyes is going to bring souls unto Him. <3 i felt the spirit powerfully, and trust in his promise.
the elders bought us roses from the cementary (its in their area) so that we could pass them out to the mothers we´re visiting. it was sweet seeing the smile of each and every one of them. :) like presidente jensen says, "everyday should be mothers day".
barrio flores (part of our area) is SO BEAUTIFUL. i fall in love everytime we enter. its filled with trees and birds singing in the trees. if i can live somewhere with trees and the stars above my head, im happy.
 i had an intercambio with hna jonovich this week and it was awesome. :) shes the ONLY gringa hat speaks in spanish with me and i love her for that. we had a good talk and she helped me realize the impact im having on the other hermanas and people of bolivia. for example.. she told  me her pensionista, the bishops wife, asked her earlier that week "that gringa with the rapunzel hair is coming saturday, isnt she?" "yes, why?" "she is so special, and she has so much love... i thought she was just sweet and loving to her compañera gordita (hna lopardo) but i was watching her in the women´s conference and she was the same with her compañera nueva (hna ururi).", etc. i had no idea that the members of other wards were watching me as well, but it touched my heart and opened my eyes a little bit to the impact i have on people. i learned a lot from hna jonovich and although we only had two lessons together they were powerful and led by the spirit.
elder macas wanted to call a member to cook us and bring us dinner when we were locked out and didnt have food but decided to keep the rule of not calling members after 9 pm. super grateful for leaders that are caring and dedicated to the work.

miracle & highlight of the week:
last saturday we had a movie night with the ward and julie brought her friend, Sein. he came to church the next day, and for 2/3 hour a stake member taught all about the spirit world and family history work. i was a little nervous because it was a deep lesson for someone´s first lesson (we hadnt taught him yet) but apparently, after church, he told julie he wanted to be baptized in the temple for his dad who had recently died. every day this week, he´s been going to early morning seminary. we had a lesson with him thursday, and felt we needed to start with the plan of salvation before the restoration. in the lesson we found out his dad had recently died. the spirit was so strong, and we invited him to be baptized and we put a fecha for the 18th of june. it was so special, because hno edwin duran (MA) is is friend &was also in the lesson with us... when we invited sein to be baptized, edwin was SO surprised but excited and pounded sein on the back and said "SI!" for him hahah. it was so special to see so much love for his friend. i was able to testify that in the same way sein wanted his father to be saved and enter the kingdom of God with him, edwin wanted sein to be saved. it reminded me of brad davis´s testimony during seminary senior year, when he testified he doesnt want to get to heaven and have his friends ask him why he never shared the gospel with them, and how he wants to have his friends there with him in God´s presence. the lesson was so powerful and i left with desires to teach the entire WORLD the plan of salvation, and help them come to know the truth as well. to have this hope and happiness that wasnt there before. its possible to be happy in life without ever knowing the Gospel but the happiness that comes with knowledge of the truth is overwhelming and makes you question how you could have ever thought you were happy before. im so grateful for this tender mercy of finding someone of ORO, and being able to help him unite his family for eternity.

i know this Church is true and i know that the Plan of Salvation is the perfect, true, and eternal plan of God the Father for His children.

con amor,
hermana wilson

ISAÍAS 53

--
Hermana Wilson

 i introduced hna ururi to Coke floats. :)


yay for grafiti of Bolivia 


 no thats not a litesaber, thats a sugar cane. :) (with margarita crespo)

ignore my face, but i love meri´s smile. :) 

  feliz dia de la madre!! :) 

stake conference! (L-R, Sien, Julie, Hna Brady, Lourdes, Hna Wilson, Hna Ururi)

 happy birthday jhalmar. :D 

pay attention to hna migue´s face, 
shes laughing harder than anyone ive ever seen... hahahah. :) 

Monday, May 23, 2016

MANANA

our slogan for the compañerismo ^^. not in the way of "well do it tomorrow" but in the sense of "tomorrow will be better", and staying positive.

which, i am. :) my companion is amazing and were working HARD, and it feels great. :)

randoms
its mandarina season! theyre cheap and when we visit, if were offered food, its a mandarina. :) theyre the size of oranges in the states but sweet. oranges here are actually smaller than the mandarinas.
speaking of... if you call a guy your mandarina, its saying that hes basically a pushover and that hell run to do whatever you want. not sure if its the same for guy -> girl.
yesterday we were locked out of our house bc we lost the keys. we ended up going to the capacitadoras house and got there are 10:25 (ouch). on the way there, hna ururi told me that shes been locked out (or locked in) to her house with every companion so far.... ahhaha
we found out there is a pueblo on the other side of the mountain that is still part of our area. i dont remember what its called but there isnt a single member there, and they speak quechua, and theres a bus that goes up monday and another on thursday, and they come down a different day.... were asking permission tomorrow if we can go up with members and contact every living creature so we can create a branch. :) WELL BE THE FIRST MISSIONARIES TO BRING THE GOSPEL TO THIS TRIBE! if it doesnt get approved, we have interviews with the president wednesday, and ill ask him in person. :)

funny moments
1 "so that the spirit can die in our homes" elder tatum. he meant to say "dwell". morir vs morar. :)
"pero sus ojos son GRANDOTES" hna mishel pakar (but his eyes are HUGE.) i had looked over and 2 she stabbed her finger right in the eye of a cat. hahaha
"what do you call the thing you put on my desk in the morning? chupetón?" yo
"hahahahha no. its called a chupete. chupetón is a hickie." hna ururi. yay for spanish errors.
3 "sergio was GORDITO (fat, chubby) as a little boy!" hna innocencia
"and now? what is he?" hna ururi y wilson
"hahahah! hes still fat." hna innocencia
"just with a little bit of chin hair now." hna wilson
4 "why are you drawing the spain flag?" hnito adriel a elder obregón. hahahah #perúpride
5 "to be honest, i never understood what the missionaries taught me. they were two gringos" hna geraldine, when i asked her about her conversion story
6 hna lourdes asked sergio what JAS (YSA, young single adults) was. he told her that it was for 18-20 years old. she said "oh, so i should be in that class then and go to the activities?" he laughed and said no, because she was already married. funny, but also sweet. :)

blessings & bendiciones

we had a ward NDH and the elders taught about how the house can be a home and the eternal family. e. obgregón said something that will stick with me forever, that the family is forever. if were fighting, were going to be fighting for ever. do we want that? if we dont, now is the time to get along and have love within the family because when we die thats how well continue to be.
hn innocencia found a magnify glass and she can now read the LDM by herself, without being reliant on her family members that "dont have time" to read to her. and she did! :) she read 2 nefi 2, didnt understand it, but we explained it to her and she was so happy to learn. :) its such a blessing to be an AGENT, not an object
WE OFFICIALLY HAVE A HOUSE! there was more stress and more not opening bank accounts but we officially have it all figured out and wont be homeless for the month of june forward. :)
contacting, we found hna angelica. she was super rude and closed in the beginning, making facial expressions and everything, but by the end of the conversation she could tell we were sincere and speaking the truth and she opened up to us and wants us to come back. she went from being angry to laughing with us at the end and confiding in us. she has lots of questions but im so excited for the challenge. :) the gospel has already began to change her.
i arrived to ward council with a good feeling in my heart. we had just had a powerful lesson with hno jhalmar about the mission and his potential as a priesthood power. the spirit was strong in my heart and we had an efficient ward council.
hna ururi left a lollipop (chupete) on my desk one morning with a note saying that we were going to have a day full of success and it would be sweet, like this lollipop. its the little things that mean the most. i still havent eaten the lollipop but the note is taped into my agenda. <3
we had a NDH with the familia crespo and painted rocks to put under the pillows to remind them to read the LDM. meri drew the temple on hers, and picked "families can be together forever" for the opening hymn :) it makes me happy that she and juan both have the desire to be sealed in the temple, the hard part will just getting them to follow through with that desire and read the LDM. it was a big rock, dont worry. :)
hna ururi is studying so hard to learn english! and in return im praying hard that she can. she took a whole day to study the part fo the test that she struggled with and earned a perfect score the next day, even with me as a hard grader. im proud of her :)
hna geraldine went on visits with us and was on time! even better, she has a powerful testimony and wants to go on a mission. :)
hearing and seeing adriel, santi, and lucas crespo laughing and playing together. one of the purest and best sounds of the world is children giggling.
i didnt vomit my lunch, i finished it all. it was the fried mystery meat dish again, and man.. me cuesta. the mountain of rice and papas helped overpower the taste.
hna lourdes had the humility to tell us that she really doesnt know anythign about the gospel bc shes been inactive for so long, and that its like teaching a child or person knowing the church for the first time, but that she really appreciates it and shes learning a lot and growing in her testimony. :)
hna margarita crespo wants to share the gospel with her friends and help them but doesnt know how. we talked to her about the Spirit helping her (dyc84:85) but that first she needs to be worthy and read/pray/go to church. hopefully this will help her be active, and bring others to the gospel as well. :)
we completed goals for the week!!!! not all of them, but for nuevos & retenciones (new and CR/MA) yes! :)

miracles &highlights

1 hna gutierrez taught the BEST lesson ive ever heard on family history work. he explained the spirit world & the need we have for them/ for us. he explained how if we were to die in that moment, wed go (hypothetically) to spirit paradise bc half an hour earlier we had taken the sacrament. how wed be so happy, and immediately start looking for our family. and how the barrier between spirit paradise&prison was a glass wall, and on the other side of that wall, we could see our ancestors, the ones we were looking for.. but that they were suffering, and they asked us why we didnt do their work for them, and that our shame would be eternal and that there would be nothing we could do to save them and bring them to our side to be happy and united. example number two was how we go to the temple so happy, and how our ancestors who never had the chance to accept or hear this gospel are praying wed do their work and take their name to the temple. how they too were excited when they knew we were going to the temple tuesday. how tuesday morning, they saw us getting ready and leaving for th temple, and stil praying wed take their name. and that when we didnt, that they STILL continue to pray- even if its weeks, months, and years. his lesson had a strong impact on me. life isnt the same without family, and NOW is the time to make the eternal family a reality. were the only ones who can save them.

2 in teaching the word of wisdom to hna lourdes, she had a couple of concerns. i shared with her DyC 19:16-17, and testified of the Atonement and Jesus Christ. how He shed tears of blood. she also was brought to tears, filled with the spirit. after the lesson, and walking home, the spirit was so strong in my heart. i came to the realization that when we truly do teach and testify of Christ, the spirit comes in a whole different way. it is more powerful and the people we teach will be able to more easily accept the teachings and feel of their truth. i understood better that i am here to testify of HIM, and of His Atoning Sacrifice. and that in doing so, i will be able to bring more souls until Him to be saved.

I know my Savior lives. I love Him. My heart and soul are filled with gratitude for His sacrifice, the sacrifice of the Father for sending Him, and this time I have to represent and testify of Him.

Hna Wilson

scriptures
alma 34: 31-32
dyc 45:3-5
1 cor 6:19-20. He paid for our bodies with the Atonement.

--
Hermana Wilson
2 AttachmentsVie

 with santiago crespo and his "panda". hes adorable and so is his perrito. :)

after one of the most painful&heartbreaking moments of the mission and a day full of letdowns, we decided to buy a pizza. what better way to cheer us up that eat pizza? no hay.

 the future eternal family. :) hna meri, juan, and lucas crespo

 i love meri. :) 
(in some ways, her personality reminds me of riley.
shoutout to my eternal best friend. <3 )

Monday, May 16, 2016

ME GUSTA BASTANTE

OH; MI COMPAÑERA (como dice hna ipanaqué haha).
HERMANA URURI IS AMAZING. i think i could be with her for the rest of the mission and be happy forever. (which wont happen, because this is my third cambio here.. boo). she is truly AMAZING. she is the answer to my prayers. she is super hardworking, for one. (contacts everyone, wants to work, excited to work, etc) she is super obedient, for two. (probably my first companion that has left the bed at 6:30 en punto and done her exercises) and shes super happy and positive for three! she literally ALWAYS has a smile on her face and she gives me a smile in return and were just so happy all day long every day. she reminds me of the latina version of hna brady haha. shes perfect. she has every single one of the christlike attributes. i feel like we could be best friends for eternity &so hopefully she doesnt end up hating me. :p i cant even describe how happy i am to be with her. she is helping me return to the missionary i can be, want to be, and what He wants of me. she inspires me. shes super strong. her parents arent members and she doesnt have very much family or support at all, but she is still a stud misionera and working full strong. :) she is from Tacna Perú, cono Sur. she has three brothers. she wants to learn how to play soccer. she has a flash of music with a speaker (YES). she is beautiful, inside and out and all around. :)

SHOUTOUT to mckenna and aunt deanna being famous!!!! hahahahah. ill never forget that, and neither will the rest of the world!!! :p interesting way to fame but hey, it works! ahha. :) i love you both!
david&alicia for being engaged! i wish you two the best!!
kyle tracy!! your wedding pictures are perfect! SO HAPPY FOR YOU TWO! :)

randoms.. just one.
tupisa means "pueblo pequeño, infierno grande" (little people/town, big hell) ahhaha. so great :)

funny moments
"theyre only mission ward Zion, and ward you-are-going-to-suffer". hna jonovich
hna ururi and i picked up the Toddy and pulled out a cookie at the same time. UNIDAD.
hna ururi contacted a cholita and asked if she wanted to learn more, and she said "NO." and walked away hahah
"hola! hola! hola! up here!" -hno octavio, our neighbor yelling from the 4th piso as we were walking... i could barely see him because of the sun

blessings!
when hna lopardo left i was at peace because i KNOW for a fact she is going to be okay, great in fact, in tupisa. she grew so much these past two cambios and i did too.
the familia crespo likes hna ururi! they werent mean to her, they accepted her. :)
hna meri and migeulina crespo shared their experiences about their baptism and how they knew the church was true. they dont open up completely very often, it was a tender moment. :)
we found nuevos! (new people to teach). it feels SO GOOD.
after doing lots of contacting, in just one day we had about 5 golden referrals for the elderes- all of them live in their area. BUT. God is merciful and the LZ called us with a reference of a family and we had an FHE with them saturday and it went great. :) super excited! familia luna.
theres a huge change in hno juan crespo! he wanted NOTHING to do with the church earlier... but one day, he read his LDM for HOURS, and told us he wants to be sealed in the temple with his wife and little boy, (they have a little girl named NATALIE on the way)... what?! miracles are happening. :)
reading the BOM out loud with hna ururi. she wants to learn english and she is super humble with the process and she repeats the words until she gets them right and it makes me so happy that she wants to learn, wants my help, and im determined to help her. :)
hna jonovich is probably the only gringa that speaks spanish with me, which makes me happy. :) we were in intercambios mas o menos because hna gonzález got two wisdom teeth pulled (without amnesia or pain killers, shes a stud).
when i was with hna jonovich, we were looking for the hnas de linde... we couldnt find them and they werent answering their phone. we were in a street looking at the options of which direction, hna jonovich looked at the tienda in the corner and said "bueno, tengo sed." (im thirsty). we went to the tienda, rang the doorbell, and the hnas de linde were in the tienda teaching a lesson! WHAT! it was so simple but powerful. that thirsty feeling wasnt from her, it was Him helping us find the hnas. promptings come in all forms! :)
we taught hna lourdes the gospel of JC and we applied every point directly to her and she shared her testimony on almost every point.. shes progressing so much and im so happy and proud of her. :) she told us she thinks shes pregnant!! she thinks its a girl! shes going to call it NATALIE ARACELI!!! :D
hna prima said she would be more than happy to be our pensionista in june! so grateful. shes the elder´s pensionisa, but were going to be eating at different hours and then in july once again we will be changing... itll be a race, if i can have more pensionistas or compañeras... i thinkk pensionistas are winning..
papito gave us a bag of milk, a bunch of bananas, bread, and mandarinas to go for our dinner/breakfast. he loves us so much and is truly an angel here on earth.
in our district meeting we talked about the diff missionary types and the types we want to be, and in the zone meeting we talked about how we were forordained to be missionaries and to be where we are. it was a good reminder and the spirit touched my heart.
i can officially compare lessons to futbol haha. how the eternal family is like a futbol team, and every member is important, and they all have a different role, and how we can supoprt each other, etc. futbol is the way to the heart of the people here in bolivia, que suerte que puedo jugar.
had strong stomache pains, but hna ururi heated up some water to put against my stomache and hna innoncencia fixed me mate. its a humbling and special experience to have people take care of you. im not used to it.
hno jaime, (hna lourde´s husband) came to church!! :) only for the first hour because he had a meeting afterwards, but hes trying to quit his job even though hes position #3 over the entire trufi line 106, because he wants to go to CHURCH! :) he wants to be BAPTIZED! :) theyre not letting him quit, because theyll lose a lot of money, but with prayers i know itll work out!

miracles and highlights
1 as stated above... my compañera. :) shes AMAZING, and an answer to my prayers.
2 im earning my pillow once again every night. :) i have peace and joy with the work were doing. im exhausted again at the end of the day! but its a good exhaustion, and i fall asleep with a smile.
3 the Church is changing how we pay for house &pension, instead of sending us money to our bank cards and we fill out a receipt with the people, theyre going to be sending money directly to the people. the problem is that not very many people have bank acounts. which is why we are changing to hna prima for the pension, bc hno jose doesnt have one and doesnt want to open one (hopefully he changes his mind so we can go back to him in july, if not the bishops wife hna lirio said she could). but the crazy part is our dueña (house owner). she said before she had a bank acount, but when we filled out the papers with her it was a bank account of a company- not personal, and we got a call saturday night saying we needed to find a new house by tuesday if she didnt want to open a person account. WHAT. a little stressful, to say the least, but with the 10,000 prayers (maybe just 9,999) we said from the bottom of our hearts, and the combined faith of us and our leaders and a few ward members, our dueña told us yesterday she changed her mind and shes going to open up an account. :) it was amazing to me, the miracle He blessed us with, and my faith grew incredibly.

i dont doubt for a second that we are His children. He loves us. He knows what is best for us. and He will help us, if we ask Him in faith "nothing doubting". <3

hermana wilson

escrituras
alma 34:31-32
alma 36:3
dyc 31:5
nefi 19:6
juan 10:17-18

meditar for this week: DyC 19:16-17.

--
Hermana Wilson

 picking up hna ururi from the airport. :)

home sweet home!

  this picture makes me laugh, e obregon wasnt trying to pose but hna ingrid took the picture early and thats what it looks like

e. tatum photobombing our PIL french toast picture

 matching PIL aprons with papito

my beautiful compañera with our beautiful french toast & icecream <3 

 noche misional! 

hno jaime´s first of many days at church <3 (hna wilson, hna ururi, julie (hermana), lourdes, jaime)

our last day together and we found a yellow bug, FINALLY, after trying for 2 cambios of taking a picture of one driving! SUCCESS! (i taught her the game bryce and i play).

saying goodbye to the familia crespo (rosemeri, hna wilson, hna lopardo, adriel, miguelina, jhalmar, juan, lucas in front)

 saying goodbye to the familia varela (hna wilson, who looks like a giant, abril, hna lopardo, carol, jose- nuestro pensionista)

saying goodbye to the familia manzaneda-vidaurre, (hna lopardo, lourdes, jaime, hna wilson&julie- lourde´s sister, in front)

 hugs goodbye (literally)

@breakfast with papito, we made goodbye panqueques

GUESS WHO I FOUND IN THE AIRPORT!? hna silvano. <3 i tried taking a picture with all of my 7 compañeras in luigis on pday, but hna silvanos comp didnt want to go.... but luckily bc she too is being shipped off to tupisa, i found her in the airport. :) love this woman &i think this picture is one of the most perfect fotos ive taken in the mission. <3 it was a tender mercy for us both. :)

hasta luego hna lopardo, hna beltran ( mi hermanita) & hna silvano! te amo!

 i truly am going to miss this mujer. 
shes grown to be such an important person to me and ill never forget her. <3

hand hugging goodbye papito

 she found a banana ice cream, with the peel and all. <3

not sure if ive sent this, but this is the familia vidaurre complete. :) 

 saying goodbye to one of the best elders ive met, elder preslar! such a great example to the entire mission, dont be surprised if hes  a future aposto

 foto from the NDH we had with hno jaima &the candles i described last week. one of the most memorable and powerful nights of the mission for me. i have such love for these people and this work. <3 

  SO PROUD of this woman. <3

you wont understand the importance of this picture, but we do. <3

Monday, May 9, 2016

FAMILIA

AMO A MI FAMILIA. I LOVE MY FAMILY. theyre my number one support system and always included in my prayers. it was such a huge blessing to skype with you all yesterday, you all look GREAT, and i love you with all of my heart!!! thank you for being happy to see me and always encouraging me to be better. <3 until Christmas! bwaha..

randoms..
if you tell hermana lopardo theres a spider, and then secretly touch her arm or neck, she will JUMP like ive never seen. :)
saw a cholita walking and breasfeeding at the same time. that takes talent.
bolivians are ready to play futbol at any moment, any time, any place.
idk how itll work with Idaho and the snow but i am seriously wanting a moto more and more...

CAMBIOS! duh duh duhhhhh dice la Croods..
hna lopardo: is going to TUPISA! look it up on Google, its awesome and the bolivia version of St George but a lot poorer, and without internet.
e obregon: is going to be with e tatum! he was in sacaba with me and is just a living ball of energy haha.
hna cicotte: is going to potosi! hah, shes going to freeze.
hna ipanaqué: is training AGAIN! her 2 1/2 hijita!! i have two little sisters now! whoo! :)
y....hna wilson: im staying here and hna uriri (i think thats how you spell it) is going to be my companion, shes from perú. whoo!! :)
my ZONE! is CLOSING! syd must have jinxed it yesterday in skype. theyre combining zona cobija with zona tiquipaya, and were just going to be cobjia (closed the LZ area). which is crazy, and means our zone is HUGE now, and also that hna brady is in my zone again! whoo! :)

funny moments
"the cholita doesnt have shame of anything" h lopardo
"odia la sopa (i hate the soup). odia la S, la O, la P, a A" hna lopardo
when i wanted to know how to say lisp in spanish, and asked my comp "how you say when people talk like this" and she said "spaniards"
"you have nails super long!" "no, i cut them!" yo "but you cut me to the bone!" h lopardo
"do you have diarrea?" "yes" "i knew it. you always make that face when you have diarreah."
"papito my hand!" yo ("cut" myself cutting bread) "para que sea real!" papito (pointed the knife at my hand)
"yeah, im ina  trio with the hermanas now.." e obregón (the member left him alone, and he walked to the capilla, and if hno omar hadnt been there he would have been alone with us. thank you omar!!!

blessings:
hna lopardo was crying, and e preslar gave us part of his Crunch bar (gold). it was his way of trying to cheer her up but not exactly knowing how being an elder haha. hes great.
last p day we went up the cristo in the little yellow ski lift things! which NEVER is possible bc its never open monday but it was "frozen", no work, and so it was open! luckiest missionaries in the mission! bwaha.
i recieved a MOUNTAIN of packages! thank you family and thank you hna cruz and thank you BUDGE FAMILY!!!! i loved your letters and my companion and i loved your easter candy and its great to hear from you!! i love you ALL!! budge family, thank you for being like a second family to me. :)
when hna lopardo was teaching hna abril (I) math, i used the time to study PME & my svriptures. it felt good to use my time wisely and i know its because He was happy with me for my choice of agency.
H Lopardo said i am her favorite companion, and that she has learned the most from me, and that shes going to miss me. it touched my heart and i can say the same in the fact that ive learned the most from her. i will definitely be keeping in contact with her forever.
hna brady opened up to me on what was going on. i had no idea what advice to give her but i listened and i think thats the best thing anyone can do for someone in that situation. just love and listen and be there for them.
my mom wrote me a card and stuck a picture of us inside, super awesome surprise but brought a tear to my eye! i have the best mom in the world and she continues to love and teach me everyday.
hno juan crespo told us they were moving that afternoon to tarija, (its far). w went to their house and i teared up thinking it was the last time i would see them. its not fair for the people to leave all of a sudden without notice, only missionaries can do that! it turned out to be a joke(not funny) but it showed the family and myself that i truly to love them a lot.
hna meri crespo is going to name her hijita after me... thatll be TWO babies of people im teaching with my name. :) well see how many more i can inherit. ;)
we taught hna carla and followed our promptings to read the BOM with her, and she was happy and talking and didnt make excuses when we asked when we could visit her again. YES!
i put my new foot inserts into my shoes and i no longer am getting ingrown toenails! bwaha. i wont describe what the inserts looked(or smelled) like but mom.... thank you for sending me new foot inserts, they were needed. :)
we read the BOM with hna lourdes because she hadnt read bc she would come home from work exhausted and go right to bed... and at the end we asked her how she felt and she said "i want to read more!" it was so sweet and so tender and i know that she is going to be more dilligent in reading because she now has a stronger testimony.
hna lopardo has glasses now!!! she broke them in the CCM and hadnt told a single person until me, and i may or may not have mentioned it to president, and he helped her have the money to get glasses. she was grateful for the help she recieved and hopefully now she wont have so many headaches. she also likes her glasses, which is a good thing. :) shes a cute little bumbleebee. :)
hna lopardo bought herself, me, and the elders keychains. theyre animals and they have flashlights in them. i have a blue seahorse and it sounds like a wolf whistle when you push the button :)
Dios contested my prayer and hno jose wasnt angry when we couldnt help him get money. its a rule that missionaries cant lend money and i prayed hed understand and not give us a hard time.. he didnt! he instead THANKED us for wanting to help him but UNDERSTOOD that we couldnt. God truly can (&does) change hearts.
papito  is now a temple worker (did i mention that he used to be the patriarch? maybe that explains why i feeel like he can see my soul. and that he truly knows how i am and was before this life. one day ill have the answers). he now has a happiness and light in him that he didnt have before. hes alone, but being int he temple three days a week is really helping him feel useful and have a purpose. :)
h lopardo planned for next week with me even though she isnt going to be here
hno santiago crespo (hijo de margod) was super cute saturday night, he was running and giggling and telling his mom he loved her. hes been a little  punk lately and it was cute to see him express his love for margod. she needs it.
hna margod went to church! our huaska worked. :) the night before we flat out asked her alma 5:19-20, how shed feel satnding in front of God when she isnt going to church or staying the 3 hours. she went! didnt stay all 3 hours but she took the sacrameent and thats a start. :)
seeing the smiles of hna lopardo and elder obregón skyping with their families... families are truly SUCH a blessing. there was pure joy in their faces and i can only imagine what mine must have been.
obdience. i know that if i am tryin my best to be obedient, even if others arent... i will be happy. i will have the spirit with me. and that my Father in Heaven is pleased with me. i cant control what goes on around me but i can control myself and that can bring me happiness in a crazy world.

highlights...
1 talking with my family over skype, but ya sabe. <3
2 i am officially at the point that i can look up scriptures in spanish without needing a dictionary (obviously theres still words i dont know) to understand it or my english copies. :) my hardwork is paying off and its seriously such a blessing. :)
3 hna lopardo apologized for getting so mad at me (something small and not worth explaining), and explained that she doesnt know why i can make her so mad because im her favorite companion and she loves me so much. she explained why she does a couple of things, and expressed her desires to have a good last week together. it was a special moment and a big progress. touched my heart that she went out of her way to apologize and explain.
4. tuesday night we had a lesson i will NEVER forget. the elders went with us for a lesson/NDH with lourdes and jaime, (e preslar´s last time with them. they love the elders because of the miracle with hna lourdes and her blessing, they wanted to say goodbye) and we taught the restoration. the elders did a demonstration with candles- one candle for christ, and one candle for each of his apostles. they demonstrated christ giving light (the priesthood power) to his apostles, and then how it was taken away after his death in teh great apostasy, and how he restored it once more to never diminish through joseph smith. i cant describe it in words but the spirit was so strong and the contrast was incredible with the fire & darkness. it literally brought tears to my eyes, and i felt my heart overflow with joy when the flame was lit i "i saw a pillar of light, directly over my head..." it was incredible tos ee the spirit work in hno jaime, and listen to his responses. for example, when e preslar asked what his thoughts and feeling on christ were, hno jaime (I) testified of peace, and how he forgets all of his problems. i bore one of the strongest testimonies of my life in that lesson, that we truly to have the restored gospel on the earth once more and that those "good feelings" he has is the spirit telling him this mesage is true, because his FATHER in heaven doesnt want him to be in the pain and darkness anymore. i cant remember what i said but i can remember what i felt and i know everyone int hat room had the same feeling. apart from the miracle of jaime feeling the truth and wanting to keep in this path, a miracle happened in me.
not that i didnt know it was true before, but i dont have a single doubt that the Restoration truly happened. i dont have a single doubt that Christ came to this earth, was killed, the truth was taken away, and that when the time was correct He restored His church through Joseph Smith. i have such a greater gratitude for the Restoration and i understand it so much more clearly. it is a message of power, joy, hope, and true light like the flame of the fire. its an act of love from God to His children, that we have this light of the Gospel to give our lifes and the lifes of our families light. I know this church is true. "i know it, i live it, i love it."

may the light enter your hearts as well...
hna wilson

scriptures
moises 1:1-16 (esp 13 ((my ponderize scripture last week)), 16, 26)
isaias 40:28-29, 31 &41:13 (my ponderize scripture this week)
alma 13:27-29 (put your name in, and picture the Lord as the voice of alma)
1 nefi 17:50-51 (put your trial or weakness in the question at the end).

--
Hermana Wilson

Remember to smile (last week's email)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BEST FRIEND SINCE BIRTH, RILEY SUE (B**T) A******!!!! I love you to death ("bolivia and beyond", isnt it?) &hope you have an incredible day &this year is better than all the rest. thank you for always being here for me & you already know im here for you, even half the world away. <3

randoms..
my hands are bleeding theyre so dry, but the good news is its first of month and i have money to buy lotion!
jumphouses in spanish are called air castles, thought of craig
there was a ferria yesterday in the plaza, it was HUGE, there were hundreds of people and tons of food & music (&barachos)
charque is llama meat and like beef jerky, but harder and not as tasty
lots of ppl like fake contacts here to have blue eyes... ill never be a fan, i like natural better
theres a video i was shown to "hello" by adele but with two missionaries knocking doors, oh i laughed so hard... so much truth to that
our hand soap we bought smells like man cologne. literally....
my compañera and i are wondering how barachos can dance the salsa but when the music stops and its time to walk home, they cant walk and are falling in the street. answers?
its impossible to write in the trufis. its a mix of uneven roads, bad shocks, speed bumps, stop and gos, swerving, etc
theres playboy in some of the newspapers here, in color.. maybe thats why the mission manual says missionaries shouldnt read the newspaper
i halfway taught myself to whistle sucking in air. its a start. :)

funny moments..
"her names hermana WILSA, because shes a mujer!" hnita maite (hhija de fidelia)
"the NDH is going to be in the hosue of members, taylor and antony" yo "oh, are they esposos?" investigator and another one, "no, i think theyre single" e preslar
"so, is she coming, or...." yo " thats her" (points to woman)
e preslar telling us that coming to the mission, he sat by a woman and she told him "i have a bomb and im going to explode it" and he just smiled and said "sorry, i dont speak spanish" hahaahha
e preslar couldnt find his glasses ont he black and white blanket. hes BLIND.
"ESTA BIEN O ESTA MAL?" e macas, trying to contact in kechwa ahahafkn
"como no se conoce!" yo, quoting scritpures in my prayer, and hna lopardo called me a nerd.


blessings
president hansen said im a "godsend" for hna lopardo &is proud of me
hna miguelina crespo found peace to her problems after reading the BOM (hopefully she reads alone now... its so sad to me that we can have such incredible experiences reading and then the people dont read during the week. ;/ )
i applied the scriptures directly to the situation of hna innocencia (MA). she is a woman i will NEVER forget. she has a son who has epilepsy, a super strong case, and he is at home all day. his body is shriveled and he cant walk, talk, or do much than flip through the liahona pages. it breaks my heart to see him and the suffering of his mother, but i know he is an angel and i know she is an angel for God trusting her with His child. she truly inspires me. she hasnt turned bitter from the trial God is giving her, she is keeping the faith. she is so strong and so loving and is sacrificing her entire life for her family.
hna miguelina trusted in us her problems with her spouse and family, we were able to testify to her that she can overcome this time with Christ´s help.
we talked to hno juan crespo and got him to laugh. hes changed, he wants nothing to do with the church anymore, but if we earn his trust and friendship (more than we have) well be able to help him
we planned weekly on the day we were supposed to! woo! first day this cambio.
i did the carpeta de area instead of wasting time or doing recuerdos. it feels better to do what He wants than what I want.
wrote a thank you card to hna loprado (PME ideas for language study) and she was super happy and now keeps it in her scriptures :)
i learned how to cook the cow. the nose is for soup, the foot is for jello, and i now know what the panza is.
hna fidelia had a dream that God told her this church is true, and that she should continue listening and learning from us. hopefuly she does!
e preslar shared his tody negro with us. "you know someone has charity when they share tody".
h cruz shared her testimony on diligence and the spirit hit me strong. she has such a strong testimony and im so grateful for her influence and example to me and everyone else.
han lopardo shared her testimony that when she read the bible, she know who christ is (saber) and what he did. but when she read the book of mormon, she knew him (conocer) poersonalyand who he really IS, not just what He did.. it was powerful and ill never forget her words.
hno fernando recieved the same answer as all of us on what plan we should do to help the ward (visiting/home teachers), even though it wasnt what he had wanted. im proud of him for choosing the Lords will over His.
"estoy enfermo". hna celi (MA) ´s son, neymar, told me he was sick and i said "come here" and i think he hugged my knees for about 10 minutes. hna lopardo played with him with the watter and he forgot he was sad and she brought a giggle to that little boys heart again... it was so cute to see
hna carola veliz is like a walking heart. i dont know if she has mental problems but she is SO sweetm and lightens my day every time i see her. she said shes writing a book, and im the main character haha
not a single drunk man or woman nos molestó in the plaza. we had to cross it a couple of times, in the night as well, but we were proteceted. when i lost hna lopardo in the crowd, i found her again and peace was brought back.
h lourdes shared her testimony in fast and testimony meeting about the pwoer of the priesthood and prayers of faith. :) it was super simple and she was nervous but it was powerful and pure. :)
we didnt run out of phone credit this month!!! (last month we ran out on the 15th.. que tiras)

miracles &highlights
1 we visited hna eli, whos a member but starting to inactivate. she was crying, and her granddaughter ran into the room. she stopped, stared at her grandma, and threw her arms around her and kissed her cheek. then she ran away. every time she started to cry, elis granddaughter came. it was so tender to see the love and understanding of a child. i thought of craig, and the moments when the barrier is broken and he consoles the broken hearted. hes my angel. children are angels on earth.
2 hna nelida and miriam walked into the church one night, and asked for a tour. we gave them a tour, they asked what they needed to do to be baptized. WHAT. GOLD. only nelida has come back since, but it was awesome to see the blessings of the fast taking place. theres more to them than i know right now, but well find them and help them.
3 the power of the fast. it was incredible how quickly the Lord blessed us with the blessings we asked for as a companionship and what i asked for personally in our fast. they happened almost as quickly as we got up from our knees praying. i have always had a testimony of the fast, but here in the mission it has changed completely. ive seen MIRACLES take place and i know that He really does bless us when we make sacrifices for Him, whether its going without food and water for 24 hours or something bigger. i dont ever think about food or water during the fast anymore, because i have a stronger faith that He will bless me with what i and others need through my fast and prayer. it has become such an incredible experience for me and im grateful for the opportunity we have each month.

love you all!
hna wilson

scriptures
mateo 28:19-20
alma 36:24
dyc 6:36-37
alma 34:17-27
juan 20:30-31
moroni 7:41
1 nefi 17:36-37
eter 12:27