fotos from la actividad de zona hoy dia.. 

we went to the ruinas de sipe sipe. i wouldnt recommend it, 

there wasnt much there after a 2 hour sketchy trufi ride but hey. 

we made memories and got some exercise. 

 zone pic: elders riquette, cortez, santos, van skyhawk, crosby, wilstead, fierro, farroñan, hammond, cortez, robbins, guido.  and... nosotras afrente. mana kanchu c/ las hermanas.. 

 elderes cortez (LD) and riquette

happy birthday e santos!!! welcome to bolivian birthdays

my wawa made hard caramel apples. those things are teeth breakers

mi wawa me ama. (dont pay attention to my night stand mom. im fine.)

 the ward conference flowers.. i love bolivian flower arrangements

hno gary CR !!! 

hes super great and were helping him get ready for the mission

  i love my ovejas negras. :D

 this is nefi and mebetabel. (the choko is nefis sobrino, not part of the family. the little girl is the sobrina of another family.)

a normal foto. i love my wawa. :)

e robbins, fierro, h vargas, wilson, e santos, van skyhawk

  this is hna janet, with her kids jhordan (12), jhenifer (10), and jon alejandro (8) .theyre the cutest little family. :) and they also have 8 adorable puppies. :) 

 2090 feliz urkupiña!!

making the best of the soup experience

the night hno narciso told us he knows the Church and LDM are true 

and wants to be baptized. :) 18 de agosto. <3

saying goodbye to the mishel pakar, future misionera de colombia. :)

we found 2 killer abispas in our bathroom.... the type that paralyze you if they sting you..
seriously theyre insane.. my compañera woke up to me like this haha.

 hna casique braided the mane

 i saw hno miguel james (first ward mission leader, now pres hansens first counselor) and his wife at the adult session of stake conf. :) I LOVE THEM. &they still love me. :) 

remember to do the carpeta hijitas y hijitos. even if its late. and youre tired.
or need to use the bathroom. ("this instant" as h cicotte says). vale la pena

with presidente y hermana hansen after stake conference, LOS ALAMOS. 

literally the best stake conference ive ever been to.

 marcelina cayo, marcela cayo, vito (future husband of marcela), jared (bishops son) , bishop raul jauregui, freddy melina (keep him in your prayers please), mama wilson y wilsons wawa

FELIZ DIA DE BOLIVIA! barrio vinto after our service project. (6 agosto)

i got a puppy!!! just kidding. but puppy love and fur therapy is a real thing

Do you believe in miracles?

i do. 100%. especially after this week.

randoms
if we shower at night we shower by candlelight bc the light and hot water cant be turned on at the same time.
there is now a spanish quad for the scriptures.
after 5 years they dig up the dead in the cementaries if you dont pay for another 5 years and sell the space to someone else. the respect for the dead is a little different here to say the least.
my blood BOILS to hear children being beaten or screaming in pain or seeing them not able to walk straight.
i love the cochabamba clouds. theyre literally the best.
i have never seen so many crippled and disformed legs in my life than i have here in vinto. it makes my heart hurt.
i cant have food and not share it with the person next to me. (the only exception being my icecream. instead i just buy one for them.)
la floresta, my first area, had about 5 baptisms last month and some of them are people i found/was teaching. :) delayed blessings.
logging into my missionary account it said i was serving in jamaica... maybe a reasignment is in place? well see haha. be jealous brad davis.

funny moments
1"just tell him in english hermana. he learned how to do it the first time in english and theres no way hes going to learn again in spanish." e robbins (i was teaching e crosby how to tie his shoes like traci taught me.. shout out, i love you prima <3)
2"i always tried convincing the waitress to give me two cherries" -elder
"i bet that was real hard with your girlfriend right next to ya, wasnt it?" e robbins
3 "we cant tell them the devil is the head of their church.. even though he is." e cortez
4 "im not a missionary. i can and will hit you." neisa (there was a drunk following h vargas and h casique inches away whispering in their ears in intercambios)
5"bueno.. uh.. callate!... uh.. hermana, i was just calling to let you know you dont have to come to the priesthood session of stake conference.." e fierro
6 "we have a special connection" yo (andy and i communicate by facial expressions)

blessings
-i trust e fierro and e robbins 100% as my zone leaders. son muy buenos.
-e fierro helped me find the answer to a doctrinal question i have that wasnt sure how to respond to for investigators
-i studied by topic in my estudio personal (EP), the amor of padre celestial (oh spanglish, sorry english speakers). i felt His love so strongly and i knew de nuevo sin duda that i am HIS daughter.
-h custode (ñauñay) wrote me a note and told me that thanks to me, she doesnt have fear to contact in the street. :) if you knew her whole story, youd be brought to tears like i was. <3
-h mebetabel told us she wasnt sure if she was going to separate from nefi and move back in with her parents in santa cruz. i told her it didnt matter to me where, just that she gets baptized. i would love to see it obviously but her happiness and salvation is more important to me. testifying of that, the spirit testified to me thatit really isnt anything about me this work, its about them.
-hno gary (CR) is super sincere. (did i spell that correctly?) he asked that in my closing prayer, i pray for help that he can read and pray every day. that he knows its going to be hard but he wants to do it, he just needs a little support.
-h hansen told me i am literally the best companion h vargas could have right now. (she is SUPER homesick.) that i am the most loving missionary the mission has, and that i AM helping her. she told me that at some point h vargas will have to make the decision if she wants to be here or no, but that the decision will be hers and has nothing to do with me. it gave me peace. hna hansen also told me she loves me.
-intercambios with hna males, we contacted all morning and talked to anyone and everyone and man have i missed that, it gave me such a joy...
-h males told me im a diligent missionary that realmente loves this work.. i was super happy she was able to seee that in me, i feel like i can always improve my diligence but she thinks i already am diligent. i guess i judge myself too hard.
-THE MOON.. friday it was bigger than ive ever SEEN. (LATM.<3)
-i saw hno james and his wife (my first ward mission leader from la floresta, hes now the first counselor to pres. hansen) at stake conference in the adult session.. they (she) expressed their love for me and she hugged me about 5 minutes long. they havent forgotten me. :) i LOVE them. hes going to be a general authority someday soon.
-we practiced english in the street and h vargas learns super quickly and knows a lot. i love teaching english. :) maybe ill just get released and stay here in latin america...
-seeing hno narcisos smile when presidente hansen met and talked with him after stake conference.. it was so special, he was so happy, he was like a walking light.
-"please bless the misioneras, who we consider a real part of our family..." hna marcelina cayo. :)
-i love greetting people at the door for church and conferences. we saludo-ed (hows that for spanglish) at the door and it was so special seeing that we were able to help the people feel welcomed and happy. i am now super sick because of kissing and shaking a thousand hands but hey, it was worth it. tiji. (ill be fine mama).

MIRACLES.
where to start??
1 the elders from sipe sipe (e crosby and e riquette) had a whole ROW (the big middle ones) of people come for stake conference from the camino a oruro, a journey more than 4 hours from the mountains. i dont have the foto, ill ask for someome to send it to me, but it was INCREDIBLE seeing them there and just realizing how much faith they have. it warmed my heart. I LOVE THE BOLIVIAN PEOPLE.
2. at stake conference in the adult session they announced we were going to sing "jesus es mi luz" even though it wasnt programmed.. but it didnt matter.. it was like the people from liberia that were mentioned in general conference abril 16, in the sense that everyone had it memorized- all the verses- and sang with their entire souls! it was incredible!!! they were singing testimonies to the world it felt like that they each KNOW with all their existence that Christ lives and is the head of this church!
3 BEST FOR LAST...
hno narciso. if you remember who he is, he is about 60 years old, hes known the missionaries since he was 17, and his wife is a temple worker. he comes to church every sunday but isnt baptized. well.. to cut things short.. this week we visited him after two weeks. i was about to just get to the lesson thinking he wouldnt remember the compromiso we left him but the spirit urged me to verificar like always so i did. this is the convo:
"hno narciso, did you pray about Gods will for you and your life?" hna wilson
a smile. "yes." narciso.
(my heart jumped a mile.)
"hno narciso did you pray about if you should be baptized at this moment in your life?" h wilson
bigger smile. "yes." narciso.
i about died.
"and? what answer did you recieve?" h wilson.
 he explained to us that he prayed and felt a happiness he hadn´t experienced before; he knows the BOM is true, he knows the Church is true, and he knows he needs (and wants) to be baptized. He told us he wanted to go out and share this message with those in the street. I almost cried. He explained that I was the first missionary to not give up on him, that I always visited him and brought to him the message he needed. We put a fecha for September 10th and shared a powerful message on the Atonement of how to overcome his feelings of tristeza that he sometimes feels. Leaving the house I hugged Hermana Vargas harder than ever.
"hes been waiting for so long! his family has been waiting for hears! heaven has been waiting for him!" h wilson
"no. he was waiting for you."h vargas
 I truly feel and have felt since I´ve met Hermano Narciso that he is one of the people I was meant to findhere in the mission, that his family is one of the families in torment i am to help.. how difficult it must be for his wife, a temple worker, to be in the place most cerca al cielo and know that if she or he were to die this moment, their marriage and family ties would end right then and there? to crave to be with him there, but to be alone?
. We offered a prayer of thanks right there in the street and Alma 26:11-12 came to my mind. I know that this is HIS work, HIS mission, and I am just an instrument in HIS hands. I give all the credit of Vinto to the Lord and walk these streets with a grateful heart that He is letting me be here to witness the miracles unfold.

i have literally never had so many people with answers that this is the true church and desires to be baptized. it is such a tender mercy to be here and i know there is a ton of work to do but i will walk and talk until i cant anymore. and even then, maybe ill do an army crawl like kira and keep on going. i truly love this work and i couldnt be happier, despite the trials that try to tear me down. they cant.

be SAFE, please. (that means you too, dad...)
 i love you all!
--
Hermana Wilson
i samuel 3:4-10
deut. 6:7

Discoveries

i strongly considered calling this email "suck it up" but i figured its more appropriate as a subtitle..

SHOUTOUT TO HAILEY WILLIAMS FOR FINISHING THE MISSION! Im proud of you and am fully expecting lots of photos and hand written letters now that you have all the time you want. ;) I LOVE YOU!!

Randoms..
-So it has been discovered hna vargas is not my blood daughter, more of an adopted faughter, but I love her and we will work through what comes our way together.
-anticreticos. You “buy” a house for 2 years (usually) and live there during that time and when the contract is up the homeowners give you back the exact amount of money you gave them. It works for the people because they live for free (literally) and for the homeowners because they can take out money fast from the bank without interest. Interesting.
-the house numbers are whatever the people want
-once upon a time there was a robber. His friends got away but he didn’t and the neighborhood tied him to a pole and burned him. By the time the police got their it was too late.
-when you leave the dinner table (or any meal) you have to say gracias to every person before getting up and then they tell you PROVECHO
-it is now officially unallowed to teach the opposite sex if they are under the age of 30 in the mission Bolivia CBBA (but in zona QC there aren’t elders and hnas in any of the wards so the rule doesn’t apply to our zone for now). Apparently there were too many people getting baptized for the missionaries. And not the gospel.
-other thing we don’t have… L/F1 in the mission.  Que triste.
-the first /main thing people wish /pray for me is my safety…. Thank you. <3
-its URKIPIÑA! People from all over the world come to quillacollo for the celebration of the virgin, and although its beautiful to see the culture and dances its also unsafe with all the barachos so were homeprisoned. Again.
-as part of that ^^ its one of the tradtions to walk to the mountain, get a rock, and it will make you wealthy for that year but you have to return the rock the next year or its bad luck (watered down explanation).

funny moment
"saludos a su nueva mama" -the mom of hermana vargas (in la paz)

blessings
-i like doing 12 semanas with my hijita. i can feel the Spirit and im learning right alongside of her, repassing the things ive learnd in the past and learning more.
-were teaching hermana jhaneth claros with her two kids now, and its so much better with all of the family there. :) (her husband works in the mines and only comes home for one or two days at the end of the month).
-IT RAINED MIERCOLES. (as in the day, miercoles haha.) i couldnt have been happier and i think my companion thought something was wrong with me haha.
-hna fredy said he recieved a respuesta (its so hard to translate to enlglish) to be baptized. :) he had a tranquilidad and he felt lighter, more free, and happy. :) hes turning 16 at the end of the month if i havent mentioned that already.
-por FIN i talked with this joven that is always waving or smiling at me like he knows me but i only run into him as im getting out and hes getting into a trufi or running across the street, etc. turns out he doesnt know me, and im not sure if hes just a snake, but i testified powerfully to him and if he comes to church well go from there.
-another person we saw in the calle was hno narciso. ive never seen him anywhere besides church or his house and it was fun to run into him and even better to see his smile. i swear he glowed he was so happy!!! ill never forget his smile or his face. is that what people think when they see mine? hm.
-hna casique told me that presidente LOVES me, a LOT.. and i asked what she meant and she told me she had her interview with him and they talked about me. shes going to give me more details this week in intercambios but i thought it was sweet. in my weekly letter presidente told me he loves me, and hermana hansen too.... theyre seriously such incredible people. i love them.
-hno roger came to church!!!! hes nataliy(I)s brother. one of the old misioneras here told him he would go to hell if he didnt get baptized and a member in that same lesson gave him a lecture on how he needs to serve a mission etc etc, and needles to say roger stopped accepting visits and disappeared for months. BUT HE CAME BACK. :) and hopefully hes back to stay.
-hna claribel (hno narcisos daughter) asked us if it was true we didnt have a pension for the day on sunday and we said yes (neisa and cristian are in la paz) and she said "get in (she has a car). there will always be something for you in my home." and we passed a lovely sunday lunch with the familia cayo. :) it was very special. <3

miracles
1 NEFI WANTS TO MARRY MEBETABEL. (long story on that one, no time to write it). but long story short, MEBETABEL CAN GET BAPTIZED NOW! :) we still have to talk dates with them but we think that the 20th they can sign the papers, the 27 get married, and the 3 of september she will enter the waters of baptism and start her new life following the example of christ!!!!!!!!! :D im so happy for her & for them.
2 we read "how to become a consrgrated missionary" together yesterday and me di cuenta that realmente SOY una misionera consagrada. im obviously not perfect but despite all my flaws and mistakes im a completely different missionary than who i was at the beginning, and im also i happier missionary with every step and progress i make in becoming more consegrated. :) (funny how that works). it was a tender mercy from God to be able to see in myself my progress. its one of my biggest wishes for my hijita, that she can become to be a consegrated missionary.... poco a poco, right?
3 yesterday at church the bishop, the bishops counselors, and about 5 other ward members told hna vargas that she has a "great" companion, an "excellent" companion, and "the best mamá". it was something super special to hear, not to feed my pride but because i have gained a ton of confidence and respect and love from the ward and the ward leaders in such a short time. before i got here (and they still mention it) they called the previous missionaries "tourists"... so to see them acknowledge that i truly do love the Lord´s work and His people means the world to me. the secret to success is the members and poco a poco were getting there. :)
waiting for sleepiness to arrive hermana vargas and i were talking about the days events and she said "but theyre right. i do have the best mom." and it was just so sweet of her to say that and it made me smile there in the dark (sorry that sounds creepy, i promise it wasnt.)

i truly do love this work. I love it because I love the Lord and I have felt His love for me time and time again, as well as the perfect love He has for each and every one of His children. It´s the greatest blessing to be trusted with this missionary calling to preach His word and help them feel and enter into His love.

yesterday, just sitting at my desk, i felt the Spirit. i felt it in my very core. my heart beat slowly but with a strength and firmness that cant be explained but i felt i might burst. it is sometimes in the moments we least expect it that the Spirit can enter our hearts and reconfirm to us that this, all of this, is true and eternal. i know it with all my heart and id never dream of denying it.

i pray you can have simliar experiences this week. thank you for your prayers. <3

hermana wilson.
juan 17:3. <3

--
Hermana Wilson

i was the bolivian flag for 6 de agosto (dia de bolivia). VIVA VINTO 

amo a mi hijita

this is the missionary who baptized hermana custode (ñauñay).
shes home from the mission now, and lives here in CBBA. HOW COOL. :) 

WILSON´S WAWITS

so i love my wawa and i think this is one of the happiest times in the mission for me. :)

WILSON´S WAWITS; HERMANA VARGAS de La Paz (el alto). shes my youngest companion of 19 añitos no más and she s a convert of 2 years. she has the sweetest heart. i think my favorite thing about her is that shes HUMBLE. but i also admire her desires to improve, that she does something about those desires, and she wants to be obdedient. oh, and that she doesnt have a problem doing the dishes and she cleans up after herself.. little things that arent life or death but definitely make life happier. :) she already loves, trusts, and respects me. shes already progressing so much. its going to be a greeeeeat cambio.


SHOUTOUT to sabrina dahle!! youre going to virginia!!! a little late i know but hey, say hi to the bolivians for me. :) supuestamente theres a lot over there. YOURE GOING TO BE GREAT! <3

random things..
so my dog had puppies, and no one told me she was pregnant.... hmm...........
i pulled a muscle (or something else, not sure) in my hand it hurts HORRIBLY to type or write or anything with my hand. (youre welcome momma).
idk wh but my cuticuls (how do you spell that, jeffrey?) are peeling and bleeding.. tips?
the color of the cholita´s falda doesnt have an importance but the length, sí.
if someone can find bracelets that say "MAMA WILSON" and "WILSONS WAWITS", i love you and the address is somewhere over there >>>>
i think my left foot has grown a half size (shoutout to riley, itll make you love my feet even more now haha).
oh, bolivia. <3

funny moments
"i dont like futbol, i like basketball" hna vargas "why dont you like futbol¿¿" hna wilson "haha i think thats the first time ive heard a gringa ask that question" elder cortez
"how much time do you have in the mission, hermana? i can tell by your placa that youre a viajita" -an elder that served here a couple years ago, e asqui
"im from la paz" hna wilson "seriously?" jared "yes" yo "and where do they fabric hermanas like you in bolivia?" jared
"this caramelo is picante!!" alvin
"are you sore?" hna vargas "my whole BODY hurts!" fredy

blessings
when i was in linde for a day or two with hna gutierrez before our hijitas were born, we were up on a hill and i looked down at all the CBBA lights and it hit me that God is putting a lot o trust in us with His precious children.
h custode gave me one last big hug. i know she loves me. she tells me all the time, everytime we talk now. i love her too. (now hermana ñauñay)
pres hansen taught us at the cristo that "this is the largest cristo in all of the world.. but these bolivians stilll dont really know who He is, what He did for them, and the future that awaits them." touched my heart. <3
todo el MUNDO wants to meet my hijita. :) she feels super welcomed and happy that people she doesnt even know love her #wilsonswawits
h vargas told me that when she was in colombia (she was in the mission colombia for a month, then went home sick, and got reasigned to me ahora) she hated going out to work but now she LOVES it. :)
we taught natalia (MA) the restoration and it was so natural, powerful, applied to her, and backed up by scriptures.. something i definitely wasnt able to do at the beginning of the mission. im getting better. :) (still a long ways to go)
natalia´s kids were flying paper airplanes tied to a string standing above the river (public baño), smiling and wathing the 3 foot string fly.. it touched my heart that they find pure joy in life without having "anything", but truly they have everything. they have family.

miracles & highlights
my very first day with hermana vargas before we even left the mission home, i KNEW that she is who God wants me to be with. i was given a love for her before she was even my hijita. we had a very special, special moment where she cried, i held her, and the spirit gave me the words she needed to hear.. i felt something i think moms feel in that moment, like it was my responsibility to be strong and loving for one of God´s children. weve had bonding experiences every day this week and im so happy and hopeful for this cambio.

God has blessed me with a ton of energy and happiness this week. everyday ive had it with me, a pure joy, and how i feel has rubbed off on hermana vargas. she is now not homesick at all (which is a big improvement, she was in tears constantly the first few hours together). she and i are both finding true JOY in working diligently and being obedient. when she picked her three top stresses from the list, not one of them was homesickness or any time of emotional stress. she has forgotten her sadness. i have forgotten the stress. and were HAPPY.

one of the things president asks us is to make sacrifices for our hijitos and encourage them to participate in the important tasks of the mission.. well, i let hermana vargas have the opportunity of putting a baptismal fecha with fredy (ESCOGIDO- he came to church alone last week, we met him, he came this week 45 minutes early for church with a white shirt and tie.. he already looks like a priest. :D ) and it was such a strong spiritual experience for me, i can only imagine what it was for her. he said "claro" with a smile. :) he turns 16 at the end of this month and his baptism is for sep 10, we´ll see how that goes, but im so grateful for this tender mercy of the Lord. :)


testimonies ive gained & strengthed this week would probably be about the obedience and diligence. i know that when we follow God´s plan and do all we can to complete with His will, we have a joy that doesnt get taken away no matter what happens in life. the rejections we face as missionaries (or members in general) dont change the message. nothing can change the message. this message, this Gospel, is true and eternal and brings joy to anyone and everyone who accepts and lives it.

SEA FELIZ. SEA MORMON. (they go together.)

hermana wilson

dyc 31
juuan 17:3
dyc 123:17

--
Hermana Wilson

cooking anticuchos (shoutout to jacob) with our ward mission leader, crisitan and his wife/our pensionista, neisa

 our ward activity minute-to-winute style

 neisa made pizza for hna ñauñay´s last day

 welcome to the world, HIJITA. :) 

 new moms! :) 

hna gutierrez, my compie for 1-2 days

this is the sidewalk. dont worry, it wasnt me

 youre in luck, He has a plan for you

elder cortez and elder riquette

IT'S A GIRL!

so.......... cambios came. President called me last night and expressed that He wanted me to train. i accepted. IM GOING TO HAVE AN HIJITA!. (felicidades mamí)

randomcitos
-theres a dance called the broom thats similar to muscial chairs.. everyones dancing in pairs but when the music stops you have to find a new partner and the person left without a partned has to dance with the broom. tiji.
-the other day i saw a man on a moto holding a rope tied to a horse who was running alongside of him. it was an interesting sight to say the least.
-sunday walking home from church there as a gross moto choque. i have never seen blood so red in all of my life. (or maybe my blood is just different from the rest but its a lot darker). we helped them.
-i think elder risco half broke my nose. last week playing futbol as a zone, he kicked the ball straight into my face and my head got thrown back (but i didnt fall to the ground, thats a plus). in the moment it felt like my nose was different. today i realized its just a tiny bit crooked. interesting.
-when you cut open chicken hearts, theres little blood clots you have to dig out (or they just spurt-fall out naturally, depende) but they look like raisins. i dont think ill be able to eat another raisin again without throwing up.

tiji´s of the week
-"you dont really serve a mission until you serve in Bolivia." e robbins
-"when i get home im going to say yáll all the time so that people ask themselves ´where did he serve again´?" e robbins
-"my sundae is super good. its bette than McDonalds." yo
"what did you just say?" e van skyhawk
"no hermana. is it REALLY better than McD´s, or is it just because you havent had a true McD sunday in a long time?" e robbins
-"if you dont eat im going to give you a chicote!" hna neisa
"were not eating" h custode
"spank me spank me!" yo
-"why is it that every time i ask for a TINY BIT they give me a TON?" yo
"así son." h custode

bendiciones y misericordias
-HERMANA LOURDES (from Tiquipaya) IS PREGNANT! i literally cannot be happier for her. hopefully its a girl. :) #nataliearaceli
-president trusts a lot in me.
-the zone leaders went back to the cine center (food court) and found my lost wallet. MILAGROS EXISTEN. i dont have to go back to tramites and ill be able to enter the USA one day (far far away)
-hna neisa thanked us for pensioning with her. she told us shes happier with us there, and we bring a light to her life. :)
-hna janet claros (I) is also escogida. i was happy to realize that even if we dont have a TON of people, at least we have a few with true potential. i truly feel like were going to have lots of baptisms (conversos) this next cambio. :)))
-the conversion story of hna janeth condori (first counselor Franz´s wife) gave me hope that we WILL be able to gain the permission of the jovene´s padres and that even after i finish the mission, ill have the chance to help many enter the waters of baptism by sharing the gospel and what i know with family (....bueno, casi todos son miembros) y amigos.
-i dedicated my time to the Lord, and experienced a baby miracle. it literally felt like He put a pause on life/time. i was able to plan, prepare, do the carpeta de area first and then had time to change for bed, write in my journal, brush my teeth, and still have ten minutes to just lay there. it doesnt make sense if i try and think about it because we didnt get home until 9:30 but hey. you dont need to see to know.
-hna tania (MA) expressed that she felt weak in certain things, and i shared eter 12:27, having her look at the foto of christ in F3 (bryces favorite, shoutout) as if He was speaking directly to her. i testified of weaknesses that theyre blessings and we applied the Atonement in a very real way to her. it was awesome to see the Spirit take place.
hna altagracia (member) brought a family of references (FIVE) to church. familia paredez. the dad, ramon, seems super humble (im pretty sure his wife died , hello L2) and even though they life high on the mountain top i think we can reach them (literally).
our district leader, E Cortez, congratulated me for our hard work this week. it was sincere, and the first time hes ever said good job to us. it felt good. :)

milagros y cosas que jamás-olvidaré
- besides just learning the gospel, im truly learning to appreciate the Gospel. its becoming something so incredibly valuable to me ,and i treasure it with my heart. i truly have joy inside my heart and soul.
-im studying the Un Discipulo de Jesucristo program again. its amazing what studying the Atonement can do in healing your heart and increasing your love for Him, His gospel, and just life in general. ill share two of my insights that came from my studies EP
dyc133:46-50 and mos 3:7 : "no puedo quitar lo que El hizo por mi pero por lo menos cada vez que me arrepiento las gotas de sangre y los dolors no fueron derramados en vano" (translate it if you dont understand)
dyc 18:10-15 "God doesnt ask me to die in order to sacve the souls of vinto, but He does ask me to dedicate myself to this work. if i sacrifice all my my time and energy to my missionary serice ill show God that i truly DO understand the worth of souls."
study. escrudiñar. it helps.
-HERMANA MEBETABEL (I, futuro CR). can i just tell you that SHE is ESCOGIDA. she told us that in the morning she went behind her onion field to the trees and sat down, just listening to the birds and branches sway. she READ OVER HER F1 again (not very many people read it for the first time) and her NOTES (she has a notebook she keeps for her questions and answers and thoughts, how adorable) and MEDITATED (something crucial for getting answers) and then KNEELED and asked God if Joseph Smith truly was a prophet, if this church truly is the True Church.. and she got an answer. a peace and tranquilidad overcame her. when she was telling us her experience there was jst a light in her eyes and her smile never left. she mentioned "other book" that she was reading and i thought "oh no, anti material" but she brought out a SOCSOC manual. WHAT. i laughed inside. after the lesson when we were sharing apple juice i asked her whats something shes always wanted to do but has never been given the opportunity, and she said to be married. she has heard about the law of chastity and said if she had known before, she would have gotten married first before coming to live here with nefi (hes MA. obvio.). i taught her about temples, the eternal family, and her eyes LIT UP. she told us she wants her kids to be born into the covenant, that she can already be sealed to her husband. she wants so badly to  be baptized. i ttruly think that if nefi doesnt want to get married, she will leave him so that she can receive the Lord´s blessings. even though she doesnt have a single friend or family member here besides the people she lives with, she knows what shes being taught is true and she wants to be a part of it. :) she believes every word we tell her (and we only tell the truth) and man, if i could just be with her all day long teaching her i think id die happy. motivation to find more people like her.
-presidente Hansen said im one of the best Hermanas in the mision, and that he wants me to train. he trusts in me. thinking over that, it hit me that the LORD thinks that (Presidente receives revelation from Him). i felt so much peace and love realizing the Lord loves and trusts me with one of His daughters. i think a part of me wanted to be scared, to feel inadequate, and anyone who knows me knows i almost always have feelings of im-not-good-enough but the feelings were blocked by an eternal peace. i know its what He wants and ill do my best to complete what He asks of me.


if theres one thing ive learned this week its that God works in mysterious ways. but i know His ways are better than mine.

 "thy will be done."

Hermana Wilson
(not "sister", shes in Japan)

marcos 6:31 rest a bit
mosiah 4:27 remember your limits
dyc 6 :32-37 (esp 34 and 37)
lucas 12:6-7
alma 26:13 and 16
mos 28:3-4
2 n 2:7
´
ps these pictures are for you momma.

--
Hermana Wilson

for those of you who dont know.. these are chicken hearts, for anticuchos (sp?). there is literally a word in spanish for "cutting open hearts". -rebanar.
confession. i had to sit down, because i almost fainted. my poor children might have to be vegetarians if their dad cant cook the meat.