Cositas, Detalles, & un Gran Plan

¡Hola mis queridos!

Lots of walking

We had a really good week...and a lot of things happened. 

-All of our appointments fell through so Hna Fatima took us around with her neighbors and now we have LOTS of appointments for next week.

-Our awesome investigator Lucio got a different job...and now can´t come to church... :(  We´re going to work on that.. 

-We´re teaching an investigator in the elders´ area and so they came to one of the lessons this week, and we totally watched our zone leader lose a power struggle with a 9 year old. 

-That same Zone Leader had a birthday...so we got chocolate cake. #thanksforbeingborn

-We had an awesome Zone Meeting with the asistentes and 2 sister training leaders from Mérida (Hna Rhondeau!)....and we´re going baptize every week. It´s a plan. 

-Nobody came to church....but then Sunday afternoon we found 2 new investigators who accepted baptismal dates right off the bat. (You should have seen my comp´s face... "¿Sí?...... ¡Sí!") 

-We got a new ward mission leader!! He just got back from the mission..like 2 weeks ago. And he should be good. I´ll keep you posted. 

-We got caught in the rain. I learned that my comp really loves the rain...she learned that her bag isn´t waterproof.

Campeche Restaurant.... I can´t remember its name...

#foodpics...I´m pretty sure it was fish. 

Sometimes...okay, a lot of the time, the smallest things in life make the biggest difference. Like just asking someone how they are, and then listening when they answer. Or teaching a group of 10 year olds that they really are daughters of God. Or happening to bring a member to a lesson with someone who used to be their neighbor. All the little things remind me that Heavenly Father has a plan for every single one of us. He knows us perfectly, and He loves us infinitely. 

Nos conoce y nos ama. 

I love you all!

¡Vale la pena!

Hermana Wilson

Hna Romero & I 

21, Technology, & SL4

Campeche. 

Hi!!

This week was full of little great things:

-I turned 21 which means I can legally do all those things that I don´t do anyway because I´m a member..Woo. :) jaja

I´m old.

-It also means we got fed pizza and cheesecake for lunch. My people here know me. 

B-day Lunch

-Hna Allen and I officially proved that fasting automatically makes people buy you food. It´s a fact. We also now have a lot of leftovers in the house. 

-I also lost my hymnbook...

-We got stuck in the rain one day. But that meant we got to watch the Joseph Smith movie with a part member family....who then ALL came to church Sunday. (BEST THING EVER)

-We had the Women´s Conference...but due to technical difficulties I only got to watch President Uchtdorf´s talk.... Me and technology and still not friends. -_- But it was an incredible talk, and I learned that right now is part of eternity. So why not enjoy eternal life (with all the happiness that implies) right now?? 

-We had changes....and guess who is not changing areas.... Me! But I am training again!! Which is incredibly exciting, I´m ready to be with a young missionary again. My new comp is name Hermana Romero and she is from the Estado de Mexico (State of Mexico) and she´s a doll. I´ll send pictures next week.

La familia Rodriguez Vargas

I have learned that life is full of little miracles. And that we have to take the time to invite them into our lives and then appreciate them when they come. We can be happy now; and we should be happy right now. And it´s all possible through Christ and His gospel.

I love you all!!

¡Vale la pena!

Hermana Wilson

I´m a pirate.

Still got hops...Just kidding...

Santa Lucia!

Flood, Death, & Ridiculousness

Hola!!! 

So I didn´t die last week...I just forgot to hit send..Woops. 

My area legit flooded three times this week. THREE TIMES. And that meant that the power went out in most of area almost every night this week...and all our investigators went to stay in other areas...  -_-

Flood

At one point it started to rain, and we ducked under cover just to realize it was a liquor store...

We found other cover. haha. 

Sisters in Campeche!

Sometimes I just have to tell you that the most ridiculous things happen in the mission. For example:

-I got a mosquito bite on the bottom of my foot

-An investigator told us he couldn´t have his lesson because his dog has a cough

-A drunk in the street asked me if I speak maya...nope.

-A lady in a store asked a member if I was her daughter...and said we look alike #nowedonot #salespersonlie

We can´t take normal pictures...

Eating

My companion died (mission death - no one freak out) this week. It was weird to hear her talk about going home and all that jazz (and to know Allie and Spencer got home this week) but as for me, I am completely content to keep my tag on. :) 

Noche de Hogar de los muertos

There is so much work to do, and so little time. And I am here to work.

¡Vale la pena!

Hermana Wilson

PS: Changes were today. I am staying in Santa Lucia (surprise!) with Hna Allen!! She is from Redmond, Oregon. Woo for Oregonions in Campeche!! 

Stake Missionary Activity

Incepcion, Divisions, & Degrees

Hola!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First of all I need to announce something: last week I wrote in my letter that I was 19. As my mother so kindly reminded me, I am in fact 20 (almost 21). #that´sembarrassing 

Just so everyone´s aware. 

Anyway... It´s officially the rainy season here in Campeche, and after a really hot week of my comp praying for it to rain on us...it rained.

A LOT. 

More rain... with Hna Sarai

And I´ve become one of those missionaries who walks around proselyting in the rain. Not going to lie, I love to see people´s faces as we walk past in the pouring rain. They legit think we´re crazy (because when it rains here it RAINS), but it´s all good until someone actually lets us in their house and we drip on their floors. 

Rain. This is called being a legit missionary. (If you can´t tell, we´re soaking wet.)

This week we also had the Incepcion version of divisions. I was on divisions with Hna Ellgen when they called us up and said the hermanas in Sascalum had no food because Hna Silva had Chikangua (I have nooooo idea how you spell that) and couldn´t leave the house and so we went there and got them food. And then went on divisions during the divisions (ooo..Incepcion...) because Hna Vega had an interview in the chapel with President and Hna Silva couldn´t leave her hammock. So I went with her to do that then finally were on our way to back to my area just in time for the Zone leaders to call and tell us we needed to go to the church for a meeting. -_-

Then Hna Ellgen asked if my days were always like this.... #no

But after all that craziness, we actually had a really good week. We found people to teach, we have an investigator progressing, I only caught one lizard in the bathroom...

It was a good week. :) 

And this is what I am learning: that life is a game of degrees. Satan doesn´t tempt up us with big leaps into sin, he tries to talk us into lowering our standards just a little bit at a time...until eventually we´re in a lot of trouble. (Go read Alma 47) On the other hand, the best people I know, the really truely good people are that way because the do the little things without fail even when no one is watching. I´ve come to understand that it is the little things we do, not necesarily the big things, that determine who we really are and who we will become. 

Studying like a champ.... #don´tjudgemyartskills and #don´tgodown!

And I just want to be good. 

I love you all! And I Love, Love, Love being a missionary.

¡Vale la pena!

Hermana Wilson

My ward loves me. #rootbeerinMexico

GIANT Tamales with a the Gamboa Family

Food, People, & Numbers

Hola!! 

The work continues here in Santa Lucia. And even though it rained almost every day, it was an incredibly good week. (Also we realized that when we put our rainjackets on over our bags we look like Quasimodo.) 

We had divisions with San Roman this week, and Hna Ellgen from Colorado came to work with me in Santa Lucia. It was the first time I´ve worked with an American since my mission mom, and it was the best thing ever. #englishparty We both love basketball, were both very against serving a mission until we decided to go, and she is taller and whiter than me so that was a change. :)

Me & Hna Ellgen. Love her. :)

Hna Ellgen, Hna Cockerham, Hna Torres, & I

And after we went to Alameda to work with Hna Hoggan and Hna Velazquez (because Hna Hoggan has been sick and can´t leave the house). I stayed in the house with Hna Hoggan while Hna Torres went to work with Hna Velazquez. We lost a day of work in our area but at the end of the week when we sent in our totals we realized we had our best week yet here. Just goes to show that the Lord blesses us when we make sacrifices and help others. 

Hna Velazquez, ME, Hna Hoggan (she has dengue), Hna Torres

Some numbers from this week:

-7 new investigators

-12 investigators with a baptismal date

-11 references contacted

-1 investigator named Elvis #thankyaverymuch

We talked a lot this week about numbers but also how the numbers themselves aren´t important... the people are. And we have some really good people here. :) Like Evangelina who can´t get baptized yet because she´s not married and her partner refuses to get married, but who shows up half an hour early to church anyway and wants to go to Mérida just to be able to see the temple. Or Angel who is a recovering alcoholic, but came to watch a baptism this week and we managed to explain the whole Plan of Salvation while we were waiting for it to start. Or Valeria (10) and Vania (9) who are recent converts and can tell you exactly what two things are missing during an apostasy. 

Also, Santa Lucia is seriously the best ward to be in as a missionary. They LOVE us. There´s a sister who brings us breakfast or dinner to the house two or three times a week, a sister pulled us out of Relief Society (literally pulled us out) and took us to a secret room with all the missionaries and gave us sandwiches yesterday, the Bishop is taking us out to dinner today, and the members fight over who gets to feed the sister missionaries. 

My Chapel!! 

So mom if you were worried about me....don´t be. (Also why is it that all these expressiones of love are food related... #lovelanguages)

Basically, I am incredibly happy here and incredibly well fed. Physically and spiritually speaking. :) I love being a missionary, and there is no where else I´d rather be than right here in Campeche sharing the gospel that I know is true. :) Sending my love!!!! 

¡Vale la pena!

Hermana Wilson

Family, Rain, & Libro de Mormon

Shout out to my baby sister who is turning 18 this week....Love you!!! 

¡Que tal!

Hello my dearest people. The work continues here in beautiful Campeche. (And really..it´s beautiful) This week:

Family History Moment: I was teaching the Relief Society president how to use familysearch.org and we totally found the census with the names of her grandparents and her dad. It was one of those incredible moments when I could feel that the veil isn´t all that thick and that families really can be forever....how incredible is our Heavenly Father´s plan. :) 

An old investigator called up the elders this week and told them he wants to get baptized...and he lives in our area. BTW no one ever calls out of the blue and says that they want to get baptized. Hno Angel is a recovering alcoholic who is trying to quit drinking and he really, really, really wants to change his life and watching him watch his four year old daughter and talk about how much he wants to change for her just about broke my heart. His baptism should be in just about 5 weeks (or sooner....but we haven´t told him that). :) 

I got completely fried this week....I thought I was tan and that I couldn´t burn anymore. HAH. Yeah....no. 

In other news about the weather, we went to visit an investigator when it started to rain. And when I say rain, I mean RAIN. The road literally turned into a little river as we hid out in our investigators house. On the plus side: 

1. we were inside and not out contacting

2. she gave us pocorn while we were waiting out the rain #firstpopcornin9months

The rainy season has offically begun here in Campeche...and the drainage system here is horrible. The thought actually passed through my head yesterday that I should have brought my water boots. haha. 

Rain. So much water you wouldn´t even believe it. 

I finished the Book of Mormon in Spanish this week. I read the whole thing cover to cover in five weeks and can I just tell you something.... IT¨S TRUE. And the more I read the Book of Mormon the more I come to understand my Savior and what He wants for me. I know that book is true. And I know that it changes lives....I´ve seen it in others, and I´ve also seen it in myself. I know I´m not perfect, but I know I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and has made it possible that through His Only Begotten Son I can be a little bit better every day.

And there´s nothing better than that. Sending you all of my love!!

¡Vale la pena!

Hermana Wilson

This is 85% of my house. 

My desk

Buckets, Iguana, & Chugging

Mis Queridos,

What a week. Kind of a roller coaster, but that keeps things interesting, right?? We´re in what I like to call the "finding" phase of the work. We don´t have many investigators, and so we've been putting in a lot of time hunting down references (want to know how many incorrect addresses we've gotten???),  going around with Hna Delfina (who I swear literally knows every single person in her colonia, I want to be her when I grow up), and just talking to as many people as we can. 

And it can be really hard.

Hna Castro & I 

But (there´s always a but right??), I realized this week that it´s when all of our plans have fallen through, when we've been straight out rejected by everyone, when my feet think they can´t go anymore, when we´re literally standing in the pouring rain asking people if we can please teach them; it´s at that point that we always find someone. I think it´s Heavenly Father´s way of showing me that He´s in charge, and I just have to keep chugging. 

And that´s when we get miracles. Like finding 4 new investigators in the last three days the week (after 0 the first 4 days that´s a miracle), like finally having investigators with a baptismal date, like having an incredible day in the capilla when the lessons are perfect for your investigator...

And like showing up to a member´s house and having them tell you that you answered their prayer, that they needed someone and we showed up. 

Piano with the familia Mull

Miracles.

There are so many in the mission that sometimes I don´t think about how they actually are miracles. Sometimes I realize I´m just a 20 year old kid from a little town in Oregon, and I really have no idea how to help people face some of the problems that I see out here, but time and time again, Heavenly Father helps me out (A LOT) and I've been able to help people in ways that I never could on my own.

In other news: 

We got rained on. Twice. And when we talk about rain here in the Yucatan it´s like buckets of water being dumped on my head. Hah. And it´s humid here so I just walk around damp for the rest of the day. 

After the rain, looking for directions

It´s all good. The drowned cat look is good for me. I now know to bring my umbrella even when there´s not a cloud in the sky. 

I learned that the Elders who were here before us (like 3 companionships) brought iguana to one hermana for her to cook. 

And they actually ate it. #NOTDOINGTHAT. 

A dog popped out of a window in a wall (RIGHT NEXT TO MY EAR) and tried to eat me. I may have jumped...but just a little.

There may have also been people laughing at me as they drove by. #totesstillhatethedogshere

All in all, the life is good. I love being a missionary, and even when it´s hard (because, yes it´s hard sometimes) I know I´m where I´m supposed to be. I've felt such LOVE from my Heavenly Father, and I know He´s always helping me out.

I love you all. 

¡Vale la pena!

Hermana Wilson