December 28, 2015

Hey there Mother,

This week, I practically have already told you just about everything that has gone on lately in our skype call. I really enjoyed that time to see all the family there. I’m glad that Grandmom and PopPop were there too. We went to the temple with our converts (and other converts in other wards as well) and it was a wonderful day. We, at the last minute had to find someone to accompany us to do the baptisms. A member called us last minute and told us his recommend had expired. Ugh, but we found someone quickly, and everything turned out ok. There weren’t enough temple workers that day, due to the holidays. Me and my comp, and two other elders (the zone leaders of the zone right next to ours) got to work in the temple with the baptisms and confirmations that all the converts were going to do. We aren’t allowed, as missionaries, to baptize, be baptized, sealed, or confirmed in the temple, but we can do just about everything else. So, my comp recorded the baptisms that were done and I recorded the confirmations and also got to confirm. It was my first time recording but my second time confirming in the temple. It was awesome! I really liked it, and I tried to get the people to say the names exactly right so that there wouldn’t be any mistakes in heaven. Also, the family that we brought, Jose and Marilu, had a great experience there. On Christmas day, Jose, who has been looking for work for a long time now, got a text saying that he needs to be on a job site the next day (the day we were gonna go to the temple) to do a test and have an interview. It was such a great opportunity, but short notice and horrible timing. After telling us about it, I wanted to tell him that we can just go to the temple another weekend and that he should go to the interview. He really needs the job. But, we ended just telling him to think about it and ask the Lord what it is that he should do. He told us right there, after thinking for a second, that he was gonna go through with it and come with us to the temple. After the temple he would go to the interview as quickly as possible. It was awesome to see the commitment he had towards going to the temple! After going to the temple and then to the interview afterwards they had mercy on him and gave him another shot at the interview…which isn’t normal. It was a great miracle though and a testimony to all how God provides the way. Also, Marilu had many names to do the temple work for and while she was there she got the impression really strongly that she needs to do the work for her cousin that passed away. She had completely forgotten about her, but the feeling she had was unmistakable when she was in the temple. She told us the experience afterwards. Marilu had before only believed in God, and nothing else. She didn’t believe in a religion, not even in Jesus Christ. Now her faith is so strong that she can feel the promptings of the Spirit that tell her what she needs to do in her life. This family is amazing and I love them so much! Also we taught another family yesterday that said they had a dream about YOU the night before, leading her to heaven’s gate. It was pretty sweet to hear her tell the dream.

Please tell Paul and Shirley Bradford, in the ward, “thank you”. They sent me a Christmas card! 

Love you so much, mom. Times up here…give my love to the fam and to dad. He’s turning 55 this week! Tell him I love him and a happy new year to all!!

Love,

Elder Wilson

These are all the pics from Christmas and stuff. It was an interesting Christmas, because the family that we’re living with didn’t do anything big for Christmas. We did a family gift exchange, and nothing other than that. There wasn’t any pile of gifts for the kids at midnight (when they normally have their Christmas celebration) nor was there anything on Christmas morning. It was a humble, small gift exchange that we did between the family of 6 and the 2 of us. I liked it. It helped Christmas to be more simple. One pic is the back of a picture of the temple that we gave to a less active woman that we recently rescued. Also, my comp got me a small gift Christmas morning. He had me do a scavenger hunt to find it which was fun. The fireworks is how they celebrate Christmas at midnight. The pamphlets we got from the mission have all the missionaries from the end of November 2015 until now. Every missionary got 2 of them. One pic was my breakfast on Christmas day, and another pic was when we played Santa on Christmas morning to go around to every Elder´s room to give them a gift. It was really special and fun to do.  For the Peruvian people, Christmas starts at midnight Christmas morning and ends by the time you finally go to bed that morning. Enjoy!