service service service

Hey one and all!!!

So this week was a wonderful week of service. We did service thurs, fri, and sat. The first project was going over to a house to clean up all of the old branches and leaves that were stacked up in the back so that we could have a FHE at the house. To get rid of leaves and branches and such in Paraguay the most common way is burning. So with a bit of medical alcohol and flames in a barrel we cleaned up a good amount. During that time  we captured a black scorpion; that was really cool because they are supposed to be really rare here and could hurt very very badly. (don't worry no one was harmed) The second one we started doing one of my personal favorites. Taking a machete and climbing a tree to cut off branches. If you don't want it to look super pretty and just want to cut it off i would personally use a machete. if sharp enough it can cut a big branch really quick. Plus doing that service project is really fun for me cuz i get to remember the good ol days when me and the guys would go climb trees at the church. Then Sat we cleaned out  grass that was growing out onto the street which was fun and then of course trimmed more trees. Oh and i learned a new vocab word ¨Podar¨ which means trimming. oh ya learn something new everyday.

oh and just a random fun fact this week we started running in the morning. my gosh.... running for 30 min and walking for 9 hours are completely different. 

So the picture that i sent was of the Paraguay Tortilla. It is actually really good. It is what i think is the closest that you can get to a scone. you mix up everything the flour, eggs, water, and salt and then you fry it. normally my favorite is when they put in queso paraguayo and some green onions ohhh yum yum. another fun food that they eat here that before i wasn't a huge fan of but now that i am, is called Sopa Paraguaya which is Paraguayan Soup. guess what????? ITS A SOLID!!!! its made out of corn flour and you put cheese and hard boiled eggs inside of it and then you bake it. It is really good. Then another traditional Paraguay food that we ate this last week was a thing that i forgot what it is called but you take a hard boiled egg (Paraguay loves hard boiled eggs) and you wrap cheese and ground beef around it and then ya cook it and make a rice dish next to it. very yummy.

as a missionary you find yourself pondering alot. and recently I've been pondering a good amount. the first main thing that i have been pondering is the importance of following the council of the prophets. the prophets many times give us council to help us evade temptations in this life that can lead us down a wrong path. i have been fortunate enough to have wonderful parents who strongly follow and support the prophets and teach us to follow them as well. the world is completely different today than it was during the time of Christ or even during the time of WW2, and it continues changing. Sometimes we may see something as harmless and in reality isnt something that is going to put us into horrible situations but the prophets have warned us against is because it can make it  easier to get into temptation such as, good media (music, movies, tv, internet), modesty, dating when you turn 16, getting an education, ect. yes many of these things may not be horrible but they do make you more susceptible to temptation. as i have personally followed more and more to prophetic council i find myself being more susceptible to the spirit and just happier and safer. Follow the prophet he knows the way. 

Currently i am reading 3 different books at the moment. (i know strange) the Book of Mormon, the New Testament, and Jesus the Christ. They are all wonderful and just help me grow in so many ways. personally i am loving ready Jesus the Christ by Talmage it is just wow. i thought i would never say this but i am grateful that i took AP Lit my senior year. Talmage at times reads a bit differently with tough english but thanks to AP Lit i understand it!!!! Jesus the Christ though has helped me just get such a better insight into the life our the Savior and really who he was and what he has done. It is helping me grow my faith and my love for my Savior and Redeemer. Right now I'm just 1/6 in around pg 125 and i have love every part of it and i can't wait to read more.

This church is so true i dont know who or where i would be without it. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY AND I LOVE PARAGUAY!!!!! these have been the best 8 months of my life and i cant wait to keep on living the next 16!!!!!! I love you all very much and pray for you daily. Stay true to the faith, love life, and follow the gospel, the blessing and joy from following everything to the dot is amazing!!!!

love

Elder Wilson

ps got the bday package thank you for the socks wearing a pair right now and the tie is saaaweeet!!! and question was the bag of mints just taken out of the armrest in the Saab cuz i know that is where mom puts them and there were 4 or 5 wrapers that were in there. oh i know my family so well. 

Photos:

1. This is why mom and dad say ¨dont lean back on your chair¨ 
2. Tortilla (Paraguay Version) Salt, Flour, Eggs, Water, add cheese onions and other stuff to taste
3. It was really hot

Badabing Badaboom

Hey All!!!!!

Well another week has just flown by here in Paraguay (rhymes). Things are going splendid here in 3 bocas which is a bunch of fun. we are teaching  people and finding  new people to teach. we are going to an area that elders haven't really focused on in a long time. there we found a bunch of new great people who are just amazing and ready to receive the gospel. We have a good hand full of people who are getting ready for baptism.  The biggest change is Sabastian i think i may have talked about him last week, but if not here he is. He is a father of a family of recent converts. They got baptized around 7 months ago the familia martinez. he has been very unsure and not wanting to rush into things but we went there with the elders quorum president and he now has a baptismal date for december (going on a work trip) he is wonderful and the family is wonderful full of love and joy. the sister has the same thing that gma utah has so she can only use one half of her body but she goes to church every sunday it is awesome!!!!!!!

fast and testimony meeting was just awesome. we had a bunch of recent converts who have become a bit less active back at church and they brought their friends which is awesome. the best part though is that we had very little to do with it. IT WAS ALL MEMBERS!!!!!!!! YAAAAAAAA!!!!! members are so uber caduber important. with out them missionary work would be 90% less effective. i have also come to love and really appreciate fast and testimony sundays. i get to focus on a thing that's going on -  and pray and fast about it and also have the great blessing to share my testimony with others. when we came home the landlady, who we call mama, and her sister tia were talking about fasting and we had the grand opportunity to talk about the importance of fasting and how its us putting in that little extra effort of faith for a specific thing. i have come to just love the power of fasting and be super grateful for it. many times we fast as a companionship for special situations: investigators, members, relationships, and a whole bunch of wonderful things. a thing that i remember from a district meeting a while back was when our DL talked to us about sacrifice on our mission. for a fast (24hrs) we give up food and drink, for our missions (24 months) we give up ourselves and the world. we put every back behind us. it doesn't matter if it is music, videos, habits, speech, time, and many other things we are giving it up for the best reason known to man; to dedicate ourselves and our all to the gospel of Jesus Christ and to put him first in front of everything. WHAT A BLESSING!!!!! my gosh i love the mission it is SSOOOOOO AMAZING!!!!!! full of growth and experiences!!!!

love you all and hope and pray for the best

Elder Wilson

Pictures:
1. So Darky (landladies dog) was playing and ripped a hole in my shirt i decided to sow it and did a really bad job. dont worry i sowed my pants really well when i fixed a hole.
2. View on our roof on a stormy day really pretty
3. Let me introduce you to Elder Austin McGee
4. Now behold DARKY!!!!!!!
5. Isnt he just a cutie (big dogs make people feel safe and happy we should get one in naperville!!!!)

HAPPAY HAPPAY HALLOWEEEEN!!!!!!

HAPPAY HAPPAY HALLOWEEEEN!!!!!!

Hey fam! Well first of all happy halloween (día de las brujas) to you all!!! Here in Paraguay Halloween isn’t super popular. Ya people know about it and walking down the streets at the big stores they have halloween material stuff but  all and all not really. Most people here think its satanic and soooo that kinda eliminates a big bunch of it. We aren’t really doing anything  for halloween but its all good.

This last week was a good week I turned 20, so yay me. Got to get a special ñoki lunch which was nice (also traditional to eat ñoki on the 29th) and later on went to the Elders quorum presidents house and ate some yummy cake cake cake cake. Got a nice call from Hna Callan saying happy bday which was nice and my companion let me choose one of his ties so I got a nice new one. Good bday though glad to celebrate it here in good ol Paraguay!!!!

So a little bit more about the area. The limits are really kinda funky but its nice. We are in the most dangerous zone of Paraguay the worst neighborhood we walk through almost everyday. Normally not at night but from history there hasn’t been a  ton of problems. Its a very busy area on the main freeway so there’s alot of traffic in and out. Walking is a bit more fun, all empedrado so the shoes are going strong. No dirt roads which is a bit sad but oh well. It’s also very hilly so we walk up and down and up and down nice work out for the legs, bomb! A big one here also that I find to be kind of unique is Rastafarianism. Religion off of Bob Marley the sum for the people around here is smoke weed and read the bible so there are a good handful of hippies and stuff like that. They are really nice though they always enjoy offering to the missionaries but we decline. We are starting to go into summer, which is nice. Got super humid and then had a couple of storms and it was super cold this morning (69 f) I know I’m a pansy but I’m starting to say things like ¨wow its only around 94 that’s nice¨.  I know you would all say WHAT??? Elder Parker Wilson is enjoying and accustom to heat? crazy crazy stuff but things happen.

The best part of this week though was yesterday. There is a guy named Sebastian;  the rest of his family were baptized members  about 8 months ago but he never really wanted to ever get baptized. He normally goes to church when he’s not working. Has read the BoM but was not so sure about it and just didn’t really want to get baptized. Yesterday we went with a member to go visit them and we didn’t talk for a good 40 min because the member was talking. IT WAS AWESOME!!!! He told him his conversion story and it was the exact same thing and the blessings that he has received from being a member of the church and being able to have a family for the eternity. Sebastian was touched and the spirit was so strong. Just wow. He said that he’s going on a business trip for a couple of weeks but he is sí o sí getting baptized in Dec! When he commits to something he does it and this was just an amazing miracle!!!!

I love this gospel and it is so true. This is the Lord's work and I am so honored to be apart of it and to represent my family, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and most important our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I am so grateful for you all and send my hopes, love and prayers all to you!!!

Elder Wilson

Photos:

3. Some cool graffiti in our area. The one on the far right is for Rastafarianism that is really popular in my area

2. LOCO PARA LA ¨O¨ my team here in Paraguay

1. BIRTHDAY CAKE!!! LOOK MAMA IM SOOOOOOOOO SKINNAAAAAAY!!!!!

3 Bocas

Hey family!!!

 

so in a new area,  new companion new new new!!! my area right now is Tres Bocas. it is 15 min north of my old area and in the same stake as my first area. When we take the bus 15-3 we pass through all of my areas!!!!! so im getting to know asuncion really well which is nice. the area is a lot more churchi and nicer. i haven't walked on a dirt road yet,  everything is empedrado and asphalt which makes it a tad bit hotter. the members are great, in a branch of around 55 so we are gonna become a ward in the next little bit which is awesome!!!! its a bit of a hilly area which means more leg exercise but you get used to that, which is nice.

 

My new companion is Elder McGee. he is a midwest boy from missouri. been out on the mission for about a year and a half now. he has been companions with my trainer which is really cool. its my first time with a true anglo guy which has its positives and its negatives. just means that we gotta talk spanish a whole lot more so that i can keep it up. i got a great compliment though from a member she said ¨i dont understand you because you are talking to fast.¨ just so you know everyone else understood me AWWWW YEAHHHH thank you gift of tongues (sc) and spanish immersion!!!!!

 

what i really do like about changes is that you get to start new. you can change as a person and better yourself. change habits that weren't as awesome -  to habits that are great. so greatful for this wonderful opportunity that i have to better myself and grow into the man that god wants me to become. ohhhhhhhhhhhhh and another awesome thing is where we live our apartment is actually really nice has a balcony and all; but the best part is what is downstairs......... A HUGE DOG!!!!!!!! almost the size of chief. his name is darky he is a rot wailer (sc) my english has gotten so bad. i play with him,  last time he bit onto my arm (playing style) and we played tug of war  - a great nice dog reminds me of chief alot. hint hint at parental authorities.

 

another great thing is that we have a big bunch of recent converts which is awesome!!! through them we are going to be able to find new people to teach and spread the gospel through all of tres bocas which is awesome. this truly is a work and a glory to help the Lord bring his people to him through the waters of baptism how grateful i am to have his name over my heart everyday.

 

i love you all dearly and pray for you everyday. the church is true i KNOW IT.  next weeks letter will be a bit more lengthy with photos.

 

love

 

Elder Wilson

 

ps. sometimes they lose letters in the mail when we send it through the office. i have responded to every letter so if people havnt gotten them send a dearelder.com telling me.

 

 

 

Pictures:

1. Me in my old area about 3 months ago we were going to help build a house

2. Just is a funny picture thought you would all enjoy what i would look like with big glasses

ps  - Elder Parker's birthday is october 28 - plenty of time to send a card or letter - he will be 20

ROBERTO FERNANDEZ!!!!!!

_{Sorry faithful followers to be posting a day late}

_{Monday just got away from me}

_{Hello family of mine!!!!}

What a great week!!! first Roberto Fernandez had his baptism this last saturday. He is a car mechanic,married with 3 kids, loves to play piqui volly in his spare time (video of this sport will come soon) and is full of faith!!! we met roberto my first or second week here in San Antonio. He has progressed so far and is amazing!!!! Someone who I’m going to remember for the rest of my life. He is super humble, and full of hope and faith. A great example for me.

This week we also just worked our tails off. Man it feels so good to work. You hear stories of missionaries who stay at home or don’t really go out and work and my goodness how boring! Sharing the gospel is so amazing!!! This last week we also had divisions. I was with Elder Clement from St. George. Honestly one of the best elders that i have seen. He is amazing and a great example. Learned alot from him this last week.

On tuesday i got a letter from mom that was a talk by Elder Dallin H Oaks that was ¨the challenge to become¨. I read it for my personal study and it is a wonderful talk. Makes you do a lot of looking in and reflecting. Helps you feel that you wanna change for the better. I can honestly say that i am a different person today than i was 8 months ago. Not in a bad way at all, but in the best way in the world. My testimony has grown like crazy and my love for this gospel. IT IS SO TRUE!!!

My testimony has grown so much when it comes to receiving answers from prayers. This last week i was looking for help and guidance from my Heavenly Father to help me become more and more motivated to push through during hard times. After fasting for 24 hours and constantly praying when i was at the most bottom point i received an answer. This answer helped me push everything else to the side and just go out and work with a huge smile and being happy. Being happy is fun.

Transfers are this week and it is very likely that i will be going somewhere else. Who knows where i will be heading. My two hopes are Ciudad del Este (whole different world) or just the straight up campo´ite (middle of no where) but ¨i´ll go where you want me to go dear Lord.¨ oh since that is a song that reminded me of something. this sunday me and Elder Rios (Argentina) did a special music number duet! we did “Nearer My God To Thee” but in spanish of course. did some little tweeks to make it more interesting. Just dynamics, tempo, and verse orders, sadly no cool key changes. It was really awesome. Spirit was strong and people cried so its all good, hahaha. The best thing of personal growth for me was when Elder Rios told me ¨hey, I’m a little bit nervous.¨ being honest and not prideful at all i said ¨really? I’m not.¨ you guys know how costly it was for me to sing at first infront of family. when i first sang a solo for people i let the judge, Mrs. Trump, and Puliot (high school choir guy) come in to listen. i wouldnt even sing at home and know im just like ya lets do it. thank you to Mr. Kruse, Mrs. Trump, Mr. Yarbarough, Sis. Hatch, Tyler Peniata, Jeff (from byu forgot last name in sweden for his mission though), and especially mom and dad for making me sing infront of people. what a huge blessing that has become!

The church is true. I know it with every fiber of my being (sc). Jesus is the Christ. Joseph Smith saw the Father and the Son in the sacred grove. Obedience is the key to happiness. If we turn our lives over to our Father in Heaven he will help us in all moments of this i know.

my love and prayers go out to all of you

love,

Elder Wilson

Photos:

1. Baptism of Roberto Fernandez

2. I KNOW DONT CHA JUST WANNA EAT IT!!!!! sadly we had beef ribs and sausages instead but still yummy!!!!

Elder Parker's birthday is October 29th and he would love to hear from any and all of you

Working to reach your potential

Hey fam!!!!!!

Hope all is going splendidly swell with all of ya back in the US of A. Things here in Paraguay are going really well. WE HAD A BAPTISM A WEEK AGO!!!!!!! (didn't bring my cam) Gustavo Olmedo: he and his wife who is a member got married and it was amazing the spirit was so strong and he is such a wonderful loving guy. AND WE HAVE TWO BAPTISMS FOR THIS SAT!!!!!! They are Roberto Fernandez (AWESOME!!) and Axel Barrios (Great Guy!!!!!) We have been teaching them both for a while now. We have never gotten the feeling to stop teaching them and look here are the results!!!! How the Lord has blessed us!!! 

This last week we had interviews with our mission president, President Callan. He is amazing! It reminds me of the talk that Elder Waddel gave in GC. He said that the Lord knows all of our missions. I personally know with all of my heart that the Lord knows my mission and i am so grateful to have President Callan be my mission president. A great thing that he pushes for is obedience which i love!!! There are some missionaries who think all of these rules make it so that we can't have any fun so that we can't do this or that. Honestly i know that the mission rules are meant to keep us safe. When we stay obedient to these rules and follow them the Lord will bless us so much. Yes there are some of them that you look at and you don't really see the danger in them but you must follow them anyway. Its the same with commandments or advice from the Prophets and Apostles. It may look harmless and it doesn't do that much, but when one thing leads to another, that is when bad things happen. Its like pulling out weeds. You want to take all of the weed out not just the top of it; you need to take out its roots. Taking out the roots makes us safer.


The mission is so amazing. I am surrounded by so many wonderful people. There are so many amazing Elders here. Two big ones for me have been Elder Clement (DL) and Elder Swenson (ZL). They help me out so much and are so full of love. They help me push through and work harder every day. This last district meeting we talked about reaching ones potential. My personal thoughts is that our potential is everlasting and we can always improve, but the quote that i remember that i dont know who said it is: ¨The Lord doesnt expect immediate perfection, but he does expect immediate progress.¨ once we start progressing that is when we start getting closer and closer to our potential and our potential gets higher and higher.


I love you all so very much and pray for you daily. Thank you for all that you have done. Thank you for your prayers.

Love,

1. Gustavo Olmedo after his baptism (my shirt makes me look like ive added weight but actually im making a new hole in my belt this week!!!)
2. Down by the bay......... where the fishermen sell.......mandi´i and surubi
3. Two classic fishing boats
4. The fish that they sell (this is a sister of an investigator all of their family is part of the fishing biz, she gave us around 4 kilos of fish. Surubi and Parana!!!!!!) yum

I´m so Happy and I love Conference!!!

Wow this week has been so amazing!!! Just flat out loved it!

The week was full of what my dear friend from the Fiddle on the Roof would say ¨Wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles¨ 

God truly places so many wonders and miracles in our lives.

In our area we have found a bunch of nice miracles. People being home, people who before wouldn’t even want to talk, letting us sit down and share with them. People preparing themselves for baptism, all just awesome! One great miracle was with our friend Anibal Pera who is 22 and amazing. He is working as a meat boy at one of the supermarkets and is studying during the other time. He has a baptismal date for the 22nd. We invited him to come to conference to listen to modern day prophets. Due to some things that we had to attend to at the stake center between sessions we were not able to go and find him to bring him to conference. (We sang a special hymn for a baptism and had to help out). We gave him a call and he said ya I’ll be there in 20 min. Not only did he take the bus to get to the stake center but HE CAME ALL BY HIMSELF!!!!!! Wow what an amazing wonder and miracle. God truly helps us so much when we put in our part.

Since I’ve already gone onto a conference topic can I just say........ WOW!!!! These were the fastest but most amazing two days of my mission. To sit and listen to the prophets and apostles of the Lord talk to us today. A big thing that we as the missionary core here in Ñemby (our zone), Paraguay and myself have a huge emphasis on is The Book of Mormon, Youth, and morality. As Pres. Monson said in his two talks the world before used to be right beside the church when it came to moral standards, and now they are way far to the side. The best talk I heard for the youth was Elder Packer and one of the most powerful speakers I have ever heard in my life was Elder Holland. All of Elder Holland’s talk was just like WOW what an amazing man and spirit about him. He makes you want to act and work. Packer’s poem about the old crow and young crow was very legit, I enjoyed it very much. Elder Callister from the 70 on his talk with the Book of Mormon was just inspiring and was a perfect guide for us missionaries. Sister Barbra Thomson, I loved her talk, most likely one of my favorites. She was, I think 3rd in the first session and it was all about personal revelation. Just amazing that all of the people who spoke are called of God, I know this with out a doubt!

The thing that I love from conference is that it makes you want to improve. I liked the analogy of the counselor of the Sunday School presidency. When they were climbing up the mountain before they looked up to see how much more they had left to go; they looked behind them and saw how far they have come. That can be applied to life, a school assignment, and personally for me, my mission. I have come SO far. I do have a bunch to go but I know that I’m progressing and with the words of the prophets that we were all able to hear this last weekend, how can we not move on and improve. A statement made by the area authority for our mission said this about a zone conference, ¨What is the point of coming to zone conference if we don’t make the change after?¨ This can be easily applied to conference. What is the point of going to conference if we don’t apply it all and make the change after?

I am so grateful for conference and for the great love my Heavenly Father has for me. I am on my mission for a reason, I am in Paraguay for a reason, I am in San Antonio 1.2 for a reason, and I am with Elder Arriola for a reason. As soon as we discover the reasons that we are in a situation, that is when the Lord will guide us and shape us into what he wants us to become.

I am so grateful for you all and all that you do.

My love and prayers go out to you!

Love

Elder Wilson