Week 57 Ecuador

Family and Friends,

We have officially begun A Streak! What was that movie dad...Standing Tall? Something...well, we`ve had baptismal services every-other week for the past two months, or to say, my time here in Babahoyo. November is looking good and we`re going to keep this thing rolling until I`m called somewhere else. Loving Babahoyo! Keep praying, obeying, working and doing all things with a joyful spirit, then stand still and watch the Lord fulfill his promises! Thanks for all of your prayers on behalf of Hugo and the Family Ponce as they fasted with us this past week and took the most important decision of their lives.

Elder Wilson

I think I fell behind on sending these. Well, we're playing catch up!

Here grandma Wilson...I don't have the recipe, but this is Japingacho. Super delicious!

The rain, and heat, are coming back to Ecuador! I think I told grandma Rett, there are houses on the River here. Bad pic, but can you see the houses?

Carlos and Matilde Ponce. Married, and baptized!

My piano teacher (and newest Elder)

Little league soccer photos, can we do a throw-back something here!? hah

Elder Albrecht cut himself shaving. I immediately responded with a Hitler salute! haha funny dude. It was his birthday the 21st!

We had some struggles with the baptismal font again. City water pipes filled up with dirt. Better that we baptize in the river! ha

Cake! Not a fan of cake. Nope, but this one was pretty good.

Not impressed with the high temperatures

Hugo Cherrez baptized by member Juan Leon

Proof of 105 degrees of celestial glory beating down on my bleaching head! :)

Duntz hats, & lollipops

Week 56 Ecuador

10/19/15 voice recording

Good morning family! :) Well, I’m not totally awake yet, but I just want to throw out to start off, happy 14 months in the mission to Elder Albrecht and I. whoo! Also, I will be celebrating with Elder Albrecht his 20th birthday on Wednesday the 21st. whoo! Sunday I will be celebrating again in my heart, with all of you for Garrett’s birthday on the 25th. whoo! Lots of reasons to celebrate this week. ha 

Dad and Garrett, I hope you guys had a excellent time pheasant hunting in Montana. I saw a few ducks last week, but I’m hoping to see the trophies all lined up today. 

I passed my happy 14 months with the zone leaders in Guayaquil at President Riggins house. A lot of great things went down there. We lunched on some sweet pork sandwiches. I know BBQ beef sandwiches weren’t always my favorite, but wow. When we ate them here, they were just delicious. 

Going to a more spiritual point, we all feel that the mission has great potential. Not disregarding our current success, but as President Riggins said “We’re building the foundation of things to shortly come.” We keep raising the goals, and me and Albrecht are trying to reach them. We’ve rebuilt the mission from what it was, really with a lot of love and trust. Almost everyone’s obedient, although sadly amidst all of that has risen mental barriers that secure complacency. Complacency is the enemy of excellence. We want to break them. We want to break those mental barriers in the minds of the missionaries. Me and Elder Albrecht did it. With the normal 4 or 5 investigators that we take to church, with a lot of help from the ward members we got 12 at church yesterday. We want to show how the other missionaries can do that as well. That is what a good leader does. 

Quick side note, I did get 10 temple names done that morning thanks to some brothers on the team that helped me out. Leaving me with only 1 original name to go from the first search. I’ll be doing that next month probably. Another side note…Oh wait mom, those names that you mentioned, I can’t remember the two last names, but I don’t have anyone here from the 1600s. I don’t have their names, and so if you wanted to print out their names and send them in the next package, or letter, or whatever I’ll be happy to do them. If not, we can let them expire and I’ll go back to it when I get home. Either way, I just wanted to let you know that I don’t have them. 

Hey Rachel, another quick side note. I did get your letter that you sent. Well, I can’t say I got it. It made it to Ecuador, but it actually got sent out to another missionary who opened it. ha Their zone leader took it from him, “Hey, this is Elder Wilsons!” so one of my buddies is gonna  be getting that to me shortly. I thank you for sending it. I can’t wait to read it. 

I am staying faithful to the pondering scripture challenge. This week Elder Albrecht and I invited the zone to do one, which was Mosiah 18:21. It’s about unity. So, that was really good. 

I also feel that I am understanding the social and spiritual relationship in the mission work, that aspect frustrated me for a long time. I’m pondering more my personal experiences, and it’s adding significance to my testimony for sure. You can really see when you look back how the Lord has been there, and preparing you a little bit. Here and there, and moments along your life. With that I am left with an anxious knot in my heart, because the Ponce’ family finally got married! We’ve been working with them for a while. It’s time to get them baptized, but luck of the draw, I was in another sector so I didn’t get to see that. That’s alright though. 

I tell you what though, something crazy happened on an intercombio. We were in one of those wooden houses that were built up on stilts. This family was kind of weird, they are less actives and everything. This girl comes in that was bathing, I was like yeah whatever. She shook my hand, went in the kitchen, and then her boyfriend came in. He was tatted up, I guess he’s a less active member. Then I heard yelling in the kitchen, and he comes running around the corner laughing, and then just after…Boom…this knife goes into the wall, and he’s like hahaha. He looks around the corner…Boom…another cup comes flying. Then he picks them up, goes in the kitchen laughing, and she was laughing. Some freaky, weird messed up game…I left. 

Alright, to bring it back to the spiritual knot in my heart though. We have Hugo Cherez, as well as the Familia Ponce’ who have goals to be baptized this Saturday. They’re struggling a little bit. Receiving their answers, they’re uncertain. There’s fears of failing after their baptism, and lots of stuff. We had really powerful lessons last night with them, lots of tears were shed. Not on my part though. Anyways, we made the goal that we’re going to fast for them tomorrow, and this week. Do a lot of prayer, and honestly I just have to say I am So excited to see the Lord answer their prayers. I truly have come to trust in the Lord’s promises, and I know that if they do this with sincerity, then their going to receive the comfort, strength, knowledge, whatever it is they truly need. So, I can’t invite you all to fast with us here in the mission, it’s not appropriate, but go ahead and keep a prayer in your hearts for them, so we can keep these baptisms rolling. Keep saving the souls of Ecuador down here;) These three baptisms this month for us, adding to the ones we’ve had would actually reach the goal of excellence that President Riggins had set for us. Nobody’s reached it yet, so I would really like to set that example for the zone. 

Anyways, going back to the intercombio, a member made a comment that I had heard before. We’re inviting people always to do stuff, and they said, “Elder Wilson that’s easy for you, that comes natural for you.” I reflect on things, and it’s true. A lot of things in my life have come very naturally, and so I thought, I pondered. I wanted to do something difficult, and I’ve concluded music has always been difficult for me. We all know that I do not have rhythm, I cannot play the piano. Honestly, I want to struggle. I want to see myself achieve something, a difficult task that these people are always facing, it’s just different. I don’t know, I don’t have many chances to practice, but I’ll take advantages of what’s given me, and I have made the goal to play Hark the Harold Angels Sing on the piano before Christmas. Luckily, Elder Albrecht is a fine teacher. He has taken 9 years of piano, although he hated it. 

Alright, I’ll share one last story. It is that, I saw the blessings of family history work again, when I offered to reactivate we can say. We visited an otherwise inactive family in the church, even though they pay their tithing. For a time, the family Onate has felt some of their ancestors are waiting for them. They being sealed already, this is the purpose his family will need to return to church. I can’t blame the guy, I don’t enjoy church here either. I really don’t. I don’t know how I would stand for a life of going to church here. It’s unorganized, it’s stressful for me, it’s I don’t know; but they will need to take action to go to church, to take the sacrament, to prepare themselves to enter into the temple and do the work for those family members that they do find. So, this week we’re teaching them family history. We’re going to use the family search accounts. I’m glad I learned all that. I’m glad I have my testimony of it. I know that God invited me to learn all that for a reason before I came out here on the mission. 

Alright, if this gets much longer, I’m not going to be able to send it to you guys. So, I’m going to drop it here, with a big I LOVE YOU from Ecuador. Take care

Week 55 Ecuador

Baaaptism :)

10/12/15 voice message

Hey family, what’s up? Another great week has gone by in the work of salvation. Starting off from the beginning, last week after conference we took on the challenge to memorize a scripture each week. We also selected one for the zone, so as a zone we have more unity and purpose. So the zones memorizing a scripture, but just to show off my skills, I’ll show you that I memorized my scripture, it’s Mosiah 15:11, which reads like this. Behold I say unto you, that whosoever has heard the words of the prophets…concerning the coming of the Lord…who have hearkened unto their words, and believed that the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins…these are his seed…the heirs of the kingdom of God. Sweet promise right? So, a little motivation to follow the prophet. 

New stuff this week, a really, really cool thing happened. I’m pretty sure that a family was sent to us from God. Literally, the familia Gomez, they’re actually our neighbors. I guess by a few fights and things, they were splitting up. The wife came to her husband wanting an attorney to see how much it’s going to cost to divide all their things and the two daughters that they have. He’s like instead of getting a professional to split us up, why don’t we get a professional that can bring us together? It just happened that we were walking down outside the house at that moment, and he stopped us and asked us when we were going to come visit him. He’s super cool. He’s a dance instructor. We’ve had three lessons with them now. They’re way cool. They have a date to be married, and to be baptized! They’re super cool with us. We’re sure they’ll progress, and super grateful for that miracle that we saw this week. 

Two new missionaries came into the zone this week. Ones named Elder Oyler. He’s from Pleasant Grove Utah, but no worries. He didn’t wrestle or play any other sports, so no contention there. The other is Sister Johnson from Idaho Falls, and she knows Caleb. Caleb Eubanks, so that’s pretty cool, although she’s a year older than him. It’s been funny to see them, and hear their spanish, and a little painful all at the same time bringing back those memories. That sucked when I couldn’t understand anyone. It was so frustrating. We just have to give them a lot of support though, and they’ll have it figured out in a few weeks. Honestly I have to say, as much as I’m enjoying the mission right now and loving it, I would never go back an redo the first year. 

Amongst all the cool things happening down here in Ecuador here though, Elder Albrecht and I were in bed one morning, just waking up and an earthquake shook us for a good six seconds or something. We confirmed it with other people, so it was real, it was legit. It made us laugh and look at each other, because you know we’re supposed to be out of bed at 6:30 sharp, and we can say it was about 6:32. It shook us, and I was like woah, woah, woah, OK, God I’m up! I’m up! We're down on our knees ready to pray. He’s gonna send down justice on us. 

Well I hate to deceive you all, and say that everything is sunshine and rainbows down here, so I’ll share the bad side too. Um…Nilla Wafers are the bomb, and they’re still my favorite. Thank you grandma, but they are all gone now. So that’s a hard reality to accept.

We had a terribly unorganized “invasion” we call it. Where everyone goes and visits in a ward, all the missionaries, all the members, anyway in one of the wards here in the zone. It was the bishops fault for nor organizing anything. So that ate up about two and a half hours of our day. 

Mom, I share this for you, because I always have to say something kind of questionable in my voice messages for you to filter and rewrite to share with the rest of the world. The truth is I’ve suffered a pretty gnarly head cold this past week, and with that came some diarrhea. I share with you all something that kind of came from our president. The Lord many times asks us to work with all our heart, might, mind, and strength, all of our “guts”. Ya know you gotta give your guts, and I think when God asks us to work with our guts, he’s saying something like “Parker, I’ve never seen you search, and find, and enter in a house with such diligence as when your guts tell you you really need to go!” So, I want you to work like that. All jokes aside, we had some emergencies, and I was breaking through the door on a few occasions. Members, ya know…I gotta go! Thinking in the beginning of my mission I would refuse to use a members toilet. Seriously though, think how successful we would all be in life if we worked as hard as when we have to find a toilet. That would be true passion right there. 

I can say that this weekend has been a good experience. I felt the spirit as we always do when we sincerely try fasting and looking for it. All of that included the baptism of the familia Penafiel…the brothers. Not to say that went perfectly either. The day of the baptism we went to the font and got it all ready. At 11:00 we filled it all up, which takes like 45 minutes, cleaned the room, swept it out, and everything. The other elders had a baptism at 4. Ours wasn’t until 7, so when we came at about 6:45, coming early to make sure everything is ready. The room was dirty with popcorn, and pop bottles, and the font had been drained with zero water. Luckily after the introduction and the talks and everything the font got to an appropriate level that we could dunk ‘em and wash away all their sins. 

We’re excited to see these baptisms coming in like every other week, and hope to keep that going. It always has a lot more purpose when you can go, and do follow up lessons and visits with your own converts, which is what we did tonight. We taught familia Torez Salvatierra, and then he received the Aaronic priesthood today. He’s a priest now, until the next priesthood conference when he’ll receive the Melchizedek priesthood. After that lesson, we watched the movie UP for about 15 minutes. It was on TV while drinking our Ecuadorian hot chocolate, which is so delicious. 

Garrett, I heard you were slamming some doubles, and playing a lot of first base. Congrats on that. I’m excited to hear more about baseball, and about what’s going on there. I’m sure you’ll make the team for Weber here come springtime. 

Dad, I don’t know what week were on, if you're in your handgun shooting course, or if you guys are going up to Montana for the pheasant trip. I’m sure I’ll get up to date tomorrow, and I’m excited to see some pictures, whatever you guys are up to.

Mom, I’m excited to see some more triathlon pictures. I can keep rooting on for you about your college work, that’s awesome, but not all that exciting. I can’t say that, all that I’m doing isn’t usually to exciting either. Geez, that was kind of offensive, sorry for dissing on you mom. I love you.

Haun girls, Maddie, Gracie, Aeva, you’re all your all destined to be college soccer athletes the way I see it.

Grandma, I think you just need to retire so you have more time to write me letters. You always close that you feel guilty that you write me and work and have to get out to some dying patient. 

Grandma Wilson, keep bowling those turkeys.That’s incredible. I’ve only gotten maybe one of those in my entire life. Grandpa Wilson, keep up the good work golfing. Win some big tournaments. Bring in the big dough.

Darby and Bryan, I don’t even know if you guys listen to these things, but if you make it to the end of this 11 minute voice message, I want you to know that I love you. It’s like 10:40 at night, and I’m supposed to be in bed, but I still stink, and I’m drinking really nasty fake orange juice, watching my companion pick zits off his face. So, enjoy the love that you guys enjoy one with another. Keep it real. Duces

Week 54 Ecuador

Writing this one out, and apologizing to those who may think I`ve long given up on communicating in the mission (I`ve just converted to voice messages more). 

I may start by saying I`m a spoiled missionary for the frequent visits to the Temple here in Ecuador I am blessed with. With the help of some good friends I completed 5 family endownments this past week. There is a work to be done in the Temple we are all called to serve in. Get a temple recommend if you don`t have one, and if you do, Go!

I`m glad to report, as I sit eating tasty and budget friendly CC cookies, I have reached the perfect mission fitness level. Unlike before, I can completely wear myself out, stretch and meditate all in my short 30 minute schedule! 

Hope this doesn`t come in too direct, all the same I wanted to share and I truly don`t want to forget the feelings of brotherly love, despair and maybe a little fear I felt this past week as my mission president helped me understand the essential role of Baptism in the Plan of Redemption (Salvation).

It all began when God presented His plan and gave us the opportunity to become like Him_understanding perfectly the price that would have to be paid... He prepared it. Most Jumped for joy, but a third rebelled and were thrust out of heaven (Rev 12 or D&C 76:25). We knew we would be tried (Abraham 3); satan became our temptor, opposition to the Father
(2 Nephi 2..) Subsequently, Adam and Eve, the Earth, and each of us when 8 years old are cast-out of Fathers presence, our origin, unwelcome disgraceful degenerated (enemies Mosiah 3:19) to God. And we thought we were Children of God, no? 

Good news is for us who have been baptized the answer is yes. However, truth is God won`t reclaim us unless we are reconciled with HIm_ by his son. You see, Christ did all that he did to Buy us, and if we live worthily, give us back_children of our Heavenly Father (whereas now we are baptized, children of Christ). (1 Colossians 1:19...) We were torn from Him so that we could learn to grow, a process that doesn`t truly begin until we find him again through Baptism. We cannot repent without being baptized for truly we are ¨Baptized unto repentance¨ (as it states 13x in the BOM). 

I understand now why the Sons of Mosiah (Mosiah 18) had such a great desire to Cry salvation to their Brothers the Lamanites. I finally get it_because I felt it too.