Week 14 Ecuador

Hi Everyone! :)

We are caught in the middle of Christmas and the upcoming new year which brings a lot of excitement here as well as at home. I hope Christmas was amazing for everyone and you´re all looking forward to NewYears as much as Ecuador is! Unfortunately, it is a bit of a hinderance as far as the work goes with people traveling. Dad, to answer a previous question, people do travel here as well i´m discovering. With that said.. not too much to report as far as investigators and things go. Lots of lessons with members, hanging out, service projects, etc. 

So reflecting on Christmas.. you know that age when you start giving more than receiving? well.. I thought the mission might bring about that change. Nope, still not there. I got some awesome presents back at home from friends and family and even members of the ward reached out inviting us over and bringing bags of food. Sweet! Bags of food are every missionaries dream, right? Bummer is I don´t know how or have the equiptment to cook any of this food :( what happened to maceroni and cheese? So I had the great idea of taking all this food and giving it to our less-fortunate families and investigators in the area and they were very grateful. It was an awesome opportunity! Nothing like those gifts that get turned into ...re-gifts!?

I had the chance to talk with my family this past week on Christmas - Best Christmas gift of all! Anyways, later that night I was pondering on all we talked about; simple stuff, the majority of which was about the work i´m doing. However, it was enjoyable for us all and even enlightening for me. That night I was wrapping up the day with my prayers and a question my dad had asked his sunday school kids came to mind; essentially, ¨Who do we pray to?¨ Though it can be a bit of a tricky question we all know the clear answer is our Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ. This simple truth sunk a little deeper for some reason and has since left a bit of a change in my prayers - one that i´ve been looking for the past couple of weeks in my goals to pray more sincerely. 

[D&C 103:36] Äll victory and glory is brought to pass unto you through your diligence, faithfulness, and prayers of faith.¨   I love this scripture. It teaches us that it all really starts with our prayers. In a very real sense God is our Heavenly Father who loves us so much. Just like talking to my parents on Christmas day, we are all invited to talk openly and honestly with him daily, expressing gratitude and love; for which He will respond with feelings of comfort and peace. He will warn, strengthen, forgive, teach and otherwise assist us thorugh His Holy Spirit as we seek Him in prayer. 

Christ taught us in [John 17:3] that ¨..this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.¨ 

The greatest gift, even eternal life, is obtained by learning to recognize his influence through the Holy Ghost in our lives.

I´m looking forward to the events of this new year and for the full year of 2015 I have to spend with the people of Ecuador in the service of the Lord. That´s pretty cool to say; exciting, brings a smile to your face right? There is a special year ahead. Let us all start it off right by focusing on the power of prayer.

Gotta run. Much love and a Happy New Year for you all! 

I have a feeling you'll be getting a lot of different views of the temple over the next couple years;)

Christmas service cleaning a stake center...you didn't know people were literally so small here did ya?

The whole mission got together Tuesday night. I found some friends from the MTC.

This guy is a stud. We have a lot in common. He only has 6 months left though. I'll get a 1 in 250 chance of being his companion next :o

Spent the evening dancing with these fun people. I failed to get a group picture, but a lot of people showed up. Latino's sure know/like to dance! I am now "learned" in Merengue, Salsa, Reggaeton, Mongoeioashoe something...haha, lots of fun

Amazing cooks as well. I got my Christmas turkey :)

The Quintanilla family invited us over for a Christmas Eve gift exchange. My resulting shirt was small, but Juanes likes it:)

Dear Friends and Family of the Eden 1st Ward,

I`m grateful for this opportunity to share a piece of my testimony with each one of you. I can`t begin without expressing my thanks to you all; many names and faces quickly come to mind of those who have been a part of helping me to arrive where I am today. We all know our ward is excellent, my appreciation of such has increased greatly since being in Ecuador. The examples of each one of you serve as a vision and sense of hope that I share with the amazing people here.

Concerning Bishop Shaum`s question, ¨How has my testimony grown since being on my mission¨ I would respond: My testimony grows daily in my morning studies and is strengthened as I testify of Gospel truths. I would say I`m growing in about every way you would expect a missionary to, through this special opportunity to live and focus entirely on the Gospel; to have ¨an eye single to the glory of God¨ in scriptural terms.

More specifically my testimony of the Restoration has increased. Surely I always believed that Joseph Smith was a prophet, that the Book of Mormon is true, the Priesthood authority I hold is a real power from God, and other blessings brought back in these Latter Days - But it`s a new kind of ¨surety¨ (for lack of better words) that comes by testifying and experiencing these things on the daily.

(John 5:30) ¨Give me yourself and in exchange I will give you myself. My will, shall be your will. My heart, shall become your heart.¨ ..As a missionary I have an unrivaled opportunity to experience this promise given by the Lord. With this I would recall the infamous proclamation of President David O Mckay 55 years ago, ¨Every member - A missionary.¨ All members, as Disciples of Christ, are offered this same promise echoed in D&C 88, ¨Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you.¨ While the mission holds many unique experiences I testify that I do nothing save study and teach the same basic doctrines available to every one of us. We may all, if we so choose, Draw nearer unto Him by living those ¨primary answers.¨ Any progress made in these past 5 months on my behalf has come by praying more sincerely, studying with greater purpose, and listening to the Spirit. The deepest questions of the soul and the grandest miracles wrought are by understanding the basic principles of Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and our journey in enduring to the end.

I believe the greatest feeling is to receive a spiritual prompting, to act on it, and later learn it was of great benefit on behalf of another person.

I will close with a thought I had in the Temple recently while pondering on our Savior Jesus Christ and the significance of Christmas; It truly is wonderful that a God and creator of the universe willingly came to earth to set a perfect example for us, to descend below all as our ultimate sacrifice, then overcome the world that He might know how to perfectly succor each one of us in returning to Him. I testify that we can draw nearer unto him by doing the little things and the Holy Spirit will lead each of us home. Families are ordained of God; I love teaching families and the love for my own, though thousands of miles away, is greater than ever. I know that is through the Blessings of our loving Heavenly Father - He will unite us all and help us find true joy and peace. Because of Him we can be united for eternity. -Concluyo estas cosas en el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Love,

Elder Wilson