Dear Family,
Well sometimes I can't believe how fast the time is going. I can't believe that school is ending and that Baker will be in high school. That just seems a little to weird for me. And Ward that is just crazy. Really sounds like everyone is doing good.
Anyways we are doing really well in Alamedas, Villa Nueva, Guatemala. This last week we were blessed as usual. Things are getting a little interesting here because my companion and I have knocked every single door more than 3 times. But the lord keeps on giving us miracles. this last Monday when we left it started raining so hard and every single one of our appointments feel. Anyways nobody was answering their door and the streets where turning into rivers. Anyways as were really looked for the guidance of the spirit we were lead to the door of someone we had contacted like over a month ago. Anyways we found them (a family of a 17 year old girl and a 22 year old guy, they have been living together for 4 years) and we had a really powerful lesson. They just told us how they don't have happiness at all. Anyways they went to church on Sunday. and they loved it so we are going to see what we can do for them.
Really being a missionary is sweet because pretty much you just look for new ways to help others feel the spirit. Everything that we do in our lives is about the spirit. One thing i have learned that it is really hard to live with the guidance of the spirit. Things like judging and getting mad at your companion just drive the spirit away. There is nothing more powerful than unity in the work and in our lives. If we are united as a family, things are a lot easier.
On a sad note a drunk guy just died in the street so that was a little scary. Always be thankful for your blessings. Love you all.
Elder Wilkes
Elder Wilkes in Guatemala
5/19/15
Find Happiness With Jesus Christ
Dear Family,
Well just before I forget I will be writing on Monday this next week. I think. Just so you know. Anyways this last week was honestly an incredible week. On Saturday we had a great small wedding service the only downfall was that everyone but us got there about an hour late. Then on Sunday we had 3 baptisms so that was amazing. The whole wedding the father (who recently went blind) was just bawling. It was a very humbling experience. Then after on Sunday the mother started bawling after the baptisms. She said I just know that God is happy with our family. I know that he is too. It is honestly unbelievable to watch people invite the Holy Ghost into their lives.
Anyways we are pretty much left without investigators after these last baptisms, but I know that we will find some more. We do have this one lady who is a single mother with a 9 year old girl, she has come to church and loved it. But then the other day in a lesson she said she had a dream about me so we kind of got scared and have not seen her since.
Anyways lately I have really begun to notice the difference between living with the spirit and feeling the spirit. Everyone has felt the spirit at some point in their lives through the light of Christ. But very few people live with the spirit. It is crazy to learn on the mission the little things that just drive the spirit from our lives. Yesterday seriously every single appointment we had had fallen through. My companion Elder Sorto just wanted to visit this old crazy guy. But I promised him that if we were diligent the Lord would give us someone. Anyway at that moment the Lord prompted me to look for a family we had talked to on the street. Well we ended up finding them and had a really powerful lesson. They are 22 and 18 and have been living together for 4 years. As they told us that they haven't been happy in about 4 years. I loved promising them that they can find happiness with Jesus Christ. I know that as all of us grow to know Jesus Christ that we can always live happily. There isn't a better blessing then that.
P.S. It is raining hard now everyday so that is a huge blessing.
Love you all,
Elder Wilkes
Well just before I forget I will be writing on Monday this next week. I think. Just so you know. Anyways this last week was honestly an incredible week. On Saturday we had a great small wedding service the only downfall was that everyone but us got there about an hour late. Then on Sunday we had 3 baptisms so that was amazing. The whole wedding the father (who recently went blind) was just bawling. It was a very humbling experience. Then after on Sunday the mother started bawling after the baptisms. She said I just know that God is happy with our family. I know that he is too. It is honestly unbelievable to watch people invite the Holy Ghost into their lives.
Anyways we are pretty much left without investigators after these last baptisms, but I know that we will find some more. We do have this one lady who is a single mother with a 9 year old girl, she has come to church and loved it. But then the other day in a lesson she said she had a dream about me so we kind of got scared and have not seen her since.
Anyways lately I have really begun to notice the difference between living with the spirit and feeling the spirit. Everyone has felt the spirit at some point in their lives through the light of Christ. But very few people live with the spirit. It is crazy to learn on the mission the little things that just drive the spirit from our lives. Yesterday seriously every single appointment we had had fallen through. My companion Elder Sorto just wanted to visit this old crazy guy. But I promised him that if we were diligent the Lord would give us someone. Anyway at that moment the Lord prompted me to look for a family we had talked to on the street. Well we ended up finding them and had a really powerful lesson. They are 22 and 18 and have been living together for 4 years. As they told us that they haven't been happy in about 4 years. I loved promising them that they can find happiness with Jesus Christ. I know that as all of us grow to know Jesus Christ that we can always live happily. There isn't a better blessing then that.
P.S. It is raining hard now everyday so that is a huge blessing.
Love you all,
Elder Wilkes
5/12/15
Working Hard at Retention
well first off this letter will not have captial letters. sorry to everyone but this keyboard doesnt have a shift button. anyways it was great to see everyone this last sunday you guys all look great and it does look like elise is really pregnant. but you guys are all doing well. sounds like the wedding was a dream. not going to lie but the pictures of everyone on the jazz court really hit my heart but you know life does go on.
anyways everything is going really good. today we had a meeting with the stake presidency and then the mission president came to my district meeting so that was really exciting. pretty scary but it all worked out well. anyway things are looking good for this weekend. our baptisms fell through last week but that is because the family decided to get baptized together so that should be a great experience. we are going to have a wedding on saturday so i will send pictures of that next week. anyways i dont know what other quiestions you guys have that you didn't ask me on skype but when you guys do have questions just ask them.
one thing is the retention. yes the retention is not exactly what we want at times. but we are working very hard in that. here is this are it can be a little tricky when there are just little kids that have been baptized. without the help of their parents or anything. but this month we have the goal of 90 percent. we just need 5 more converts to come to church. the important thing is that we help them renew their covenants and don't focus on them just as members. the strength of the church will never be decided by numbers.
anyways on the way to the internet today we had a crazy experience as a district. as we were walking to get on a bus another bus pulled up and these two guys grabbed me and were fighting over me to get on their bus. they were going crazy to try and get the 6 of us to get on their bus and not the other. anyways then they grabbed a sister and i just started screaming at them. that they could not touch them because they were holy and then they stopped. so just be thankful today when you can calmly get in your car.
Baker we are teaching a part member family. they have a 9 year old son named gerson. he is reading his book of mormon everyday. he is understanding much but the important thing is he is reading. he is a stud. they also have a crazy grandma who is trying to teach them apostasy. when she prays she will only say the lords prayer so that is always interesting. anyways i love you guys. have a great week.
elder wilkes
anyways everything is going really good. today we had a meeting with the stake presidency and then the mission president came to my district meeting so that was really exciting. pretty scary but it all worked out well. anyway things are looking good for this weekend. our baptisms fell through last week but that is because the family decided to get baptized together so that should be a great experience. we are going to have a wedding on saturday so i will send pictures of that next week. anyways i dont know what other quiestions you guys have that you didn't ask me on skype but when you guys do have questions just ask them.
one thing is the retention. yes the retention is not exactly what we want at times. but we are working very hard in that. here is this are it can be a little tricky when there are just little kids that have been baptized. without the help of their parents or anything. but this month we have the goal of 90 percent. we just need 5 more converts to come to church. the important thing is that we help them renew their covenants and don't focus on them just as members. the strength of the church will never be decided by numbers.
anyways on the way to the internet today we had a crazy experience as a district. as we were walking to get on a bus another bus pulled up and these two guys grabbed me and were fighting over me to get on their bus. they were going crazy to try and get the 6 of us to get on their bus and not the other. anyways then they grabbed a sister and i just started screaming at them. that they could not touch them because they were holy and then they stopped. so just be thankful today when you can calmly get in your car.
Baker we are teaching a part member family. they have a 9 year old son named gerson. he is reading his book of mormon everyday. he is understanding much but the important thing is he is reading. he is a stud. they also have a crazy grandma who is trying to teach them apostasy. when she prays she will only say the lords prayer so that is always interesting. anyways i love you guys. have a great week.
elder wilkes
5/5/15
The Lord Wants My Heart Here
Dear Family,
Well I don't have a ton of time today and I will be seeing you all on Sunday. Everyone just dance so hard for me this Saturday. I would say that my heart will be with you but it wont it will be here, because that is what the Lord wants. Anyways we had a baptism on Sunday and that was awesome. and we have 2 more this weekend. Also I will skyping at 6pm on Sunday so be waiting for me. I love you all I know that the church is true.
Elder Wilkes
Well I don't have a ton of time today and I will be seeing you all on Sunday. Everyone just dance so hard for me this Saturday. I would say that my heart will be with you but it wont it will be here, because that is what the Lord wants. Anyways we had a baptism on Sunday and that was awesome. and we have 2 more this weekend. Also I will skyping at 6pm on Sunday so be waiting for me. I love you all I know that the church is true.
Elder Wilkes
 |
| This is how wet we are when we get home when it rains the picture doesn't really do justice. |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)