Where God Wants Me to Be

Dear Family,

Well we had another good week here in this great old land. Well to start off anyways this week I threw up all over the floor of a less active's house. We had eaten lunch and I wasn't feeling the best all day but I was doing fine then we went to visit this lady and after we finished the lesson she said she wanted to give us beans. They actually taste super good. But I knew that if I ate them I was going to throw up. Anyways I explained to her that I was super sick but she just said that the beans would help my stomach feel better. Anyways so after we started to eat I knew that it wasn't going to go down. So we went upstairs to use her bathroom and we COULD NOT find the light. It was so funny. Then I just could not hold in this stuff anymore and it just came out all over her floor. Anyways then it happened again and after that we found the light. I seriously felt so bad that it happened but she is a nurse at the hospital and was super nice about it. Anyways we went home and I showered and then in the next lesson the same thing happened. But this time I threw up in the bathroom so that was a real blessing. But those were some awesome experiences that I am sure me and my comp will never ever forget.

We didn't have any baptisms this week. But we have 2 coming up this weekend so that is always a good thing. This week we were having having a second visit with a lady that is super awesome and we had talked to her husband before and they had seemed really promising. Anyways we found out that he is an alcoholic. Halfway through the lesson with his wife he came in super drunk. Anyways we started talking and then he just broke down crying. He said he doesn't know where to turn for peace or anything and can't stop drinking. Sometimes I just feel so young in situations like this. Because really I am an 18 year old boy. But what I told him is that Jesus Christ loves him and that through him anything is possible.

There are not really many things I'm sure about in my life but one for sure is that Jesus Christ is our Savior, he appeared to Joseph Smith and this gospel is true. If you ever doubt that don't, because it's the worst thing that any of us could do. That's a knowledge that I am glad I have and am thankful for it. Because times like that I just know that I am where God wants me to be. Thank you for all the letters and love and support.

Elder Wilkes

Trust in the Spirit

Hello All,

Well it has been another week here in Guatemala and it was a good one. We are working super hard this month because we have a goal as a mission to baptize 400. This past week me and my new comp, Elder Shelton from Meridian, Idaho baptized 2. They were both miracles. On Saturday we worked with the traveling assistants of the mission and they challenged us to have the faith that we would baptize someone on this last Sunday. So we reviewed the list of church attendants and prayed to see who we should go and visit. Me and one of the assistants went way up into the mountain to visit a man who had shown a lot of interest and had been to church a few times. We followed the spirit and we were able to help him be baptized the next day. The same thing happened with a sister who had been coming to church and we got 2 baptisms. We helped 2 people take the first step in following Jesus Christ so that was really awesome. We also have been working hard with all the recent converts. We have about 50 percent of the converts attending right now. I don't know all of them and I have had to take charge with my new comp because I know the area. So that has been kind of hard because I still don't really know what I am doing. But it has been super good to force me to really learn to trust in the spirit and let it lead and direct me. 

One of the saddest things I think about a mission is how we always will find new people and they will feel the spirit super strong and then we go back and they just have no interest or anything. On Saturday night we found a less active by door-knocking and her father had recently died. We taught her and I was bearing my testimony of her dad waiting for her help (he never was baptized) she was just bawling and was so excited to get back to church and on the straight and narrow path. Then the next day she didn't show up for church. It just is sad how people feel the love of God and then just go back to old ways. But we just have to stay strong on the path of righteousness and strive to help others. Halloween looked fun from all the pictures. There were even people trick or treating here. Everyone have a great week.

Elder Wilkes

Every Reason to Be Happy

Well we had another great week here in the blessed land of Guatemala. It's turning into summer here and wow it has been hot. Like wow I'm sweating all of the time. But I'm working on the tan of my arms so that is good. Anyways me and my companion have changes. So that is sad. I will get a new trainer tomorrow. But that will be good because the Lord knows what he is doing so there is nothing worrying about here. But I seriously loved my companion, he is a great guy. Anyways we had two baptisms over the weekend. That was really awesome. I baptized a little boy who is 10 and has been a member his whole life. His parents are returned missionaries. They have some problems at the moment and he never was baptized so I got to help them out. It was really a good experience. They were super grateful, but pray for them that they can work their problems out so that some day they can be an eternal family. The kid is super funny and he was freaking out in the font because the water was really cold. He choose me to baptize him because I am white (haha) and because he said I am more fun than my companion. He is a great kid. We also baptized the cousin of all those boys that are members. He is 12 and super awesome and loves to come to church. They will be leaders down here one day.

We also have another baptism on November 9th of a man whose wife and family was baptized in July. We finally got him to commit and he will be a really solid member. We got him to commit when we talked about the Atonement with him. That is such a joyful message that despite all of the mistakes we make we can become clean again. Always. And we should repent every single day. Because we all make mistakes. I don't care who you are, you are not perfect. I'm not even close to being perfect and all we can do is our best.

Sometimes it's hard to teach people the gospel here because honestly they can't read or really understand. But what I do know is that God loves them as much as he loves any of us. And we will all be judged according to our abilities and God knows us. Really I can feel God's love for these people so much. On Saturday the kids that I have talked about wanted to buy us food. So they bought tamales for us. And I felt bad because they have no money. But as we sat there on the mattresses on the dirt floor and ate the food with our hands, I felt the love of God for them. I don't know everything or anything and honestly it's been awesome to get destroyed this last month and be humbled. But what I do know is that God loves his children and through Jesus Christ we can return to live with him again. And that gives us every reason to be happy. Love you all, have a great week.

Elder Wilkes

Help Build the Kingdom of God

We had such a crazy week here. Last Thursday we got a call that we needed to go down to the hospital and do some translating. There was a group of North Americans down here doing service and a dentist from Utah who was a member. None of them spoke Spanish so we had to translate for them. Anyways my companion and I thought that we would be translating for the dentist. But him and I were put in the surgical section of things. So let's just say that we have witnessed a live hip replacement and translated the Spanish for the nurses. Wow. We had to change into doctors clothes and everything. My comp has learned English through his mission and he was really taken back at how unfriendly all of the North Americans were to him. They were all hard core Christians from Georgia. We taught two of them the restoration. They were actually really good and I was the senior comp because I speak English a little better. It was a crazy experience. We also had a baptism this week. It was a 17 year-old girl and she was really happy to be baptized. Her mom believes but will not get married so she couldn't get baptized. We have been working really hard with the recent converts lately because the retention is not as good as it needs to be. It needs to be 100 percent. Sometimes I get kind of scared because we are so focused on baptizing. And I think that the real purpose is to bring others closer unto Christ. Part of that process is baptism, but there is a lot more for members and for missionaries. We can always do more to help build the Kingdom of God where ever we are. The culture here is really funny. My favorite part is how honest people are. My face has been destroyed since I got here because of the humidity and people are always asking what happened to my face. Its so funny. Also we had a really interesting experience on Sunday. We were with a less active mom and dad and their kids that come to church. The parents started fighting and we learned that they were going to separate and the husband has been having an affair. But the spirit helped us know what to say. My comp is really powerful and the bishop is helping them because we don't have that kind of authority. I am grateful that I never had to worry about that kind of stuff growing up. Love you all, have a great week.

Elder Wilkes

How the Lord Works

We have had another week here on the beautiful earth. Yes, we did feel the earthquake yesterday. It sounds like all of the family is doing well. Addi had a good baptism, Jamison is running fast, and Baker and Ward are playing one of my favorite sports, flag football. Great game.

Well, I have experienced my first week of disappointments in the mission. But it really is good. I have learned a lot and when the Lord humbles you that's when you can learn. Our baptism feel through this week and every single one of our appointments except for two. The only people who ever want to listen are thirteen year-old girls or old men who just want to fight with us. They are so funny. Yesterday we hiked way up in the mountains to find investigators and it was kinda hard because none of the people can speak real Spanish. It was more like an Indian or Lamanite Spanish. Also I got sick. Justin has told me some stories about sickness on his mission and let me say I think I can understand now. All part of this experience. I have learned a ton this week about how the Lord works and what he works through. We need to have faith in Him to see miracles. But really the most important part as missionaries is that we always do our part; and that is to invite others to come unto Christ. We still see miracles everyday and it really is a blessing to be here. I boar my testimony in Spanish in church and my companion said that is made sense so I think I am getting a little better, but there is still along way to go. This is kind of short but I really don't have much to say. Other than the Lord works in his own ways and in His own time. We keep finding all the unprepared people right now but that means we are just narrowing down the ones that are prepared. Love you all.

Elder Wilkes

First Baptism in Asiole

Well, I'm back everybody. It's been a good two weeks. My first area is Asiole, part of Amatitlan. My trainer is Elder Aragon. He is really just a good guy. I will be his last comp because he goes home in December. He is a really hard worker. One thing about our mission is we don't waste time so we seriously walk as fast as we can all the time. Literally all the time. My calves are huge. Seriously. The first day that we went out I had to run to keep up but I am improving my form. The key is just to swing your arms as fast as you can. That seriously helps. Anyways my area is a nice place. It's super poor and most the people just have dirt floors but they are so awesome. There are such solid kids here and we have a ton of recent converts so we visit them a lot because that's a new mission-wide thing that you keep in contact with converts for one year after baptism. We have such solid people.

Anyways, conference was a blessing because it was in English so that was fun to understand. Also on Sunday I baptized someone. First week in the field so that was cool. It was honestly the craziest situation ever and some how it worked out. One thing I have noticed is that this is seriously the craziest place on earth. But it was a good experience to be able to baptize E. She is having a lot of problems right now so keep her in your prayers. Her husband went to work in the capital last week and has not returned. He is a member. So we are hoping to figure that out. We really see miracles everyday. Yesterday after a good five hours of rejection we found a good family. They are prepared for the message they just need to get married because they are like mom and dad's age and have a ton of kids they have just never been married. But we will figure it out.

I really like my area and the lake that everyone thinks is the Waters of Mormon is like ten minutes away. Oh yeah, and Clark was in my area last week and bought my zone leader an ice cream. Our house is fine and there are a good amount of bugs in it but they don't really do anything harmful so it all works out. We do a ton of contacting and go on buses and go to the front and present ourselves as representatives of Jesus Christ. That is really fun. My mission president is a little intimidating but he and his wife really do love us. I am teaching an English class to investigators tonight so that will be fun. My favorite people here are six boys who were recently baptized. Their dad can't speak or hear and they only have three mattresses on a dirt floor and their mom disappeared a few years ago, but they are so happy. They want to be missionaries and they would be powerful. One is like eight and he is so cute and funny. They are choice people of God.

My favorite part from conference was when we learned that we need to walk as Jesus walked. Not where he walked. Everyday should be a consistent effort to be more like Him. Our mission goal is to baptize cada semana (every week). So that's what we have to do. We have two set for this Sunday so pray we can pull them out. Thank you for all the love and support.

Elder Wilkes

First Day in The Field

"Please enjoy this photograph of Elder Wilkes, whom we had the joy of welcoming into our mission on October 1st, 2014.  We truly appreciate your efforts in preparing him according to the standards of the Lord now that the bar has been raised for missionaries entering the field of labor in Guatemala and everywhere in the world... We will strive to teach and protect Elder Wilkes, so that he can have a wonderful mission serving the Lord Jesus Christ in Guatemala."

Melvin G. Markham 
Mission President 

Elder Wilkes pictured with President and Sister Markham