Like a Storybook

Dear Family,

Well thank you for all the happy birthday wishes. This morning on the bus my companion tried to get everyone to sing happy birthday. Anyways nobody went along with it. But then he just started yelling to everyone that I was rich and American and that I was going to buy everyone cake. It was super funny. When he said that everyone started cheering.

Well this last week we had another sweet week. We baptized. We had a single lady who is the cousin of a convert and she had been to church for like 4 months straight. Anyways we had 2 really spiritual lessons with her. And she decided to get baptized on Sunday.

This last week we found a new investigator named Luis Pacsun. It was Thursday morning and we were just knocking on some doors. We finished a street and I started to leave. Nobody accepted us. Anyways as I was leaving Elder Stewart called to me. He was like I just saw a guy. We went and talked to him and he was like come on in. Anyways we go in and the house is just destroyed. Beer bottles and cigarets were everywhere. We teach him and he cried. The spirit was strong. Like a storybook you know? Anyways we leave a Book of Mormon there. We go back the next day and walk into the house and everything had changed. Cleaned up, he was shaved and showered. HE HAD READ ALL THE WAY TO 1 NEPHI 9. He told us how the book was changing his life. He went to church and will get baptized on the 16. Right now he is just finishing 1 Nephi.

I love the gospel and the spirit. The Lord's work is to help others feel the spirit. I love you all. Have a great day.

Elder Wilkes

Another Sweet Change

Dear Family,

Well first off just want to give a quick birthday shout out to Mikala. Hope you have the best birthday ever. Also shout out to Ryan Reece for joining us as July birthdays here in the family. And to Elise and Micah for having a child.

Anyways my companion and I are not going to have changes so, it looks like we are going to have another sweet change. This last Sunday as a zone we were going to have a huge baptismal service. We had 13 people that were suppose to get baptized. Anyways there was a ton of problems. 10 of the people ended up not getting baptized. We ended up baptizing 3. 2 that were from my companionship and one from another ward. Anyways we ended up having a ton of support and it was really awesome. On Sunday 4 of our converts received the Aaronic Priesthood. And later that day Renato Mendez a convert baptized Hector Morales. It was so amazing to see a convert baptizing.

Yesterday we also had a sweet p-day. My companions mom decided that we could take all of our converts out to lunch. So we took 18 of them to a nice restaurant here in the city. They were literally in heaven. People who live in 2 room houses were just living the dream.

Anyways yesterday we had some really sweet family evenings with the converts. We have had a hard time finding new people so we are going to fast with all the members today to bring new people to church. They really are all so excited about the work. It is so amazing to see. Anyways I love you all. Have a great week.

Elder Wilkes

This is Brandon Garcia who got baptized. He is 16. 

Elder Wilkes

This is Brandon Garcia who got baptized. He is 16.

Be Worthy of His Help

Dear Family,

Well not many things to say this week life is still going good as always. We ended up having our baptism last Tuesday and that was sweet. She was so happy and it really is always amazing to see how baptize and confirmation really change the countenance of a person. This week end we are going to baptize two people to finish out a perfect change of baptizing every week. We really have not done anything other than listen to the spirit of the lord. I really do know that Jesus Christ walks the streets here with us. And that we can call down angels. He is so willing to help us that we always just have to repent daily to be worthy of that help.

One of the people that we are going to baptize is hector Morales he seriously is the funniest guy ever. They go to church about more than 20 minutes on a bus to get there. We don't even have to go pick them up because they just go. We have some members that were going to pass by for them but then they got to excited and left early. They are going to get married on Saturday. Then he will be baptized on Sunday.

The other kid we will baptize is named Brandon Garcia. He is the last one in his family who has not been baptized. He is kind of a rebel. But finally has gotten his act together. Well I don't have a ton of time. Just know that I love you all. Have a great week.

Elder Wilkes

We also worked in field this last week. My area is so pretty.

Hear the Music of the Gospel

Dear Family,

Well this last week was really a crazy week for us here in Antigua. Seriously so many things happened. First off we had a wedding on Saturday and a baptism. A young family of 20 and 22 got married and baptized. It was a sweet experience and we had a convert of 4 months baptize him. We took a lot of sweet pictures and stuff but in the confusion leaving this morning I totally forgot to bring it. But it was a sweet experience and the ward is helping them to prepare for the temple. Really we have been blessed baptizing ever single week in this change. We have really learned to help others hear the music of the gospel. I would suggest that everyone should study that conference talk. We really have just been helping everyone hear and feel and it has made a huge difference.

Anyways with a little success, Elder Stewart and I did get prideful this last week. Oh man the Lord really taught us a lesson. We could not find anyone new and were left with nobody after our baptisms. We also had a super busy week and did have a ton of time to work because we had a lot of things to do for the zones. Anyways on Saturday night, we finally realized that pride had gotten to us. Anyways we made the changes we needed to. I am so thankful for the miracle of forgiveness.

Anyways this week we're not really expecting any miracles. We just had to gain the Lord's trust again. So then the assistants came to work with us yesterday. Me and Elder Pinedo left to work. He is a great guy. We went to visit a lady named Marybel Garcia: she has been to church a bunch. But we had dropped her because she told us to. Anyways we just went to visit her yesterday and the spirit did its job. We just taught through the spirit and she is going to get baptized at 7 tonight. Anyways we called my companion and the other assistant and Elder Stewart and they did not believe me that she was going to get baptized. But she will tonight.

Anyways I have learned that missionary work is not that hard. We find people. Be worthy instruments and then teach people.

Also on a cool side note. Since we completed our baptism goal for the month of June, the stake president here, who is so cool got permission to take us to one of the nicest places to eat in the capital. It was so good. The best steak I have ever eaten. It was like my first dinner in a year. Because we don't have an hour for dinner here. I was pretty sweet. Anyways I love you all and am very thankful for the love and support. Shout out to Ruby Wilkes. And Kendra as well for having a baby.

Elder Wilkes 

What Are You Doing to Recognize the Spirit Everyday?

Dear Family,

Alright well sorry to everyone but i do not have that much time today. My email was not letting me in for some reason. this last week was honestly the best week of my life. We had a miracle baptism. In this month we finished with 7 baptisms as a companionship. We have seen so many miracles.  Here is the story that i wrote my mission president about what happened.

Anyways on Monday we started with a fast knowing that we had to baptize this week. Literally we didn't not have anyone for this week. Nobody. Then that day the spirit went told us of a man who had been coming to church for about a year. 12 missionaries had taught him. He was a goat and did not want anything with being baptized. But that day the spirit told us that he would be baptized. he was our baptism. That day we went to visit him. the spirit was strong but still did not accept his answer. On Tuesday, we visited him he was having back pains. I gave him a blessing and he cried afterwards with relief from the pain. He still did not take that for his answer. Wednesday, the same, excuses, excuses, excuses. we felt the spirit so strong but he (Ronald Lopez) did not accept it. Thursday, we could not find a soul to teach all day. Nobody, we even got lost walking in a forest that turned out to be a park. then that day the lord guided us to a family, of a lady who was baptized as a little girl and her husband. They came to church and he is preparing to be baptized and married on the 13. After that we went and taught Ronald. same old same old. felt the spirit and rejected it. Friday, we got super sick. Had to jump of the bus to go to the bathroom. Bus left and then we surprisingly meet you and Elder Alonso on the freeway. How embarrassing was that. Later we had to go do interviews that day and only had time to teach one lesson. We went and taught Ronald. The spirit was so strong that we could barley walk home after. we were so tired in the spirit. But he still rejected it. Saturday, We went for the last time to visit him. Once again the spirit was so strong. We waited and waited for him to accept. After being in the house almost 2 hours listening to the silence he said, "What time am i going to get baptized tomorrow?" We went straight to the church he had his interview and we baptized him right then.

Anyways Ronald ended up getting baptized. We didn't even get pictures because we didn't have time to go get our cameras. But this last week i have never felt more guided by the spirit. I love you all. I will tell you all the story of meeting a general authority on the freeway when i get home. What are you all doing to recongnize the spirit everyday? love you.

Elder Wilkes

Another Amazing Week in Antigua

Dear Family,

Well we had another amazing week her in Antigua, Guatemala. My companion is still a great guy and we have been doing really well together. Anyways on Sunday we baptized 3 people and it was amazing. It was a complete family baptism. The ward here seriously is so organized we almost don't have to do anything. After the baptism they gave the dad a new white shirt and they made the family feel so at home. We have to go like 15 minutes in bus to get to the church so it really is a huge effort that all of the people make. Really this testifying and challenging missionary thing that we have been doing and applying as a mission is working. That's why we are baptizing a lot. I really do know that the Lord wants us to baptize.

This Friday we have a conference with one of the area seventy so that it is going to be awesome. This last Friday we had interviews with President Markham and one of the Assistants who I am good friends with asked his wife if me and my companion could sing a duet for the conference. Anyways she said yes so we got sucked into that.

Anyways my prayers are with the family, and with Grandma and we will see what happens. But it does sound like everyone is enjoying summer. Shout out to Baker and Jamison for killing it on trek. I had a blast on trek but i was such a problem. Shout out to those guys for being good examples. Anyways as a zone we are really picking up the pace. We had 42 investigators go to church as a stake this weekend so things are looking good. Anyways I love you all.

Elder Wilkes

Leaving My Home of Amatitlan

Dear Family,

Anyways well its that time of week again family members. This last week has been pretty crazy here. I am now in the mountains. I am in the capital of tourism here in Guatemala. ANTIGUA. Anyway i have already seen gringos a few times and its really weird. They literally do not even know what they are doing here. There is also a ton of money here so that is a little weird. My new area is up in the mountains with a bunch of fields and cows and animals and wild things so i really like it. Its always freezing though. i am so cold here. I did finally leave my home of Amatitlan so that was a little sad. But life is always full of new things.

Anyways i am a zone leader now so that is interesting. I feel really unqualified, because i am so young in the mission. But god does have a plan for everyone. There are now different things to do but it is really fun.

This last week we did have a baptism though. His name was Gavino Garcia. My very first day we went to visit his here in this area. He had gone to church 9 times and they could not get him to get baptized. Anyways as a mission we have been working on being missionaries who testify and challenge and that's about it. Anyways we just listened to him and we taught him through the spirit and he was baptized on Saturday. It was an amazing experience and one of the best lessons of my mission.

My new companion is Elder Stewart he is from Orem. He has 20 months in the mission so it has been good to be with someone with more time than me for a while. He is awesome and we are going to baptize 3 people this Sunday. The family Mendez. They are amazing, but pray for them because they get scared that all of the family is going to reject them. But they have received answers and on Sunday the father said the prayer and broke down in tears. Pray for them. I love all of you here are a few pictures.

Elder Wilkes