Thursday, September 12, 2013

The Past Few Weeks

Let's see how Sister Wilson has been doing this past month!

CHECK IT OUT!

Aug 20th

Hey y'all! 

Guess what?! I'M TRAINING A NEW MISSIONARY! Which means I'm a Mom! Frick, man. I'm so scared. Haha! I haven't even finished MY training yet! She came in from the MTC in Mexico yesterday! Transfer days are pretty cray-cray so we didn't get to e-mail then. Her name is Sister Luke! She is from Logan, Utah. She is a sweetheart! We seem to get along pretty well. Hopefully I don't corrupt her too much ;) Haha. It's funny, in the mission we have family trees, so Sister Seaborn is a Grandma! And Elder Gerber is her daddy. Baby Daddy! What up. Hahaha we have fun with it. :)

Most of my friends were transferred to different areas in the mission, so that was pretty lame. I may or may not have cried saying bye to them. But it's all good, I'll see them again soon! 

This past week was pretty crazy. We did a lot of service again, painting a shed at Habitat for Humanity! A friend of mine posted pictures for me on Facebook. Hopefully you all saw them! It was super fun. We painted a Cuban flag on it! Legit.

On Thursday night, we (Sister Seaborn and I) sang at a Relief Society social! They requested us. We would sing around the house and our Member we live with, Sister Fox, thinks we're good and announced it to the whole ward during fasting testimony meeting that we're "Beautiful singers" haha. So the R.S. president asked us to sing. It was nerveracking. But it was fun! Sister Seaborn plays the guitar so we sang Count On Me by Bruno Mars and Drops of Jupiter by Train. Classic, right? It was so cool! I think Sister Fox posted a video or two on facebook. I don't think I did very well on Count On Me, but I was satisfied with Drops of Jupiter. They all complimented us a lot. Haha I don't think I'm very good but it didn't go too badly! So that was...special.

We also helped bail some hay on Saturday! LEGIT. Dude it was so fun! Haha it was hard work, but lots of fun. Them things were heavy!

This week we're in a trio. Sister Fillmore's companion won't be here until next week, so it's nice to have someone that has trained before during the first week I train. I hope to learn a lot and be able to help Sister Luke. Pray for me, please. I really have no idea what I'm doing. Haha it's sad. I told her that we will learn a lot together this transfer! 

Anyway, that's my update for this week. I miss you all and love you lots!


Hermana Wilson

Aug. 26th

Hey guys!
So this past week was pretty crazy! Sister Fillmore, who is in the YSA ward for CSU, didn't get her new companion because Salt Lake screwed up some sister's schedules. So we were in a trio! So we basically were covering 2 wards this week. Busy stuff! It was fun hanging out with the CSU students though. I forgot how much I missed being in a student ward. The Zone Leaders are in that ward too, so we got to spend time with them. They're super cool! Elder Coates is from Concord, NC! And Elder Seawell is from Atlanta. So we all enjoy talking about the south and Bojangles, Cook-Out, Cheerwine (which, by the way, I WOULD not complain if someone sent me some...), and lightning bugs. Haha! They had a mustache party on Saturday, I'll attach a picture of the five of us with our awesome staches. 
Sister Luke seems to be adjusting well to being in the field. I totally understand how she feels! This is all overwhelming for sure. Haha. 
We met with a woman named Shirley on Saturday after we went to Habitat. Somehow we got her information, and she is actually in the Parkwood Ward's boundaries, but we went and saw her anyway. She was telling us about how her Mother has died and she hasn't been the same since. We shared a lesson on how God is our loving Heavenly Father and the message of the restoration of Christ's church. I could just TELL she was feeling the spirit. After the lesson, I asked her if I could give her a hug and she looked like she was about to cry. She told us we made her day perfect and she was so glad we came by. See, it's stuff like THAT that makes this worth it. I am going to contact the Parkwood missionaries to see if she went to church. She was a sweetheart.

We also all spoke in Sacrament meeting yesterday! Our Ward Mission Leader asked us if we would, and he was going to speak too. So since we have two sets of missionaries (and sister Fillmore) in our ward, all 5 of us spoke. Just like 3 minutes each. I talked about how you can't teach the gospel without love. And how all of us are examples to those around us and being a missionary, whether you have a name tag or not, is a responsibility of ours. We have the most precious message of happiness and love to share, so why don't we do it? Don't be scared, y'all. There's a scripture that says all you need to do is open your mouth and the Lord will fill it with what you should say. He did that for me when I spoke, because I definitely had no idea what I said when I got back to my seat in the congregation. Amazing.
I have set a lot of goals for myself this transfer. I'm going to do a lot better. Things have been crazy these past few weeks, but now that it's all dying down a bit, I feel like I can really focus and do my best. We're really focusing on ward unity, and Sister Luke and I are really focusing on the barrier between the English and Spanish sisters. Languages should not be the reason why we don't reach out to people. So I'm going to talk to the Relief Society President this week to discuss what we can do to bring the women together. I have a few ideas, so hopefully it'll all work out! I'm feeling very close to this ward, so I hope that they listen!
Anyway, that's really all I have to say today. We are going to a couple outlets in a little while. There's a Coach outlet. So we all know what this means. I'm gonna cry because I'm poor. But it's all good. Hahaha. And the Elders know that I've been waxing my eyebrows, so they're asking me to help them out with theirs. Bahaha, let the torture begin ;) 
I miss all of you! Know that Heavenly Father loves each of you very much. I know this for a fact. :)
Hermana WIlson

Sept. 3rd
Hey y'all!

So this past week was crazy good! Well, mostly!

Hermana Luke and I have been visiting people like crazy! Our Ward Council has been giving us names of people to stop by and see and w'ere doing it as much as we can! We're also doing a lot of projects and helping Habitat for Humanity finish a house! Legit. 

We had a trainers meeting on Friday. I got to see Sister Seaborn again! :) It was a loverly reunion with my Momma. And we also had a meeting with 2 transfer missionaries. So all of the mishies I came out with from the MTC were there. It was a nice MTC district reunion as well. :)

There are some AWESOME families in our ward that we're getting close to. The Enriquez family are going to the temple next month! Shanelle and Chris are getting their endowments done in a couple weeks. They had been trying to get to the temple for a while now, and for some reason the Bishopric just hadn't seen them yet. I said something during Ward Council last week and after that, they saw them that day! So they had their final temple recommend interview on Sunday night. I'm SO excited for them! Shanelle asked if I would be her escort, and I asked President Brown, but he told me that Elder Christensen wants us to focus more on sealings, so President Brown said I could go to their sealing in October if I'm still in CO. :) :) That would be AWESOME. They're amazing people. They have tattoos like all over them. Haha, Chris has sleeves and Shanelle has a half sleeve and tattoos on her legs too. It amazes me to see people make such awesome changes in their lives. I really hope I get to be there when they're sealed to their family. They have 5 kids.

We had dinner with another member last night, Sister Keesling. She is amazing. I kind of expressed some struggles I'm having with adequacy and feeling important in this work, and she started crying. We had a serious heart to heart. She helped me SO much. And when Sister Luke and I got home last night, she and I had a long talk too. I'm so thankful to have such support around me. 

Anyway, that's really all I have for now. Here is a picture from the meeting! Sister Seaborn, Me, and Sister Luke.  And yes, my skirt is a little big. (SCORE!)

Hermana Wilson





















She's Still Alive!

Here are more letters from Sister Wilson :) and some pics too!

Hey guys!

Holy cow this week was pretty much INSANE. I don't even know what the heck to tell you.

Someone just sprayed cologne hardcore in here. Now I have a headache. Awesome!

ANYWAYS, sorry I'm really distracted today. So basically, we went on a lot of exchanges this week. Sister Seaborn's calling as Sister Training Leader is pretty insane. We went on 3 exchanges. So I had like 4 different companions this past week. It makes it a little difficult because it makes me senior companion and I have no idea what the heck to do. So it's been lots of service and calling people. Yayyy. I did get to be with Hermana Vargha on Friday (the sister that was with me at the MTC), so that was super fun.  We also have a new investigator, named Anai, and we are continuing with a young married couple, the Phelps, (cutest couple ever award!) and they are so solid but keep looking at the logical side more than the spiritual. So that's going to be fun.

We had dinner at the Phelps' home last night. Laura's family was in town, so it was a huge Mexican fiesta! We played some games and did kareoke with them. Haha it was really fun. Her family is all LDS, so we had a pretty big gospel discussion.It was very frustrating. Haha. They kept bringing up this ridiculously deep doctrine, like stuff that no one knows the answers to, that not even my brain could comprehend and confused me too, and it just kept confusing them more and more. I finally just stopped the conversation and was like, "Look. This stuff that we're talking about isn't really important right now. What YOU need to do, is continue to study the lessons you have been taught, read the Book of Mormon, because that is the most crucial, and keep coming to church. But the biggest thing I can tell you, is you have to pray about what you're learning. You can't know spiritual truths without praying about them and asking the source of everything: Heavenly Father. We can tell you it's true 'till we're blue in the face, but if you don't ask, you won't know for yourself." So hopefully that helped them in the midst of all the confusion. We decided that we're not going to try to teach them with family there anymore, because we'd start on one subject and it would turn completely into tenets and things that don't matter right now in their journey to finding the truth. BAH.

Anyway, :) hahaha. So apparently there's some psycho jihadist running around Fort Collins threatening the LDS and Catholic church. We got a voicemail about it from the AP's and we were like, "Bring it on." Haha but seriously, if anyone is worried, we're fine! We're on alert and keeping lookout for the dummy's car. It's like a white sedan with black spray paint on it...seriously? We're being safe, and we're almost always with some elders, or members, so we're not alone very much. It's all good! Prayers would be great, though. :)


Today we're going ice skating for P-Day! It should be fun. Hopefully. Haha! I'm loving it here and really enjoying the work. We're visiting a lot of people and we both bore our testimonies yesterday. Our ward is legit. I love them all so much! They're just wonderful. :)


Hey Y'all! Sorry the e-mail is later than usual. We did the Horsetooth hike again! It's our last P-Day all together. :( It makes me so sad! I'll be sure to post pictures with this one; it wasn't as cloudy as last time! Gorgeous view. And the Elders are such goobers...you'll see what I mean. It's crazy that our zone is this close and we're all really scared about transfers next week. Haha. We don't want to be separated!

Anyway, so we did lots of service this past week. We volunteered at a charity BBQ thing. It was super fun. Pretty much anything we do with the other missionaries is awesome. There were free snow-cones and insane beach volleyball. It was for people that are below the poverty line. It was so fun to see all the kids get their face painted and I helped Elders Tenorio and Gerber with the auction. It was hilarious. 

We also volunteered at Goodwill some. That's always fun too, we find such random stuff there! We've been trying to visit less actives/recent converts too, but since it's the last leg of summer, people are going out of town a lot. 

We did service at Habitat for Humanity as well! Haha that was so fun. We got to break glass on chandeliers they aren't going to sell. Stress reliever much? It's super fun. We got glass in our skin, but you know, it was great!

I don't really have much more to report than that; our ward is awesome. Sister Brink came up and asked me for help on knowing how it feels to be humble. I wasn't really sure how to answer, but I tried. Haha I told her I'd try to look into it. I'm not sure if being humble is a feeling...I don't think it is. I think it's just realizing we are nothing without Heavenly Father and our trials and experiences are meant to help us rely more on Him. I'm going to look into it more before I go too into it.

So anyway, P-Day today was super fun! I made Cuban food! Everyone loved it, of course. Duh. Haha, we all got up early to do the hike again and it was soooo much fun! We were all goofing off at the top, standing around this big table-like rock, and I was recording a video and told some of the Elders to tell me "leaving words" since we may not be in the same zone, and I got a "I've enjoyed every moment..." a "Will you write me?" and then Tenorio just goes, "Ay, we're gonna sacrifice a virgin..." It was hilarious. He wasn't paying attention, but we all died. But anyway! Here are some pictures, I'm sorry this update isn't as detailed as others, I'm pooped from the hike and cooking for everyone.


Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Out in the Mission Field!

There she is! Out in the C - O!

Our baby girl is growing up!

When she first arrived:

Hey y'all!

I am in Fort Collins! Kinda awesome that I'm in the town my mission is named after. We had a great flight to Denver and met President Brown. It was really fun. On our first day here we had a day-long training sesh. It was pretty long, but really exciting too. I got pretty overwhelmed. I don't do very well with change so it was an interesting day for me. And I had been up since 3AM and didn't get to bed until after 10 that night. So THAT was fun....not.

My trainer's name is Sister Seaborn. She is AWESOME. And from Alberta, Canada. So Canadian jokes are thrown around a lot. But then of course, so are Cuban ones. Haha. She has an incredible story on how she came to be on a mission. She's very admirable for the things she's been through and that she is still here. It's awesome! Both of us click really well and get along great. She laughs at me a lot, but then again, who doesn't? Haha. Yeah.

We are serving in the Terry Lake Ward. We had a meeting yesterday with the Ward Missionary Leader, Brother Briscoe. He should be sending you (Dad) a photo soon. He is very determined to get missionary work done in our ward! He has like 3 kids out right now on missions, I think. It's pretty awesome! We also met Sister Fox, who we will be living with. We are currently living in an empty house owned by Sister Fairbank, until we can move in to the Fox's home. Sister Fairbank is a sweetheart. And she has a huge dog, which of course I love. I miss my Goot.

We also met the Relief Society president, Sister Kahl. She and her family are very pro-active in trying to get less actives active again. We are going to be mostly focusing on less actives since there are so many in this ward. This is an English ward, but has a Spanish group. It seems that the Spanish members are kinda wishy-washy and need some strengthening. So we plan on really working with them. And asking them for help with our Spanish! Sister Seaborn is pretty fluent, (she's been out for 7 months) and says that if we practice talking with the Spanish sisters, I will get pretty familiar with how to speak and what not. So that will be great! I'm pretty nervous though.

Anyway, we also had dinner with the Parry's last night. They are a sweet little family. Sister Parry teaches at a bi-lingual elementary school and is very proactive in missionary work too. I think this is gonna be great! However, we have heard that the majority of the members here aren't missionary-minded at all. Well, that's gonna be changed by the time we're done with them!  You all know me pretty well, and they're gonna do it whether they like it or not.(Of course, they will like it once they figure out how to do it :)) I think the biggest reason why people don't fellowship others with the church is because they don't know how or where to start. So we will definitely be focusing on doing that too!

After one week:

This week has gone by SO slow. Just FYI.

But it's been great! Sister Seaborn and I met quite a few families and went to a ward activity as well. We are meeting some pretty awesome people. We went to visit some of the Hispanic members of our ward but no one was home! It was pretty lame. Haha, but now that we met most of them on Sunday, we'll know when to see them. 

I can tell the ward here is trying to be missionary minded. I can see they want to do it, maybe they just don't know how. I hope that when we get to meet with each of the families, we can help them better. I think Bishop Walton said that one of us will be speaking in Sacrament meeting about how to be a good member missionary. So hopefully that'll help too!

So on Saturday, Sister Seaborn had a major migraine and slept most of the morning. So I was like, super productive and did A LOT. I studied some Spanish, read in my Spanish Book of Mormon, watched the Restoration in Spanish, watched Finding Faith in Christ (which is SO good, I recommend it to EVERYONE to watch), cleaned the kitchen, made lunch, studied out of the training booklet, and made a help-sheet for when I have to give messages in members homes. I'm put on the spot a lot since I'm brand new haha so I made a chart with scriptures on different topics (faith, be of good comfort, prayer, obedience, etc.) so when I have to do the message at member's homes, I can just use that instead of trying to come up with something. Smart, I know. So I did all of that between like 9:30 and 12:30. Then Sister Seaborn woke up and we went and did some community service. We volunteered at Goodwill. It was pretty fun. I wasn't really looking forward to it, but it was actually fun! There were other Elders there and we made up a system to help the work move along faster. I got to practice my Spanish with Elder Calquin (who's going home this week, crazy!), who lived in Chile until he was 10! It's so comforting to have people willing to help and are so patient with me when I'm trying to communicate.

Sister Seaborn and I get along really well. We laugh a lot together, which is definitely needed. We are working hard, but having fun too. We've had a few hear to heart conversations and she's very mindful of me being new, so she's not too hard on me. She's helped with the adjustment really well. We are pretty good friends, I'd say. 

Yesterday was NUTS. We went to ward council in the morning, and then had Spanish Relief Society with the Hispanic group in the ward. I know the lesson was on tithing, and that's all I got! It was so hard for me to understand what's going on. They talk so fast and the words are like, slurred together so I can't differentiate what they're saying. (HELP!) and then we had Sunday School with the Hispanic group as well. Man, I have a lot of studying to do. We talked to a few sisters and they all said we can go to their houses and practice with her and that they'd help us become more fluent. Sister Seaborn is already really good. I just want to know it! Bah. It'll come with time. We haven't even really been using it since we're in an English ward. Towards the end of Sacrament meeting, the counselor that was conducting invited me and Hermana Seaborn up to tell the ward about ourselves and share our testimonies. I didn't really know what to say, but I guess I said what I needed to. Sister Seaborn really stressed that we can't do this work with out the members. WHICH IS SO TRUE. All of you should find someone and give their name to the missionaries. Just sayin'. After church (Sacrament meeting is last) at least 10 people or so came up to us and talked with us or gave us referrals. It was pretty sweet. 

Anyway, after church we went to the Bishop's house. His son is leaving for the Argentina MTC on Wednesday, so they had a BBQ party for his open house. It was fun. Hermana Seaborn found a guitar and knows how to play so we were jamming out a bit. Haha. After that, we went to the Barrow's for dinner. They are a sweet couple. They've been married for 10 years! You can just tell they love each other so much. It was nice to talk with them for a while. After that, we called the Parkwood Ward elders to help us move a bed (we're in the process of moving to another house) so we can put twin sized beds in there. And then we went back to the Fairbank's, packed up all our stuff, and moved! So now we're in a basement of a member's home. The basement is pretty much their grandkids play room, but there is a full bathroom and a bedroom that we're gonna be staying in. Her name is Sister Fox; her husband isn't a member and her family are all inactive. She is a wonderful lady. I'm really excited to spend time with her and get to know her family better.

Two weeks ago:

Whew! What a week!  

Things are really picking up. We did 15 lessons last week. And we visited a lot of people! I'm really enjoying getting to know everyone. And the Elders here are super fun too. Doing service with them is always great. I'm making friends! Y'all should be proud. ;)

We have been doing a lot of service. Volunteering at Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity. It's nice to get our hands dirty and help people out. I love doing Habitat because something always needs to be done. Last week, Elder Gerber, Elder Calquin, and Sister Seaborn and I organized this tile shed. It was insane. Well, Elder Calquin and I did most of it. Haha but it was just fun to do physical work. We went again on Saturday and pretty much our whole zone was there. We were breaking glass for them and clearing things out. It was so fun! Definitely one of my favorite parts as a missionary.

So there were two lessons that super stuck out to me this past week. (All of them were great, but these two hit me pretty good.) We had a dinner appointment with the Swensen family. They are so cute! Brother Swensen is a student at CSU and Sister Swensen is 6 months pregnant, and they have a 4 year old named Allen. He is precious. That kid is ridiculously smart. He knows the first 10 articles of faith by memory! Better than me. But anyway, we were doing our message, and I was in charge of it this time. So I shared my favorite scripture, D&C 61:36. "And now, verily I say unto you, and what I say unto one, I say unto all. Be of good cheer, little children. For I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you."  Allen really wanted to help me read it to everyone, so he came over and I would say a few words and he'd repeat them. I don't know what it was, but it just really hit me. It reminded me of my kids at the YMCA and how important it is to be an example and teach them the gospel. The faith that children have amazes me. You all know that already, so I won't get too into it. I almost started tearing up when he was reading with me.

And now for the other lesson! It was on Saturday. There is a family here, the Enriquez family, and they were baptized a couple years ago, I think, and are less actives. Sister Enriquez randomly called us on Saturday to come over, so we did! She is hilarious. I love her already. They have 5 kids. We had a good time talking and getting to know them and then we were sharing a message! Sister Seaborn told me it was my turn to be in charge (oh goodness) and I was like, "AHHHH!" because I was nervous. Haha. I was going to just do my favorite scripture, but during the opening prayer, the word "Restoration" came to my mind. I was not prepared for a different lesson than the one I had been doing. So after the prayer, I took a minute or so going back and forth between the D&C scripture and the scripture of the first vision. I felt so prompted to do the first vision, so I was like, "Alright, help me out though, will ya?" and I started it. And it. was. AWESOME. Like holy cow! We talked about Joseph Smith and what he did for us as a church and it was so good! I told them I only had the first vision memorized in Spanish and that I'm working on it in English, and they said, "Just do it in Spanish! That's so cool!" So, I did. And it was incredible. The spirit was SO strong. I felt so good about it. Bah! It was just great.

Anyway, so since Sister Seaborn is the Sister Training Leader. We have to go on exchanges A LOT. Which means when someone new comes to our area for the day, I'm the senior companion. Which freaks me out. I'm not ready for that! Haha. But the first exchange last week went really well. We're going on 3 this week. I'm wondering if this is preparing me for something. I feel like it is. I'm scared. Hahaha. On the exchange last week, I was with Sister Passey. She came out from the MTC with me, so we're both new. We had about an hour of nothing really going on, so we went to the Stake Center parking lot to do some companionship studying. We found Sister Seaborns list of "Signs of the Second Coming" and HOLY COW. We spent over an hour on that thing! Y'all, this stuff is legit. We were reading scriptures and cross referencing like crazy. It was awesome. :) We both decided that it made both of us really want to be as faithful as we could on our missions and in our lives. 

Now, I'm gonna share a scripture I really like! It's from the Book of Mormon. It is Alma 32:21-22. Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge! We don't know what exactly is going to happen or what is in store for us. But if we have the faith that God will provide for us, He will! I am really learning to rely on Heavenly Father for a lot of things since I've been on a mission. Especially as far as my future is concerned. I can't be in control during this time in my life, and I have been kinda freaking out about it. Like where to go for school, if I'm getting married, etc. I can't do that! I'm learning to truly give it all to the Lord and just do the work. It'll all work out the way it needs to. I'm trying my best and I know He'll cover what I can't do. And that if I do this right and the best I can, He will bless me tremendously. I feel his support and comfort every day.


Last week: 

Whew! Holy man this past week went by so fast! I hope time keeps flying! So let's see, what happened this week...

We have been visiting people like crazy! I've really been thinking about my patriarchal blessing and I've read it a few times. It says that I will have the ability to see people as children of God and why they are special to Him. And I'm beginning to see how true that is! There have been a lot of times where we'd talk to people and I can just feel my heart soften towards them and it comes to my mind that they are a son or daughter of God. It throws me off a lot, actually. But I'm seeing myself be more Christlike because of it. 

We went on splits with a couple ward missionaries. I was with Sister Swenson, she's 25, married, has a 4 year old, and another one on the way! She's gonna pop any minute, I feel like. She's so little! We visited a member together and we worked pretty well together! She is a wonderful woman. We had a very deep discussion while we were driving around and like I said before, I could just see how special she is to Heavenly Father. These members we're working with are really trying, it seems. They're all very relieved to have sisters here (they say that one set of sisters is equivalent to 5 sets of Elders haha) and seem to be very receptive to us. So that's great!

We actually went to a funeral for an 18 month old on Friday. I know we went to Papa Ernie's funeral, but I don't remember much of it. The little boy passed in his sleep a few nights before. It was pretty emotional. Sister Seaborn and I were sitting with a bunch of Elders and we all teared up. It was so sad. The service was very heartfelt and also uplifting. I'm so grateful for the knowledge of the Gospel and the knowing that that little boys family WILL see him again. The Plan of Salvation is an amazing thing, let me tell you.

On Saturday we went to visit a member in the hospital. She was getting groceries out of her car and then got her 10 week old out too and fell and dropped him on the driveway. We found out Friday night and went to see her as soon as we could. The baby is fine, thank goodness. A couple Elders were there the night it happened and gave him a blessing. He's bruised up pretty good, but he is going to be fine! What a blessing. Seriously. We talked to his mother and she was being pretty hard on herself. It was an accident though, and we know she is a wonderful mother. Seriously, I've been taking notes watching her with her kids. She's incredible.

We also had Pioneer Day! Yes, they celebrate it here. Haha that's new. It was a stake activity so our whole zone was there. It was SO much fun. We all got facial hair face-painted on us. Haha it was pretty legit. It was fun seeing members of the stake all get together and talk about their heritage. There was one woman who is related to Elizabeth, from the movie 17 Miracles, that escaped her abusive husband and then found the jerky with the man in the wilderness. That was pretty sweet.

So TODAY. We hiked a MOUNTAIN. Horsetooth! It was SO ridiculous. It rained haha. It was super fun but man it was hard! Remember our hike at Mt. Zion's National Park? NOTHING on that. Seriously. I'm gonna be way sore tomorrow. At the very top you're legit rock climbing. But the view was AMAZING. Of course, I was kinda freaking out because I'm scared of free-falling/heights/falling off to my death. I felt so very accomplished and like I conquered something incredible when I got to the top. It was a great feeling. It was cloudy, so we were literally high enough to be in the clouds. A cloud came up over us and were like, in it. It was crazy. :) I'll attach a picture so you can see.

I know I've said it before, but I just LOVE my zone. All of us get along great and I'm so glad to have awesome people around me. Hermana Seaborn and I were the only sisters hiking today, with like 12-16 Elders. It was so fun. It rained, we got in a mud fight, you know, normal stuff like that. I'm glad to have opportunities to do things like that though. It's definitely needed!

Please write her at: 

Sister Yiselle Wilson
Colorado Fort Collins Mission 
5285 McWhinney Blvd
Suite 100
Loveland, CO 80538




Wednesday, June 19, 2013

3 Week Mark

Yiselle has been in the MTC three weeks today!

She's doing great! She's getting the language down and she is getting along great with her district. Heck! She's even in the MTC choir! Keep an eye for her during the Mission Broadcast this upcoming Sunday. Here are some pictures she's sent along with some parts of her letters and emails.

 Greetings from spiritual prison! 
This first week has been pretty much terribleawesomefun. I had a hard time adjusting at first, but now I'm kinda in the swing of things! The first day was a blur, honestly. I love my zone though, we have some great people! We play volleyball on Thursdays and "Capture the Tie" on Fridays. It's great! We have a great unity thing going on. I love the girls I live with and my district, Gah! There is just so much to talk about!

 We were praying in Spanish by the end of our first full day (Thursday). And bearing our testimonies on the second! My companion's name is Hermana (Macy) England. She is PRECIOUS. We get along so well. When we do our daily planning session at the end of the day, we just sit and talk. We've become pretty close. :) Our district gets along really well and we all eat together as a zone too.

On the 23rd there will be a WORLD WIDE broadcast on TV. It's a mission broadcast from the Marriott Center. The MTC choir will be singing in it and...that's right! I'm in it! And they're pretty good at getting everyone on the screen, soooo there is a chance you will be able to see me! And even better, President Monson (and I'm pretty sure the apostles) will be there! I will be in the same room as the prophet of our Heavenly Father and His 12 apostles! Can you imagine?! I'M SO EXCITED. I seriously feel like crying every time I think about it. We also had the MTC's very first devotional in the Marriott Center last night. There are SO many missionaries (there is another campus in Provo now too because the Main MTC can't hold us all) they had to move it! All of the teachers and administration say that this is a huge historic time to be at the MTC and we get to be part of it! Not to mention the huge broadcast on the 23rd.

Of course, I'm the oldest one in our zone, so that's fun (NOT) but you totally don't realize that they just graduated two weeks ago (yeah, a couple Elders in our district graduated the week before they came here!), or graduated last year. They keep things light and powerful at the same time. So it's nice to be around them! And the sisters are wonderful too, of course.

The Spanish is coming along! I feel really good about it. I am studying like crazy, but with lessons and stuff, I'm getting more comfortable with just looking over what we're gonna teach and not so much what I'm going to say. It has been getting easier! But we're still only on present tense. I'm sure once we get to past and future and subjunctive and all those other confusing as heck ones I'll have more problems. But for right now, I'm doing really well! We have 3 red books entitled "Spanish for Missionaries" and they are big, medium, and small. We call them Charizard, Charmeleon, and Charmander. Yes, from Pokemon. Hahaha! Love it.

Okay, so if anyone is feeling like sending a poor missionary a package with these things in it, I would NOT complain! I need them!

Yiselle is growing spiritually as well. She has written about many spiritual experiences she has had about teaching with the Spirit. She's already a great missionary! Please write her or send her a package at:

Hermana Wilson
JULO8 CO-FRTC
2013 N 900 E Unit 324
Provo, UT 84602


Wednesday, May 29, 2013

"I can't see this world unless I go outside my Southern Comfort Zone."

Today's the day!
I'm all packed, already in Utah, and just counting down the minutes!

I've been staying with my Grandparents here in Bountiful, and I have had a very relaxing time (thank goodness, these past few weeks have been SO stressful). I really miss my dog, Scooter, but they have a doggy day care business so the house has been full! It's helped a lot with nerves and anxieties. I really miss everyone at home, but you know what? The spirit of a missionary is different than what I'm used to. It's very much constant. Any time I start to kinda miss home, it takes over almost like it's clouding those feelings and I feel okay. I do miss home, and the people there, but it's been pretty helpful.

I'm very nervous. The MTC is very intense. All day classes, and I have to learn a whole new language in 6 weeks! Okay, so it's not entirely new, but it will feel like it since I've never learned gospel related phrases or words. If anyone wants to pray for me or put my name on the prayer roll in the temple, I would not complain. Haha.

I am worried about my friends and family back home, but Heavenly Father keeps saying, "Yiselle, I got this. You just need to focus on what you're doing." So I need to trust Him. Immersing myself in the work is the best thing I can do right now, and throughout my whole mission.

So, I'll leave with this:

I know this work is real. The Atonement applies to everyone. We all have a Father in Heaven who loves us all more than we will ever be able to comprehend, and He loves us so much that he gave his only Son, Jesus Christ to die for us so that we will be able to live with Him again. I know the Book of Mormon is true; I've read it. I know it is. The Book of Mormon talks about and supports the Bible, and it exhorts us that we should read it. So no one try to tell me that it's against the Bible! Because it's not. It talks about pece, hope, joy, and everlasting happiness through the gospel of Jesus Christ. See for yourself and read it.

If anyone has any questions about what I'm doing or what all of this talk is, visit these sites:

mormon.org
lds.org

Take a look around, and you'll see what we're all about! :)


Also, one more thing. This song has helped me a ton. It's Brad Paisley (AKA: my husband) and totally describes my feelings about all of this. Well, some of it. I listened to the acoustic version quite a few times on the plane here, and I dunno. It just fits to me.





So...bye y'all! Sarah will be taking over from here.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Getting Set Apart Today...

I'm getting set apart as a missionary at 6:15 today.

I'm really nervous, excited, scared, happy, and sad. Everything at once! I am excited to serve the Lord, but kind of heartbroken saying goodbye to all of my loved ones. I know this will be worth it, but it still hurts right now. So here are a few little shout outs to help me feel like I've told my loved ones what I want them to know.

My family (extended and adopted) has been amazing. I love you so much. I am SO blessed to have such wonderful people around me for support and love. You have been my backbone since I can remember and I know y'all will never leave my side.

Sarah, Alyssa, and Jeremy have been wonderful support systems as well. I love you guys. You three make me so happy and full of purpose. I want y'all to know that I love you very much and I can't wait to hear from you! And I will definitely be seeing you soon. :)

My boyfriend and best friend, Austin, has been one of my biggest support systems during these last few weeks. You have such a big heart and I am so glad to have you in my life at this time. I know everything will work out the way it needs to and we will be happy no matter what the outcome. You mean the world to me.


Alright, I'm hopefully done crying for now...maybe. Ish.

I'm ready to get this going.


Wednesday, May 15, 2013

I love to see the Temple...

...I'm going there on SATURDAY!

Yesterday, I had the privilege to speak at the Alexandriana ward's Young Women's Temple night. They had 4 women (myself included) speak to the young women about preparing for the temple and what it means to us.

Since I haven't gone through quite yet, I explained that when I think of the temple, I think of the word sanctuary. It is actually another word for "temple" in the Topical Guide. How perfect is that? Heavenly Father meant for the temple to be a place where we can find refuge and feel safe and happiness in his presence. Just from going to do baptisms, I feel like that. Unfortunately I haven't had many opportunities to go, so I am so excited for this weekend! Everything leading up to this moment will be so worth it.

In trying to mentally prepare as much as I can (since I don't really know what I'm preparing for), I have made some goals. They're going to be obvious goals, but goals nonetheless. I am going to make my temple attendance a priority in my life. I did a blog post here over two years ago. I felt so ready to go to the temple and make those covenants, and I'm kinda glad I wasn't able to do it. I definitely was NOT ready. I am so glad I have experienced the things I have since then. It has prepared me for this and my mission too. I don't know if I am as ready as I'd like to be, but is anyone really? I think it is all part of faith.

Anyway, I am so excited to go this weekend. This is a chapter of my life that I have been waiting for. It definitely didn't happen the way I pictured, but it's still happening! Heavenly Father definitely has a plan for me.

I'm so excited! :D


Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Just Got My Flight Information...

I feel like screaming!


I'm leaving on May 27th at 7:30AM!


AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

..........
.............
..........
.............

Okay, now that ten minutes have gone by, I'm almost in tears. I'm so excited and scared at the same time! This is going to be hard. But it'll be good...right? RIGHT?!



Monday, April 29, 2013

Clothes, clothes, CLOTHES. And some rants.

Alright y'all.

I'll be honest. Shopping for sister missionary clothes is the WORST. Oh my heavens. I cried a few times. As a tall, curvy Cuban girl, it has been SO difficult to find skirts that are long enough and cute. No offense to anyone, but I don't want to look frumpy or like I'm almost homeless. Sorry! But it's true. I've always been someone who dresses somewhat nice and clean. So long skirts with just a button up is not going to cut it! I need some style and fashion here! So with my picky taste and then the limited amount of skirts that are between pencil and maxi (which are SO hard to find), it has been an insane ride.

But! For all you sisters who want to serve or are looking, just know that there IS hope. My advice: Say a massive prayer before you shop, and the Lord will guide you to sufficient options. Also, be OPEN MINDED. I found things that are cute at stores that I would never have shopped at in a million years, or stores that I thought were for "older" people. Time to grow up! Summer dresses from Forever 21 just ain't gonna cut it anymore. (Unfortunately. Those are my most favorite things.)  Here are a few stores I found success in!

Ann Taylor
Belk
Stein Mart <---YES. I got a majority of my skirts here!


Now that the hardest part, skirts, are out of the way, I can focus on trying to find another pair of shoes, underclothing, and coats and such!

Time is beginning to move faster, y'all. I'm kinda freaking out.



30 Days.

I haven't been very good at posting on this thing, and here's why!

Preparing for all of this is really time consuming. haha! Also, I've been on a couple little vacations with friends and family. I'm going to begin my preparations for my farewell talk. I am really excited to give it--a lot of my friends will be there (some are non-members), and I really want them to know that I love this gospel with all of my heart and how much happiness it brings me and those around me.

I will post a bigger/better/more suitable "preparing" post soon!

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Today Was A Big Day

I finally FINALLY let go of something that has been weighing me down for years. It changed me and left me high and dry. I'm finally dealing with it and making sure Heavenly Father is part of it.
 The Atonement is real, people. And this peace I'm feeling after all this time is absolutely joyous and divine.

I can't wait to tell/teach people about it.


Saturday, March 16, 2013

Dear Sister Wilson...

Dear Sister Wilson,

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Colorado Fort Collins mission. 

You should report to the MTC on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language.


Thought process as I was reading this out loud:
"Don't get a tear stain on the letter!"
"Colorado?! That's...random."
"Good thing it's Spanish and not Hmong or something."
"I wonder which of the general authorities assigned this."


Yeah, so, this is real guys! I am pretty excited. I was so worried I would be disappointed, but I'm totally not!

I feel at peace.

I feel that this is where I'm supposed to go. 

I had a talk with my Dad the other day about this. He said, "Yiselle, I just know all of this was pre-ordained. You were always meant to go on a mission. To the mission you're going to go to. To teach the people you're going to teach. These people have been waiting for you specifically."

I know he's right.
Bless their hearts.