Thursday, July 29, 2010

Pictures from the MTC!!


Tyler's first letter!!:)

Hey everyone I'm doing great!! This place is packed!!! The first few days went by so slow but now it's going fast. I really like this place. You can really feel the spirit here. My companion's name is Max Hannemann. He is from Hawaii. We get along great and he has a very strong testimony. The first day we got here I was assigned to be District Leader temporarily. Now my companion is district leader. I am learning so much every day and my testimony hsa become so much stronger. I am starting to learn Spanish but I have a long way to go. I can say my prayers in spanish and bear my testimony that's about it. I've learned a lot of new words though. We had to do a pretend contact for 5 minutes in Spanish the other day all in Spanish as well. Also we gave the first lesson to a man who volunteered and it had to be 35 minutes long. It was really hard and we could definitely improve but I enjoyed it. The basketball court is being fixed so all we can really play is soccer. There are so many missionaries here and our schedule is so crazy that I barely have time to write letters or in my journal. I only get about 7 hours of sleep every night because the two others elders in our room don't go to bed until 11:00. I have 8 elders and 4 sisters in my district. 1 from Maryland, 2 from Texas, 1 from Seattle, 1 from Arizona and the rest from Utah. I got a few letters from my family and it was great. I hope all of you are doing okay. I think  about all my friends and family all the time and you're in my prayers. Please write me!! Even if I don't have time to write you back I'd love to hear from you. I was just asked to say the prayer in sacrament this next week and it has to be all in spanish. I hope I do alright. I also got 2 packages Tueday from my grandma and my mom. They gave me a ton of candy and I dont think I can eat all of it. I misplaced my addresses I got from everyone, so if you could email them to my mom that would be great!! What I have learned so far in the MTC is that you don't really have to memorize what you're going to say. You study, but you just go by the spirit and bear your testimony to the person. Most people have no knowlege of gospel doctrine so you have to say really basic things for them to understand. To be an effective missionary you must first convert yourself.  I want all of you to think about how blessed you really are. God has blessed us so much. We have so much to make us comfortable and we have the knowledge and comfort that after we die we know we will be with our families. Your families really are the most important thing in this life. Treat every day like i'ts your last with them and always show them your love. As you recognize how much Heavenly Father has given you, think of what you should do to show your appreciation to him. He gives us so much and we never give enough back. Always pray to your Heavenly Father and thank him for what he's done. Follow his commandments. At times they may seem hard to follow or stupid but they will bless your life. After all he sacrificed his son so that we could be with him again. You should recognize how important your agency is. Although it make us imperfect at times, it is the only way we can experience happiness as well. God lost 1/3 of his children in heaven for us to have agency so the least we can do is use it well and show love for our Heavenly Father. I love you all so so much and I wish you the best. I can't wail until I see you again, stay safe and stay happy. And write me!!!!!!!
Sincerely, Elder Wilkinson

Thursday, July 22, 2010

He's at the MTC!

We dropped Tyler off at the MTC at 1:45 on July 21.  Tyler was happy and smiling!  He was so excited to get started.  We are so proud of him, and we will be praying for him to be able to learn the things he needs to know to teach the people of Peru. 


Sunday, July 18, 2010

Tyler's trip to the Temple and Farewell

Tyler took out his endowments at the Bountiful Temple on June 5, 2010.
Many family and friends helped make it a memorable day!


Then we had a wonderful lunch at Robintinos!

On Sunday, July 18, Tyler gave an exceptional farewell talk
and lots of friends and family came to help him celebrate his mission call!
We love Tyler!!
A big happy family!
Tyler and Sadie
Tyler and Frank
Zach, Ryan, Sara and Shae
Nick, Tyler, Jordynne and Hadley
Tyler and Steve Wray
Kathy, Tyler, and Jeff
Lots of friends and family came!


Jordan, Braxton, Frank and Tyler



Crazy Uncle Dallas

The Carnahans

Tyler and Aunt Geri
Grandma and Grandpa Wilk
Elder Wilkinson and Elder Miller

Justin and Tyler
Tyler, Justin and Jackson

The Hancocks
The Porters
Tyler and Uncle Wilk
Tyler and Sadie

Grandma and Papa

We love you Tyler and we know you will be a great missionary in Peru!!