Monday, January 31, 2011

Hey everyone! My week went really well. My new companion is Elder Santiago. He is from Huánuco, Perú. He has 16 months in the mission and so far everything has been going great. The district has changed a lot since I first arrived and I think this will be my last change in Guadalupe. The other two missionaries that arrived are Elder Calta from Cuzco and Elder Munson from Idaho or somewhere. I'm still the youngest one in the district but I feel a lot more comfortable now then when I came to Guadalupe. My new companion has been helping me a lot so far with the language and he wants to learn more english which is not common for the natives.
Right now were planning on having 3 baptisms this Saturday of a single mom and her two kids. We found them two weeks ago and they are an amazing family for not having the gospel their entire lives. The children want to be baptized and have attended church twice so there is nothing stopping them, but the mom went on a trip to Lima Saturday to Sunday. She was planning on going to church there so we need to find out to see if she can be baptized.
We had a zone meeting really far away on Thursday, but when we came back we ran into Elder Perry and his parents. They were really excited to see me and it was awesome that I got to talk to Elder Perry again before he left the mission. It was really weird though seeing my companion from two months ago with his parents and how white they all looked compared to everyone else in Guadalupe. haha But Sister Perry ran up to me and hugged me when they saw me and Elder Perry and her husband shouted at her and told her that she can't hug the missionaries. Then she told me that she promised my mom to give me a hug for her. haha it was really funny but awkward. Then when they left she hurried and hugged me when they weren't looking and told me again that she promised my mom to hug me and they took pictures of everyone together. I got the package they sent and the honey tastes really good with the bread and peanut butter in the mornings.
Don't forget to tell me who wins the Super Bowl and I hope the Packers win too!!!!
That's awesome that Tyler Wood gets to have Vince as his trainer!!! The trainer is really important because you don't have a clue what's going on the first change.
 I hope dad has a fun and safe trip and I hope all of you guys are doing okay. I literally have no time to write anybody letters so please let them know I'm thinking about them a lot and that I'm trying to write them it's just almost impossible. 
I had a cool experience in a lesson last week. We asked the daughter of the single mom to pray for us in the end of the lesson. She is ten and it was her first time praying outloud with us and probably in her life. We taught her the steps and she started to pray. At first she didn't know what to say... thank you for my family, thank you for the missionaries, then she paused for a while and the prayer started to be really good. She sounded completely different and I thought that she got nervous and her older sister was praying for her, she sounded completely different and I was so surprised, I had to make sure it was still her saying the prayer and it was!!!
I learned the importance of praying with real intent and expressing your true feelings to your Heavenly Father from her and that the Holy Ghost really helps our investigators.
 Until next week and con mucho cariño,
 Elder Wilkinson 

Sunday, January 30, 2011

 HOME SWEET HOME!

Monday, January 24, 2011

Baptisms are reasons to CELEBRATE!!!


Buenas Tardes! ha the changes came and Elder Samayoa is going back to his home, but I don't know who my new companion is yet. I do know though that I'm staying in Guadalupe for another change! I'm glad because we found two really good families and the one family has agreed to be baptized on the 5th of February. Also I get to see the baptism of the daughter of our pensionista. The only bad thing is that February is the worst month for mosquitos in this area so it only gets hotter and more bugs this next month, yay!!!!
I did an inventory on my candy and I have 25 packs of Skittles, 25 packs of Starbursts, 12 packs of Reeses, 12 packs of Hersheys Kisses, 5 packs of Life Savers, candy canes, caramels and some other candy too. I know that everyone wants to help me and I'm ETERNALLY grateful for the american candy but I don't have room for more and I don't want to be diabetic and have dentures by the end of my mission. I share the candy with the other elders but the input is greater than the output.
 I got the package from Nick and Jordynne so tell them thanks for me. Also IF YOU SEND CDS THROUGH PACKAGES I WILL HAVE TO PAY TAXES FOR EACH ONE!!!! The taxes are 10 dollars for each cd. I know everyone wants to help me and send stuff especially my parents, but I don't need anything more than letters and pictures. If you want to help please help my parents with the funds for the mission or wait until I come home! haha
 That's cool that the Packers are going to the Superbowl this year I hope that they win because I don't like the Steelers and I hate the Patriots even more. Plus if they win, Dallas will tape it and I can watch it when I get back. Tell Grandma Tuttle that I hope she feels better and that she shouldn't be doing crazy stunts in the kitchen.
 This week was really fun and all the members were able to say goodbye to Elder Samayoa. We had a cool experience this week too. Elder Samayoa had a dream, or impression or something that our new investigator had a problem. When we went to pick them up for church her kids came to church, but the mom said she couldn't come. We came back later in the evening and we were teaching her and we asked her what was wrong and she told us that she had a problem with the Word of Wisdom the day before.  In the morning, we taught her and her kids and when we prayed, we had her 11 year old son pray and when she heard him pray outloud for the first time she cried. She wants to change and be baptized and she and her family have agreed to be baptized the 5th of February. I know that the Lord works through the words of the missionaries and that we are able to promise blessings from the Lord because we are his representatives.
 I know that the church is true and can help people change their lives.
Until next week,
 Elder Wilkinson

Monday, January 17, 2011

Hey everyone thanks for all the birthday wishes and for thinking about me on my birthday.  My birthday went really well. We had a few of my favorite foods for dinner the night before and lunch the next day. Arroz con pollo and lomo saltado. When we went to our pensionista's for dinner we walked into the house and there was a huge cake sitting on the table for me!!! We had balloons and pop and the decorations and everything. but I found out about the peruvian tradition for birthdays this week when they sang me the birthday song. They always sing for birthdays in english first and after they sing feliz cumpleaños. After that...they take a raw egg or two and smash it on top of your head and then they throw flour on your head. I wasn't expecting it at all! The district president and the first counselor of the elders quorum were the ones that did it. After that we went to an investigator's house and taught them for a little while, and they had a cake for me too, and...... before we left they smashed eggs over my head and threw flour on me too. I had to shower and change a lot on my birthday but it was really fun and funny.
Also this week I had to eat cau cau again which is cow stomach with potatoes, corn cream and vegetables. ugh..... haha I did get your birthday package thanks and I also received the package for my birthday/Christmas dinner from Grandma and Grandpa Tuttle... tell them thanks too. I haven't received the package from Nick yet but do you know when they sent it? ha
 I don't know if the surprise room inspections will be for my district or not because we are in the middle of nowhere but I don't think our room is that messy. Elder Samayoa says it's the smallest room he`s had so far his entire mission so i'ts really hard to fit everything in our room and organize it. About half the missionaries are in Trujillo so I'm guessing that they are the ones that will get the surprise inspections.
 I can't believe that I'm going to miss The Roof this year but I'm glad you guys get to go. Tell all the workers that I miss them and I'm glad for the good example they were for me and for helping me be excited about my mission. If Judd is there you should ask him about the spanish mission in the states and how that is. Ask him how good his spanish is for being in the states the whole time and if he has any suggestions for me.
This week was a lot better than last week and we found two really awesome families to teach. They both attended church this week and we had a total of 6 new people in the church this week which is quite a bit for that number. This is Elder Samayoa's last week so we are going to work really hard so he doesn't get trunky as the peruvians call it here, or when you are ready to pack and leave or when you are thinking more about your home than the mission. I read a scripture I liked in Mosiah 12:25-27 I think where the priests of Noè were asking Abinadi what his teachings meant. We can learn from them that if we don't apply our hearts to what we learn than we are never going to understand. I know that if we ask or study with real intent that our Father in Heaven can help us.
Until next week, TY

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Virgin of Guadalupe
 Guadalupe is one of the specific places in Peru where the
 catholic church worships/honors a saint,
 in Guadalupe it is Mary.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Having fun and being crazy in Peru!!!



Feliz Cumpleanos Tyler and Sadie!!

Happy Birthday Sadie!!!!!!! ha I'm glad I get to write an email on the day of my sister's birthday!!!!
 I'm glad you got the pictures I was worried if they were going to make it or not.
 So I heard Brittani got married and all is well there!!!!!
 The more the summer comes the more I wish I was there in the snow haha but everything has been going well this week. Elder Christensen's mom will be there the 24th and so will Elder Samayoa but I won't. They leave 2 days before the change meeting in Trujillo so I would have to stay there forever plus my district lives really far from Trujillo so it's not worth the time or money to go we just always stay in 2s or 3s and wait for our new companions. I think I'm going to stay in Guadalupe again because 4 or 5 of the 8 elders in my district are finishing there missions this change. Our district has been struggling this change with our baptisms and with progressing investigators but we are continuing to work and stay positive.
 Those pictures are of the pensionista's children and there names are Neil and Gema( hema in english) the picture of the mountain and also of the catholic churches are in San Pedro and Hequetepeque. Ya that's spelled right I think..... the hill with the statue is the Virgin of Guadalupe, or the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus. Guadalupe is one of the specific places in Peru where the catholic church worships/honors a saint, in Guadalupe it is Mary. They have crazy festivals and everything.
 I finally had to use the Dog Dazzer legitimately for the first few times this week. I haven't had any problems at all until this week and we had 3 different incidents with dogs. The Dog Dazzer works really well though so thanks.
 I got the packages from the Sorrentinos and from Jeff and Kathy so make sure and say muchas gracias from me haha. I definitely have enough candy to last me 3-4 months now at least from all the candy that the Sorrentinos, Jeff and Kathy, Grandma Wilk, Grandma Tuttle and my parents have sent me so I'll tell you guys when I run out but thank you guys so much it is delicious!!!
 I don't have anymore time to write because the computer is slow, but thanks for the emails and all that you've done for me.
 I know this church is true and this work is important, cuidense, TY 

Monday, January 3, 2011

Hey guys! ya before I forget mom I'll tell you what I think about the package. I couldn't really think of anything that I need because I don't need much. Sleeping pills probably and if you could send 3-5 really good pens that would be great because the pens here are terrible. Mosquito stuff but not too much just what I'll need for like 1 month. If it doesn't matter about the weight that much for this package, it would be the best if you could send some Mt. Dew or some Dr. Pepper, those are the two drinks they don't have here and those are my two favorites. Also maybe a little bit of honey, and if you can find a really flimsy cheap tie rack/holder that would be great too, but nothing expensive because I can buy it here cheaper if I have time to look. Also maybe simple recipes for my pensionista to cook so I don't have to eat rice as much haha. They don't use ovens here though so that narrows the options a lot.
Yay!!!! Sadie got a job!!!!!! ha that is great that she gets to do that and work really close to home. How is everyone else?
I don't have a lot of time to write today because we're in Trujillo and two of our elders came late.
For New Years we had to be in the room by six but other than that it was a normal day, just with a lot of drunk people. The weird thing they do though in Peru is they make full sized scarecrows pretty much, or men made out of hay, and they burn them at 12:00, it's really strange.
Who is going to be in the Super Bowl and what is happening with college football/ NBA?
 I can't wait for the day when I can feel cold again and see snow.
 I have learned a lot this week about the importance of prophets. In the issue of the Liahona in the month of September, I can't remember what talk, it says that when the prophet gives counsel it is for everyone but sometimes directed for a specific group of people. For example when they said to make emergency kits, every member needed to do it, but the members in the DR and in Chile needed it most. I know that when we follow the prophets we are blesed, until next week TY