Hey family it was also very fun for me this week to talk to you. Everyone looked really happy, really healthy and everyone seems exactly the same, except for Justin. haha He can probably beat me up now. 
Well the changes came and they are very very different. The news is that I’m going to spend another change in The Noria, which will give me a total of 9 months in The Noria after this change. The other part of the change though is that President Turk gave me a phone call in the night and talked to me for a while and extended a new responsibility of zone leader. They have decided to start a new zone in this stake and the zone leaders will be here in The Noria so he wanted me to stay and help the new zone get set up here. I’m very, very nervous about this and I hope that I can be able to build up this new zone and make it strong. It will be pretty small, only a total of 12 missionaries so it shouldn´t be too much of a hassle and also my new companion is going to train me on how to be a zone leader.  haha If someone would have told me a year and a half ago that I would be zone leader I would have laughed but here I am. Have I mentioned yet that I’m nervous???? Well my new companion is Elder Arena ( Elder Sand in English). He is from Chile and has a little more time in the mission than I do. He was in one of my first zones in the mission so I kind of know him but not a ton. It will be fun working with someone again that has my level of experience or more!!! Just so you weren´t wondering about it I thought I´d remind you that I’m a little nervous to be zone leader...........haha.
 Elder Cook is going close by to the other zone that is being divided from ours to an area called Alto Moche. He will be there with a missionary from Guatemala. He´ll be able to talk a lot more in spanish now and I will too. 
Well this week I’ve been trying to learn more about the New Testament. I´ve been reading in Acts and I’ve learned a lot about priesthood authority. The correct way to perform ordinances, how to follow the spirit, how the church is organized and the importance of apostles and missionaries. This book talks a lot about a missionary named Paul and how he was not in favor of the church at first but had a change of heart and became a very powerful tool in the hands of the Lord. It reminded me a lot of my grandpa because his name is Paul and he changed a lot before going on the mission too, and had a lot of success after. I’m still looking for an example of someone named Larry in the New Testament for my other grandpa but that’s going to take some more studying because I haven´t found one yet. haha 
Well I hope all is well and you guys have a Happy New Year. I´ll let you know how all these new responsibilities and changes turn out.

Sincerely,

Elder Wilkinson.

Elder Arena ... Tyler's new companion!

Merry Christmas!

We got to Skype with Elder Wilkinson today...

best present EVER!!

Elder Wilkinson and Elder Cook

Marian and her family (Ty's pensionista)

Sharing lunch with Nayelly and Chantal

Christmas Pageant

December 20th and 22nd, 2011

Devotional before the Pageant

Dr. Gough and his wife giving training on stress management

Dr. Gough also plays Papa Noel in the Pageant

Elder Wilkinson and Elder Cook

A very special family!!

missionary choir

Hey everyone!!! If you don't know where I'm at right now I'm still in the place I was at 7 and a half months ago!!! La Noria. All the members are starting to make fun of me and tell me to just buy a property lot and a house because I'll probably stay longer. Anyways, everything went well this week.

We had our 3 baptisms this week Brayan, Juanita and Elías and they were all very happy. Each baptism is very special, but it's even more special when you can see people make the decision to be baptized together with someone else or even better with their family. The gospel really is what Christ taught us so we could be happy in this life and also receive forgiveness for our sins and live with him again. That's what these people that were baptized understood and that's why they made the decision to be baptized.

Also, this week we had a Chocolatada, or a party where everyone drinks hot chocolate and fruitcake/fruit bread. It was fun because the ward did it and they asked us to come and contact all the people that came. We contacted about 30 to 40 people and they all live in our area, in the more financially challenged part of our area. The people there are all very humble and very receptive to the gospel.

Anyways, it was very good to talk to mom last week and set up the time to talk this week. The only bad thing is that we will have to Skype in a public internet place. That's a bummer so we`re going to look for a really good place to do it. Well I'll been thinking of things to ask you guys and about things to say but there's not much that I'll have to ask probably because I've pretty much forgotten everything about home. haha

I was also very glad mom to hear that Evelyn Changa was baptized. She is a very special person and I remember the day we found her family and taught them. We taught her and her mother about the Plan of Salvation because her mother was afraid of dying and leaving her family with nothing. I'm glad that the missionaries continued to visit her after I left and helped her finally get baptized. I'm starting now to see a lot of fruits from my service in previous areas. I hope I continue to hear stuff like that the rest of my life.

Well I've got candy now and I'm enjoying it. Thank you. I hope all is well with the family and that everyone can talk to me on Christmas. Tell everyone thanks for the letters and the support they have given me. I'm in the process, a very long process, of writing letters to people back home. I wanted to do it for Christmas but I'm not done yet. Don't worry everybody I haven't forgotten you because I haven't written you and I don't think you're less important to me now than you were before I left, for some of you that's not saying very much haha, but I do remember you and pray for you and hope you're happy and remember me too.

Until Christmas Day,
 Elder Wilkinson.

The Savior lives and loves us. He suffered for my sins and overcame my pains and inflictions. Remember Him and His life and His actions this week.



Baptisms on Saturday,

December 17, 2011

Elder Wilkinson and Elder Cook

Hey everyone how are you? Everything's going pretty well here. Well in two weeks I´ll have spent a third of my total proselyting time in The Noria (7 and 1/2 months) it's been a while. They just told me that they are going to divide the zone next change so that there is one zone for each of the 2 stakes. We will have the Zone Palermo and the Zone Laureles. We belong to the Zone Palermo. They also say that the zone leaders will come to The Noria when they divide it, so pretty much Elder Cook will leave next change. I have a chance of leaving unless they make me zone leader here or they will send another missionary. Elder Retamal is here and he has already served in The Noria.

Anyways, thanks mom for sending me that letter and that story. That's exactly what I needed to hear. I've been in my area so long that I'm starting to get a little unmotivated to work with the members and the same investigators and walk the same streets that I've walked over a thousand times. It's a little hard but I know the Lord is expecting me to do it happily and obediently.

Well this next week that is coming up we have planned on having the baptisms of two cousins of our recent convert Madaley. Her cousins are 9 and 10 years old, Juanita and Elías. Elías knows more about the scriptures sometimes than we do and his uncle that is an ex bishop has taught him already a lot about the church and the gospel. They will be baptized this week on Saturday at 7:00.

Well it's going to be really fun doing Skype this time because I can actually speak both the languages and switch back and forth really easily between the 2. I got the Christmas packages from the grandparents and from you guys I think. Thanks for the Fig Newtons and the Wheat Thins. mmmmmmmmmmm yummy. Also, I took a really good guess on what one of the Christmas presents was and I decided to open up one present early like we always do on Christmas Eve, just a little earlier. Well I guessed right on what it was and I really needed it.......Socks!!!!! haha Thank you for the socks, but don't worry on sending more because the socks I have should last me now that I have a few more. Also, we will be singing in Hermana Turk's pageant on the 20th. My companion will be playing the drums!!!! haha

Also, to let you know mom, the new pensionista is great. She is like the only member in the ward that buys all her stuff from the supermarket!!! She doesn't give me any rice and my pants are starting to get too small again like they did in Guadalupe!!! I'm also going to have to get them lengthened and have the fold on the bottoms taken off because I've grown about 1/2 an inch or maybe 1 inch on the mission.

Well I don't have any more time but I love you guys and know that this work that we do is very important and that the Lord guides us in all our decisions.

Until next week,
Elder Wilkinson


Hey everyone everything is just going great here in The Noria. We're getting ready for Christmas and all of the cool pageants and shows and service projects that we're going to do. This is a really busy time for us as missionaries. 

Well we were able to help Hermano Abraham step into the waters of baptism last week and make a covenant with his Heavenly Father. Abraham was definitely prepared by the Lord to hear us and receive the gospel. He never doubted once what we taught and he never had a problem or an obstacle to overcome. He has a lot of faith for a 15 year old kid and he gave a really powerful testimony the other day at his baptism. He also fasted with us on Fast Sunday!!! Also this week we changed rooms and we now live in a room that is a lot bigger and a house that is a lot calmer and has the spirit more. It was pretty rough living in the other house and I'm glad we were able to change. We will be pensioning with a lady in the ward this month named Miriam. She is a great lady that has 3 little children and just loves the missionaries. Her husband works in the mines in the mountains and she always gives us so much food that is delicious. I know I'll gain weight this month for sure!!!!

 Anyways, nothing else has really happened this week but thats' crazy to know that there was weird weather there in Utah. We just met two members the other day that are peruvian but they just got back from Utah. They said that they live in Orem and came back to Peru to visit their family. They have lived there 3 years but there english wasn't so great. I hope I don't sound like they do in spanish only having 1 year and a half here. 

Well I hope that my parents have a good wedding anniversary and that Grandma Wilk has a good birthday and that everyone enjoys the cool Christmas lights in the states. That's one thing that hardly anyone does here. Anyways I'm excited to talk to you guys in like 3 weeks and I know it will be fun. 

Well hope all is well and that there aren't anymore wind storms!

Elder Wilkinson