Hey everyone,
It's great to talk to you guys. Everything is going fantastic here in The Noria. The Lord blesses us so much every week I don't know how he does it. We see miracles like crazy, COMO LOCOS!!!!! ha Well we had 5 baptisms in our little zone last week and we almost made our goal for this month. We baptized an 11 year old girl named Melixa on Saturday she was terrified of water. We practiced baptizing her last week so she wouldn't be nervous. When we were in the baptism she was really nervous and started to cry. We said a prayer with her near the baptism font and she just walked into the water when they opened the doors, she looked over and smiled at everyone and was baptized without a single problem!!! It was great! We were so proud of her.

Well this week we don't have any specific baptism dates but there are 2 or 3 people that could possibly be baptized this week. Please pray for Vanesa, Edson, and Maricielo. Thank you so much for praying for them.

This week I have learned a lot about praying with faith. I studied a little of chapter 4 in Preach My Gospel about praying with faith. We really have to talk with the Lord in a sincere way. We have to desire the Holy Ghost and ask for its companionship. We have to tell the Lord our plans for the day so he can tell us if they are okay. The Holy Ghost is the most important element in missionary work as well as in our lives, without it we can't do anything, and we can't receive what we need either.

Well I'm still going for the Giants and I am expecting them to win so I'm sorry for everyone that's going for the Patriots because they don't know that the Giants are better.

Anyways, I love you all.

 Elder Wilkinson.

Hey everyone stinks to be you!!!!! haha just kidding but not really because the weather has actually been very good this week, just a little hot yesterday in church wearing our suit coats.

 Well we had a very interesting week this week. Carlos Alberto Ramirez Escobar was baptized yesterday now completing the family. He is a single father that is very funny and knows a lot about American history. We baptized his two sons about a month ago, Yohan and Bryan. the whole family now are members and have made great changes in their lives and are very active and glad that they have the gospel in their lives.

This next week we will be baptizing a girl named Melixa. She is the sister of Diana, a young girl that was baptized on New Years Eve. She is really afraid of water so after we had her interview on Saturday we practiced with her for her baptism and after about half an hour we got her to dunk herself in the water. She is a shy little girl but she had a cool experience and said she also had a dream about being baptized so she is really motivated and excited to be baptized. She likes playing volleyball so today we are going to go play volleyball with them at 4 o'clock and talk to her mom a little more about the gospel as well.

 Yes I got all of the packages that my mom listed in her email. for my birthday and everything. Well Sister Turk's birthday was awesome. The mission forgot to call me and wish me happy birthday so Hermana turk made it up to me by inviting me to her birthday lunch with the office. We ate at a restaurant called Squalos. It was very, very nice, pretty much like a steak house in the states. I had a steak, medium well covered in shrimp tails and shrimp sauce with frozen lemonade french fries and a salad. It was awesome!!

Also, I went with Hermana Turk to go inspect the rooms in our zone. That picture was in front of Elder Hurley and Elder Mezas room and.............they didn't pass inspection hahaha They have to rent a different room next month because it's not up to standard.

Well we are teaching a lot of young people, Gian Pol, Ana, Natalia, Alexis, and they all live in Pesqueda. The large hill in our area. It would be great if you could pray for them because they could all be baptized in these next few weeks if we have faith in them and the Lord and if they make the decision to repent.

Well I love you all and hope that all goes well this week.

Elder Wilkinson

P.S. Go Giants!!!!!!!!!!

The best way to spend your birthday...

...surprise room checks with cute missionaries...

...eating yummy cake...

 ....and a fun birthday lunch...

HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY SISTER TURK!!!

Hey everyone it's great to hear from all of you and know that you're all doing great. This week has been good for us but a little slow in the work. Everyone here is doing good and we are helping a lot of people progress towards baptism. 

I hope this week that everyone can enjoy their birthdays. I think there are 3... Grandma Selma, Uncle Jeff and Fred Sorrentino.

 My birthday was really awesome. When we went to Mirian´s house for breakfast they gave me a surprise with music, glitter, and a cake. They gave me a lot of food too and a lot of pop. Then, when we came to eat dinner she threw another party for me!!! This time with all of the members in her house. It was awesome. I haven't had a party like that in a long time and it was on the mission!!!!!! with members!!!!! haha over all it was really great and I'm glad that she is my pensionista. She is the coolest and nicest lady I've ever met. Mirian also had her birthday on Sunday and had a little party. We had a nice lunch with them and their family. We just got done buying her birthday present and we're going to give it to her today. 

Well this week we lost a little time with all of the surprise parties but we are really excited and motivated to work. The Lord's work is very important and there is a lot to do but it is the most fulfilling work there is. It's amazing how many blessing we receive from the Lord every day and how much He guides us. I know without a doubt that the Lord has guided me many times in the mission to the homes of people that need us and I know that even though I have weaknesses in language and in actions that the Holy Ghost is the one that's really talking and that when I'm obedient He says everything He needs to in the lessons. 

Anyways, I hope all is well. 

Congratulations Sadie and Ryan!!!!!!!! 

 I hope all goes well for you guys. 

I can't wait until August! 

Until next week, 

Elder Wilkinson

Tyler's birthday party!!

Zone Activity

THANKS HERMANA SANDSTROM!!

yummy food!!

 Hey everyone hope you're all doing great. We're doing pretty good here in The Noria. 

Anyways, this first few weeks with Elder Arena have been really good but really busy for us. We didn't receive much help from the office getting the things we needed to set up a new zone but we've finally got just about everything settled in. We were able to help a 17 year old kid named Edson get baptized last week. He is the brother of a recent convert named Ana Ybañez. They are really cool kids and have stayed pretty active since being baptized. Edson was kind of a wild kid at first. He works a lot and was always working on buses or painting houses and it was hard to find him. He would always listen and have a lot of questions and seemed very interested. Well about two months ago he was working so much that we hardly ever saw him. One day one of President's assistants, Elder Vera, came with me on a work visit and we randomly passed by his house and he was there. We just taught him the importance of going to church and then told him that what we really desired for him was to be baptized. He just looked over at his sister and she nodded her head saying yes and he just said alright. haha It was kind of a funny experience how he so easily accepted to be baptized after so long but it was cool that he made the right decision when he felt the spirit. 

I had the opportunity to baptize him and when we entered into the water it was really, really cold. He didn't want to enter in at first and was shaking but when I started saying the prayer he stopped shaking and didn't start again until leaving the water. After we got out of the water he told me that it startled him. When I started the prayer he said the water felt warm and when I said in the name of Jesus Christ the water was really hot. He asked me what it was and I told him I wasn't sure but maybe it was a sign from God that it was the right decision to be baptized. After the ordinance, a member got up to share their testimony and what they said in their testimony really moved Edson. He said pretty much what happened in his baptism that you just feel warm and clean coming out of the font. It was a really cool experience and I know it will help Edson stay active after being baptized. 

Well I hope that Sadie has a great birthday and that everything goes good back at home this week I'll be sure to let you know if they throw eggs and flour all over me like they did last year and I know that this will be a very special birthday for me.

 I love you guys and miss you a lot,

 until next week, 

Elder Wilkinson

I'm not really sure what is happening 

in these pictures.
(He's teaching someone how to play a cat and mouse game)

Tyler is at his pensionista's home.

Zone Leader Concilio

January 4, 2012

 They wrote their goal on one of President Turk's shirts!

 New zone leaders

 Elder Wilkinson, Elder Marquez, Elder DelaFuente, and Elder Vera

Leadership Training

January 3, 2012

Hey everyone Happy New Year!!!! I'm very glad to start a new year and I think it will be the best year of my life because I will be able to finish my mission strong because I'm now experienced and know what to do a little better. I will also be home this year making the most important decisions of my life. All before December 2012 when the world will come to an end.......haha just kidding but everyone here talks about it and it scares a lot of people. We always help them understand that no one knows except God, not even the angels in heaven know!!!!!!!! 

Well we were very blessed to have 2 baptisms this week and see them progress so much since Elder Arena got here. He is a very powerful missionary that is a master with the doctrine. He talks with a very loud voice that sometimes seems like he is yelling at the people so they really pay attention to him. He is from Santiago, Chile but on the very southern part. His family lives in a town called Buin that is close by. He has the same time in the mission as I do so we will be finishing together in July which will be kinda fun for us. The  people that were baptized this week were Yohan Ramirez and Diana Coraquillo. One is 14 and the other is 13. They are really great kids. At first the both of them didn´t want to be members, or change much, but they really have felt the spirit and they have made very big changes and we can really see the difference in their lives.

 Well I have to go but I know that this church is true, that miracles do exist, and that I am called of God to declare repentance to every child of God within the boundaries of this mission and everyone that reads these emails. Please read Alma 13:27-31... It's really how we feel as missionaries about our investigators and for our friends and family. I know that Christ lives and that his gospel is the only thing that gives us true happiness and peace in this life and eternal salvation in the world to come.

 Elder Wilkinson