Hey gringos! cómo están? Que dice la vida? haha its easier to write in spanish. One of these weeks I'm going to write you in spanish and make you translate to make you know how a missionary feels. Anyways, it's kinda hard to write a spiritual letter right now because the guy that runs the internet cafe is blasting techno music and rap. haha 

We saw a lot of miracles last week in the Noria and José and Karin were finally married and baptized. It was one of the coolest baptisms ever because we didn't know if it was going to happen or not. They are really converted to the gospel and have received a lot of blessings in their lives from the gospel and will definitely become an eternal family. The father already is trying to coordinate when I can come back and wants to buy a ticket for me to come back and visit after 1 year. I'm really hoping that the 2 families we baptized progress at the same rate so I can come back and see them both. Maybe it will motivate me to get married, but for now I'm going to have to pass on that for a little while haha. 

Well the good news is that I'll be spending Christmas here in my beloved Noria with all of the members that love me and also love to make me fat. I'll definitely be gaining some more weight, but for now I'm at 72 kilos, up from 70 kilos where I was at last change. Rice has become a gross cardboard-like substance to my tastebuds now that never seems to get down my throat and there is always a large supply. It's also always accompanied by a wonderfully disgusting fruit called papaya that tastes better than it smells but that's not saying much. haha If you can't tell from this I like American food better.

 The good news is I spent the day with President Turk today in the mission home listening to some missionaries prepare for the Christmas pageant. It should be on the 20th and the 22nd of December. Today we had pizza and cinnamon rolls with President and it was delicious. For Christmas here they also have a bunch of fruit cake called Panetón and it's delicious.

 Anyways, I want all of you to know that someone that you know is not a member or not an active member because they don't understand the importance of Christ and his atonement in their lives and they may have never heard the truth in their lives before. Explain it to them and invite them to learn about it and be more happy. It's the only way to have true happiness.

 I'm still with Elder Cook and he's great. He's progressing a lot.

 Anyways until next week Elder Wilkinson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Leadership Training

November 8, 2011

Hey everyone! Well I'm here finishing up 6 months in The Noria. It's been quite a while since I first got here and it has gone really fast, but I'm not sure if I'll be here next change or if I'll be sent to another area. I'd really like to see more areas and get to know a little more of the mission outside of Trujillo but The Noria has been really great for me. The Lord really has worked a lot of miracles here and is preparing this ward a lot so it can grow and progress. There are tons of people that I will remember from this area and all of the progress I've seen them achieve. 

The people here in Peru are very different and sometimes seem really lazy, but it's just a different way of living and they really are very receptive to the gospel. They are willing to exercise a lot of faith and to do good things to become closer to their Savior. One good attribute that all Peruvians have is love and they are also very humble. My companion and I fasted two times this week for a lot of reasons and a lot of blessings that we needed as well as our investigators and my testimony continues to grow about the power of fasting. It really seems like everything we ask comes true or we are able to work on it and improve on something a lot easier after fasting. The Lord really does have a lot of blessings waiting for us and wants to help with our problems, but it's through sacrifice and obedience that we recieve these things, if not there´s no purpose of being here on the earth because we need to progress and overcome things to be stronger. 

Well we had a baptism Saturday for Ana Ybañez. She is 15 and her mom is a less active member. She is really excited and maybe it would be cool if you could send her a little letter of support and I can translate it and read it to her. We are praying and doing everything we can also for 1 family that will be baptized this week. The parents are named José and Karin and they are great. They will be interviewed, married, baptized and confirmed all in these next six days and it sure will take a lot of plans. 

I'm also really glad because weve recieved a lot of help from some members lately and one member has helped us with almost everything this week. She helped us look for a room, took us to a tourist spot today for p day, arranges our appointments, buys pizza with us from Papa Johns and teaches us all the stuff she learned on her mission. She's awesome!!!!! haha I hope I get to teach someone about how to be a missionary when I get back because I want to help like she's helped us. 

Anyways until next week, 

Elder Wilkinson.

HaPpY HaLLoWeEn!!

Happy Halloween!!!

 Hey everyone I hope Halloween is going great there. Here in Trujillo they don't celebrate Halloween. They know it's today but nobody dresses up and nobody gives out candy! haha Here there are a lot of real witches and card readers and sorcerers so the people see it more as something bad and always ask us why we believe in Halloween. I just tell them for the candy.

 Anyways we have a lot of great people that are progressing now in our area and we are praying for them like crazy. Elder cook and I are doing good and we always are joking about the little funny and weird things that the Peruvians do. There are a lot of things now that seem normal to me that he still thinks are weird so it's really funny sometimes. The other day he asked me if i remembered how clean the U.S. is because we were in an area that had a lot of garbage and it seemed really normal to me but he was laughing at how I've forgotten what the streets are like there. Here everyone just throws their garbage out on the curb and some men come around at some time during the day to grab it. However, sometimes the garbage blows away or the dogs get into it or poor people come look through it to take things so it gets a little messy. Also, everyone litters here so I'm sure that you can imagine how it would be. haha 

Anyways, from what I've heard it sounds like someone needs to go hunting with my dad so he can have fun this year. Somebody please go with him because I can't do it!!!!! ha 

Well my mom asked me what my favorite type of p day is. Well it's just to sleep all day long haha. Today we are going to watch Astro Boy in spanish and then go to our rooms and prepare for the next week and I will prepare for the district meeting that we have tomorrow and revise our area book and also teach Elder Cook how to use it so he can help me out a lot. 

Really this week I learned a lot about including the Lord in the important decisions that we have to make. We have an investigator that needs to make a lot of important decisions and she agreed to fast with us. From the mission I know that fasting is a powerful tool. To invoke the blessings from the Lord that are waiting for us. I plan on doing it a lot after the mission to make all of the important decsions that are waiting for me. 

Anyways, I know this church is true and that the gospel blesses my life in every moment. I know I have the best family in the world and friends that love me and I pray for you always. 

Elder Wilkinson.

Meeting for trainers and their new companions...

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Tyler and Elder Cook

Hey everyone how's it going!? Everything is great here except for the fact that I'm about to pee my pants!!!!!! ha There are no public bathrooms and we are all here writing our families and I'm just dying. oh well haha This week has been great. my new companion Elder Cook, Grandma asked for his name which is Kris, we are doing good and still seeing a lot of miracles here in The Noria. Well I gotta write later because I'm going to go to the bathroom right here. haha Talk to ya later....

Alright I'm back... woooo that was close. haha Well this last week our baptism date got moved back. His name is Christian and is part of the Asto family. He is going to be married this Saturday and then the next Saturday he will be baptized. We also have 5 other people that are planning on being baptized before the 12th of November so we are trying to do everything we can to help them. n

Nothing really special happened this week but I'm very glad to be in the mission right now and help these people change their lives. It's helping me change mine by helping them. The gospel really is so simple but there is so much to learn and so many scriptures and stories that help us to follow Christ's example. What we've learned a lot about recently in this mission is that we first have to convert ourselves to the gospel to help convert others. If any of you have missionaries in your wards please help them or at least go with them to a lesson and be the friend of whoever they're going to teach, it really means a lot to them. The members here are not the most motivated people but there are a few people that help a ton with the work and you can tell that they are the happiest members as well. We really are happy when we serve others and when we serve the Lord. 

Ask my friends to write to me and I'll try to write them for Christmas as well. 

Anyways, I love you guys and hope you're all good. 

Elder Wilkinson