Hey everyone how's it going? 

Wow I definitely won't have time to explain everything I want this week. Sadly, very sadly, I have changes this week. My new area is called La Noria. It is in the Zone Laureles. It's the biggest zone in the mission and it is also very close to President. I think the office is in this zone and everyone says that my area is pretty urbanized so not too many problems with hygeine ha ha. Well I'm very sad to leave because I had a lot of amazing experiences in this area. My converts are doing very well and I'm glad I was able to help them. The thing that makes me sad the most is that we have 2 investigators that are going to be baptized this Friday and Saturday. They are both people that I found and have taught for 1 change and a half. One is a 34 year old man named Jose. He was the guy that we helped get married and he also gave up drinking for 3 weeks now to be baptized. The other baptism is an 18 year old girl named Milagros. Nobody else in her family really wants to be baptized except for her. She has a lot of friends in the church so she should be fine after her baptism. They both wanted me to baptize them and I'm sure that they'll all be sad when I tell them that I can't. 

Well I'm going to this area and my new companion is named Elder Shaw. I think he is from California and has about 5 or 6 months in the mission. Well it should be interesting to be the senior companion of a North American. I guess we'll find out this change if I can really speak the spanish language haha. 

Well I was able to have a very spiritual experience this last week. The lady that we baptized two weeks ago has a lot of difficulties learning new things and she doesn't know how to read. When we taught her the gospel and how she could pray and receive an answer she would always tell us when we asked, "Well I prayed but I haven't got an answer yet."  We did everything we could to help her but she seemed to expect a miracle for her answer. She passed her interview and everything but was waiting for an answer. About 4 days after her baptism she told us that she had a very beautiful dream the night before her baptism. Almost all Peruvians think that their dreams are signs or answers and it has always seemed a bunch of crap or nonsense to me until this little lady received her answer. She told me that she saw a lot of shiny sparkling water and that she came up out of the water and she saw two men and one stretched our his hand and said, "Come here Sister Grima, this is the way." She also told me a part after about the phrase "this is the way" and it was very similar to the scripture in 2 Nephi that we have never shared with her and she can't read so I know that it was an answer from the Lord and that she had the faith to receive an answer in this way. The Lord new that she would need an answer in this way because she can't read or learn well or anything but she was able to receive this answer and be baptized. I know the Lord answers prayers in his own time and in his own ways and that all that is required of us is to have faith and be willing to accept the answers or guidance that we receive. 

Well until the next week, 

Elder Wilkinson.

 Happy Birthday to Gabe Petersen also!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Memorial Day 

May 30, 2011

Hey everyone! How's it gone the past few days?

This week has been really good for us. We just got done playing soccer today and I've gotta say I'm getting a lot better than I was when I came here. haha I scored like 5 or 6 goals today!!!!!

Well the only bad news is that I should be playing soccer more often than I am because I need to lose weight. My total weight gain for the mission so far is 21 pounds. ugh...... Well it's gonna have to be a month of dieting for me this June. I think I'll cut the rice out of my diet first haha because it's TERRIBLE!!!!!! They eat more rice here than in China!! not even kidding.

Well something else awesome that happened this week was that our investigator got baptized Saturday and she asked me to baptize her! She is a 60 year old lady from the mountains and she doesn't know how to read. She learns about as fast as a 2nd grade student but she has a lot of faith and believes in the church and its priesthood authority. During the baptism it was really funny because I taught her how to be baptized for the second time right before we went into the water, but she didn't quite have it down.........ha ha I told her that if her feet came out of the water she would have to be baptized again so when I said the prayer and she went under the water everything went alright, but when she came out she didn't put her feet back down on the floor but was cuddled up almost in a ball and I had to hold her in the air for like 30 seconds before she decided to put her feet back down. haha It was really funny and my companion laughed for like 5 minutes straight because I almost fell over holding her in the air like 5 times.

We also had a Noche Misional this week when the missionaries have an activity where the investigators and the members all come to the chapel and we have a lesson and after we play games. Everybody loves playing the game that Elder Samayoa taught me that's called the Torta de Harina, the flour cake. Everybody that looses has to pick up a piece of chocolate that's sitting in a big pile of flour, but they have to do it without using their hands. If anybody has any ideas of what we can do for games during Family Home Evening it would be a big help because we have a lot of less activities in our ward.

Well I was really proud to hear that my sister had the courage to stand up for herself with her big jerk boss. I know my sister works really hard and is always focused when she is working for someone. I know how she feels because the same things happened to me when I was learning spanish. People always making fun of you, correcting you and it never seems like your improving but really you are. I remember one change in the mission where I hated contacting and I couldn't contact that well. I was always worried about how I could contact better and I tried everything I could but it just seemed to always be the same. But when the end of my change came and I received a new companion with less time than me I discovered that I didn't have as much fear of contacting and that I had improved a lot. 

I know that all the experiences that we have help us, the good and the bad. The only things we need to do are trust in the Lord and be obedient and we will be successful and receive the help we need.

Well next Monday I'll try and buy the team jerseys for everyone and save pictures. Does everyone just want jerseys that say Peru or do you guys want different ones.

Write me and tell me the answer ok.

 Love you guys.!!!!!!! 

Sister Turk says ...

those who quietly stay behind and do the clean up

 after the fun is over will surely have a place

 in the Celestial Kingdom...

THE BEST OF THE BEST!!

Multi-Zone Conference

May 18, 2011

Havin' fun at...

THE BIG MULTI-ZONE OF TRUJILLO!!

May 18, 2011

PRIMAVERA ZONE

Zone interviews and trainings...

May 13, 2011

Elder Wilkinson and Elder Ramos

Hermanas Chipana and Laso are from Peru, and 

Hermana Bigler is from Utah

Elder De Leon from Guatemala and 

Elder Meza from California

Elder Castro from Lima

and Elder Merida from Guatemala

Hermana Herrera from Nicaragua

Hermanas Calle and Montes are from Peru

Elder Jones and Elder Andersen

Jones is the Zone Leader for this Zone

and Andersen is still the Personal Secretary to the President

Sweet Elder Morales is from the Jungle of Peru and 

is being trained by Elder Puente below

Elder Barinas from the office

Elder Pacchioni the other Zone Leader for this group

and Elder Puente is a Trainer.

Elder Whitehead from Utah

and Elder Pickett is one of our trainers and he is from Idaho

Elder Chacaltana the President's Assistant 

and Elder Sanchez is from Lima

Hey everyone!!! 

Well another awesome week went by in the Trujillo Peru Mission. We had interviews and.....I passed!!! haha No the interviews with President Turk are really great and we always leave our meetings with him really pumped up and ready to work as hard as we can. 

This week was really successful for us. We have one baptismal date for this Saturday. It is a 65 year old lady named Grimaldina Worst name I've heard so far in the mission, but she is a really nice lady. She is from the mountains and she doesn't know how to read and we have to teach with pictures and only one or two principles per lesson. Now I know how my mom must feel every day teaching little second grade kids that are just learning how to read. 

Well nothing else really crazy or interesting happened this week but we were able to teach a ton of people and I feel that we should have another baptism this week or the next as well. This area is really improving and the people are starting to gain a lot of confidence in us. 

The meeting that we had in the office went really well. Hermana Turk taught us a really cool lesson that helped to motivate us. She asked us how we would feel if someone would give us 1 million dollars to talk to everyone in the streets about the gospel. She said that we would be running around talking to everyone, but later told us that these people in Trujillo are each worth a lot more than money, that each one is a Child of God and that we will receive a lot more than a million dollars if we are able to help one of them learn about the gospel and change their lives.

 As a missionary in Peru we hear a lot about all the crazy doctrine because there a lot of churches here and the people are really gulable and believe whatever they hear if it's from a priest or pastor. We hear things all the time that God is only a spirit, that God, Christ and the Holy Ghost are one person. That Jehovah in the Bible is God, that only 144,000 are going to be saved in the kingdom of God, that Satan has power over God to control the Earth, that Adam and Eve ruined everything for us and a lot more beliefs that are even crazier.

 I'm very grateful to live in a place where there are a lot of members and where everybody has the ability to learn about the gospel or at least have an opportunity. As a missionary we don't always know the answers but after we pray and search for them we always find them and our church always has the right answer. I know that this church is true and has the most sound doctrine of any church because the leaders of this church have always been called of God and receive revelation. I know that the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price and the Doctrine and Covenants help us to know the answers to all the problems of the world. Well, the church is true and I gotta go teach that... so until next week, 

Elder Wilkinson

 ps... Mom I forgot what you want me to do so let me know in the next email...buy jerseys, send photos, and I forgot what else. haha 

see ya later!