MTC-WEEK 6

Our teacher Sister Richards on the bottom left with the pretty light brown hair and maroon skirt; and our other teacher Sister Imbler on the bottom right with the dirty blonde hair, black skirt. Love all these people so much!

This is the closing chapter of my MTC experience!

Since I'll be in Mexico on Monday, this last week involved much planning, learning and mental preparation, so not a whole lot of stories to share. But I must express my gratitude for the amazing experiences I've had here. I know that they've helped prepare me as much as possible for what I need to teach and express and do while I'm serving in Mexico.

One of my favorite things from the last week was District meeting. We had two very special ones: Monday involved talking about our families and Thursday was all about miracles--there were so many! I wish every one of you could relive the last six weeks of my life, especially those who haven't served missions. I've never been so full of love, never tried so hard to be patient, never received so much revelation, never been so engulfed by the Spirit . . . The Spirit testifies of truth. It also testifies of love. And I have felt that so much since I've been here. I hope all of you have a chance to experience it as well. I've felt it most strongly as I've studied the scriptures--all of them! So anyone can do that from anywhere they are, so do it!

My invitation ('cause Hey, I'm a missionary!) is for you to share a miracle or a favorite scripture with a friend this week. There are miracles all around us and I have loved finding ones to record every single day since I've gotten here.

Much love from Sister Wilson!

God bless! 

MTC-WEEK 5 ENGLISH VERSION

This was a week full of miracles! I can't even name them all, let alone describe each one, so I'll try my best to prioritize:

Miracle #1: Temple work. Our Spanish branch gets to go to the temple every Saturday and I cannot believe how many answers I've gotten each time I go. The key is to ASK. And if you can't go to the temple, just pray sincerely--find a quiet spot and talk to God as if he were right in front of you and know that He hears everything. I mean EVERYTHING.

Miracle #2: Girl Talk and naps. Sister Freckleton and I have a propensity for drifting into the subject of marriage and our futures and study abroad trips. There was one day when we were feeling particularly exhausted and totally intended on a nap but ended up talking for the entire hour of nap time instead. Best break ever. As a missionary, you appreciate every break you have and you appreciate it even more when you get answers and free therapy out of that break.

Miracle #3. WARNING: Ummmm this one is a little gross so it is only for the strong-stomached and those who have humor similar to mine. You won't appreciate it if you don't enjoy a good toilet joke every once in a while. So feel free to skip this one. So here's the story: Hermana Freckleton and I promised our investigator that if she quit drinking coffee, we'd quit sugar. Great idea, right? No. And of course I'm so freakin' motivated. That same night, the minute we get home, I say firmly and very audibly, "Let God strike us down should we break our promise!" And I was being dead serious because I really wanted to experience a little of what Ivette  (our TRC investigator) was about to experience while trying to quit coffee. That was last Thursday (10ish days ago). Fast forward to Monday; so I've been off sugar for 4 days. Up to this point I am feeling really . . . well, desperate for sugar. So while my companions aren't looking, I sneak a chocolate (maybe two) into my mouth to satisfy myself. Guess what happened the next morning? I woke up at 6 AM, went into the restroom and didn't leave the toilet for 40 whole minutes. I'll leave out the nasty details because you simply can't appreciate it unless I'm telling the story in person, but just image me being really sick in the stomach. Bad things happened. I felt constantly on the verge of vomiting for the next two hours. And then I was fine. Weirdest thing ever. Later that day after I was feeling all happy and grateful that my good health had returned, I sat for a second and realized God was definitely listening to me. Seriously, God hears everything.

Miracle #4. Praises for the Weather. My district says that I must have a really close (and humorous) connection to God because about 3 seconds after I said, "I just love all sorts of weather! The sky is always beautiful" (at this point, it was a beautiful, cloudy, brisk day!), God immediately sends a hailstorm. No joke. HAIL. I screamed and ran for cover as my companions laughed behind me. But I really do see weather as a miracle. All sorts of beautiful show up in every different kind of weather. Even when it's hailing.

Miracle #5. Elder Rasband came to the MTC. If you don't know who Elder Rasband is, he was just called last October to serve as an apostle in the Quorum of the Twelve. That's a big deal. When he showed up to speak at the MTC for a Tuesday devotional, my heart was beating so quickly, I couldn't stop smiling and when he walked about two yards in front of me and then looked me in the eyes and smiled, all I could think was, "I cannot believe this. I'm sitting right in front of an Apostle!" Like, Peter/James/John/Andrew/Philip/Bartholomew/Thomas/James#2/Matthew/Thaddaeus/Simon kind of apostle, except this one is on the earth right now!!!!!! The love of God just radiated from him. I can't even explain it. Watch General Conference in April and listen for an Apostle's "I love you." That's what it feels like. I'm pretty sure there were angels in the room.

There are more but these are all I have time to explain. Hope you all look for the hand of God in your life. I know it's there. No doubt about it!

"And it came to pass that after I had prayed and labored with all diligence, the Lord said unto me: I will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of they faith." Enos 1:12

Mucho amor,

Sister Wilson 

MTC-WEEK 3 ENGLISH VERSION

Almost done with Week #3!

It has been a crazy fun week at the MTC, mostly because I was in a very giggly mood (let's be honest, am I not that way all the time?) But seriously, so many funny phrases I must list:

• "Brother Norton, can you explain how to make comparisons in Spanish? Like, 'Today was better than yesterday.' Or, 'They say I'm like a raccoon.'" -Elder Chappell
• "Dios tiene un cuerpo de carne y huevos." -Hermana Strode (translation: God has a body of flesh and eggs)
• Please go to Youtube and look for a video about Canadian border patrol that goes something like this, "Hey you people! Stop crossin the border! Get in my truck!" Hermana Strode quotes it and it never gets old...
• "I've hit a wall..." -Hermana Stephens, followed by a series of giggles and stomping around the room as if trying to shake out her slap-happiness.

On the spiritual side, two wonderful devotionals full of inspiration, revelation and great tips; for example, the question was posed, "What price will I be asked to pay for obedience?" I love that! Sometimes obedience is hard, but I want to always be one He can count on, like Abraham or Nephi. Also, this week I have learned how little I understand and how greatly the Spirit can work through me to help me as I teach and talk with investigators. Prayers have become more meaningful and I now wish that I had said them more often out loud than inside my head. There's something special about saying prayers aloud--it's almost like God answers them louder afterward than He does when you give silent prayers. And the example my companions set for me--I cannot express how strongly I KNOW that God put me with these people. THERE ARE NO COINCIDENCES. GOD DOES NOT ROLL DICE. He loves each of us and if we are obedient, He blesses us in every way He can. I lost track a long time ago of how many blessings He's given me. I wish I could pay Him back but I can't. I'll try anyway.

I have learned how essential communication is in relationships. Honestly, I think I'm preparing more for marriage now than ever before. I am with my companions every second--not an exaggeration--of the day and we don't always agree. But we love and respect each other, and as I've expressed my feelings honestly and openly, I've seen us grow closer. Pillow talk is definitely my favorite, though. You would not believe some of the stories I've heard :)

Anyway, that's pretty much all I have to say this week. Pictures to follow. Love you all so much. God be with you!!!

Sister Wilson