Monday, October 26, 2015

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

Micaela's district with the hermana leaders
¡Hola! ¿Qué tal? ¡Espero que hayan tenido una buena semana!
[Hello! How are you? I hope you had a good week!]

Bueno, this week was a LOT better! Woohoo!

Bueno. So, investigators. 

Mayra y Sebastian. They weren´t there for our appointment! And they´re only at home one day a week. We´re gonna try and contact them this week.

Noelia wasn´t home either. We went to San Marcos early so that we could talk to her, and then she wasn´t there. And we can only go to San Marcos once a week...

Now you´re probably wondering why I said this week was "a LOT better." Well, I´ll tell you. :)

On Tuesday we had exchanges with the hermana leaders. They´re great! They helped us to find some new investigators and to help us with our attitudes. I went on exchanges with Hermana Woolley. We were at one point searching for a former investigator and found her grandmother. We talked with her and she said that we could come back another day. We said we´d love to and as we were leaving Hermana Woolley asked her if she knew anyone close by that we could teach. She told us that there was a family around the corner so we went. There lived a family PF (family where not all of them are members)! We talked to the mom (member) and she told us about her daughter that likes to go to church. Turns out that I know her daughter but I didn´t know that she wasn´t a member. Two days later I went with Hermana Jaramillo to teach the daughter. Her name is Ludmila and she´s 10 years old. She already know so much! We put a baptismal date with her and she accepted! She´s going to be baptized on November 7! 
 
Micaela and Ludmila

Gaston, Ludmila and Micaela


My companion also found a family in the exchange that I am excited to meet and teach! 

I was also able to talk to the hermana leaders about what was going on in the area and how I was feeling. They helped me to realize that the blessings always come. But when we are desperate they come a little quicker. Just like Joseph Smith when he was desperate for an answer, he went to a grove and prayed. I remember when I too was desperate for an answer. And indeed my answer came. We also talked about one´s attitude. One of the hermanas told me that she was studying about how we can best show God that we are grateful for all that He has given us. She said that the best answer she found was to be happy. So being grateful makes one happy and being happy helps one to be grateful. And by so doing, God is happy.

Really. Our attitude changed completely and we were blessed with miracles!

I testify that the Lord answers prayers. That when we are desperate enough to humble ourselves before Him, He will answer our prayers more greatly than we could imagine. I testify of the importance of gratitude and your attitude. Most importantly, the attitude of gratitude. I know that when we are grateful, the Lord is pleased and He blesses us even more abundantly.

I hope you all have a fantastic week! I love you all so much! Don´t forget that the Lord is on your side and that he always hears your prayers!!!

Love from,
Hermana Micaela Wilson

Monday, October 19, 2015

Mother's Day


Hola! Espero que se encuentren bien. Todo tranqui? (tranquilo)
[Hello! I hope you are fine. Is everything calm?]

This week was hard. Again. 

So, we haven´t been able to find new investigators really. Also, Belén, well she kind of disappeared. We went to our appointment, and she wasn´t there. We went many times to her house, and she wasn´t there, or didn´t want to receive us. We were really sad.

Mayra and Sebation, well our appointment is this week. We´re hoping it goes well...

On Saturday, we did find one person! We were in San Marcos and we decided to contact a former investigator. She´d moved, but Romina found her address for us. When she answered the door, it was obvious that she had been crying. We talked about how she had gotten to know the other hermanas and why they stopped visiting her. She said that she had been really busy taking care of her grandmother and so when they went, she wasn´t ever there. Then she started crying. She told us that her grandmother had passed away recently. They had been really close so it was really hard for her. We testified about the Plan of Salvation and that she will be able to see her again. She felt a bit better and told us that she really needed to hear that. She needed that hope. We´re going back on Friday. :)

We had another experience that made me reflect a lot on the spirit of our homes. On Tuesday, we went to a service to help a lady take bits of wall out of her house. (She's redoing a bedroom.) When we went in to help her, it was like my spirit was being choked. It felt horrible in this house. The moment we walked in, we wanted to run out. Later on that night, we went to a member's house. When we walked in the door, a peace flooded our spirits. It felt so wonderful to be in her house. We knew the difference was that the Spirit was in the member's house. 

It made me think a lot about the ambiance that exists in our homes. When there is contention, you feel it, anger, you feel it. Love. Wow, you really feel it.

Anyway, I hope that you are all doing well and that you have a fantastic week this week!!!

Love from,

Hermana Micaela Wilson

Playing and singing I Often Go Walking for Argentina's Mother's Day.


Monday, October 12, 2015

What will come, will come. And we'll meet it when it does.

Hola hola hola! ¿Cómo les fue está semana? Espero que todo esté bien. :)
[Hello Hello hello! How was your week? Hope all is well. :)]

Bueno, this week. This week . . . was hard. A bit. 

So, Elva. We visited her this week to give her one last chance. She hasn´t been progressing for a while now and so we had a charla franca. We dropped Elva this week. It was sad. She is such a sweet lady. She told us that she is going to keep praying and reading the Book of Mormon, "even if you don´t come anymore." It was sweet.

Estela apparently really doesn´t want anything to do with us. She just said yes because she didn't want us to feel bad. So, that was hard.

But, we did find two families! Woohoo!

One of them we could only teach the mom. Her name is Belén. We talked a lot and she told us that her father died two years ago. She feels really guilty because she feels that there is more that she could have done to help him. As a result of her guilty feelings she has resorted to smoking. We were talking and as I was thinking about what she needed to hear I first thought Plan of Salvation. Her father died. She needs to know that she can see him again. But that wasn´t right. So then I thought, she needs to hear about the Atonement. That she can be forgiven. Nope. Wrong again. My companion told me later that she thought about the Word of Wisdom even. But no. All wrong. She needed to hear that God loves her, that she is His daughter and the she is important to Him. We talked about that and the Spirit was very strong. It was beautiful! I really showed me that really, it´s the small and simple things that the people need to hear. The small and simple things are the most easily forgotten and the most needed.

We also found Mayra and Sebastian. We were only there for a short time and so we don´t really know them yet, but we´re excited to work with them!

Anyway, we are hoping to find some new investigators this week! 

Romina and her family are doing well. Although we didn´t really get to talk to them this week. Francina turned 10 and so they were preparing the party and everything. But, we´ll get them next week. :)

I hope you are all doing well and that you always remember how much I love you! Have a fantastic week!!!

Love from,

Hermana Micaela Wilson

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Ask Inspired Questions

Hola mi familia y amigos!
Espero que disfrutaron la Conferencia General y tuvieran una buena semana!
[Hi family and friends. I hope you enjoyed General Conference and had a good week.]

Wow, Conference was great, right? There were so many good talks! I especially liked the talks by Larry R. Lawrence, Neill F. Marriott and of course, Elder Jeffery R. Holland. I too approached General Conference with a question. It was amazing that in the very first session, they answered my question. Then, in the remaining sessions, they added more. It was beautiful!

This week was hard in terms of the work. We couldn´t find very many new investigatos and I fear that we are going to lose some others. 
It was also a sad week. It was the last week of transfers and we knew that Elder Muñoz (our district leader) was going home. Also the zone leaders went home. Hermana Lopéz also left us for another area. It was hard to say goodbye. 

We were also invited, all of us, to lunch with Romina. We had ñoquis. They were amazing! On Sunday, we had ñoquis again with Elena (a member in the branch). 

We couldn´t visit Estela because she was sick and had to go to the doctor. 

We visited Elva, but she is still really confused. It´s hard. Every time that we feel like we need to drop her, she progresses a little bit. I´m scared that she´s going to become an eternal investigator. 

I would also like to share an experience that I had with my companion. 

I was struggling because I didn´t feel like I knew how to help my companion. I knew that she was holding a lot back and that there was a lot that she didn´t want to share. Before receiving my companion, we had a training session. In that meeting, Presidente Alliaud told us that our companions are like investigators. Only they're with us 24/7. We have to be the example. We have to help. This made me feel a little overwhelmed. But, it´s a bit true. 

One thing that Preach My Gospel tells us to do is ask inspired questions. So, I decided to do this with Hermana Jaramillo. We were walking after the lunch with Romina where she hadn´t said a word and I started asking questions. At first she resisted and didn´t want to talk. But I persisted. Finally, she opened up and she told me the problem. She didn´t feel like she could be herself because none of us know her. I told her, "Hermana, if you want us to know you, you have to show us who you  are." From that moment, she has been more open, more herself. And it´s beautiful! 

Before leaving on my mission, I received counsel from two friends. One had already served a misson, the other was in the  mission. 

One friend told me that he felt he was losing who he was. Until one day he realized that he was still him. He wasn´t just Elder. He was himself. I, I am a missionary, but I´m not just Hermana Wilson. I´m Hermana Micaela Wilson. All of the attributes I had before are still here.

My other friend told me that when she was in the mission she struggled with feeling like she was the missionary she needed to be. She talked with another missionary and they told her that she too had felt that way. Until she realized that God had called her. God had called her as she was. Not as she could be or should be. God called her not in spite of her weaknesses, but because of her weaknesses. God needed her as she was. And as she was was good enough. 

I would like all of you to think on this. God called each one of us to the calling we have. Not becuase He knew we would be good, but because we need to grow. 

God loves you all so very much. 

I hope you all have a great week and that you may recognize the hand of God in your lives, today. 

Love from,

Hermana Micaela Wilson

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Pray with a Question

Hola mis seres queridos! Cómo andan? Espero que todo esté bien con ustedes.
 [Hello my loved ones! How is it going? I hope all is well with you.]

Wow, ok, this week. 

Bueno, on Tuesday, we had interviews with Presidente Alliaud. It was really good, but we weren´t able to work. He was able to answer some questions and that helped a lot.

On Wednesday, we had district meeting in Marcos Juarez (about an hour away and the buses don´t come and go very often), so it was hard to work that day too.
Marcos Juarez
We are really struggling with finding new investigators that progress. We are still working with Elva and had a really good lesson with her. She had never thought of the fact that if Christ were to have a church, it should have his name. She hadn´t ever noticed that none of the other churches carry Christ´s name. It got her thinking a lot and that was good. We are focusing right now on having her read the Book of Mormon and praying with a specific question. 

Juan. Juan Juan Juan. We are dropping Juan. He says yes to everything but doesn´t end up doing anything. It´s rather frustrating. And sad. But, I hope that in the future, he can come to a firm decision. Everyone has their time.

Romina and her family are doing well. They have entered the ´gate´ and are on the ´straight and narrow path´. They´re awesome!

We are now teaching Romina´s grandmother, Estela. We taught her about prayer, reading the scriptures, and going to church. She said she was willing to do all of those things! She also has a baptismal date for the 17 of October! 

Anyway, we´re kind of in the process of finding and dropping investigators. It´s rather frustrating. But, I know that we can do it. :)

Something that Presidente Alliaud told us on Tuesday that really caught my attention was about prayer. He said that a lot of times we (or investigators) say that God doesn´t answer our prayers. That we want an answer, but He isn´t responding. But, how often are we asking Him a question? It´s true. There are many times where I want an answer, but I forget to ask Him the question. Presidente said it´s like going to school and asking your teacher, ¨So, what´s the answer?¨ And she says, ¨The answer to what?¨ and we say, "I don´t know, I just want the answer.¨ 

So, with that in mind, I would like to encourage all of us to pray with a question. And then, in this conference this weekend, look for it. I promise you that you will find and answer to your question. And maybe, answers to questions you didn´t think you were asking as well.

I know that this is God´s one and only church here upon the earth. I know that He loves us and that He wants to answer our prayers. And this I leave with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Les amo un montonaso y espero que todos ustedes tengan una semana maravillosa! Siempre acuérdense que Dios les ama y por qué estamos aquí.
[I love you a [montonaso] and I hope you all have a wonderful week! Remember always that God loves us and why we are here.]

Love from,
Hermana Micaela Wilson