Monday, September 21, 2015

21 September 2015 Letter

Well this week was full of fun.

Monday - P-day and we played UNO all afternoon!
Tuesday - District meeting given by the Sisters.
Wednesday - Elder Godoy (Area Seventy) visits the mission.
Thursday - I get super sick with fever.  Also, interchanges with Elder Gleason and
          Elder Enamorado.  I went to their area with Elder Gleason.  Elder Enamorado came to
          mine with Elder Cornejo.
Friday - we finished the exchanges and had a great day.
Saturday - activity with the elders from the CCM.

Sorry, got to go!!!

Elder Godoy chose 4 missionaries in the mission to interview!  He chose me!  First time a General Authority has interviewed me.  It was super cool.  He has really helped me out.

Elder Wilcox

We are gonna go play soccer on a turf field!



#ElderWes




Monday, September 14, 2015

14 September 2015 Letter

Well, this week was super sweet.  I don't know how to send pictures now 'cause they are too big a resolution but I will figure it out.  On p-day we went to Centro de Lima.  There is this central square that is pretty sweet.  You don't even feel like you are in Perú.  And then you see all the Peruvians and your companion and signs in Spanish and Llama stuff.  It was a really relaxing time.  It took like an hour and a half to get there and like two to come back.  Elder Wilson and I saw Hermana Vernon there (a sister missionary from our district in the CCM who went to Lima Norte mission) so we did some catching up.  We got some cool things and took some sweet pics.

This Saturday we had Isrrael's baptism.  Yes, we found out his name has two r's which was pretty strange to find out as we filled out his baptismal record with him.  A member from the ward was going to baptize him, but at the last second flaked out so Elder Cornejo did it.  It was a great service and hearing his testimony afterwards was so cool.  On Sunday, he showed up in all church clothes - before that he went in a t-shirt and jeans.  He looked super happy and like he is ready to go on a mission.  All he needed was the plaque - tag thing.  I think it is tag in English.  We confirmed him a member and then it was official.

We also are working with 9 less-actives in total that have come back to church.  We have to teach them all the lessons and they have to go to church three times and be interviewed by the bishop to be officially called reactivated.  It is a statistic we have in the mission just like baptisms.  If you noted, the process is very similar.  So hopefully they we all be reactivated in these next few weeks.

See you all next week.  Thanks for all the support, packages, and letters.  It makes me super happy.

Love you guys,

Elder Wilcox



#ElderWes




Monday, September 7, 2015

7 September 2015 Letter

Well, this past week was awesome.  I just wanted to talk a little about a couple stories.

The first one is about the Diaz Cañari Family.  One day we went to an appointment kinda far in our area and when we got there, only women were present in the home.  So we went to a member's home to see if the brother could come with us.  He said he was busy but directed us to a home where other members lived.  He told us - go knock on that door.  The brother will help you.  We didn't even know that members lived there but we went over and knocked on the door.  Brother Diaz, as we later found out was his name, answered the door and very reluctantly accepted our request and he changed into some church clothes and came with us.  After the lesson we took out an appointment with him and his family, and went back the next week.  Hermano Diaz told us that they had been inactive for over a year and that when we knocked on his door, he felt that Heavenly Father still hadn't given up on him.  I told him that I knew God's hand was in all of this and it wasn't a coincidence that we had found him.  He had served a mission and his wife as well was a return missionary.  He said that he remembered his mission when he went to the lesson with us.  Well, that all happened like 4 weeks ago, and he and his wife and two little kids have come to church for three Sundays in a row.  I was so happy to see them make that decision to come back.  I am grateful to the Lord for directing us to that home and that family, even though it was in a way we really didn't expect.  The Lord works in mysterious ways.

We also have been working really hard with a 19 year old kid named Israel.  He has accepted and is super excited for his baptism this Saturday at 5 in the afternoon.  He is an amazing kid.  He told us he wanted to change his life, and that his parents wanted that he change his life, so he felt this was the way to do it.  He has been to church three times now and loves how he feels.  He did tell us though, that if his parents found out that we were visiting him in his home, they would freak out, even though they like the results.  Luckily though, he is over age and we don't need his parents' permission.  He also plays semi-professional soccer and always has championships or tournaments on Sundays.  He is thinking about completely dropping soccer because there are very few games during the week anyway.  He also said it was probably best for his injured knee.  It is amazing to see the change in Israel and the changes he is willing to make.  I love seeing his testimony grow and how prepared he was by the Lord, but also the fruits of hard work, good lessons, great help from the ward and Young Single Adults, and fasting and prayer. Israel is a miracle.

I love this work.  I know this Gospel is true.  I know our Savior and Father live and guide us today through a living prophet.  I love you all and pray for my family and friends every day.

Elder Wes Wilcox



#ElderWes



31 August 2015 Letter

Original message, unedited:

Hola mamá, ¿como estás?  Te amo y te extraño muchísimo.  Yo he estado pensando en ustedes mucho en esta semana y espero que todos estén bien y felices con el nuevo año de escuela.

Ahora me imagino que te encuentres allí en casa, solita todo el día.  Quiero que nosotros, ahora que tu tienes mas tiempo libre, que podamos leer El Libro de Mormón juntos en este cambio.  Mas o menos, tenemos que leer como 6 capítulos cada día.  Termina el 6 de octubre!  Sería super genial hacer esto contigo.

Pero, ahora con la carta semanal:

Oh!  Tambien ya recibí un paquete de Tía Jenny (de Dave).  Y tambien para que cuando me envien el paquete... quiero algo media extraña ... Instant oatmeal!!  To show my comps and 'cause I love blueberries and cream!!  And we eat in our apartment every morning!

I don't have time for a weekly letter but we saw Elder Bednar this week and he answered one of my questions.  Also, Cornejito and I are still together in the good old Tierra Prometida de Ñaña!!

Elder Wilcox


Interpretation of Spanish portion above:

Hi Mom, how are you?  I love and miss you so much.  I've been thinking about you all a lot this week and I hope everyone is fine and happy with school having begun.

Now I imagine that you find yourself there in the house, by yourself all day.  I'd like it if we, now that you have more free time, could read the Book of Mormon together during this transfer.  More or less, we have to read like 6 chapters each day.  The transfer ends on 6 October!  It would be super cool to do this with you.

But, now on with the weekly letter:

Oh!  I also received a package from Aunt Jenny (Dave's Jenny).  And also, when you send me the package . . . I'd like something a little strange . . . Instant Oatmeal!

End of interpretation.

The Zone finding out about the cambios (transfers)

Crazy haircut

Only 20 Soles ($6.19 US)

Brianna hahaha

With Sebastian

My new nightly routine: tea and Jesus the Christ
(not so new of a routine)

Workin' out like a Peruvian!




#ElderWes