Greenie

What’s up everyone? This week was probably the most tiring week of my entire mission. I have never spoke so much Spanish in my entire life. I am training a brand-new missionary, Elder Black from Salt Lake, he went to Highland High School, likes country music, and is a cool dude. He is still learning Spanish so he was just like me when I started the mission. Doesn’t understand anything and is still learning a lot about how to speak. But he is in good spirits and loves the mission so far. That being said I have to speak and translate everything for him which is kinda fun, but wow it is exhausting. But it has made me realize how much Spanish I do know and what I still need to work on. It is a good time. 

 As far as the work goes holy flip we have so many people to teach it is a blessing. The mission is just a lot better when you are super busy. But right now we have 4 people on date for baptism and we are just working really hard to help them live the commandments so they can be baptized. One of them in specific is named Yulisa.

 

Yulisa is amazing. She has prayed about our message and loves church but she is struggling to stop drinking beer. She has quit drinking coffee but now it is about quitting the beer. I have so much faith that she can do it but we need a lot of prayers for her. Her baptism is scheduled for the 6th of May so we hope she can be ready by then.

 

We are also teaching Ashley still. She has now had 2 baptismal dates drop but she is always at church. She says she wants to wait to be baptized with her brother but this week we are gonna explain why she shouldn't do that and how baptism is a very personal thing.

 

Yesterday I had the opportunity to give a talk in Sacrament meeting. I spoke about forgiveness and I learned so much it was amazing! I truly know that it is never too late to ask for forgiveness from our Heavenly Father. He loves us perfectly and wants us to be forgiven. This is why we have the atonement of Jesus Christ. I highly recommend reading about this in Alma 36. It is a great chapter. But I love this gospel and even though the mission hasn't been easy, it has been worth it. I am loving all my experiences and just trying to work hard and not regret anything!

 

Also my boy Spencer could use a lot of prayers his way. Love y'all have a great 

week!

 

Elder Wilde

PS Super crazy thing this past week. I was getting out of my uber and all of the sudden I hear this "Bro!" it was my neighbor Steven from home! Seriously what are the odds? He is from Santiago and was here visiting and I just happened to be hear picking up my new comp. Just another reminder that the Lord is in all of the small details. 

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Weirdest Day on the Mission?

 

• So this transfer flew! We had a lot of success and I will luckily get to stay here in Villa Vasquez and try to keep the work going. With that my comp will be leaving to the good old area of Santiago and I will be receiving a brand new missionary. So I don't know who yet but tomorrow when I show up at the office we will go in a room and the dude will come find me and that will be my comp. Kinda exciting. Hopefully my 8 1/2 months on a mission can teach this kid how to be a good missionary haha. 
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  But other then that the work here is CRAZY! This email could get long. First things first our friend Ashley is gonna be baptized this coming Sat. Her step brother was baptized like a week ago and he helped us hype up baptism. Ashley came to church yesterday and kept asking me if she could see the pool she was gonna be baptized in lol. We are excited for her. 
  
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  Before I get into our other goated investigators, I had the weirdest experience of my life yesterday. So there is this recent convert named Rafeal and we call him Raf. Well we visited him on Saturday and he was in bed in a diaper cause he was super sick. Then Sunday morning at church everyone was talking about how he passed away. So we were shocked then after church we went to his house with our Elders Quorum President and we shared a little message with his family and we sang 2 hymns and they turned out to be legit solos for me so that was lit. Then Raf’s casket was still in the house so I had the unique opportunity to see Raf’s body without his spirit. I didn't know how to word that but you know what I mean. So yeah yesterday was really weird. 
  
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  But now for cool investigators. There is this chick we are teaching named Yulisa. She is about 30 something and I love her!! She is the coolest ever! She is reading in the Book of Mormon and she came to church yesterday. We had such a good word of wisdom lesson with her last week, like literally it was insane. She committed to stop drinking coffee before her baptism on May 6th. We went back to her house 2 days after the lesson and she was like dang my head hurts really bad and we were like dang we are sorry and she is like I haven't been drinking coffee and we were like let’s gooo! So she is progressing a lot and we are so happy for her. 
  
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  Another girl we are teaching is named Yeudica. She is also goated. Last lesson we were about to share a scripture but I had the impression to just ask her what questions she had. We ended up teaching the word of wisdom and law of chastity and she was down to follow both. She said she is trying to quit coffee but can't so we are gonna bring a member who has experience to help us out. She also works at like a little bank thing that just sells lottery tickets so coming to church is so hard for her but she said she is gonna try everything in her power to come next Sunday. 
  
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  Overall the work is poppin! I have truly seen the blessings from being obedient. Our teaching pool is overflowing and we have so many people with potential. I am sad to see my comp go he is a good dude but I am super excited to train a brand new missionary! 
  
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  Love you all!! 
  
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  -Elder Wilde
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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What a Week!

This week was so freaking eventful wow. We were supposed to have the baptism of 2 of our friends but only 1 of them came. So I'll explain that for a hot sec lol. 

So basically we are teaching these 2 kids named Ezequiel and Ashley. They are both 10 and somewhat step siblings. I say somewhat cause their parents aren't married. The father of Ezequiel is excommunicated, but he served a mission and he likes the church. His girlfriend aka the mom of Ashley, is Evangelical and doesn't love the church. So there is some contention in the house and that is kinda a bummer. So on Saturday Ashley told us she was ready for her baptism but then it was pouring rain and she didn't come because she then decided she wasn't ready. I personally think her mom is telling her she isn't ready but who knows. On the bright side Ezequiel was baptized and it was a good night. The next day he showed up 2 hours early to the church to be confirmed. He was super hyped to say the least. The kid is a goofball, but I love him. 

This past week was "Semana Santa" So they don't go to school and they basically chill and do nothing. Well yesterday a member invited us over so we went over and she brought out 2 massive bowls filled with "Habichuelas con Dulce" or should I say milk, with black beans, with sugar, with raisins, with cracker, with Yuca. It was AWFUL. I have no Idea how anyone could ever eat that and enjoy it. It was rough but don't worry I finished the whole thing even though I almost threw up like 3 times. 

Other then almost dying we had a great lesson with out friend Yulisa. She is a legend and just started to read the Book of Mormon on her own! She has read the first 3 chapters and she always texts us and tells us her favorite verse. We have a baptismal date for her this 6th of May. But we are gonna drop 2 bombs this week one of them being the law of chastity and the other the word of wisdom. I am not too worried cause if she has a testimony of the Book of Mormon then she should have a testimony of Joseph Smith and then these things will be easy to teach. She also makes insane natural juices for us and it's a dub. She also loves President Nelson. So she is basically perfect which is scary cause there is always something that goes wrong with these type of investigators lol. 

But other then that it was a good week! Easter was fantastic. I know Jesus Christ lives and loves all of us. It is fascinating to think that He lived on earth just like us and was a normal man just doing pretty incredible things. These last 8 months of my mission have really taught me to love Jesus Christ and my relationship with Him has grown more than I thought possible. 

Love you all! 

-Elder Wilde

Conferencia General

Well this week was one of the longest weeks of the mission. I was convinced that March would never end haha. But it did and here we are on the 3rd of April! 

So first things first thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes! My birthday was so good and I feel very happy to tell people on the streets I'm 19 not 18 haha. Speaking of which we told these kids we are gonna baptize this week that I am now 19 and his first question was "How many kids do you have?" So if that tells you anything about the DR.. haha. 

This week was very long but wow I learned so much. On Friday we had our Zone Conference. It was one of the best Zone Conferences I have ever had. I learned so much about how to better my Missionary skills and planning. It is always so much fun seeing other missionaries from the mission who I am homies with. One thing that I loved which President Breton said was "you guys need more vitamin T. Vitamin Trabajar. (Trabajar in Spanish means work.)" So it was fun to hear him make a joke but a joke that was so valuable. 

Conference this weekend was so good!! Conference as a missionary is truly like Christmas or the Masters. Just a good day. I learned so much about our Savior Jesus Christ. I loved how the focus was on Him and how they made it clear that Easter is just as important, if not, more important than Christmas. I love hearing the Prophet speak. It brings me so much peace knowing we have a prophet of God on the earth. Also shoutout to my best friends aunt for being called as the Young Women’s General President! So insane! She is going to do amazing things!

We are set to have the baptism of two of our friends named Ezequiel and Ashley this week. They are both 10 and the funniest little kids. We are basically best friends. 

My basically older brother Spencer could use some prayers headed his way this week! So pray for him when you say your prayers!

Love you all and have a great week! 

-Elder Wilde

La Obra

What's up everyone?!? This week was a pretty good week but man was it long. 

First things first the temple. We went to the Santo Domingo Temple this week and it was probably the best experience I have ever had in the temple. I have never felt so at peace in my life. After that experience I want to go to the temple weekly when I get home. I'll have just a few temples to choose from. ;) But now for why it was a long week. 

We left early Wednesday from Villa Vasquez to stay in a very ghetto hotel that had a warm shower so that was lit. Then we woke up at 5 A.M on Thursday to get on the busses and leave to Santo Domingo. Then we got back to the hotel at 8 that night and had to stay the night in the hotel which we weren't expecting, then woke up at 6:30 on Friday and got back to Villa Vasquez at about 12. It was a very draining couple of days but the temple made it all worth it. 

As far as teaching goes we have soooo many investigators with sooo much potential. It is so fun but wow it is so stressful. Sorry for saying so so much right there haha. But one of our investigators is named Yulisa and she is pretty dope. She hasn't come to church yet but we had a really cool experience with her this week. We have been trying to meet with her for like 2 weeks and she never has time. So we thought maybe she doesn't wanna talk with us. We figured we would try one more time and she said "Come over at 6!" So we went to her house at 6 that night and she explained to us how busy she has been and she started to cry cause she said she prayed about our message and every time she couldn't meet with us she just felt bad cause she knew we had such a special message and she felt so good when we were with her teaching her. So hopefully this goes somewhere. 

We are also teaching a dope kid named Alex. He is 17 and has a friend who has been a member of the church his whole life. We taught him the Restoration and it went pretty well. I think he is interested and he has been to church 2 times. So we are gonna try and invite him to be on date this week. Pray that he has a desire to be baptized cause he is so dope. 

This week I have been reflecting on a lot of stuff. Yesterday we had a lesson in Priesthood about Joesph Smith and the first vision and how when he started to pray Satan tempted him beyond belief. As I thought more about that I realized that having temptations is just part of this life. I have so many temptations everyday. Whether big or small I know that God has a work for me and that Satan knows I have a special part in it and doesn't want me to accomplish it. I wanna share my testimony that I know Satan works his hardest on the strongest people. I know that if we turn to the scriptures and to the Lord we can overcome all of Satans temptations. I love you all! Have a great week! 

-Elder Wilde  

Joseph Smith

What's up everyone?!? I named the title of this email Joseph Smith because this week was full of him lol. I will get more into why a little later. 

But first things first Villa Vasquez is slowly feeling like home and I love it here. The ward members were rough at first but they are getting better. Yesterday at church I got to say the opening prayer and I was able to bless the Sacrament. It was so fun. Blessing the Sacrament reminded me so much of home because I swear I blessed it weekly at a point in high school. We also found out last night that this week we are going to the Santo Domingo Temple! We are so hyped. We don't know what day but President told us he will let us know what day tonight. 

As far as the work goes... Wow it is going! I have never felt more overwhelmed in my life. For the first time in my mission we are teaching so many people it is hard to organize our days. It just freaks me out cause you don't wanna miss people. That being said we had 7 people come to church and all 7 are related to a ward member already which is fantastic! We hopefully should have many baptisms to come in this area. 

A highlight of last week was we traveled to MonteCristi to have our district council. Afterwards we ate at this pizza place. I don't know who owned it but wow it was so nice and they even played American music. Harry Styles had like 4 songs play and I was in heaven. Basically that pizza place is the GOAT. So is Harry Styles, but Harry with One Direction is better. I think we should start a petition to make them get back together! 

Now for Joseph Smith. We talked to this lady named Griselda 2 days ago. I wish I could say this story is spirit filled but it is not. She went on for 15 minutes how Joseph Smith appeared to her with his big white beard that was very nice and he asked her for coffee. He then proceeded to tell her that everyone in Villa Vasquez is a bad person except for her. After we listened she said "And guess what I even prayed to him and he answered my prayer." So moral of the story if you are trying to impress missionaries, make sure you study first before making a fool out of yourself. It was pretty comical. My comp and I had a good laugh after. 

But last night my comp and I watched a video about Joseph Smith in the Gospel Library app. Made me realize how grateful I am for him. I also know that this is the true church of Jesus Christ and that Joseph Smith is the Prophet of the Restoration. It was insane how much I felt the Spirit in the video. If I didn't know this church was true and Joseph Smith was a prophet, I know now. 

Love you all! Have a great week! 

-Elder Wilde 

Villa Vasquez

Hey everyone hope you all had a great week! My week was so good but so slow too. First week of the new transfer is always the tough one. But man am I glad it's Pday. So basically in the nicest way possible my parents told me my emails are getting boring. So today will be better I promise. 

First things first, my companion! His name is Elder Zevallos and he is from Canada but his parents are from Peru so he is actually fluent in English and Spanish. It is awesome. It is funny cause if you know me I laugh at a lot of things. I feel like I have a pretty fun personality. This dude does not laugh, but he is still so funny. He just says all the funny things in the most serious way and it kills me. But so far so good with him. We teach pretty well together and I can for sure feel the spirit in all of our lessons. Hopefully we keep this up! 

So basically my new area is Utah in the DR. It is so dry here and so hot and also just reminds me of home way more then other areas. Yes, the houses are still shacks, the language is Spanish most of the time (There are millions of Haitians here cause I live like a 1 hour drive away from Haiti and they all speak Creole.) The food isn't Taco Amigo, but the mountains/hills are like dry and look like some random mountain and hills in Utah so that was fun. Yesterday we drove to a conference in Monte Cristi and we drove by soo many hayfields and it just felt like I was driving through Spanish Fork or Payson it was pretty fun. I enjoyed it to say the least. 

As far as teaching goes we are actually teaching quite a few people. We have this one girl named Yulisa who we found cleaning out our area book. She was talking to the missionaries a while ago but went to Santo Domingo so they lost contact with her. We picked her back up and I honestly have a great feeling about her. She is so interested and we are gonna work hard with her. So other than her we are teaching a butt load of Haitians. They all live in this crazy part of town with a dirt road and no lights and at nighttime the stars SHINE! It is so cool and super sketchy lol. My comp and I can't decide if a flashlight is good for us because without one we can't see a thing but with one people can see us. haha tough debate. But the Haitians are so cool. Problem is they really need the law of chastity in their lives. I would dare say 9/10 women are pregnant. But it is okay that is why we are here, to help them accept and live the gospel!

Now for my apartment. This place is SOOOO nice!! By far the nicest house I have had on the mission. It is so big on the 3rd level and has 2 bathrooms that function. Only problem is when we wash clothes it floods the whole house basically so that kinda sucks. But hey life goes on. 

Hope this email was good! I love and miss you all. Play some golf for me...Wait I heard it is basically the Ice Age over there in Utah.. Sorrry ;) 

-Elder Wilde