Internet (March 14,16)

Sorry the internet cut out and I lost my whole email! That's alright.

This week we had even more splits! Elder Jensen from San Antonio. I really do enjoy being able to train and teach and serve other missionaries. It's especially great when I get to be their friend and be honest with them. I learn a ton on splits, and doing studies with the different missionaries in the Zone. Tomorrow we have a meeting with Elder Juan Urra from the 70, and the majority of the mission is going to be there. I'll update about what's going on and how that goes. It'll be nice to have another meeting. Recently we had one with Elder Bednar which was really really great. I felt the spirit very strongly and it helped me out in a lot of ways. The mission is really the best time.

The internet just went out, but this next week I'll have pictures and everything. 

I know the church is true and I know that this is the Lord's work. I love the mission, and I've never grown more than during these 2 years of my life. I've only got like 14 weeks left or something, but I'm making the most of it, and trying my best to improve every day as I preach to the poor in spirit as well as the poor in temporal needs.

Love

Elder Wilson

Make No Mis-Stakes (March 7, 2016)

So yesterday we had a meeting with the Stake President, the Mission President, and all of the missionaries in the entire Ñemby Stake. We had a chance to coordinate efforts and talk about different challenges and problems facing the missionaries in our Zone, and luckily we prepared pretty well for the meeting. I felt the spirit as we testified and talked about the best way to work with leaders and save the church in several of the less active branches and wards. 

We also had two splits this week, one with Elder Torres from Peru, and another with Elder Verano, also from Peru. It was a good time, and we had some good results come from it. A few investigators came to church, and quite a few less active families we've been working with. I also got to participate again in the laying on of hands for the gift of the holy ghost, on an 8 year old kid who got baptized. I gave him one of the spanish HLJ CTR rings I've got on me. I've been giving them out and people seem to love it. The Distribution center here just stopped carrying them, so everyone is happy that I've got some to pass out. 

I'll have more stuff to say next week, but for now I'm loving my mission, seriously. This ward has been so great for all this time, and I'm happy to be here. President and the office guys usually make jokes about how I've bought my house and car and everything here in the Ñemby.

Thanks for everything!

Elder Wilson

Baptism of Mariela Gonzales! (Feb.29,16)

Baptism of

 Mariela Gonzales!

So Elder Vasquez and I got to baptize and confirm Mariela Gonzales, who came from Coronel Oviedo recently, and has been investigating for a while. It was a great service, my companion baptizing, and me directing the service. I had the chance to share some thoughts and hear from others talk about the importance of baptism to Mariela, which was wonderful. A certain spirit filled the room as her neice, who is the seminary teacher here in the ward, shared her testimony and her joy that her aunt was being baptized. I've seen so many miracles happen in so many lives, and so many people with great and grand testimonies. Mariela is one of them. I have absolutely no doubts that she will continue to be a strength in the church. When she came for the first time to our ward, she cried because it's only a block from her house, and only about 40 minutes from the temple, and because there are so many people (over a hundred!) that go to church here in the ward. It was sweet to see that something we take for granted in other places really affected her and moved her. 

I was recently reading the wonderful words of the Lord in Doctrine and Covenants section 84, especially one of my favorite parts (so great that the Lord thought to say it on three seperate occasions and in about 5 or so different books of scripture. It's section 84 verses 81-85. You know, the whole Lilies of the field thing. I especially love the addition to D&C in verse 85. That knowledge that the Lord will fill our mouths and the spirit will flow through us is a great promise from the scriptures, especially as a missionary.

This week has been a little hard as far as the work goes. It's summer, but school started up again and nobody has been home, but every day I see the hand of Heavenly Father in my life. Gosh I feel so different from before, My emails used to be filled with jokes and songs and stuff. Haha, well, I guess that's really a very good thing.

I know Heavenly Father lives and that we are His children. I'm so happy to be his servant and to have stayed in this ward. My mission has been so great, and I can't wait for everyone else to get to experience what I've felt here and what I've seen. 

love

Elder Conner James Wilson

A long time in one area (Feb. 22,16)

So I'm staying in Ñemby another transfer with Elder Vasquez. 

That's going to be interesting.

This week we had interviews with President. It was great to talk to him and hear advice, and talk about the state of our Zone and our mission. He's an amazing example and he knows his stuff. I guess he thought we were doing a good job, because we're staying here another change. 7 1/2 months is a long time in one ward.  Holy cow this is just hitting me now. Wow how neat is that. Now I could potentially end my mission here haha (not going to happen). I think it'll be great, and Elder Vasquez and I are doing really well as a companionship. I'm happy with where I'm at, and I do love this ward a ton. It's my favorite area, so I'm not upset about it or anything.

My convert, Alejandro Montero, baptized the Sister's convert Mariela on saturday. It was wonderful to see that he passed the reference to the sisters, they taught her, and he got to baptize her. It was the first time he'd baptized anyone, and he was very very happy to be able to do it. Just a wonderful experience to see him strengthening his testimony.

We also have a woman who we're going to baptize this week, also named Mariela. She moved from Coronel Oviedo, and has a great testimony. We're going to interview her this week and she'll be baptized by friday. I'll make sure to send photos of the whole thing. I'll also send photos of my convert at the baptism of the other Mariela as well.

we're doing the transfers for the Zone right now and eveyone is freaking out. We've got about 12 missionaries in our cyber and they're all like "OOH You're going to Paraguari oh I'm going to blah blah blah" super funny to see. I'm just over here quietly writing. I love my mission.

John 4:35

love

Elder Wilson

Arto de Colombianos (Feb. 15,2016)

This week was a bit slow, to be honest. The sun was hot and the siesta was killer, but we got some work done, and one of the investigators of the elders in Coronel Oviedo moved here and hopefully get's

baptized in a few weeks. It's the aunt of the kid, Thiago, that I baptized. Thiago's dad served in Barranquia, Colombia, while Pablo Escobar was still a big deal, and he was telling me some seriously crazy stuff that went on over there in Colombia. He said that they've really cleaned things up since then. I met a few Elders from Medellin as well, and told me that it's temperate all year round. They said "perfect temperature". Ethan will have to update us on that one. Elder Cardenas, who was our district leader in San Antonio with Elder Sander also told me (he's from Bogota) that Colombia has a pretty strong church membership in certain places. Ethan will definitely have a thick colombian accent. 

The reason I got to talk to all of these Elders is because we had a Special Leadership Training Conference in Asunciòn today. It took for-EVER, and I had to be on the hottest, sweatiest bus of all time for like another fouur hours there and back, but it was a great meeting. I got to see 4 of my companions as well as a bunch of friends. Honestly I'm pretty sure Elder Sander is like one of my best friends ever. He's seriously a super cool dude, and he ends in March. His parents are going to pick him up in march and he told me he'd pass by wherever I'm at to say hi. Kapoìte. We talked a lot about the doctrine of Christ in our meeting, and was an answer to many prayers about the state of the Church in Paraguay. Just such a spiritual meeting filled with wonderful commentaries from all of the ZLs and DLs (and Sister Training Leaders, one of which is an american who goes home with me who's parents are from Cali, Colombia. I heard a lot about colombia today. sorry, I'm just a little excited for Ethan. and for Jim! Okay sorry)

But really I'm happy for the mission here. I've been working a ton with the Stake Leadership and Ward Leadership here in Ñemby, especially our Bishop, the High Council, and the Stake Presidency, to make sure that our Zone is strong. Right now Ñemby has the best attendance in the Stake, and I think next week I have transfers, which makes me a wee bit sad. Definitely my favorite area. I'll definitely come back to visit. 

Love,

Elder Wilson

Elder McDermott, companion (District Leader, Caaguazu)

Elder Jara ,Companion (District Leader, Atyrà)

Elder Sander, favorite companion(District Leader, Villarica del Espiritu Santo)

Elder Franchini,  ex assistant (Zone Leader, Caaguazu)

                           Elder Cozzens from my group (current Assistant, Herrera)

Elder Ruiz, my ZL when I was in Paraguari (Zone Leader, Amambay)

 

               Elder Tripp, friend, started his mission with me in Coronel Oviedo (DL, Caacupe)

       Elder Beynet, friend, ex assistant, and was one of our district leaders here in the zone (Dl Reducto 2

 Elder Moura, friend, companion of Elder Tejeda, Elder Sander, and ex assistant (zL Coronel Oviedo

 Elder Tejeda, friend, friend of Elder Sander, ex secretary of baptismal registries or whatever you call them. he's super funny and from the dominican republic. Yes, he does play baseball. (ZL Tayuazape)

Elder Dougher, friend, I was the first guy he ever went on splits with! (DL Pinoza)

Elder Torrico, friend, current secretary of baptismal thingies, was our district leader in the zone here as well

Elder Greene, friend, lived with me in Paraguari, trainer of Elder Abarza 

(DL Lambare with Gabriel who's serving in a mini mission, but is one of my best freinds from Ñemby- he goes on a mission to Viña Del Mar Chile May 11th)

Elder Abarza, friend, lived with me in Paraguari for like 5 months (ZL Caacupe)

Elder Greene, friend, lived with me in Paraguari, trainer of Elder Abarza 

Elder Franchini, Alternate  photo not my fault, it was all him. He's from Argentina

Elder Sander with me again

A bunch of friends (they're all from the same group. Sister McDougal was here in Ñemby with us as well, Elder Horton in Paraguarì... just a bunch of missionaries.)

I'm pretty sure that apart from Elder Garbett, all of my current comps and friends were in this meeting.