Testimony

Hey everyone!

How are you? I hope that this last week has treated you all very well and that this one can be even better :) As for us here, it has been a very good week. We were able to keep working with Sussel and the Paniagua Family and we are very pleased with their progress. This week, I would love to focus on Juan Gabriel and Miriam.

Juan Gabriel is Johnny Chavez's brother (Johnny is the man that was baptized with his whole family a couple weeks ago) and has been listening to us for a while with his wife, Miriam. From the beginning, they showed a lot of interest in the Church, but between the winter vacation and other things we had lost contact for a couple weeks. However, this week, we had the opportunity to once again teach them and it went really well. They had started reading the introduction of The Book of Mormon and we had the opportunity to finish reading it with them and explain some of the details. We loved the opportunity to teach these basic truths and also loved seeing them come to church for the first time. We are very excited to see their progress and look forward to upcoming visits :)

Well, I was thinking about what I could share for a thought today and then I realized that this will officially be the last group email that I send. How crazy is that?! When I realized this, I decided that I would just love to share a quick recap of my mission and a small testimony.

As I think about my mission, many experiences and feelings come to mind. Like the unbelievable excitement of opening my mission call letter. Or feeling uncapable as I began learning Spanish in the MTC and then realized that I hadn't learned nearly anything when I arrived here to Cochabamba. Also the strong sadness as people chose not to accept commitments, or others straight up rejected us. However, with all of these feelings, something that resonates is the amazing joy and Spirit that I have felt as I have traveled to cities like Quillacollo, Tupiza, Potosí, Sucre, Villazón, Uyuni, Cochabamba, Quiriza, and several others to preach this amazing Restored Gospel. I testify that the Church of Jesus Christ is the one and only true church upon the face of the Earth. I know that the Bible is the word of God and shares the communication that God had with his children in the Middle East and the other close-by areas. I know that The Book of Mormon is true and that it shows the same communication from the same Divine Being but in this American Continent. I know that Joseph Smith is the Prophet of the Restoration and that God used him as an instrument in His hands to bring to pass a marvelous work that stands and continues growing even in our days. I know that through modern day revelation, we once again have access to the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation, which truly is God's plan for each and every one of His children. I know that we will be judged for our actions here on Earth. If we choose to follow the commandments and make sacred covenants with our Heavenly Father, we will have the opportunity of being welcomed once again to His presence. I know these things are true. I have had the opportunity to testify of them for more than 23 months and would not have done such if I didn't have a certainty of their truthfulness. I look forward to testifying of these things for the rest of my life as a witness of the love of God in every moment and in every place. Of these things I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I love you all so much! Thank you so much for your love and support during these last 2 years :) I hope that you have an amazing week!

Elder Wynn

Photos:

Making Bolivian pasteles with api in the house of some amazing members

Our district in the last meeting for this transfer

The zone :)

Hey everyone!

How are you? Did you have a good week? Can you believe that we're in the middle of July?? It's unbelievable.

Well, this past week went really well! We are loving our work here in La Chimba and hope that things can keep going well :) It's been a while since I mentioned investigators, so today I would love to talk about the Paniagua Family and Sussel.

The Paniagua Family was passed to us as a reference from a member and is absolutely amazing. We have had 2 appointments up until now and they have both gone great! The mother of the family is rather quiet but is always very attent while we are teaching. The father is very outgoing and is always asking all kinds of questions. He has a very good knowledge of the Bible and his questions normally are about The Book of Mormon's place historically. He's very sincere and willing to experiment on what we teach. We're loving the opportunity to visit this family and look forward to future teaching visits :)

Sussel is a wonderful woman that we met this last week in quite a special way. Basically, she has been a member of another church her whole life but has never felt supported or helped being there. One day, she was walking in the center of Cochabamba and stumbled upon the institute building that our church has there. She saw that many people around here age were entering and decided to enter too. She loved the bible classes and the great supportive feeling there and asked for more information. That's when we got a text message from the institute secretary, passing us the reference to our area. Sussel has a ton of interest in the Church and mainly loves the way she feels while she is there. We look forward to helping her learn more about the Church :)

Well, thinking of a small thought for you all today, I began to think about time. Time is one of the most valuable things that we possess. We live each and every day with our set 24 hours and have the great blessing of choosing how to use them. Here in my mission, I have learned a little more about the value of our time. While serving a mission, there is a rather strict schedule that includes waking up at 6:30 AM, getting ready, studying, and planning all before 10:00 AM. Many would say,"What's the problem with getting up at 7:00 AM or later?" Well, if I get up at 7, I push the whole schedule back 30 minutes, meaning I get ready, study, and plan later than I normally would, leaving home well after 10 AM. What's the problem with that? That means I get to share this amazing Gospel with less people simply because I have less time. That is something that, as a missionary, I can't afford. This also applies to each and every on of you. If I plan to get up at 7 AM so that I can excercise, study the scriptures, and then go to my university class at 9 AM, but then get up late, I now have to cut something out of my schedule. If I cut my exercise, I put at risk my physical health. If I cut my scripture study, I lose that valuable time to feel the spirit and prepare myself for His guidance during the whole day. Laziness often causes us to lose valuable opportunities. We all need to learn how to manage our time in such a way that everything fits into our daily allowance of 24 hours. We do not have any time to waste. I invite each of you to think about how you use your time and set goals so that you can do everything you need spiritually, mentally, and physically. I promise that as you do so, you will find that there really is a time for everything (see Ecclesiastes 3).

I love you all so much! Thank you for your love and support! If it's not too much to ask, please pray for the Paniagua Family and Sussel. I would greatly appreciate it :) Have a great week!

Elder Wynn

Photo: Elder Rugel and I with our new black suits with aguayo inside :)

Thank You!

Hey everyone!

It's been a while since I last wrote, but I hope that this email finds you all well :) I have about 3 minutes to write this, so it'll be short ;) I would just love to explain a couple of things that happened these past few weeks.

First off: Thank you so much for your birthday wishes! You are all amazing and I thank you for taking the time to write me if you had the chance. I got to celebrate a little here in the appointments we had during that day. I got my face smashed into a couple of cakes, I got serenaded by mexican mariachis, and really just had an amazing day in the marvelous work of the Lord :)

Second off: I just have to mention the amazing baptism of the Chavez Suca Family. We had taught this family for quite some time and on the 29th of June got married and then they were baptized. What an amazing day! I would love to ask for your prayers for this amazing family so that they can stay strong in the process of adjusting to this new and amazingly blessed life :)

Third off: I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you! You are all so amazing! I love you all so much and cannot thank you enough for all of the love and support that each of you gives me. Thank you!

I hope that you all have an amazing week!

Elder Wynn

Photos:

My face after a birthday cake smash!

The baptism of the Chavez Suca Family

A little birthday celebration with our ward mission leader and the ward missionaries :)

Preparation and Faithfulness

Hey everyone!

How are you?? Can you BELIEVE how fast June is flying by?! I guess we'll just have to take advantage of every moment :) Well, in these past two weeks, things have been going great here in La Chimba. We continue working with Johnny, Lidia, and their family and their progress is something amazing to see :) We also have a couple of other investigators that are progressing really well, one of which I would like to mention today: Eddie.

As I mentioned a while back, Johnny presented us ALL of his family that lives in the area, including one of his brothers that has two amazing kids that are listening to us. One of these kids is named Eddie and normally accompanies us during the appointments that we have with other members of his family. One time, when Eddie wasn't there, we tried to extend a baptismal date to the whole family, and they politely declined and asked for more time. When we returned for the next appointment, Eddie was there and we taught the family about baptism because they had a few questions. When we had finished, we decided not to extend a formal invitation again because the whole family had said no the time before. However, before we said the closing prayer, Eddie, raised his hand and asked a question: Do I set my own baptismal date or do you guys do that because I want to be baptized. This sincere question from a 16 year old teenager filled us with joy. We look forward to keeping on the work with Eddie and helping him in the process of arriving to the waters of baptism.

Well, as a small thought today, I want to talk a little bit about some of the events of the book of Alma in The Book of Mormon. There are many chapters in this book that talk about the wars that the Nephites had against the Lamanites. I find a couple of things interesting as I read about their wars that we can really apply to our every day lives.

1- Preparation. Every time that the Lamanites attack the Nephites, they are shocked to find that the Nephites have continued preparing themselves for war. The first time, they find that the Nephites came with armor while they did not. The second time, they come with armor but find that the Nephites have fortified their cities in such a way that it is now MUCH more difficult to battle against them. In the same way, when we are constantly preparing ourselves with the full armor of God, Satan will come with temptations and find that there is nothing that he can do to beat us.

2- Faithfulness. Even though the Nephites had armor and strongly fortified cities, they didn't stop relying on the Lord. They knew that they had to prepare themselves as much as they could, but they also understood that without the help of the Lord, they were nothing. Moroni is a great example as he leads the armies in great preparation and faithfulness to victory over the Lamanites. In the same way, we should do our best to prepare but always rely on the Lord because only through His strength we will be able to do all things.

I invite you all to study the war chapters of Alma and think about the preparation and faithfulness of the Nephite warriors. Do your best to apply what you learn about their example to your own life and you will see a grand change.

I love you all so much! I hope that you have an amazing week!

Elder Wynn

A Calling From the Lord

Hey everyone!

How are you? I hope that you're doing great and enjoying this beginning month of June :) As for us here, everything is going great! This past week was one of work, joy, and more work! :) I am loving my time here in La Chimba. It is a great ward with AMAZING members that love and support us so, so much :) We could not be more grateful for them :)

This week, investigators wise, went really well! Johnny and his family are progressing a TON and even made it to the stake conference that was held a little further away than normal. Leidy is progressing well and making the step by step journey of returning to the Church after many years. Along with them, we were able to find a few new investigators and I would love to mention a couple them today.

Rolando and Loyda are a couple that we found this past week that is absolutely amazing. Rolando is a construction worker and lives in the same, unfinished building that he is building. He lives there with his wife, Loyda, and 3 kids. We found them while we were contacting in the street and set up an appointment. To our surprise, when we arrived for the appointed time on the set day, they were seated in their house waiting for us, something which is very uncommon. We were able to talk about life and the difficulties that they face and then turn the conversation to the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Spirit was strong in the lesson and it was amazing to see the smiles on their faces as they felt the love of God and learned that there is once again a Prophet upon the face of the Earth. We have our second appointment in these coming days and we really look forward to seeing how things turn out :)

Well, as a short thought, I would love to talk about callings. A few weeks ago, we received a new ward mission leader, Daniel (a returned missionary that got back about 6 months ago), and I just cannot say enough good things about him. As we have worked with the baptisms of Maxima, Alexander, Douglas, and Rodrigo in these past weeks, Daniel has helped us so much so that we could make these baptisms a special experience for these amazing people. As I see the example of Daniel, one who really strives to magnigy his calling, I think about the callings that each and every one of us has. For example, would the baptisms have turned out alright without the help of Daniel? Probably. However, with his help, the baptisms were not just "alright" but spectacular. Do people know all that he did to help us organize, plan, and execute everything for these people? No, but this doesn't matter to Daniel. He serves so that things can be spectacular, even though people will never know the part that he played. Now, almost all of you, I'm assuming, have a church calling. How much effort do you put into that calling that the Lord gave to you through His chosen servants? I don't want this question to seem judgy, but I really want you to think about it. Every calling that we receive is one that comes directly from our Lord. We are expected to treat it as such and magnify whatever calling that we have so that everything may be something spectacular, outside of ordinary. I hope that each of you can reflect on your callings and your efforts so that you can make the necessary adjustments so that you can help your ward or branch of the Lord's Church wherever you may be.

I love you all so much! Thank you for your love and support of me here! I hope that you all have an amazing week!

Elder Wynn

Christ's Victory

Hey everyone!

How are you? I hope that you all had an amazing week of school, work, sports, or whatever other activities you may be involved in. As for us here in Bolivia, everything is going great! As I think I mentioned last week (I really can't remember... ;) we had two baptisms this past Saturday! Máxima and Rodrigo were baptized and it was an amazing experience :) Your prayers for them would be greatly appreciated as they continue down the path of enduring to the end :) This week, speaking of investigators, I would love to talk about Leidy.

If I remember right, I talked about Leidy a while ago. To review a little, Leidy is a wonderful woman that basically grew up in the Church from about 12 years of age, but, due to fear, was never baptized. Now, about 20 years have passed and she is now investigating the Church once again. Her father, a faithful member of the Church and her biggest source of support, passed away about one month ago. Now, after lots of visits from family, she is once again left alone with her 3 year old son. This past week, we had the amazing opportunity of meeting with her for the first time since the passing of her father. We talked an comforted her and then shared the Plan of Salvation. Leidy cried with a smile on her face as she learned of the Spirit World, the Sealing Power, and her opportunity to live with her family once again. Things will continue to be a struggle for her with these coming weeks, months, and years, but with the comfort of the Gospel, deaths sting can be swallowed up in the victory of Christ's resurrection. Leidy accepted a baptismal invitation and we look forward to continued visits :) Please pray for her if you can :)

As a thought for you all, I will be brief. Because of Him, physical death has no permanent power over us. Because of Him, our obedience to His commandments can give us power over spiritual death as well. Because of Him, we have unlimited clean slates and blank pages, unlimited restarts and new beginnings. Follow His invitation to leave our nets, the things that bind us to this world, and follow Him. Study His words. Obey His will. There is peace, and light, and hope as we follow Him.

I love you all so much! Please pray for these people if you can :) I would greatly appreciate it :) Have an amazing week!

Elder Wynn

Pictures:

The Baptism of Rodrigo and Máxima

Another of Elder Salinas, Máxima, and I

Making pizza with some amazing investigators, Juan Carlos and his family :)

The Precious Fruit

Hey everyone!

How are you?? Have you had an amazing week?? I sure hope so! As for us here in Bolivia, everything has been unbelievable this week :) As I mentioned this last week, we had a couple of baptisms programmed for this past week and I am happy to report that they happened! I cannot express with words the joy that is felt when somebody chooses to enter the fold of God. I love being a missionary to help others in that decision :) It is the greatest joy I have really ever felt :) We will now keep working with Alexander and Douglas so that they can continue strong in the Church. They truly are amazing :)

Well, as for investigators, we are really happy with the people we are teaching. Today I would love to mention the Chavez Mamani Family. Well, as I have mentioned in the past, we are teaching a family with the last names of Chavez Suca (Johnny and Lidia), and they are progressing very well, having come to church the last 3 weeks in a row, and the last 2 weeks with their 4 kids as well. This last week, Johnny presented us to his brother, Juan Carlos, along with his family, the Chavez Mamani Family. It was an amazing experience to be accompanied by Johnny and Lidia while we taught The Restoration to his brother with the whole family there. They loved the message and have promised to begin reading The Book of Mormon. Juan Carlos was there with his wife and his two oldest kids. It was an amazing experience and we really look forward to seeing the progress of Juan Carlos and his amazing family :)

Well, after having this amazing experience this past week, I have begun to think about the amazing actions of Johnny. When I think about what he did, I begin to think about Lehi in The Book of Mormon when he had his vision of The Tree of Life. He shares that he partook of the fruit and then desired that his own family could partake of the same fruit. As we well know, the Tree of Life in this vision represents the love of God. Now, relating it back to Johnny's story, I have realized that Johnny has really "tasted" the love of God, and now, he wishes that his whole family can partake of this same love. Not just his wife and kids, but his brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, and everyone else. Really and truly, this Gospel allows us to feel the true love of God. I have felt this more than ever as I have had the opportunity to preach this Gospel of our Savior for these past 21 months. I testify that as we accept the Gospel and the One who preached it that His love fills our life to the brim with happiness and joy. I also promise that as we make an effort to share these amazing feelings with family, friends, and even strangers, this happiness and joy not only arrives to the brim, but overflows so that all may see the light that we have and come unto Christ. I invite each and every one of you to think of at least one friend or family member that is either not a member or a less-active member and share the Gospel with them. The promises I have mentioned are valid for all who take this challenge to lift and serve those who are around them.

I love you all so much! Thank you so much for your support of me here in Bolivia! I hope that you all have an amazing week!

Elder Wynn

Pictures:

A great visit from a convert in Tupiza :)

Eating Pique Macho with Elder Bone and Hermano Martin in the pension

The baptism of Douglas and Alexander this past Saturday :)

Peace

Hey everyone!

How are you? I hope life is treating you well and that you were able to have a great Cinco de Mayo!

As for us here, life continues to go great :) This last week, we were able to keep working with Johnny and Lydia and they were able to come to Church! They loved it and hope to continue learning more! The rest of our investigators are progressing well and we are loving the opportunity to see God's miracles happen all around us daily. This week, I would love to talk about Rodrigo :)

Rodrigo is about 30 years old and has gone through many trials. Even though he is young, he has already traveled to several countries to work, including Argentina and the United States. His largest struggles come from a mental disability and depression. In his travels he has always felt alone. After suffering an accident in the United States, he has been without a job here in Bolivia living with his sister. He has listened to many preachers and has been searching for peace in his life. We were contacting in the street one day when he flew by and gave me a huge hug. "You're from the United States, right? I've been there!" We began to talk and then had the opportunity to make an appointment and visit him. He loves the message of the Restored Gospel and has already come to church two times on his own. He has accepted a baptismal date and is progressing very well. We look forward to continued visits with our great friend Rodrigo :)

As we have visited Rodrigo, I have thought a lot about peace. I feel that each and every one of us wants and looks for inner peace. Many times we struggle to find relief from an increasingly irritating world. However, I have learned that the only true peace comes from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have learned here the great worth that the scriptures hold. I have come to know and love them along with the fact that no mortal inspiration could have formed those words. For all of you that seek peace and comfort, I invite you to set a daily goal of scripture reading. If you read the scriptures at least 5 minutes a day and don't find peace, you can call me a liar, but I know that this cannot happen. Scriptures like John 16:33

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

I know that the Gospel brings peace to our lives if we decide to follow. I invite each of you to test these things out, and in that way, you will know for yourselves.

I love you all so much! Thank you for all that you do for me! I hope that you have an amazing week!

Elder Wynn

La Perla de Gran Precio

Hey everyone!

How are you?? Can you believe that April is already coming to a close?? It's crazy, right?! Well, I hope that you are doing well and that this next week can be even better than the last :)

Well, as for us here in La Chimba, things are going great! We're working hard and enjoying every moment :) For this week, I would love to talk about Johnny and Lydia.

Johnny and Lydia are a married couple here in our area and they are truly amazing. We found the family street contacting and must admit that we didn't see anything out of the ordinary when we contacted them. However, this past week we were able to meet with them and their 4 children and it was an amazing experience. Johnny has been attending different churches with his wife for some time but had never really found a church that, in his own words, "got to his heart." However, last night we were able to visit the whole family and they were all very excited and interested to learn, so excited in fact that they asked us about baptism. We set a date as a goal and really look forward to teaching them even more. They are very excited and prepared to learn the Gospel. Your prayers for Johnny, Lydia, and their family would be greatly appreciated in these upcoming weeks :)

Well, to share a quick thought, I want to talk about a parable that is found in the New Testament called the Pearl of Great Price. It speaks of a man who, in his travels, found a pearl more precious than anything else. The man, upon discovering this utterly precious object, promptly sold everything that he owned so that he would be able to obtain this amazing prize. As I think about this parable and apply it to our every-day lives, I think of the Gospel as the pearl that is precious above all other things. The man is each one of us that has come upon the Gospel in our lives and made sacifices at all costs to obtain and live the Gospel. As I work here in the mission field, I get the priviledge of being a "door-to-door salesman" of the Gospel and it is an amazing opportunity. Many people see what we give and think that it is not worth the sacrifice, but as each one of us knows, when we truly give up everything to receive and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, there is no sacrifice too great. Now, my question for you all: Are we treating the Gospel like the "Pearl of Great Price" that it truly is? Are we making and willing to make sacrifices to truly follow what our Savior commands through our beloved Prophet? With the example of Johnny, I see a man that is very willing because he knows the importance of the Gospel in his life. I invite each and every one of you to evaluate in your life to see how much importance the Gospel has in your life. If you find that you don't give it enough, make goals so that it becomes more important :)

I love you all so much! I thank you for all of you love, prayers, and support that you give me each week! You are amazing and I hope that you have an amazing week!

Elder Wynn

Because of Him

Hey everyone!

How are you? How was your Easter? I hope that this last week was especially full of spirit and joy as we celebrated the resurrection of our beloved Savior. I also hope that this Spirit can stay with you in the weeks and months to come as we remember that he continued living and continues even until now. Never forget it :)

Well, as for us here in La Chimba, things are going great! We had a good week of work, finding a few new people while continuing the work with the old investigators as well. This week, I would love to talk about Leidy :)

Leidy is an amazing woman that we found as we fulfilled an assignment from the bishop to visit a man named Pedro, who was a long-time member but had been sick for some time. We visited him and found that his daughter was taking care of him as he was bedridden. His daughter, Leidy, has known the Church very well since she was a teenager and participated actively in all the activities when she was young. However, she never made the decision to get baptized. We have been visiting her and her father for a couple weeks, but this last week was heart-breaking as we received the news that Pedro, Leidy's father, passed away. We have been visiting her and trying to bring support to her. She is amazing and really needs the help of our Savior at this time. If it is possible, please keep Leidy in your prayers this coming week :)

I felt impressed to share a little bit about Leidy this week to bring these thoughts into an Easter message. Death hurts. With all the people that we know and love in this beautiful life in mortality, nothing really compares to the excruciating sadness of losing one of these people to the other side of the veil. Our mortal minds feel that this is the end, that we will never see them again. Even though the adversary wants us to think that, I wish to testify that this is not the case, because of Him. Thanks to our Savior Jesus Christ, death has no sting, the grave, no victory. Because he suffered, died for us, and then was resurrected, we too will all have the opportunity to do the same and rise up in incorruption. When life's trials and heartaches make us feel like all is over, remember that because of HIm, there are no true endings. Because of our beloved Savior Jesus Christ, we can once again see our loved ones. Death need not trouble us because we know that it is temporary. Life brings heartache, but He brings hope and new life.

I love you all so much! Thank you so much for your love and support of me here in Bolivia! You are all amazing and I hope that you have an amazing week!

Elder Wynn

Christ's Amazing Atonement

Hey everyone!

How are you?? I hope that you all had an amazing week and that this next one is even better! Well, as for us here in Bolivia, things are going great! We are really enjoying the work here in La Chimba and hope that we can continue seeing progress. Thinking of investigators here in La Chimba, I would love to mention Máxima, Alexander, and Douglas.

These three are the mother and two sisters of Miranda, a recent convert from before I got here. Miranda has done a great job of sharing the Gospel with her family members and we are loving the opportunity to visit them. We have been able to take them to a Family Home Evening with an amazing family of members and also they are making great efforts to read the scriptures, pray, and attend church. They are truly amazing and we look forward to the opportunity to keep visiting them and helping them along this Gospel Path :)

Well, this past week, I have thought a lot about General Conference and the amazing messages that were shared. I was personally touched by the talk of Tad R. Callister, the former Sunday School President. He talked about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the amazing impact that it has on our lives. More than anything, I want to speak to those that still feel guilty because of past mistakes. As all that know me know quite well, I am nowhere near perfect. Before the mission, like anyone else, I committed mistakes and, every once in a while, feel guilt for my past errors. However, this talk by Brother Callister helped me so much. According to him, anyone that can feel the guidance of the Holy Ghost in their life can know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is working for them. I hope that all of you know: Being worthy does not mean you are perfect. All of us are on the same journey of stumbling down the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life and exaltation. Do your best. Work hard. Know that as you do this, repenting along the way for your mistakes, you are worthy in the eyes of the Lord and will be guided by His Holy Spirit so that your mistakes become less and less. If you don't feel the Atonement of Jesus Christ working in your lives every day, please, make the adjustments necessary so that you can feel this amazing power every day. I promise that it is worth it.

I love you all so much! Thank you so much for your prayers and support! Have an amazing week!

Elder Wynn

Deseos Misionales

Hey everyone!

How are you doing?? Did you have a great conference weekend?? I hope so! As for us here in La Chimba, life is going great! Elder Salinas and I are just having the best of times here as we help other people to come unto Christ :)

This week, I would love to mention Álvaro and Miranda.

Álvaro is a 19 year old youth that is honestly amazing. We found him this past week as we met with his sisters. We found his sisters last Sunday and the commented to him a little about our message and he decided to sit in for our appointment. We reviewed the Restoration and then talked a little more about The Book of Mormon. He, and his sisters, loved the message and even had the opportunity to attend a session of General Conference yesterday. We are looking forward to our future appointments with Álvaro and his sisters :)

Miranda is a recent convert that was baptized a few weeks before I got here. We have had the great opportunity to visit her and her family members, who are investigators, and have loved it :) A couple of days ago, we had the opportunity to have an appointment with just Miranda and talk about her reading, her prayers, etc. and she had a great surprise for us. Even though she doesn't know too much about the scriptures or the Church in general, she feels that she needs to serve a mission. My companion and I were not expecting that, but we are overjoyed for her :) We look forward to helping her in the process of preparation before her mission :)

Well, I want to talk about Miranda and her decision as a small thought today. Miranda, since she was 14 years old, has had a desire to serve the Lord. She attended many churches up until she recently turned 20. She had just about given up in her search. All of the sudden, two missionaries knocked her door and taught her. She has prayed and knows that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ. Now, with that same desire, even though she doesn't know anything, she looks forward to serving in the near future as a full-time missionary. One of my favorite scriptures comes from D&C 6:8, which states (excuse the translation from Spanish),"If you desire, you will the cause of much good in this generation." All of us are called to serve the Lord as members of His Church. If you are in the age of full-time missionary service, read D&C 4 and make a decision if you desire to serve the Lord, because if you do, you are called to the work. If you are not in that age, still read the section and think about what you can do to better serve the Lord wherever you may be. Serve the Lord. Help others to come unto Christ. As you do so, you will experience more joy than you could find doing anything else.

I love you all so much! Thank you so much for all that you do for me! You are the best! Please keep Álvaro and Miranda in your prayers if it's not too much to ask :) Have a great week!

Elder Wynn

Our Savior Loves You

Hey everyone!

Well, I am really running out of time here, but I just want to tell you all how much I love you and how much our Heavenly Father loves you. This past week here in La Chimba has been amazing and I loved the opportunity to begin adjusting to a new area. Elder Salinas, my new companion, and his old companion had prepared 3 people for baptism for this past weekend, so it was amazing to participate in that great experience :) The members here are really nice and I really look forward to getting to know each and every one of them. More updates will come as the weeks continue :)

Well, just as a little thought/homework that I would love to give you, I want you all to read Alma 7:11-13 this week and analyze what these verses mean to you. Our Savior really did, and continues to do, so much for us. Think about His loving sacrifice for you and how you can make it a bigger part of your life.

I love you all so much! Thank you for your loving support and the prayers. You are amazing!

Elder Wynn

The Power of the Gospel

Hey everyone!

How are you?? I hope that you're doing great! As for us here in Universidad, things are going really well :) We were able to have a great week of work along with the added bonus of zone conference with President Montoya.

As for investigators this week, I would love to mention Lourdes. Lourdes is a wonderful woman that we have come into contact with several times over the past couple of weeks. She is from Beni, another department of Bolivia, but currently lives here with her siblings as she studies at the University. While here, she heard about the Church from some friends and decided to go. She has already made quite a few friends and is loving the opportunity to attend church on Sundays. Even though she has come several times, we didn't have the opportunity to teach her until yesterday. She is truly amazing and is very excited to progress towards a baptismal date in the coming weeks. We look forward to seeing her continue to progress :)

Well, as a thought for this week I would love to share an experience that my companion and I had yesterday. After a small zone activity tracting in another area, we decided to take a taxi home. We flagged one down, negotiated the price, and headed out towards Universidad. Out of habit, we began to talk with the taxi driver about life and religion. When we arrived to our destination, we received an odd yet amazing question from the driver: Are you in a hurry? We quickly responded "No".  "Good," he said,"because I want to tell you my testimony." He told us a brief story of his whole life, including being married, having kids, and then losing everything as his wife forced a divorce and, due to all the costs and his inablility to pay everything, our friend was put in prison for a period of time. He recently came out last October and has been frantically working in a borrowed taxi so that he can make end's meet. He told us that he has been visiting many churches and praying a lot asking for help and guidance from the Lord. It was amazing as we were able to tell him,"Our message is the answer to your prayers." My dear family and friends, the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we know as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only message in all the world that will bring everlasting peace and happiness to all, no matter the circumstances. Our friend accepted our message and a copy of The Book of Mormon and will soon meet with the missionaries near his home. He is on the path that will lead him to the peace and happiness that he seeks. Please recognize the power of our message. If it still hasn't penetrated your heart to the very core, study more, attend more, and, most importantly, pray more so that you can truly feel it. And, once you have received this witness, I plead with you to open your mouth and share it with the world so that others can experience the same.

I love you all so much! Thank you for all of your love and support! As for transfer news, I report with mixed feelings that I have been transferred out of Universidad to a ward called La Chimba. I'm sad to leave behind all of the amazing people here, but I really look forward to the new opportunities that I will have in the new area. I hope that you have an amazing week!

Elder Wynn

Photos:

Elder Nelson and I at the Zone Conference :)

Our group for the special musical number :)

The day that Elder Tellez and I decided to take a member's dog to go tracting so that people would accept us as friendlier people. #ItWorked

 

When Small Things Turn Great

Hey everyone!

How are you?? I hope that all of you have had a great week and that this following week is even better! Well, as for us here in Universidad, everything is going well. We were able to have a good, normal week of work with many opportunities to serve and help others in this amazing area. What more could anyone really ask for?? :) Well, for this week, I would love to talk a little bit about Sergio :)

Sergio is the son of a less-active member and is truly amazing. He is 13 years old and very interested in the Church. We found him in a very interesting way. Several weeks ago, Elder Benancio and I were walking down the street and said hi to a person that passed by us. She said,"Why hello Elders." That's a good sign. We turned around to chase her down to talk and found that she was a less-active member. We asked if we could help her with anything and surprised us by saying that she had a BIG project that she needed help with. We accepted, slightly scared, and were able to plan a day and an hour for the service. During the service, we gained the trust of Angelica, the less-active member, and another appointment. In that appointment, we finally found Sergio and to this day we keep teaching them both. Angelica is still not willing to go back to Church, but Sergio really is. He has attended two weeks in a row and has made really good comments about it. We look forward to seeing the continued progress of Sergio and his family :)

Well, as a quick thought, I want to reference the story of Angelica and Sergio. We are SO happy now that we were given the chance to meet and teach Sergio, but as you may have noticed, everything came as a sequence of events. First, we simply said hi to someone on the street, which was followed by a conversation, a service, an appointment, trust, and finally, the meeting of Sergio. I find it interesting to think about this. Had we not been following the Spirit in any one of these steps, we probably never would have had the blessing of meeting Sergio. The scriptures say that by small and simple things, great things come to pass. Thanks to the fact that we said hi to someone and that my companion was ready enough to listen to the Spirit, turn around, and chase her down, we have been blessed with a great investigator that is showing a lot of interest in baptism. Is that not a small thing that brought something much greater? Now, for each of you, I want you to think about this. How many opportunities do we have every moment of every day to simply say hi to those that pass us by? Whether on social media, the street, public transportation, etc. the opportunities are there. Many of you, as members of the Church, have a light inside of you that must be shared. Please, please, please listen to the Spirit, be kind to others, offer them your service, something simple, and I promise that many great things will come to pass as a result of your actions. Don't be afraid to share that marvelous light that you hold. You truly can change lives :)

Well, thank you so much for all of your love and support for me here in Bolivia. Please pray for Sergio so that he can continue to progress. That would me the world to us :) I love you all and hope that you have an amazing week!

Elder Wynn

No Effort is Wasted

Hey everyone!

How are you doing?? Are you enjoying your March and all the madness that comes with it?? I hope so! Well, as for us here in Universidad, it was a week full of madness due to Carnaval. We weren't able to leave our house for 2 days due to the CRAZY celebrations going on, but we survived and all is well :)

This week, I would love to mention Gloria and Lourdes. As I mentioned last week, Gloria had a baptismal date and was progressing very well towards baptism this last Saturday. Sadly, she took the decision to travel back to Brasil this last Friday, so she was not able to make those amazing covenants. We have hope that she will either be back soon or will be baptized there in Brazil, but I ask for your prayers to help her as she makes this very large decision in her life. Thank you for all your support for her in this past week :)

Lourdes is an amazing woman that just kind of showed up out of nowhere. We came to church a couple Sundays ago and she was just there. Apparently, some time ago, the missionaries were visiting her and she really enjoyed the lessons. However, she travelled to another part of Bolivia for several months and completely lost contact. Amazingly, when she returned, she decided, all on her own, to come back to church to keep learning. She has come a couple weeks in a row now and is progressing well. We look forward to the opportunity to keep visiting Lourdes.

Well, as a quick thought, I want to reference what I just talked about with Lourdes. For us, the fact that she just decided to come back to church on her own is unbelievable and gives us the desire to keep working hard to find and teach new people. But, if I think about it, there must have been missionaries who thought very differently several months ago. They thought that they had found an amazing person that would instantly progress, just to find out that they were going to go far away for a long time. These missionaries were probably very saddened by that. However, thanks to their hard work, we are now seeing the fruits long, long after the effort. I believe that we can all learn from this. Many times, as members, we share the Gospel with other people, and, many times, these people decide not to follow for whatever reason. Sometimes, we become discouraged by this and lose hope that our friends and family members can and will one day accept the Gospel. However, I want to use Lourdes as an example for you all to say that no effort is ever wasted when we are sharing the Gospel. If the first missionaries would have thought that in the first place, we would not be seeing marvelous fruits right now. Please, share the Gospel with everyone and don't be discouraged if you are not accepted right away. Everyone has their time and their agency. Respect that and keep up your marvelous work with hope and a good attitude :)

I love you all so much! Thank you so much for your love and support for me here in Bolivia! Have an amazing week!

Elder Wynn

Photos:

A good shot of Cochabamba :)

My companion and I enjoying the Carnaval from the roof of our building ;)

Our zone activity in Pairumani this morning :)

The Feel of the Gospel

Hey everyone!

How are you?? Can you believe that it is already MARCH?? I guess time just continues to fly by as always :) I hope that this last week went well for each and every one of you because for us it was really quite amazing :) We are receiving a lot of support from the ward and continue to work here in the center of the city. What more could one really ask for?? :)

This week I want to focus on Gloria. I believe that I mentioned her some time ago, but just to recap: Gloria is an amazing brazilian woman that doesn't speak any Spanish. We have been teaching her for a few weeks now and it has been an amazing experience. We have had a TON of support from the ward, especially a brazilian family (The Lima Family) that lives here and her progress has really been astonishing. With all that she has learned in this time, she has decided to take the next step and be baptized this coming Saturday. We are so excited for her and hope that everything can go well :) If it's not too much to ask, I would love to ask for your prayers for Gloria this coming week :) Thank you!

Well, I would love to share a quick thought that relates a lot with the amazing experiences that we have had with Gloria. In almost every appointment, we have had the help of the Lima Family to translate and teach, but I often reflect on the one time that just my companion and I were available to teach. My companion is amazing and knows a fair amount of Portuguese, but it was still quite a struggle to get our thoughts across. Even though Gloria probably couldn't understand much of what we said, she expressed her feelings of such joy as she attends church and receives us in her home. This taught me something very special: This Gospel isn't something that we learn, even though that is quite a large part, it is something that we FEEL. When we read the scriptures, pray, and attend church with a sincere desire to come closer to our Heavenly Father, the truth of the Gospel is something we feel through the Holy Ghost. I invite you all to watch the Church Video titled "The Music of the Gospel" that talks a little bit about the subject. Please ponder about if you really feel the truthfulness of these things. I promise that if you really desire to know that it is true, you can read, attend, and pray and you will simply FEEL that it is true through the power of the Holy Ghost :)

I love you all so much! I hope that you have an amazing week! Please pray for Gloria :)

Elder Wynn

The Process of a True Conversion

Hey everyone!

How are you?? Did you have a great week?? I hope so! Well, as for us here in Universidad, things are amazing :) We're working hard and seeing the results little by little. I would love to mention Estefano this week :)

Estefano is a very quiet teenager that we have recently come in contact with. He's the younger brother of a very strong member and is actually very familiar with the Church. He has come many, many times to the Sunday meetings and says that more than anything he loves hearing people share their testimonies. He has received all the lessons from past missionaries, but still feels unsure about if the Church is true or not. However, he has accepted a baptismal date for about a month in the future and has many goals that are centered in helping him gain his very own testimony that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ.

Well, I would love to build my thought off of the experiences that we have had with Estefano. He has learned and understands all of the doctrines of the Church and has no problems with these things. Even though he likes what he has learned, he still doesn't feel that he knows that it is true. This is because gaining a testimony of the Gospel is not an intellectual procedure. Yes, it is necessary that we understand the doctrines, but that is NOT the way we gain a testimony. This comes only through diligent study, prayer, and church attendance, mixed with a good dose of putting the church doctrine in practice. This is how miracles happen. Now, for you all, do you feel that you really know that it is true? If the answer is no, do you want to know? If you really want to know, please follow the invitation found in Moroni 10:3-5 and read, ponder, and pray, putting in practice all that you learn in the transcourse of these events. If you do so, I promise without a doubt in my mind or heart that you will know that this is true. The same has happened with me. It will happen with you :)

I love you all so much! Thank you so much for your support! Have an amazing week!

Elder Wynn

Old Friends

Hey everyone!

How are you doing?? Did you have a good Valentine's Day?? Well, even as a missionary, I testify that a day of love can still be enjoyed! This week here in Universidad was great with the lovely people of Cochabamba :) I would love to talk about Gloria this week :)

Gloria is an investigator that we met at church yesterday. Her daughter is a member but lives in her home country of Brazil. Gloria heard about the Church from her daughter and decided to come, even though she doesn't speak any Spanish. My new companion, Elder Tellez, is amazing and started studying Portuguese a few months ago in Potosi due to an impression that he had. We were able to communicate with her, go to her house for a visit, and set up an appointment to begin teaching. She is AMAZING and has so much faith in our Savior Jesus Christ. We look forward to the great opportunity to teach her, even thought we're nervous about the language barrier, but we know that everything will go well if we just trust in the Lord and do the best we can :)

Well, I just want to share a quick thought :) Today, I had the opportunity to do something that I had looked forward to for a LONG time. As you may remember, I began my mission in the city of Quillacollo almost a year and a half ago and loved the opportunity to serve there. Well, today I got the chance to visit my area in Avaroa and see some of the people that I grew to love. It was so amazing for me to walk down the streets that I hadn't seen in almost a year and it was an amazing highlight to see the bright faces of loving people that helped me so much there. I learned about the importance of treasuring relationships that we have made in the journey that is our life. I loved the opportunity and look forward to treasuring these relationships with future visits. Well, as for you all, I want to invite you to look for those people that you have grown to love, even if you haven't seen them in a long time. You will find that you can bring a smile to the faces of old friends and brighten the eyes of family members that are far away. With today's technology, this isn't that hard, but I promise that as you do so that you will find more joy in your lives as you experience the spirit of ministering and the pure love of our Savior Jesus Christ.

I love you all so much! Thank you for the support that you always give me :) I hope that you have an amazing week!

Elder Wynn

Trabajemos Hoy en la Obra del Señor

Hey everyone!

How are you doing?? Did you have a great week?? I hope so! As for us here in Universidad, things are going really well! We organized a futsal tournament in the ward and worked as normal with some good results. I would love to talk about Jenny this week.

Jenny is the cousin of a very faithful member named Brother Loayza. Yesterday afternoon, we got a call from Brother Loayza asking us to come to his house so that we could meet Jenny. We assumed that he had explained to her that we would be there and that he was going to share the gospel with her, but that wasn't the case. We arrived before she did, and when she entered the room, she was quite surprised to see us there too. However, Brother Loayza did an amazing job of explaining how much the gospel had blessed him in his life and bore his testimony of the truthfulness of the Restored Gospel. Jenny decided to listen rather hesitantly, but what started as a surprise turned into a wonderful experience. She accepted our message and the invitation to read and pray about our message. We look forward to our upcoming appointment this week :)

My thought for this week has much to do with our experience with Jenny, so I'll just jump right in! :) Us as missionaries are taught to work and work and keep working to find, teach, and baptize people that are willing and ready to keep covenants with God. Yes, we knock lots of doors. Yes, we talk with lots of people in the street. However, I am very willing to say that this is NOT the most effective way to have progress in the glorious work of the Lord. In the experience, Brother Loayza took the time to invite a friend over, share his testimony with them, and invite them to listen to the message of the Restored Gospel. This is not only an easier way for the work to progress, but also the most effective way for people to not only get to know the Church but also progress towards baptism and a faithful life afterwards. The title of this email is the title of a Hymn in Spanish and means,"Let's work today in the work of the Lord." My invitation to you is exactly that, to work today in the blessed work of the Lord. I promise that your efforts to share the Gospel with others with not be wasted. You will see the Lord pour His blessings upon you and those that you take the time to share the Gospel with.

I love you all so much! I hope that you have an amazing week!

Elder Wynn

Eternal Reflections

Hey everyone!

How are you?? Did you have a great week? I really hope so! As for us here in Cochabamba, things are going really well :) We are working hard and seeing the progress come little by little. 

For this week, I would love to talk about Rosio Luque. About 2 weeks ago, we were door-knocking and were able to talk with Rosio. She said that she didn't have time (very common) but told us that we could come back a week from that day (slightly less common ;). We came back and she still didn't have time, but this time asked us to come back the next day (almost never happens), so we did, and we had an amazing visit. Rosio has been Catholic her whole life and has truly amazing faith in God. When we began talking, she only asked,"What motivates you Mormons to be here and talk with me?" We said that it was an amazing question and promptly jumped into the Restoration. She understood very well, accepted a Book of Mormon, and seemed very excited to take our challenge to read and pray. We're looking forward to the next appointment :)

Well, as a quick thought for you all this week, I want to start with a similar question to that which Rosio asked us this week: What motivates you to live how you live, do what you do, and think the way you think? I know that not everyone on this email group is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but know that this question is for all of you, no matter what religion you are from or what you believe. Now, I would love to share my personal response: I am a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints because I know that it is true. I testify that Jesus Christ really did bleed from every poor in His suffering for us, making it possible for us, imperfect beings, to be able to live with our Heavenly Father once again if we are baptized in His Church and follow His commandments. I testify that Joseph Smith really saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, in the Sacred Grove in 1820 and that he was the prophet of the restoration of God's true Church. I follow the Prophet and live the way I live because I know that due to this I will live with my Father in Heaven once again. That is why I am a missionary. I invite you all to answer this question very personally and to evaluate what you are doing NOW that will help you in this life and in the eternities to come.

I love you all so much! I hope that you have an amazing week!

Elder Wynn

Photos:

Elder Benancio and I in the Elevator of our appartment building

                    "             in front of the door of the Cochabamba Temple

The Christ Statue of Cochabamba next to the full moon