Hold Tight, Knuckles White

Hey everyone!

How are you all doing?? How was Mother's Day? I hope that everything went great for all of you and that you are enjoying life! As for me, I have just kept plugging along here! This past week was rather normal and not a lot happened out of the ordinary, with exception to the skype with my family yesterday, but I'll get to all that in just a sec :) So, this week, we just kept working as normal, finding a couple of awesome new investigators as well as keeping the work going with the investigators we already had. As for investigators, I would like to focus on Febe, José, and Nayeli. Febe, as I mentioned from last week, is an amazing investigator that has progressed very fast. We were able to visit her several more times this past week and we couldn't be happier with her. She has read 1 Nephi, came to church, and even came to a Family Home Evening we had last night. On top of that, her new best friend is Magalí, our recent convert. Everything is looking up for Febe and we honestly could not be happier :) Now, José. José is Febe's sister and is an amazing 12 year old. He is reading the Book of Mormon even faster than his sister and goes with her to everything she goes to. He is progressing well and hope that he, along with his sister, continue progressing. Lastly, Nayeli. We contacted Nayeli this past week knocking doors and she is realy cool. We have given her the first two lessons and she seems to be progressing really well. We'll see how things turn out as we keep working with her, but for now, she is doing great :) These were a few of our investigators and I just want you guys to know that the work here is so amazing! I love working here in Tupiza and hope to be here for quite a while longer :) Now, the Skype :) I don't think words can truly express how cool it is to see and talk with your family while here in the mission. It is such a revitalizing experience and I now feel ready to get back to work for the rest of the time I have here. I have the best family in the world and I hope that you guys all know that so you can be jealous!! Yes. I am saying that my family is better than yours. You'll just have to deal with it ;) Now, doing a little rewind, we were able to organize a ward activity this past Saturday called the "Iron Rod" and I would love to focus my thought on that. The activity went just as it is explained in 1 Nephi 8, so if you need a refresher, go ahead and read it :) We had an "Iron Rod" that went through the whole church building, a "Great and Spacious Building", which was full of the young men and women, and a "Tree of Life", which was just a tree outside of the church with apples attached. We turned off all the lights and filled the church with smoke to make it difficult to follow the rod. I didn't participate in the activity, but I had the chance to observe as everything went down. Some entered and immediately fell into the temptation of entering one of the side rooms that had candy. Others, made it quite a ways, but saw the young men and women partying in one room and abandoned the rod to join in. Others made it all the way to the other end of the church, but then, forgetting that the tree was the absolute goal, let go and walked to the beginning of the church to start over, without ever having finished the journey. Very few, surprisingly made it to the tree and tasted of the fruit that was placed there. This was a very interesting experience for me, seeing before my eyes an almost exact representation of Lehi's dream. Now, with all the groups I just mentioned, I invite you to think about what that could mean for each of you in your lives. Maybe, we start on the good path, but immediately fall away at the first temptation. Maybe, we get pretty far, but then fall into the temptations of the world, taking us right away from all that is good in this world. Or maybe, we make it so far, almost to the goal, but loose sight of what is really important when the journey is almost through. With all of this, I invite all of you to be part of the final group, the finishers. Hold to the rod, not just lightly, but with all your might. As one of my favorite seminary teachers, Brother White, always said," Hold tight, knuckles white." My invitation to all of you is to remember the ultimate goal and strive for it to the end, holding to the rod (which represents the Word of God, or the scriptures and, in my mind, the words of the prophets) and I promise you that you will be much, much happier in this life. That's a promise :) Well, I love you all and I hope that you have amazing weeks! If you ever have any questions, don't be afraid to ask! You are amazing and I hope you never forget it!

Elder Wynn

True Joy

Hey everyone!

How are you all doing?? I hope that you guys have all had wonderful weeks and that this email finds you well! As for me, I'm doing great! This past week has been one of our most successful here in Tupiza, so I have no complaints and really just feel so blessed with everything that has happened. About the Branch that we have been working in, there are SO many members, but there a very few who are active in the Church. These past weeks, we have been searching for less-active members and have been able to track a few down and help them on the path of reactivation. Also, the members are beginning to warm up to us more and more, so we look forward to an increase of help from the members of Branch America here in Tupiza. Now, the amazing investigators. I want to focus on Noemi and Robert, Febe (pronounced "Fay-Bay"), and Magalí. With Noemi and Robert, we had a wonderful appointment this week where we got to cook with them, help their kids with homework, and then watch the Restoration movie and give a lesson. They are an amazing family that really wants to progress in this gospel. I hope that they just keep doing well and I know that they will continue progressing :) Now, Febe :) We knocked Febe's door this week and got to teach her a little before taking out an appointment for another day. We came back to find she was already a few chapters into the Book of Mormon we gave here, she wanted to know more, and was willing to do just about anything to understand more and know if this Church is true. We had a couple great appointments with her this week and then (spoiler alert) she attended our baptism and Church for the first time. She is amazing and we hope to be able to keep helping her little by little to understand. She is truly amazing :) Finally, Magalí :) Well, I kind of already said it with Febe, but we are pleased to say that Magalí was baptized and confirmed this past week. I had the wonderful opportunity of performing both of these ordinances and I am just so happy for her :) This week, I would love to focus my thought on her :) One thing that we were really worried about with Magalí was if she would be able to get permission from her parents. She had expressed much anxiety with that and the moment finally came to ask the permission. We talked with her father for a little bit and then an uncomfortable silence settled in as we waited for him to respond. He surprised us after about a 10 second silence (one of the longest 10 seconds of my life! ;) and gave his permission. We thanked him and then he went back inside. We looked over at Magalí and I saw something that I really didn't expect: She was crying. Hard. She was bawling. She was so happy that she had received permission to be baptized that she had burst into tears. This is something that just makes me so happy. In this moment she felt pure joy in a way that we don't feel that often, only when we make the right decision and God blesses us. I love Magalí and am truly so happy for her :) Now, for all of you. How often do you feel this "true joy"? I am asking you all to evaluate your life andd think of when was the last time you actually felt this utter joy. I promise you that if you are doing all that you are supposed to do, this joy can be a daily part of our lives. You must pray, read the scriptures, and do your best to live a Christ-centered life, taking the necessary steps (like baptism and confirmation) for your salvation. If you all will do this, I promise you that you will have the joy in your life that you seek. No doubt in my mind, because God always blesses His children who choose to follow his path. I know that this is true without a doubt :) Well, this was my week here in Bolivia! If you have any questions, feel free to ask! I love you all and hope that you have a wonderful week! Thank you for all that you do for me!

Elder Wynn

Magalí, Elder Vergara, and I on Saturday night :)

Me with Noemi and Robert's daughter

Me made Tupiza jerseys. Heck yeah we did ;)

I love you so, so much! I hope you have a wonderful week!

Love,

Elder Wynn

Commitment

Hey everyone!

How are you all doing?? Can you believe that April is almost over?! All you high schoolers will be finishing up in less than a month! How crazy is that?! Well, I hope that all of you are doing well and that it continues that way :) Well, my week went AWESOME! I have several topics to cover, so I'll just jump right in :) First off, investigators, with which, I will focus on Jherson, Magalí, and Guillermo. Jherson, if you remember from last week, was baptized a week ago, but was not able to be confirmed. However, yesterday he was able to receive that beautiful ordinance. He has expressed desires to receive the Priesthood and make it to the Temple, so we couldn't be happier with him and look forward to continuing working with him. Now, Magalí. Magalí was contacted by Elder Ordoñez and I and has always been one of our best investigators. About a month ago, she accepted a baptismal date and should be baptized this next Saturday. Magalí is amazing and I love working with her. I hope that all goes well and that she will be able to be baptized this following Saturday :) Finally, Guillermo. Guillermo is the husband of a very religious lady and we have taught him for about two weeks now. Both the lessons we have had have gone very well, but the most recent was really special. We taught the Restoration and felt a powerful spirit testifying to all the words we spoke. After explaining the Book of Mormon, he looked at us and asked us how long we think it would take to finish the book. He then promised us to use all his efforts to finish the book as fast as possible so that he can know if these things are true. We look forward to the following lessons and hope that he continues to progress :) Now, we have an awesome point to go over! My new companion! All that I knew about him last week is that he was from Ecuador and that he was from the same group as Elder Ordoñez. Now, after spending a few days with him, I am blown away :) He is an amazing Elder with a beautiful spirit about him and I love working with him. He was converted to the Church just over 2 years ago and is already a missionary, which, along with other things about him, is amazingly impressive. I cannot wait to keep working with him and hope that he will be my companion for some time :) Now, I would like to give a small thought about the 4 people I have mentioned today. Having read about these people, I ask you to think about one attribute that links them all together. In my mind, that attribute is commitment. Jherson has been baptized and now looks forward to the next steps in his progression. Magalí is making many efforts to be able to be baptized this following week. Guillermo has barely begun to learn about the Church, but already is willing to make the effort to know if it is true. My companion, Elder Vergara, has only been a member for two years, but is already here, helping others to know the truth. Each and every one of these people is a committed individual, and it is something that truly blows me away. I hope that with time I can develop this same attribute because it is truly spectacular to behold. Now, I ask each of you to put yourself in the shoes of these four amazing individuals. Think of what it would be like if you were them. Would you be doing what they are doing? Are you as committed to the good things of this life as they are? I invite you all to think and work on what you need to improve on so that you can become more committed people and receive the joy that comes from completing your life's grandest goals. I promise you all that if you evaluate your life and try to improve your commitment in any aspect, you will see an unbelievable change for the better in all aspects of your life. Well, I hope you all have wonderful weeks! I will keep on working here and I hope that you guys will keep working wherever you may be. I love all you guys!

Elder Wynn

Elder Vergara and I at the Cross of Tupiza

The Elders of Tupiza

Tupiza from up high

I love you so, so much!

Love,

Elder Wynn

Riding the Rapids of Life

Hey everyone!

How are you doing?? I hope that you all have had great weeks and that everything continues to go well! Well, for me here in Tupiza, it has been a week of ups and downs. I'm going to start with the ups and end with the downs so I can share a few thoughts. Well, our investigators this week have done really well! I would like to focus on Magali and Jherson this week :) We have been teaching Magali for a small amount of time and she is the sister of an active member. A little over a week ago, she accepted a baptismal date for the 5th of May, and she has continued progressing really well. She is reading the Book of Mormon, attending seminary, and making a big effort to prepare herself for the Cinco de Mayo date. She is awesome and I look forward to keep working with her :) Now, Jherson. Jherson is an amazing investigator that has been taught for a long time by the missionaries. If you remember from next week, we were planning on having his baptism this past Saturday, and we are happy to say that his baptism happened without any issues. We're so happy for him and hope that everything continues to go well with him :) Due to a work problem in Villazon, which is over an hour away, he was not able to be confirmed, but we look forward to next Sunday to have his confirmation. Everything should go well there :) Other than these two, Elder Ordoñez and I worked hard with the other investigators that we have. We are very happy with the progress that we have had here and look forward to the fruits to keep coming here. However, I will sadly have to continue the work here with a new companion. If you remember last week, Elder Ordoñez had been sick for some time, and President Montoya finally made the decision to do something about it. So, this past Saturday, Elder Ordoñez was sent back to Cochabamba to receive treatment there. Originally, when we got the news on Thursday, we thought it would be a temporary stay there, but we received news on Friday that he was expected to bring all his things, not just enough for a temporary stay. I would be lying if I said that I didn't experience a few negative emotions with this news, and I would like to share my thought on that today. The first thing that you should know is of my love for Elder Ordoñez. He is an amazing Elder and it has been an absolute pleasure to work alongside him here. It was devastating to watch him slowly degenerate with a suspected parasite and it hurt even more to watch him leave behind everything that we have done here because of this sickness. I feel sad, frustrated, and a whole other array of emotions, but I also feel an unbelievable sense of peace about it all. Yes, I wanted to stay with Elder Ordoñez, but I know who is in charge and that everything will be okay. Elder Ordoñez needs to be in Cochabamba, I need to be here, and none of this will stop the grand purposes of God from rolling forth. I know that he is in charge and I know that everything will be okay. Elder Vergara (my new companion from Ecuador that is currently in Potosi) and I will continue the work and everything will be okay. Now, for you guys, sometimes we will be frustrated by the seeming randomness of our lives. Sometimes things will happen that go against our personal "perfect plan" that we have. This is frustrating and hard, but I invite you all to remember who is really in charge. Just to clarify, it is NOT you ;) God is at the helm of this journey and everything that happens really and truly has a purpose. Remember this and keep an eternal perspective, and I promise that your daily struggles and frustrations will become easier to bear and you will find yourself happier in all that you do. I promise :) Well, I look forward to starting a new transfer with my new companion, Elder Vergara. He should get here either tomorrow night or Wednesday morning and I look forward to working with him here to continue the work of God here in Tupiza. Please keep Elder Ordoñez in your prayers as he will be in the hospital regularly to figure out what's wrong. I love all you guys and hope that you are able to have amazing weeks! You are amazing and I hope that you never forget it!

Elder Wynn

The America Branch

Jherson's Baptism

Saying goodbye to Elder Ordoñez at the bus terminal :(

Love you so, so much!

Love,

Elder Wynn

Following the Leaders

Hey everybody!

How are you all doing?? How goes life? Well, I hope you are all doing well and enjoying everything that is happening wherever you may be. This past week FLEW by, but was actually quite spectacular. This Monday night, we left at 9 PM in bus to Sucre (passing through Potosí on the way) and arrived at 5 AM. We travelled all the way there for our Zone Conference, where all the missionaries not currently in Cochabamba had to go. More words about how the conference went in a moment, but I'll just say that with all the travelling we did, along with the conference, we were only able to work from Thursday through Sunday, but it was still amazing. We are still basically working with our same  group of 4 investigators, but have a couple others that we hope will progress. This week, I want to focus on Jherson, Noemi, and Robert. Jherson is an investigators that the last missionaries in my area had been teaching for quite some time. When we got here, he was already quite prepared for baptism, but has been travelling a lot lately which has restricted our time with him. However, he has a baptismal date for this following Saturday, and we will be preparing him as much as we can this following week to fulfill that goal. We are super excited for Jherson and hope that all will go well because he is an amazing person and I have absolutely loved working with him :) Now, Noemi and Robert. These two are a couple and have 3 beautiful, crazy children. We knocked their door about 3 weeks ago but were not able to actually visit until yesterday. I am already in love :) They live in a very small, humble home and are about the nicest people that you will ever meet. We have a Noche de Hogar (family home evening) scheduled with them tonight in the house of our Branch President and hope that all will go well so that they can come. Hoping for the best with this wonderful family :) Besides these people, we have been working with several others and are very happy with the way the work is progressing here. Along with our investigators, we also had a visit from President Montoya in Tupiza for a district conference, and we had one-on-one interviews with him while he was here. Now, between zone conference, district conference, and interviews, we got to see President Montoya a lot this week, and for my thought today, I would like to just express how amazing that was. In every part of the Church, there are assigened leaders to help us and guide us along the way. They are normal people, just like you and me, but at the same time they are extraordinary. They are entitled to receive revelation, or direct communication with God, for each and every one of the people they are assigned over, and I realized more than ever this reality during the past week. There were many times that I heard my mission president say something that I felt was just for me and helped me in unbelievable ways. I am unbelievably grateful for President Montoya here in Bolivia and cannot thank him enough for all that he does for me and all the missionaries here in the Bolivia, Cochabamba mission. Now, about each of you guys. All of you have local and other leaders chosen and set apart to help you. Do you realize how amazing that blessing is?! Whether it be a Bishop or a Stake President, all the way up to the Prophet, we are so blessed to receive the guidence of these inspired individuals. My purpose with this message today is to remind you all of the great blessing it is to have chosen leaders, and my invitation is that all of you might listen a little more attently to there advice and guidence because I testify that it truly is inspired and will help each and every one of you. My promise each of you that if you try a little harder to stay awake while your Bishop or Stake President are talking, that you will be able to receive answers to your prayers in more abundance because they are literally called and set apart to receive revelation for you. Listen to your leaders, take their advice, and I promise that your lives will be blessed more than you'll ever know. Well, I hope that all of you can have amazing weeks and that you keep enjoying the spectacular lives that you are living! I love all you guys and think you're amazing! Don't ever forget it! Next week I'll be able to tell you if Elder Ordoñez and I will be staying together or separating because it is transfers week. About Elder Ordoñez, I would like to ask a little favor. He has been sick for quite some time here in Tupiza and would like to ask for your prayers on his behalf. Thank you so much! Have a great week!

Elder Wynn 

Zone Tupiza at the zone conference in Tupiza

Seeing an old friend in Sucre <3 Love you Elder Waldvogel!

Where I am every Monday morning: the big sink handwashing my clothes,

Love you!

Love,

Elder Wynn

Hey Everyone!

How has the past week gone?? I hope that this email finds you all happy and well :) Well, this past week has been spectacular! Quite the contrast to last week, we were able to find a couple new investigators and were able to see the beginnings of success here. With that, I have a couple of investigators to talk about. I will focus on Magalí and Diego. Magalí is 15 years old and is the sister of an active member of our branch. We actually found her while street contacting and she has shown lots of interest. This week, we taught her lessons 1 and 2, explained the Book of Mormon, and also spent some time helping her with her English homework. She is amazing and even accepted a goal for her baptism. We extended the goal of May 5th (5 de Mayo! ;) and she seems really excited. We really look forward to working with her :) Now, Diego. Diego is 12 years old and is the grandson of our branch president. We found the son and daughter-in-law of our branch president in the area book and decided to pay them a visit because they are not members. Though the parents of Diego didn't show much interest, he is very interested. He came to church yesterday and loved spending time with the Deacon's quorum. He even was asked to offer a prayer and he prayed to be able to be a missionary some day. He is an amazing kid and we just love working with him :) Well, these two investigators are a couple of the about 5 that are beginning to progress and we are unbelievably excited and grateful for every person that we are teaching. Other than that, this past week was also really fun, including a trip to Argentina, a couple service projects, and just loving the mission life :) Well, now I want to switch gears to share a little something that struck me during my personal study this week. In my Book of Mormon reading this week, I was able to finish Mosiah, and there is a special story that can be found at the end of that book. I speak of Alma the Younger, the son of the Church's High Priest and quite the delinquent in his time. As many of you know, he went around with the sons of the king trying to destroy the church of Jesus Christ and was able to pull away many people into sin. However, when visited by an angel and commanded to stop, he is able to make an incredible change. He explains his feelings after the heavenly visit as the torment of God and even wishes to cease to exist, rather than stand before God on judgement day. However, in the midst of his pain and torment, he remembers the words of his father about Jesus Christ, and, calling upon His name, in able to repent of his sins, leave behind his past, and come forth a new man, a disciple of Christ. Well, this is a very extreme example, but it has relevance to each and every one of us. We all sin, no matter how hard we try to do what is right, and this causes us to be made dirty before the face of God. This can be the cause of much pain, anguish, and sadness in our lives, as it was for Alma the younger. However, what I hope you can learn from this story is that there is ALWAYS hope through the pain and suffering. Alma had literally brought precious souls away from God, and that is a serious sin, about as serious as they come, but he was able to call upon the name of Christ and repent, eventually becoming an instrument in the hands of God unto the bringing to pass of much righteousness. It was not easy, but it was possible. Now, for all of you, I hope that you remember this: No matter how bad you have messed up, no matter how many times you have committed the same sin, there is always hope in Christ. ALWAYS. If you find yourself heavy-laden with the burdens of your mistakes, I invite you to turn to the one and only person that can help you, your Savior Jesus Christ, and I promise you in His name that you will find the relief you seek. I have felt that relief, and thought I am far from perfect, I know that through Him I can improve and one day be the means of bringing to pass much righteousness here in Bolivia and wherever I may be afterwards. Well, I love all of you and I hope that you are all able to have amazing weeks! You are amazing and I hope that you never forget it!

Elder Wynn

Visiting Argentina :)

I got my package! Loved the blanket! Thank you!

Enjoying Easter baskets with Elder Ordoñez :)

I love you so much, Mom! I hope that you have a wonderful week!

Love,

Elder Wynn

 

Can You Feel So Now?

Hey everyone!

How have your weeks gone?? Did you enjoy General Conference?? Easter?? I hope so! Well, this week has been a little bit of a downer, not going to lie. Over the previous two weeks, we have worked hard searching out new investigators, searching for the last missionary's old investigators, and just working really hard. However, this week was quite the struggle as we saw just about all the investigators that we had gained lose interest in investigating the church. We spent most of the week searching out these people and working to keep what we had already gained, but it was to no avail. So, this next week we will basically start over again as we started week one. However, there have been no reasons to be sad or discouraged this week :) Elder Ordonez and I are working really well together, our branch and members are still amazing, and I still love the city of Tupiza. The work will roll forth in its own due time :) Now, with exception to the missionary work, this week had the very special occurance that happens twice a year: General Conference! I will be the first to say that this General Conference was something really special. Not only did we get to participate in the solemn assembly, but several BIG changes were announced and lots of inspired messages were shared. Conference was an amazingly spiritual experience for me these past couple days, so I would love to focus my thought on this beautiful time. Over the past couple days, we have listened to the Prophet, the Apostles, and many other General Authorities give us counsel on a wide array of topics. General Conference, just by thinking about what happens and who speaks, should be a life and heart changing experience. Now, about this unbelievable experience, I would love to ask a question, one that can be found in Alma 5:14 (Pardon my incorrect translation because I only have a Spanish Book of Mormon on me :) : Have you experienced this mighty change in your hearts? Think about the events of these past days. Think if you have felt the Spirit or received an answer to a question. These types of experiences call for a "Mighty change of Heart." So, I ask you to think if you have had these experiences. If you have not, I invite you to use the technology that is so easily accessible and watch some of Conference over again because I promise you that such "Heart-Changing" experiences will ALWAYS be found if we search for them and are ready to receive them. If you have had these experiences, I wish to follow up with the same question that Alma uses in Alma 5:26 : If you have felt this mighty change of heart . . . I would like to ask you: Can you feel so now? Conference finished yesterday, so I hope if you have felt a change or received an answer you can still feel the power of what that means. But I am not as much worried about now, but a week from now, and in the weeks and months to come. As we continue in the following weeks, I invite you to think about the responses you received and the feelings you felt and work to feel their power forever, not just during Conference. Follow the answers you received, remember the feelings you felt, keep in mind the counsel the bretheren gave us, and I promise that you will be able to not just feel these same feelings in the days and weeks to come, you will improve in faith in spirit more than you could ever imagine. I have it easy here in the mission field (I am basically required to remember about the Gospel in every moment), but I promise that you can do it too if you make the time in your busy lives. I just want to finish by adding my testimony that I know that our Prophet today is Russell M. Nelson. He is the Prophet of God upon the face of the earth and the other General Authorities have been called of God as well. I know that if we follow their counsel that our lives will improve and we will be more prepared in every phase of our daily lives. I know this is true without doubt and I leave this with you in the name of our Savior, even Jesus Christ, Amen. Well, I want you all to know that I love you to death and send you the best regards from Tupiza, Bolivia! I am going to just keep on working here and enjoying this wonderful journey, and I hope you all keep enjoying your lives as well. I hope you all have amazing weeks!

Elder Wynn

Conference! In English!

Icecream with some awesome Tupiza Elders

One of my favorite Bolivian dishes: Picante de Pollo (It's actually not spicy, sadly...)

I love you so, so much! Have an amazing week!

Love,

Elder Wynn