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