The Importance of the Spirit

Hey everyone!

How are you doing? Did you have a good week? I hope that life is treating you all well :) As for me, life couldn't be better! Working here in Sucre was amazing this past week, even though we weren't here for half of it. More on the other stuff that went on in a sec :) With our investigators, I would like to mention Nicole and Epson. Nicole is a great investigator that we've been teaching for all my time here. She has progressed amazingly fast and looks forward to being baptized this following Saturday. She has come to church for a LONG time with her friend Abril and just loves it. She is also going to seminary and doing so many other things that just blow us away. We look forward to seeing her be baptized this week :) Epson is an investigator that Elder Martinez found with his last companion here. He loves reading the scriptures, almost scarily so, and just loves learning. This whole transfer, we have been working really hard with him and trying to get him to come to church, but he never could. However, yesterday, he finally came. At first he sat in the back, but then, for the last talk, he walked all the way up to the front row. He loved his first time at church and said he wants to keep coming, so we're really excited to keep working with him :) Well, those are a couple of the people that we are working with here. Now, I would love to talk about the other thing that happened this week. Last week, I was writing from Cochabamba because I was there for a leadership counsel and it was amazing! We got to talk with th Mission President about problems that are going on in the mission and how we can improve. It was amazing :) Now, for my thought, I would love to share a part of what our Mission President shared as his message for us.

He started with John 16 and read a few verses that said that (forgive my crappy translation) it was convenient for us that Christ left. I was shocked by these verses as I had never thought much about that statement. It goes on to say that it is so convenient for us because it would allow the Holy Ghost to descend upon us. This got me thinking: How important is the Spirit? Is He really so important that it is better for us to have Him more than Jesus? After a discussion, we came to the conclusion that yes, the Holy Ghost is even more necessary on the earth than Christ, and here's why: Jesus is amazing, but has a body, meaning, even though He is perfect, that He can only be in one place at a time. He can make an unbelievable change in that one place, but only in that one place. However, the Holy Ghost does not have a body, so he can be in any number of places at once, confirming truth right to our hearts and helping us know whenever anything is true. I feel that often we are not that grateful for the amazing presence that is the Holy Ghost. In this following week, I invite you in your personal study to read about the Holy Ghost and all that he does for us. Then, I invite you to study how to have Him with you in every moment of every day. Then, I invite you to apply that so the Spirit can be with you more often in your lives. I promise you that you will be happier, you will find more success in your daily lives, and that you will feel more guided as you make decisions in your life. That's a promise :)

Well, I love all of you and hope that you have amazing weeks! You are so amazing! Talk to you next week!

Elder Wynn

Eternal Progression

Hey everyone!

How are you doing?? I hope that you are enjoying your September! Can you believe that it's already halfway over?? Well, I hope that this last week has treated you well adn that this next week is even better! As for me, it has been a normally amazing week here in Bolivia :) I continue getting used to Sucre (It has been a STRUGGLE!) but I am loving it more and more every day! Well, I would like to talk about a few of the amazing people here that we are visiting for just a moment. I would like to mention Jordan and Mayra. Jordan is a teenager (17ish) that we just love to visit. He loves learning about Jesus Christ and has so much desire to follow Him. This past week, we were able to talk with him and extend an invitation to be baptized in October. He truly is amazing and I am so happy for the opportunity to know him here in Sucre :) Mayra is a woman that has been familiar with the Church since she was a young girl. She has always loved the Church and was once meeting with the missionaries here in Sucre before she moved to Argentina and completely lost contact. However, she has moved back and a member referred us to visiting her and we have loved the experience. Mayra is someone that loves to learn, especially about God. We look forward to working with her in the weeks that come :)

Well, now that I've talked a bit about my week, I would like to share a small thought :) Here in the mission, there are so many amazing experiences that happen every day, but I would like to talk about one of my favorites. Having a leadership assignment here, I have the great opportunity to give baptismal interviews to amazing people that are making the choice to join the Church. Talking with these people is an unbelievable blessing. As you probably know, there are many standards that one must live inside of this church, and talking with people that have accepted these standards and lived them helps one learn the powerful change that this church brings to the lives of others. I have talked with people that were once drug-addicts or alcoholics. Others have even been imprisoned for some time. However, they all share on thing in common: a desire to change. These people have made the decision to completely abandon their old lives, deciding to live on a higher plane. I have an amazing respect for them and am so grateful for the opportunity to meet them in every interview that I give. And now, an invitation. These people have had to make very big changes in their lives as they have recently grown to know the Church. Many of you are members, and if you are not, you are at least familiar with the Church, and that brings changes. However, I invite you to never think that you have made all of the changes that you will ever have to make. We live in a church of eternal progression, so we need to be trying to improve each and every day. I invite you to think about ways you could improve, maybe as small as daily scripture study or as big as being baptized, because we can ALL make important changes in our lives today.

Well, I love you all and I thank you for your support of me here in Bolivia. I hope that you have an amazing week!

Elder Wynn

Photos:

A Sucre Sunset

A Selfie with my Compi :)

P-day Selfie with my companion and Elder Nelson

Hey everyone!

How are you doing?? Well, I don't have a huge amount of time today because, as you may have noticed, I'm writing on Tuesday instead of Monday. We went to the Uyuni salt flats as a zone yesterday and it was amazing! Well, quick update on the work here in Sucre. Our investigators are progressing alright and we have been happy to find more new investigators as well. We look forward to Nicole's baptism in a couple weeks and a couple others should follow as well. We have a lot of work to do here in Sucre. Well, I just want to share a quick thought with you all before I go. Yesterday, I once again had the opportunity to go to the Uyuni salt flats and it was once again a breath-taking experience. It is honestly so beautiful and impossible to describe. As many of you know, I am a HUGE fan of nature and love seeing beautiful desplays of God's creations. I honestly believe that we can experience the Spirit in such beautiful power as we take time to enjoy the beauty of the Earth. I invite all of you this week to take a day and make time to wake up early, go to a beautiful place, and watch the sunrise. I testify that this world is a work of divine creation and that the Spirit of God can be felt with special power as we look to appreciate what we have been given.

Well, I love all of you guys and hope that you have an amazing week!

Elder Wynn

Pictures:

Enjoying the Uyuni sunset with my companion, Elder Martinez

A fun pic at the train cemetery

A panoramic of the amazing Uyuni sunset :)

Crazy Changes

Hey everyone!

How are you all doing?? I can't believe that we are already in September! Time is FLYING! Well, I am now officially in Sucre, and it is WAY different than my other areas. It is a very large city and I honestly feel completely lost when we leave the house. I am hoping to learn my way around quickly, but we'll have to see, it is a huge area and a very confusing city for me. Luckily, I have an amazing companion! He is from Paraguay and his name is Elder Martinez. He is a great missionary that works hard and is also super funny. I really look forward to continuing working with him :) This last week we have mostly been looking for new investigators, but I have also had the opportunity to meet a few of the long time investigators here as well. I would like to introduce you all to Nicole, Epson, and Karina. Nicole is a friend of a young member here and is amazing. She has come to church every Sunday for many weeks and has also expressed a desire to be baptized. I look forward to working with her :) Epson and Karina are a couple that is absolutely amazing. Elder Martinez found them a couple weeks ago and they just LOVE to learn. They love reading the scriptures and have many, many great questions. It will be amazing to keep answering their questions and helping them progress. I really look forward to it :)

Well, now that I've talked about a few of the people that we are teaching, I would love to give a small thought that come right from the craziness here. This past week, with the new area, new responsibilities, etc. here, I have found myself really overwhelmed. There have been several moments that I have just been so confused, stressed, and frustrated that I have had no idea what to do. As hard as these moments are, they truly are the best moments to learn and grow. I have learned a lot about myself (mostly about how much of a big stress ball that I am ;), but even more important, I learned a lot about our Heavenly Father. We often say that God is always there to help us, but much less often are the times that we feel the absolute truth of this statement in it's full beauty. I have felt his comfort in these stressful times and have also seen his hand in helping me in these new adjustments. I have a new appreciation for prayer. I now invite all of you that are going through hard or difficult times to drop on your knees and ask for the help that you need. He truly does listen to you. He truly does give us what we need. He can strengthen you and help you through whatever you are doing. We truly can "do all things through Christ." I testify to all of these things and invite you to ask for any help that you might need. I promise that He will help you. Yes or yes :)

Well, I will now get back to work here in Sucre! I look forward to continuing to work with Elder Martinez in this amazing city with all of its amazing people! I love you all and hope that you have an amazing week!

Elder Wynn

Selfie in the Airport with Elder Martinez!

Watching the sunrise at the airport while waiting for a plane to take off

A great Bolivian dish! Fricasé! A spicy soup with chuño, móte, and beef! So good!

I hope that you enjoy the pics! Love you!

Love,

Elder Wynn

Saying Goodbye

Hey everyone!

How are you all doing?? Can you believe that August is coming to a close already?? Well, I hope that you are all doing great and that in this following week that you will do better! As for me here in Tupiza, I have some strongly mixed feelings. This week was great and we worked really hard. We found new investigators, kept working with the same amazing ones we already had, and just feel really good about everything. The thing that makes me sad is that yesterday we had transfers. But before I touch that, I would like to talk about Vicente, Febe, and José. Vicente had a baptismal date for this past Saturday but chose to postpone his baptism for another week. He is truly doing amazing and is ready to be baptized, but he just wants to be 100% sure, and I can't blame him for that :) Febe and José are working hard and progressing towards a baptismal date together this following Saturday. They are reading, praying, and coming to Church, which is the trifecta of good progression. I have no doubt that they will be baptized this next week :) They are doing amazing :)

Well, now that I have talked about some of my favorite investigators, here comes the bitter news: I will be leaving Tupiza. Tonight. Last night, I received my transfer: I will be heading to the capital of Bolivia, called Sucre. I cannot deny that I am very, very excited for these new experiences in a new place with a new companion, but I would be lying if I said that I weren't sad to leave Tupiza. There are so many people here that I truly love and will miss. However, today, I have a thought for you guys to address this very subject.

Many times in our lives, we have to say goodbye. It is sad, painful, and straightup hard, but it must be done. We say goodbye to our families to go to college, we say goodbye to friends when we move away, and in so many other times in our lives we must leave the people we love as we move on with our lives. However, as I spoke with another missionary about leaving Tupiza, he gave me some profound advice, and I would like to share it with you all. We love the people we are with, but if we really think about it, every time we have the opportunity to meet new people, we had to leave others that we loved to have that opportunity. So, although leaving is heartbreaking, it is truly necessary for us in order to have new opportunities to meet even more new, amazing people. We can think about this in terms of our lives (Like when we move houses, leave to college, etc.) or we can think about the eternal perspective. I am positive that we had loved ones in the premortal life even before coming here, but we had to come so that we could meet the people that we know now. And, one more thought, we truly know that there are no real goodbyes here. We are all children of God, members of an eternal family, and we will see everyone again, yes or yes, whether it be this life or the next. I know that saying goodbye can be hard, but my advice to you is to look at saying goodbye as a new, exciting opportunity to meet new people. I promise that as you do so, staying in touch with those you have left and being open to finding new people, that you will find your circle of friends grow and grow with many people that you know and truly love.

Well, tonight will be hard as I say goodbye to Tupiza, but I cannot wait to get to know the new area of Sucre, meeting new, amazing people there as well. I love you all! I hope that you all have amazing weeks! Talk to you next week!

Elder Wynn

Saying goodbye to Hermana Rosa and her family

Saying goodbye to Hermana Paolina and her family

Saying goodbye to Vicente

I hope that you like the photos! I love you so, so much!

Love,

Elder Wynn

We Are Our Most Important Convert

Hey everyone!

How are you all doing?? Well, I hope that you all had a great week and that you all just keep doing great! Well, this week has been rather eventful! We had the great opportunity of going to Potosí for our zone conference! But more on that later :) With investigators this week, I would like to talk about Febe and Vicente. I talked a little bit about Febe this past week, but I just wanted to say that she is amazing. She was able to come to church yesterday and is doing all she can to progress towards her goal for baptism. Just wanted to give a little shoutout :) Vicente is one of my favorite people that I have met here and I have worked with him since I was with Elder Ordoñez. Due to an accident a while ago he struggles to learn and remember new things, but he has been improving little by little ever since I met him and is doing very well :) He looks forward to a baptismal date either this week or the following (he says depending on how he feels) and I just could not be happier with him :) We hope that everything continues to just go amazingly with him :)

Well, now that I've talked a little about some investigators, I would like to talk a bit about the Zone Conference. It was an amazing opportunity to go to Potosí and hear from our Mission President. He just gives us such amazing lessons and inspires us to do better. I also got to see some of my amazing friends that I have met here in Bolivia, which is an added treat :) I loved the conference and just wanted to mention that :)

Well, I would now like to share a small thought with all of you that I found in something called the Ricciardi Letter. Elder Chapman, a great friend here, lent me his copy and I would recommend it to anyone, especially if you are planning on serving a mission. There was one part that talked about D and C section 18 where the worth of souls is talked about. Forgive my abreviation, but here it says that if you bring but one soul unto God, your joy will be great in heaven. The writer of the Ricciardi letter talks about this reference in a way that I just love. He says that the one soul that we truly need to bring unto God is our own. We are the one soul that we should bring. Then, once we have had our own conversion, we should look for others, hence the scriptures first talk about bringing one soul and then many. So, my invitation to all of you is that you think about your own conversion. In the end of all things, especially as a missionary, your first and most important conversion is your own. Do whatever you need to in order to convert yourself so that your joy can be great in the Kingdom of God. I promise that I will do my best to do the same here :)

Well, I hope that you all have an amazing week! I love you all! Next week I will have news about transfers and we will see what happens! But until then, it is my hope that the Spirit of God be with you all!

Elder Wynn

Our Pursuit for Happiness

Hey everyone!

How are you doing?? I hope that you all had amazing weeks and that this next one is even better! Well, I've had a great week here in Tupiza as normal and don't have really anything new to report. With investigators, I would like to talk about Febe and Narciso. Febe has been struggling a little bit of late to come to church due to the fact that she is a very involved young lady. She loves working with stray animals and has been a part of an association that helps for a long time. However, they have meetings every Sunday morning and has not been able to come to church in a couple months due to that. However, this past week, it was amazing to see her make the decision to drop that association that she loves so much so that she can prepare herself for the goal she set to be baptized this coming September. She is amazing and I love working with her :) With Narciso, I have a cool story :) Well, we were knocking doors for a little bit searching for new investigators and hit a pretty long streak of rejection. We finally got to Narciso's door and got discouraged as we say an older man answer because the older generation is normally a lot meaner to us here as missionaries. However, Narciso was the complete opposite of our expectations. He greated us nicely and got very excited when he heard that we preach about Jesus Christ. We asked if he had any questions for us and he asked if we believed in Hell, if we even believed in a life after this life. We began explaining the Plan of Salvation and he became very interested very fast. Surprisingly for us, he agreed with everything we said and loved the lesson. Then, my very spiritually-in-tune companion extended a baptismal invitation for this coming September. We didn't even have to wait for a response as he said,"Claro pues!", which basically means,"Well, of course!" This man is amazing and I look forward to continuing to work with him. I would also like to share a short thought about this experience. I would assume that everyone is looking for happiness in this life. We search and search and search for the things that make us the happiest here. Well, I have found that sometimes we find the things that make us happier than anything else, but due to fear or other factors, we turn away. This lovely man, Narciso, is not that way, accepting something that made him happy in the instant it was offered him. My advice to you all this week is that if you find something that makes you happy, that truly brings joy to your life, that you stick to it as long as you can. I can honestly promise you that the best and most everlasting happiness that you can find is found within this Church, following Jesus Christ. I plead with you all to strengthen your testimony of Christ and search to become a better servant of Him, and I promise that you will find more happiness than anywhere else. That is a promise in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Well, I love you all and I hope that you have an amazing week! Keep being the great people that you already are!

Elder Wynn

Photos:

At the cross with the district

Teaching piano to my compi :)

With Febe, Jose, and Esmeralda, completing my homework from you Primary Presidency ;)