Not Your Will, But His Will

Hey everyone!

How are you?? Did you all get STUFFED on Thanksgiving?? I hope so! I hope that you keep enjoying this holiday season and that the holiday spirit can fill you with joy and light! As for me here in Sucre, things went great :) First off: I received my new companion! As I believe I mentioned already, his name is Elder Behotas and is from Argentina (Mar del Plata). He is an AMAZING missionary and I am already loving my time with him :) Second off: Missionary work is amazing! This past week went great and I would love to talk about a couple of our amazing investigators! This week, I would love to mention Kevin and Maigualida. Kevin is an amazing young adult that we have loved teaching. He has shared many things about his past life and has a deep desire to change. On Saturday, we had the great opportunity to teach him the Plan of Salvation. He accepted the message with joy and thanked us about a million times. He is amazing and we look forward to seeing how he decides to progress :) Now, Maigualida :) Maigualida is an amazing teenager (about 18 years old) that we met this past week. We contacted her during the week and then taught her for the first time yesterday and it was an amazing experience. We taught the Restoration and she had amazing questions. Why are there so many different churches? This was her first question. We taught the lesson and she understood very well. How can I know that this is all true? This was her last question. We gave her a Book of Mormon and explained that if she studied, pondered, and prayed that she would receive an answer. She took it as a challenge and told us that she would read that very day. We're excited to continue visiting her :)

These are a couple amazing people that we are visiting. If it's not too much to ask, I would love to ask for your prayers for them. That would mean the world to us :)

Now, I want to share a quick thought :) Yesterday, when we did our planning, we found something amazing! We had a full day of appointments! That never happens! After church, we excitedly got to work and hit a hard wall of people not being home. That was HARD! However, with my amazing companion at my side, we dove into our backup plans and began looking for a reference that we had received. We walked up to a tienda (a small store that is found inside the house of someone) and asked for directions. Being focussed on finding this person, we almost missed an awesome opportunity, but God had other plans. As we thanked the woman in the tienda and almost turned to walk away, the woman (about 70 years old) asked us,"You two are missionaries, right?" We began a conversation. That conversation turned into her inviting us in to talk. She invited her whole family to come and we ended up teaching an amazing family. I learned a lot yesterday. Sometimes, we have our own plans for how we think things should go. Sometimes we think that our plans are AMAZING!! And although that confidence is great, we must remember that God has a perfect plan for each and every one of us. Don't be discouraged if things don't go your way! That means that God is telling you that He has something else planned! Do all that you can and I promise that the blessings will come as we accept God's will and keep moving forward :)

Well, I hope that you all know that I love you! You are amazing! I hope that you have an amazing week!

Love,

Elder Wynn

Photos:

At the Cochabamba Temple with Elder Martinez :)

The same, but with Elder Nelson :)

Saying Goodbye to Elder Martinez in the Airport <3

Challenge

Hey everyone!

I am WAY short on time this week due to transfers, but I wanted to give you guys a quick update and a small challenge.

First off: Jhyssel got baptized on Saturday! She's AMAZING!! Everything went great with the baptism and I will be sure to send pictures next week :)

Second off: Transfers. To my great sadness, my compi, Elder Martinez, was sent back to Cochabamba today in the afternoon as his transfer. He is an amazing missionary and I loved the opportunity to work with him :) My new companion is Elder Behotas from Argentina! He's from the same city as Elder Garcia (my trainer) and I'm super excited to start working with him tomorrow!

Third off: We had a visit from Elder Falabella from the Area Presidency here in the mission and it was amazing! He shared a quick idea that I wanted to share with you all as a challenge. We have 1440 minutes every day. How many of those minutes are you willing to spend reading the scriptures every day?? I challenge you all to set a goal and complete it every day this week! Share any results you have with me! I hope that it goes well! I promise that if you do it, your testimony of the scriptures will strengthen and you will find that you have even more time to complete with the most important things in life. That's a promise :)

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

Elder Wynn

Examine Everthing; Retain That Which is Good

Hey everyone!

How are you?? Did you have a good week?? I hope that everything is going well and that this next week treats you even better! As for us here in Sucre, everything is going great! We're working hard and having a great time :) 

Well, for investigators this week, I would love to talk about Jhysel, Alian, and Tatiana. Jhysel is an amazing teenager that I have mentioned a couple times but I would love to do a follow up. This past week, we were able to work with her a little more and she continues excited for her baptism this coming Saturday. She shares such a powerful testimony and I love working with her so much :) Alian and Tatiana are two siblings that I absolutely love. Even though they weren't able to come to church yesterday due to a family commitment, they continue with excitement in the church. I loved hearing their comments about the time they came. They came for a fast and testimony meeting and said that it all felt different than other churches. They said that they're looking forward to next month so they can go up and bear their testimonies as well. They're amazing :)

Well, as always, I would love to share a quick, little thought :) This week, I had the amazing opportunity to go have four days of companionship exchanges with three different Elders. One was quite a bit older than me, and two were new missionaries still in their training. Even though we had varying amount of time in the mission, there was one constant that I loved: I could learn SO much from each one of them! This helped me learn a great principle: everyone, and everything, comes into our lives with a purpose and, if we take advantage of it, we can learn, so, so much! There's a scripture that I love in 1 Thesalonians chapter 5. Verse 21 says (forgive the rough translation from Spanish),"Examine everything; retain that which is good." It's so true! This coming week, I invite you all to take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. I promise that as you do so that you will progress more than you could ever imagine.

Well, I love you all so much! Thank you for all of your support and love! You are amazing and I hope that you have a great week!

Elder Wynn

Photos:

I bought an aguayo blanket a while back and an amazing investigator (Maria Luz) embroidered (I think that's the word...) the border for me! I love it!

My companion and I in the airport

Zone Activity!

Hey everyone!

How are you doing?? Are you enjoying your November?? Did you get more tricks or more treats for Halloween?? ;) I just want to start off by saing that I love you all! You're amazing!

Well, this past week for us here in Sucre went really well :) I would love to talk about Jhysel and Nicole this week :)

Jhysel, as I have mentioned before, is an amazing teenager that has been coming to church for some time. A while ago, we set a baptismal date, and yesterday we had the opportunity to confirm that she felt ready. After our question, she simply replied,"Of course!" She has a baptismal date for the 17th of this month and we're really hoping that all goes well with the preparations for this date. I would love to ask for your prayers if that's alright :)

Now, Nicole :) Nicole was baptized little over a month ago and I just wanted to give a little update. Nicole continues strong and is doing great! She continues going to Seminary in the morning and is also playing a large role in teaching Jhysel, picking her up on Sunday to go together to church. I was especially impressed yesterday when she bore her testimony in Sacrament meeting :) Nicole is amazing and I have loved the opportunity to help, although just a little, her with her conversion :)

Well, I would now love to share a small thought with you before I go. Question: How many of you have read the Book of Mormon? Not just skimmed the pages, but actually read it, studied it, and tested its teachings? The Book of Mormon is a powerful testimony of Jesus Christ, and I testify of that. Yes. I know it is not a small book. Yes, I know that it is sometimes hard to read scriptures (#Isaiah ;). However, I know that the Book of Mormon will bless your lives. If you have not read it: READ IT! If you have already read it: READ IT AGAIN! I promise that you will see a greater abundance of blessings if you read (And when I say read, I mean ACTUALLY read ;) and study this book. I can promise that because I see these blessings every day in my own life and in the life of those we teach. Don't believe me?? Test it and try to prove me wrong. I promise that you will feel the divine power of this book and, along with this, know that this church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is God's true church upon the face of the earth. That is my true testimony.

Well, I love you all! Thank you for your prayers and support! Talk to you next week!

Elder Wynn

Photos:

Elder Estes and I after a companionship exchange

My companion enjoying Halloween with our ward mission leader (Rodrigo, in the middle) and his brother ;)

Hey everyone!

How are you doing?? How are your Halloween preparations going?? Well, I hope that you are all doing well and that you are enjoying the beginning of this amazing season of holidays! As for me, things could not be going any better! We were able to return to Sucre from Cochabamba with very few problems and my companion's toe is doing great! Thank you so much for all of your prayers for him in this past week :) With regards to our area here, we are very happy with the progress that we are having! This week, I would love to mention Maria Luz. Maria Luz is an amazing moman that was introduced to us this past week. She is a family member of a very strong family here in Sucre and recently moved into their home. Yesterday, we were able to have our first appointment with her and it was amazing. She told us many things about her life and we quickly realized how special she is. She openly accepted talking about the Restoration and we look forward to the upcoming appointments that we will have with her :)

Well, now that I've talked a little bit about one of our amazing investigators, I would love to share a quick thought :) Yesterday, we received a phone call from a lovely member asking us to come to her house urgently. We arrived and found her entire family there eating and drinking. She and her son took us to a room so that we could talk. She told us about a lot of the difficulties in her life. Her and her son are the only two members in her family, and the rest of the family does not respect their beliefs. Whenever the family gets together, they drink a lot of alcohol and try to give it to her and her son as well, even though they are very well aware of her beliefs inside of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Yesterday was another one of those days, and she was struggling with the temptation. She showed a wonderful example in her reaction: she called us so that we could have an "Family Home Afternoon" with her and her son, singing Hymns, praying, and reading the scriptures together. She told us that she felt a strong peace after the opportunity to share some time reading from the scriptures and feeling the Spirit. I want to offer this experience as an example to you all. With this coming holiday season, many temptations are to come, going directly against the standards of the Church, whether it be from friends, family, or other loved ones. I cannot say that these temptations will be easy, but I can make another promise. If, when temptation strikes, we make the effort to turn our thoughts to God, all will come out okay. Use the example of this wonderful member, who, instead of just struggling on with her temptations, called us in an amazing effort of faith, knowing that her burdens would be lightened. So, as these holidays come and go, be strong, use the help that God has given and promised to give you, and I promise that you will be blessed, strengthened, and protected through everything. That's a promise :)

Well, I love you all! Thank you so much for your amazing support! I hope that you have an amazing week!

Elder Wynn

Photos:

The Cochabamba Temple :)

Reunion with Elder Waldvogel and Elder Nelson in the Leadership Counsel! Love these missionaries!

Hey everyone!

How are you doing?? Did you have a good week?? I hope for all of you that you have had a great week and that this next one is even better than the last! Well, here in Bolivia, things have continued more-or-less as normal this past week. We continued working almost normal, but my companion had to have an ingrown toenail extracted, limiting our work a little, but we are still doing great and Elder Martinez is healing well. If it's not too much to ask, I would love to ask for your prayers for him as he continues recovering :) Well, even though our work was limited slightly, I would still love to talk about a couple of investigators. I am going to talk a little bit about Elsa and Rosemari. Elsa is a wonderful woman and is about 60 years old. We contacted her in the street while returning home one night, just giving her a pamphlet, setting an appointment, and inviting her to church. To our surprise, she was in Sacrament meeting 10 minutes early in a dress, saying that she knew that she had to come in a dress because it said so at the end of the pamphlet. She had now come to church twice and has also come to a ward activity, already making a couple of good friends. We love Elsa and look forward to continued appointments with this lovely woman :) Rosemari is a woman that has been associated with the Church for some time, as her boyfriend is a member. We were able to meet her when we had a family home evening with her boyfriend's family and she has shown a lot of interest. For a couple of weeks now, she has been coming to church as well as every activity that has happened. We were supposed to have our first real appointment with her this past week, but we couldn't as we were homebound. However, she is truly amazing and we look forward to meeting with her in a couple days :)

Well, now that I have talked about a couple of the wonderful people that we are visiting, I would love to share a small thought. This past week, President Nelson, the Prophet and President of the Church, has been in South America, making stops in Peru and, last night, in La Paz, Bolivia. As he was here, we had the opportunity to hear two broadcasts from him, one from Peru directed only to missionaries, and one from Bolivia for all the people of this wonderful country. It was an amazing opportunity for me personally to listen to the Prophet as he spoke in both English and Spanish to direct the saints here in South America. However, I believe that it was an even more amazing experience for the people of Bolivia as they heard their Prophet speak in their native language. Many people cried or just stared in awe as our amazing Prophet, Russell M. Nelson gave his message. I realized something while seeing the reactions of the people: Those of us that live in the United States are so privileged to hear from the Prophet of God in our own language so often. Now, a question: Do we really take advantage of that amazing privilege? As I have seen these amazing people enjoy this once in a lifetime experience to the max, I have made myself the promise that I will do my best to appreciate every chance we have to hear the Prophet speak the best that I can. I invite you all to do the same. Listen to the Prophet's voice and receive peace to your souls. I promise that as you listen to, and follow, the counsels of the Prophet with all your heart, might, mind, and strength that you will be blessed more than you can imagine, you will receive more peace in an ever more troubling world, and you will know more clearly what God wants for you in this life. That's a promise :)

Well, I thank you all for your support and your great examples to me in my life. I hope that you all have an amazing week! Love you all!

Elder Wynn

Count Your Many Blessing

Hey everyone!

How are you doing?? I hope that your October is going well and that all of your preparations for Halloween are going great! As for us here in Sucre, life is great! Work has continued as normal and we are really pleased with how everything is going :) For this week, I would love to mention Jhysel and the Lopez Family. Jhysel is an amazing teenager that has been connected to the Church for some time. Elder Martinez (my companion) and his last companion were teaching her for quite a while before I got here, but right when I arrived, she began to travel a lot with her family. My whole first transfer here, I never had the opportunity to teach her, but she just showed up to church every once in a while. This last week however, we were able to set an appointment with her and her parents and it went amazing. We extended a baptismal invitation to the whole family, and Jhysel's parents asked for more time to think. Jhysel, however, bore her testimony that she knew that the Church is true and expressed a deep desire to be baptized. She is AMAZING and we really look forward to helping her progress towards the baptismal date that she has committed to :) The Lopez Family is a family of four that we just love. We have been teaching them little by little in these past weeks about the Restoration, but, before this last week, they weren't showing much interest. However, we arrived at their house last night and things had changed. They had read the entire pamphlet as a family and had TONS of questions about Joseph Smith, prophets and several other subjects. We were able to answer their questions and they committed to investigate a little bit more about the Church. They have committed to come to church this following week and to also read the Book of Mormon that we gave them. We are really hoping that they continue to progress :)

Well, these are a couple of the amazing people that we are visiting and we are truly so happy with the progress of all of our investigators :) Now, before saying goodbye, I would love to share a small thought. 

This past Saturday, we had an amazing experience. We were walking through a market in our area heading towards an appointment when we heard someone yell "Elders!" We turned around to see a lovely woman selling a powder to make Api (a delicious local drink). We walked up to her and began to talk. She is a member from another ward here in Sucre named Leticia. She told us that there were several problems that were happening in her life and wanted to talk with us. We headed to the church building that was nearby and she told us about her life. She is from Argentina and has lived here in Bolivia for 15 years. The only job that she has been able to find is selling little bags of powdered api for two Bolivianos a bag (worth just about 25 cents). She walks to every market in Sucre every day offering her api. She is starting to have back problems from walking every day and her sons are also having problems with men beating them in the street. Her sons cannot study because they need to help their mother. As she cried and told us that she feels that she cannot continue living in this way, my heart broke. Her life has been so hard. She is doing everything that she can to support her small family, but it is just so hard. We did our best to console her and had the opportunity to give her and one of her sons blessings of strength and comfort. We will be visiting with her this week and hope to continue helping her. As I heard the life story of this wonderful and strong woman, I realized how blessed of a life I have lived. I have lived in a very advanced country all of my life. I have received a wonderful education and look forward to continuing my studies. I have lived a life of comfort almost free of worries. A question comes to mind: Why have I been so blessed? This life isn't fair. Some of us have more struggles than others. I have come to realize this more and more in my time here. My invitation for you all this week is that you take the time to think about all of your blessings and thank God for everything you have. Remember that not everyone has the blessings that you have.

Well, I love you all so much! Thank you so much for your love and support that you always send me! I hope that you all have an amazing week!

Elder Wynn