November Rain

(gunsandrosesanyone)

Ok, so I have very limited time so here is a brief overview of some cool things this week:

On Friday Stevens went to the temple with all the departing missionaries (they all go the Friday before they go home and it's like a thing to go and pray in the celestial room and ask God if He accepts your mission) and they all go to lunch. So I got to go to Lacey for the day with Sis Smith and we had so. much. fun. Stevens and Fowkes were also 3 hours late and had no phone so we just assumed something terrible had happened but that was such a fun day and we saw a lot of cool things!

Yesterday Sierra got baptized! :) It was way cool, her siblings are also still praying about baptism and it was awesome to have her whole family there. She is solid. 

We met with the Goodchilds pretty often this past week and I LOVE them - Tristan and Rainy want to be baptized SO bad - Tristan (9) made up this song and boogie about "baptism holy wataaa!" and it's hilarious. They are the cutest little family and always have gifts and drawings for us when we come over :) 

The rain has toootally warmed it up over here. It's always wet and if the water seeps through your coat then it gets cold.. but I stayed decently warm this week! 

TRANSFER CALLS came Saturday night at like 9:15 after we waited in pain all day, but I get Sis Harbaugh!!!!!! AH! We came out together (we met in the bathroom at the MTC and never saw each other til the plane but she is awesome) and I am so dang excited. It's going to be so fun and I can't wait to spend this transfer with her :) So transfer meeting is tomorrow and Sis Rieland is driving us up to Tacoma to save miles (holy moses we are dang conservative on our miles as of late.. haha we've had like 4 park days) and Stevens is flying home Wednesday! (it's cool - her dad has been deployed/in the army and is coming home too and his flight gets in an hour before hers! awesome, right??) I'm way excited for this next transfer, it's gonna be good!

Oh, so yesterday at church after ward council the exec sec came up to me and said the speaker got sick... and I had my first real experience of "they're not here? ask the missionaries!" So that was terrifying. But, I did it! I talked about gratitude for the atonement and I have had just so many experiences lately where I've needed to rely on the Lord. I feel like He's trying to tell me something ;) Cause later that night at Sierra's baptism I had to give the missionary message by myself where I just had to teach the Restoration, but for some reason I was just way nervous (there were other missionaries there and nonmembers and just kind of a lot of pressure). I have needed to rely on Him a lot, and I'm learning a lot. I don't know what I would've done without that help. I know He is always there and willing and waiting to help! We just need to ask :) I love my God and Savior Jesus Christ. He is so good. 

I love you all and can't thank you enough for all your love and support!! You are amazing and I hope you have the best week ever.

Love,

Sister Wilson 

PS--I forgot to add super quick - Bonnie, the lady me and Fowkes knocked into from our exchange? I think I told you about her when I felt prompted to go back to her house and she cried and we prayed with her? We went back a couple nights ago and she told us to come in and the note we taped to her door she has hanging on her wall and she said "I believed you were angels.." and told us how she really really needed us that night and our prayer was the most beautiful thing she'd ever heard and she knows we were sent by God and it was awesome :))) She's not interested, but it was way cool talking to her and I know she needed us at that time!

 here's our zone (president came and was cut off.. woops)

 and the sisters within our zone who i love!

me and Maddie (Jackson). She is my little buddy and pretty much the cutest 

and one from the baptism!

What is Winter?

Okay. This week has been absolutely frigid. I have never been so cold. Holy Moses. Apparently, contrary to popular belief, when the sun comes out is when it gets freezing. Everything freezes (every morning it's been in the 20's when we come out and the highest it's been the past couple days is like 40). I was not built for this weather! My body is used to cooling itself down, not warming up. So whenever the sky would like to kick itself into shape and start raining again, it will warm up. But for now we are all just freezing our little bunsies away. I've been wearing 3 pair of fleece lined tights and wool hiking socks and my liner and coat and gloves and I still convulse in shivers haha. We did find some hand warmers in our apartment but used them all in one knocking sesh. So. The Lord has been good to us in that when I start to lose focus I'm so cold (that's a thing) some kind soul will let us in to warm up :)

SO! Cool stories all around. Knocking on Tuesday night I prayed to know where we should go and when we got to this place I went to park and just felt like we shouldn't be there. When I mentioned that I was not the most supported.. My poor companion has to back me out and she wasn't too thrilled about this.. ha #trooper. But so I started to drive around this loop and halfway around suddenly I felt like we needed to be there. I was way confused, but we felt ok about it so we got out and started tracting and we ran into Jim, who is the nonmember dad of a lady in our ward who comes to our firesides! He let us in and we talked to him. His son was killed in a drive-by shooting in Tacoma 22 years ago and we were able to share a little bit about the plan of salvation - which was way cool. Needless to say, we found out why we needed to drive farther and then suddenly feel like we were needed again :) We've been back there twice now to finish knocking the street and he hasn't been home, so that was inspired. BUT when we felt inspired to go back there the 3rd time and finish some more of the loop, we knocked into Shonda - who we play basketball with every week! Ha! It was way funny, we were all like, wait - whaa?? And she let us in and gave us handwarmers :) They were just about to head out to a party, so we caught them in the nick of time and it was awesome. (now we know where she lives - ha!) She is so funny, I love her. And she's a beast and basketball, she coaches. Hopefully we can have dinner with her and Stephanie soon. 

 

Speaking of Stephanie, that picture she sent you guys after our "awesome lesson!" ? ... that awesome lesson included Stevens wanting to light a tea bag on fire (a gimmick we're not allowed to use with investigators so members are a safe place to try right?) She lit it on my hand so the little boys weren't dropping fire everywhere, but alas, this tea bag was a bit larger than normal and it then proceeded to tip over while halfway lit and we all maniacally were trying to save it from falling on the carpet and I don't even know what happened but it landed in a plastic bowl.. and then floated upwards in a poof of ashes. #fail. (I see now why we don't use it with investigators).

 

On a more sober subject, this week was weird. I was struggling with some things and having a difficult time with people and I just didn't feel like myself. But, I had an awesome learning/growing experience so that now my testimony is stronger :) I know that God is there, and I need to rely on Him more. I've known He was there for a long time, but I wasn't relying on Him as much as I should. He makes me who I am, and I need Christ to be a part of my life in order to feel like myself because I feel like He is such a big part of myself and who I am. I feel most like myself when He is with me. He makes me ME. I hope this is making sense... But, I love my Savior Jesus Christ :) He builds me and strengthens me. I am HAPPY when He is with me and I feel confident. He is such a huge part of this work not only in preparing these people to receive us, but preparing us to help them. Let Him change you. Let Him be a part of your life and become all you can become! I feel like on a mission you just internalize a bunch of cliche statements.. They become rooted in my testimony.

 

One other thing I realized yesterday - God teaches us in ways we understand. A guy spoke in church yesterday about how he loves to skateboard, and the spirit told him a bolt was loose but he ignored it and ended up biffing it. God teaches us what we need to learn in ways that we will recognize it. I just thought that was cool.

 

I love you all so so so much and I can never thank you enough for you prayers and support :) You are all amazing. I LOVE YOU. Have a fantastic week!!

Sister Wilson

 

 this is for mommy <3

 everything is completely frozen in the mornings...

(including our car - sometimes the handles are frozen shut

and there's always a layer of ice on it in the morn)

 

(fun title here)

Okay, so. I'm going to start with the beginning of the week and move to the end, cause that's the best part :) 

So, we're teaching a part member family, and the mom Bambi is coming back to church full force and so we're teaching her and her husband's kids - 4 teenagers (13, 14, 14, 15). We've taught 2 of them consistently now, Zach and Sierra, and Macs (Mackenzie) has come to church a couple times but isn't there when we teach. Sierra is all for being baptized and is totally into YW - she's got a part in YWIE on Thursday and has already volunteered to teach the lesson next Sunday! Awesome! Zach is a little more reserved but he's way smart and is praying about baptism. We're going over there tonight to teach the 3rd lesson :) 

 

Thursday mornings we play basketball with Stephanie Smith from our ward and a whole lot of her nonmember friends! This was the 3rd week now and we say a prayer after (at first it was a lil awk, but they're totally into it now! Haha! *fistpump) It's been going awesome and this week Stephanie wasn't even there so it was us and like 8 nonmember ladies. So fun.

 

Ok so on Thursday we went on an exchange! It was inspired, lemme tell you. I needed that that day. I stayed in Deschutes and Sis Fowkes came here while Stevens went to Lacey. It was so good. I just love Sis Fowkes. We had fun :) We taught a UBC Damion about tithing using skittles and we ended up having a real good talk with his mom about it after (she is a RC and struggles with tithing).

 

Cool story! When we went out knocking (and we were on time for the first time in a long time..), we started knocking a street Stevens had told us to, and when we got there I had the thought "you're not needed here" but I kinda thought, well I mean we're already here, and we're on time for once! So maybe it's ok.. and after about 10 minutes of fighting it, Fowkes kinda slowed down and said, "I'm not really feelin in on this street" and I was like, "Ok great me either!" and it was kind of a little kick in the butt like, LISten, sister wilson, come on! So, we prayed and I could only know one other neighborhood that's not super boony-sketch so that's where we went after we prayed about it. And as we were knocking we met this cool guy who just happened to be at this random house and said he wanted to check it out! And then as we started walking down another street I thought "you need to go to that house" on the other side of the street, and we only had about 10 minutes left and I thought about it some more and kept staring at it (we were automatically walking down the other side to finish it) but the thought kept coming to me so I stopped and said let's do this side, and we walked back up the hill to that house and when we knocked on it this lady Bonnie answered the door and said "oh, ladies, I'm not interested." and we said "alright, well is there anything we can do for you tonight?" and she immediately all the sudden started crying! and she said "pray for me? pray for my soul.." and we said a prayer right there with her and she just cried. And when we were done she said "thank you" and shut the door. Right before this (while I was thinking we needed to go to this house) Fowkes had asked what my favorite scripture is, and I have a million but my longest-time favorite is D+C 121:7-9 so I told her that one. And when we walked away from Bonnie's house Fowkes said, "we should write down that scripture and tape it to her door" and so we did! but we replaced "my son" with Bonnie. And we haven't heard anything from her, but hopefully it did some good.  [D&C 121:7-9 --My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes. Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.]

After exchanging back on Friday morning we all got to go to Panera for lunch together! :) Oh how I miss that place (it's the closest thing to Paradise bakery). 

 

So, my birfday. It was awesome :) I got 2 packages on Friday and one Saturday! So THANK YOU so much for those! I have the BEST family and friends in the whole world!!!! I restrained opening the presents til my bday morning :) (except the cookies cause those have an expiration date) (all of them are already gone) And I can say I think I will be warmer this winter :) It is actually getting pretty darn cold at night... haha. But my birthday was BEAUTIFUL outside! It was sunny once the fog left and beautiful all day! The sun was out and shining and I just soaked it all up, and you could see Rainier awesome! I'll send the pic. All day we got to go around and check on people with a couple in our ward and they took us out to lunch! Then the Bowers family had us over for dinner and they made me a cake and sang! :) Sis Bowers got me flowers too with a little plastic bday balloon (and it was way funny - she brought them out and her 8 yr old was like.. hey.. that's my balloon...#recycle) They are a awesome family :) 

 

After dinner we went straight to David's baptism!!! Oh my goodness it was the best best thing in the world! I got to see all the Oly 3rd ward and they all remembered me and Dutch was even there (and he got me 3 dozen roses - my heavens I adore that man. I just love him.) David is so awesome. Seeing him was the best, and he gave his testimony after which rocked. He said some nice things that made me realize that I did have an impact on him - and it's the best feeling in the world! EMILY I AM SO SO SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!!! Your testimony is needed in DC and that is pretty much the best place for you to go not only beacuse it's beautiful but someone there needs YOUR testimony! They are waiting there and being prepared for you right now!! :D I love you!

 

I have to go, but I want all of you to know that I LOVE you all! Being a missionary is the hardest most wonderful thing in the whole world and everybody needs to be a missionary. My testimony is tested everyday but I know having faith and returning to the source of good is how you get stronger. I LOVE YOU ALL! Have a fantastic week!!

 

#ilovemail

some of my favorite goodies ;)

some adventures whilst tracting (cute little baby stop sign that needed an additional "stop here" in case you couldn't see it...) (...I may or may not have see it the first time)

 

aaaand birthday cake!

 

 David's Baptism

Dutch's flowers

Baptisms and Birthdays (<-- catchy I know)

Ok so my most exciting news I have been dying to tell you all this week - 

DAVID IS GETTING BAPTIZED!!! I got a call from Oly 3rd Monday night and after that fireside last Sunday, when we sang Beautiful Savior, turns out that is his most favorite song and us singing it was like an answer to prayers and Sister Rea called and said, "Sister Wilson, David has decided to be baptized and I'm going to need you to be here on November 8th" Little did any of them know it would be my birthday, but I can't think of a better day! :D David has come so so far and it is pretty much the most amazing thing in the entire world and I am SO excited for Saturday where I get to go back to Olympia and see him get baptized!! AH! I can't even tell you! We put so much prayer and fasting and tears and effort into helping him and even when he dropped us so many times, the Spirit was seriously working on him. He is the biggest testimony to me that we really don't do anything - the Spirit is the one that is converting people. Honestly there is no way in the world that I would have been able to do anything to help a grown man with a master's degree in theology and who had been studying ministry his whole life, but I'm so so glad that my little testimony was able to help him somehow. Being out here is the most wonderful work I have ever done. I've just been thinking lately how strange it all is - I have met and talked to more people in the last 3 months than I have probably in the last 3 years. (probably more like 10 years really) It's pretty much super fun :)

 

Everybody needs to go hear the talk "The Missionary Next Door" - listen to it for FHE or something, cause it is just the best. 

 

A Washington thought - you know how when it rains all the worms come out? I just would like you let you know that worms come out here, too. Except they are the size of my forearm. (no joke). Family- remember that one time we were driving somewhere and the street turned yellow with all the thousands of caterpillars going across it? Imagine that, except with every few feet is a worm that looks like a snake. haha. (all the creepy-crawlies here are just magnified to AZ I suppose). People also who have lived here forever say "Warsh-ington" it's pretty funny.

 

The work here is in a sort of recoil phase and is about to explode. We have a lot of potentials we are working with - I think 3 of them are part-member families and we have like 3 other people we knocked into. So I'm excited. We set a goal for 4 baptisms this month (it was cool - during weekly planning last week when we were going to set this goal we each said a little prayer about it and thought for a minute and both wrote down 4 - "indigestion") 

 

OH! Speaking of! Halloween was SO fun. We all got put on lockdown in the stake center with our zone from 3-8 (for safety and so we were all accounted for so no missionary could be blamed for anything) and we played Mafia (missionary style - gadianton robbers and district leaders.. i was the seer/revelator. lol) and had pizza and watched the Best Two Years. It is even funnier as a missionary, lemme tell you. So every time me and my comp will both feel like we should do something at the same time we have always said "indigestion" and now my comp understands why ;) ha! 

 

So anyhways, I just want you all to know that this is totally God's work. It is the coolest thing seeing the Spirit in action with people and seeing them change. Being an instrument for Him is amazing, and I hope and pray you can have missionary experiences and feel that power too!! Repentance is just a fancy word for change. I am so so blessed to be here. I love you all! :)

 

Oh btw, I cut off 12 inches of hair today.... I'll send pics :)

 

I LOVE YOU!

Sister Charity Wilson

 

 this is a pretty typical tracting 

(before daylight savings - which is rather sucky, btw.. it's just dark always now)

 # stevens takes selfies

# stevens takes selfies

 and this is me and some cow-friends

 and my hair this morning..... pre-chop

 

Life in Deschutes

Okay, so I love the country. We got to go back to Olympia last night for a fireside (which was awesome- I'll talk about that in a sec) and I just immediately wanted to go back into the country-land. I think I'm going to live in the country someday hopefully, because I just feel at home and it's so laid-back and BEAUTIFUL. (and the speed limit is always over 50 which is nice) I don't miss city traffic and buildings everywhere and whatnot. So I do love this area.

The weather lately has been quite an adventure... haha. It gets into the 40's and humidity is at like 98% always. So knocking in the dark pouring freezing sleet-rain is ridiculous - we were walking backwards to keep our hoods on and not face the iciness in our face, but after Saturday night we were literally soaked through everything (my skirt is still drying) and freezing and it's quite an adventure. I couldn't help but just be laughing all night and how ridiculous it was. It's rather exciting cause while Stevens and I were walking backwards shivering yelling over the wind-rain I said "so it's like this every night in the winter right? this is the cold?" and she said "this is nothing.." SO. Winter 2014 here we go!

So the fireside last night in Olympia was AWESOME. I got to sing twice actually! :D I got to duet for a part in the EFY medley we sang (and it's cool cause we say we are now the Lord's missionaries instead of we will be and it gives you the chills) and then got to be part of a elder-sister group singing beautiful savior. It was so great! I miss miss miss singing. It was so fun. AND I got to see David and Eleanor last night!!!! David came and it was SO good to see him! I was joking with him and said "see ya at your baptism ;)" and he just scoffed at me. HA! It's happening. ;) And Eleanor I just absolutely adore. There is the most wonderful feeling in the world seeing the people you love so much again!! It fills your whole soul! I can't even describe it to you! All of the craziness is worth it in the end.
After the fireside we got to sleepover with the STL's in Lacey which was a blast. This morning we got to all study together and went to lunch (at PANERA!!!) and just had a jolly good time.
So anyway. This area has so much going for it and I'm so excited to see how this all turns out! We found a few new investigators and are teaching like 6 unbaptized kids, which is fun stuff.
I am just learning a ton always. It is super humbling being a missionary. I love these people!

And ok here's a thought I was pondering this morning in study. I was reading in Alma 2ish and the Amlicites join up with the Lamanites and come up against the Nephites (the righteous ones at the time) and it says that they see the bad guys coming "as many as the sands in the sea" , so I totally just imagine the scene in Mulan where there's this lil group of them and they see the clouds move and there's these masses of Huns coming over the mountains towards them, and there's no way they can logically defeat these guys. BUT, back to the scriptures, it says the Nephites prayed mightily unto the lord (I would too, rather mightily I might add) and because of their faith it says that the Lamanites began to flee, even though they were still outnumbered.  Its totally a pattern in the scriptures that when a nation wages war in anger/hatred, its those in defense of their land and family, on God's side that always wins. Every time. God's side will always persevere, so why would we ever choose the opposite side? AND, even when they were still outnumbered the bad guys were running away and I think of those people on our side fighting for us that we cant always see. They're there too :)  we are never alone!

I love you!!! I hope you have the best week ever!
Sister Charity Wilson

Pictures!

Charity's camera died and so we haven't seen many pictures lately, but her comp had a camera she wasn't using and let Charity use it this transfer.  So....here are some pictures! Yay :)

 

this is me and sister Chapman (from gilbert - she just went home!)

 

and the massive burger 5 of us split at zone lunch last Monday :)

These are roses Dutch got us - the last ones on his bush. 

Because "life is about giving your last pretty roses to pretty people" 

 

 I LOVE DUTCH D''':

Abbey and Sister Wilson

 

David, Sis Rea and Wilson

(one of their investigators)

Woops! (dropped the frog)

Isn't he cute?!

 

 Another one on someones doorstep

me and sis Stevens! 

we got to pick pumpkins at a members the other day!

and the GORGEOUSNESS of WA!!!!

Deschutes River

So, here in the Deschutes River Ward, basically you can take everything that Olympia was, invert it, and that is what this area is like. TOTALLY opposite. Our area is huuuge, it takes 40 minutes to drive from one end to the other! And the church is out of our area, which is weird too! And it's country. Way country. Everything is little boonies and during 5-7's some nights we knock like 5-10 houses they're so spread out with long driveways. Everyone has horses and cows and goats and llamas and everything, so that's pretty fun. It is b-e-a-u-tiful though. It gets a little sketchy at night walking through the forest and it is pitch black. The first couple nights we forgot our flashlights... and that was worrisome hah but we're alive! We have reflector belts we have to start wearing too (super attractive, you should see). So. Good times are ahead!

Sister Stevens is great! She has had a pretty difficult mission and she's going home this transfer, so I'm killing her here and taking over the area. This area.. it's just so crazy how different even the wards can be. It's a pretty small ward and most everyone is old. But I like it! We go to the Jackson's a lot, Sister Jackson is just wonderful :) We did our laundry over there yesterday and we got permission from President to email at her house while our laundry is going too - so next week will be normal Monday email! (and no computer cutting us off mid-email :D) So I'm excited for that!

Before leaving Olympia we drove around and said bye to some of my favorite people. Dutch was our first stop, and by golly I just love him so much. He gave me this gorgeous (expensive) diamond necklace! He is the sweetest most genuine old man I will ever meet. I just adore him. He says he's going to pop by the Yelm ward one of these days... haha :) Ah. Dutch.

I also got to meet with David! I don't even remember all I've said about him... but it's been going back and forth and back and forth and I know he knows it's true. He wanted me to bear him my testimony before I left, so we did that Monday night before transfers. And it was cool. I know he'll come around some day:) Hopefully soon. But. And I don't know what happens with Robin - they were supposed to teach her the Law of chastity the night I left (poor new missionary.. baptism by fire) So I really hope that went well. 

 

This Sunday in Olympia is a fireside we get to go to so I can see everyone again!! YAY! I'm excited.

So, this week we've been driving a whole lot cause you have to drive forever to get anywhere! haha! Most people are pretty nice. And ok. Ramtha is sketch. My first night knocking here we knocked into a "Ramster" (sorry, they prefer to be called "students") and he spent like 20 minutes telling us all about what they believe and whatnot. It's scary. Ramtha IS Satan. Part of the "School of Enlightenment" compound is in our area and Stevens says you can hear them wailing at night.... But. God is on our side. :) And we all know already that God always comes out on top. (even in movies the good side always wins. even in the moment you think "oh man he's done for" somehow it all works out. it always does!)

I feel like this week I have had so much more faith. There are people out there waiting - we just have to find them! Relying on the Spirit is SO important in this work - nothing will get done if you don't have it with you. The power of prayer is real. I know I have a whole lot to learn and grow from this transfer... It will be difficult, but I know it will be awesome! This is God's church! I love being a missionary!! I love you all!!!

Have a fantastic week!

Sister Charity Wilson