I Hate Goodbyes

Well I think everybody knows what is happening, I am very sad about it! I honestly did not think that it was going to get to this point. We found out last night and it was pretty hard for me. I have learned so much in these last 6 months here! All we can learn here is that everything happens for a reason and the Lord knows everything! On the bright side, this week Elder Hunter and I worked our butts off and got lots of work done!

We set 6 baptismal dates, and had 3 lined up for the 29th. Due to the circumstances we are going to try to baptize them tomorrow! It is a family of five (Gilberto, Rosa, Estrella, Gilberto Jr, Gabriela). The mom and dad aren't married so we spent a lot of time this week trying to figure some stuff out. We taught some amazing lessons with them and the spirit was incredible. When we went back to teach the plan of salvation, we asked the dad, "did you pray about the Book of Mormon?". He replied, "I know with all of my heart that this is the true church and I want to be baptized. We talked with a family and have decided this is the church for us." Talk about the greatest words to ever hear! I am praying so hard that we can baptize them before I leave! 

The other baptism date was Omar. He is the one I met a few months ago from playing soccer! We stopped visiting him because his parents don't like us too much. We would swing by every now and again to see if we could find him but we couldn't. One day he texted us and said he missed us and wanted to meet! When we went he said that he had been reading the Book of Mormon every day and he loves it! He also told us that when he is 18 he wants to serve a mission! The problem with him is that we can't get permission, in fact the parents don't want to meet us haha. 

This was probably one of the funnest weeks I have had so far in the mission. We worked so hard in the hot sun and it was worth it. I was able to share my testimony to touch the hearts of others. I also had my testimony strengthened because of them. I am still in shock of what is actually happening. Last night as I tried to sleep I was thinking of the positives of what is happening and one that I thought of is how lucky I am to be a missionary during this time. We are teaching every day talking about how we need to prepare for the second coming of Christ. It is so close it is unreal! This is where the test is going to get harder! We need to trust the Lord so much right now! I would be lying if I said I didn't shed a few tears last night, but I was also crying tears of joy because of the great things that are happening in my life! I am so, so grateful for this Gospel!

Love you all! Stay healthy! See ya when I see ya!

Elder Wilde 

Birthday Time

What is good my dudes! 

So this week was chillin but really weird too. Basically with the whole coronavirus crap everyone is freaking out even tho it isn't even here! We had a sacrament meeting in a members house so it was dope! We also bought my homeboy Anthony a cake for his bday!

It is tough in this area but it we are still grinding. We want to find someone solid to teach, not just someone on the street that blows us off. The family we spent the most time with this week is the family of Hermana Sandra. She is an inactive member and is super chill. She hooks it up fat with references. We contacted her neighbors and her friend. We were also able to have a sacrament meeting in her house and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was actually a pretty cool experience because it counted as attendance for the 6 investigators we had there! I taught most of the lesson and it was a very spiritual and fun night. Even with church being cancelled, I still go to church every Sunday!

Yesterday we also went to a baptism in Villahermosa for one of the families Elder Hunter found there! I was able to give a talk and explain a little about the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end! It was a really fun experience to share my testimony and insights on this topic. It is super cool because when I speak, I don't know what I say, the spirit just flows. Shoutout to Heavenly Father, He always has my back. 

Highlight of the week though was definitely buying Anthony a cake. He is the 5 year old son of Sandra. They didn't have money for a cake so we bought him one and he was so excited! The kid loves us so much and I freaking love him!

Time to get a little serious now my friends. Little rumor is that people are freaking out about the sickness. I didn't realize how much of a bubble I was living in right now. It is probably a little scary for everyone right now but it is gonna be okay. The Lord knows everything! All we can do is keep doing what is right and the Lord is gonna bless us all! 

Love you all and I'm praying for you!

Elder Wilde 

Anthony's Birthday cake!

Me, Anthony, and his little sister Yenifer 

Anthony always wants to put my tie and name tag on.

Joslyn, Anthony, Yenifer, and Anthony. Yep, both boys are named Anthony

Baptism we attended in Villahermosa.

I am so happy for this family!

Home Sweet Home

Hello Everybody! 

Before you read the email title and think I am coming home, I am not. Don't worry. I am saying that because I am staying another transfer in Macuspana and that will mean it is 6 months here! I am starting to know this place better than I know Orem! This week wasn't too exciting because we spent a lot of time with the same people trying to better teach them.

Let's start with Aranza. We had her scheduled to get baptized this week but we didn't get permission so we are still waiting for her parents to give us that. I am still super confused with the family because they are all, "yeah we believe everything but we were baptized when we were babies." Like dude what the freak what did we just teach you haha it is annoying! We are hoping we can push it back for this weekend so keep praying we can get permission!

Our other investigators we visited a couple of times this week and keep teaching them. We have about 4 solid baptismal dates right now and I am praying that they can receive answers to their prayers. Our problem is getting them to come to church. We have been trying to get the members to help us with this, but they don't really care to haha. One of our other things we have been working on is reactivating families and so far it is going alright. I am loving the work that is happening with the inactives. One of the inactive ladies has come to church the last few weeks and talks about how she wants to get sealed to her husband in the temple this month! We are hoping we can help her better prepare for that!

Had a couple funny things happen this week. First, Elder Hunter caught a freaking baby iguana outside of the house this week and it was awesome! After he went to put it back in the tree outside the window and it jumped out of his hand and fell about 20 feet... but it got up and ran away! We saw him again the next morning in the same spot so we didn't stress too much haha. Second, I thought I was getting transferred so I started to pack up all of my stuff. We visited all of the members and were telling them that I was gonna leave... then we got the news that I was staying so I had to unpack again and tell the members I was joking haha.

Because they thought it was my last Sunday they asked me to speak. Well since the people here are awesome they ask you to speak 2 seconds before the meeting starts. My topic was "faith and hope" so I marked a few bullet points and just went and talked. I was hoping my Spanish was well enough that I could just go off. I went up there and the spirit was a homie and carried me through the talk. I was told I spoke perfect and that it was a really good talk. (talk about a confidence booster). It was fun to share my testimony with the people in the ward and hopefully I said something they needed! I am excited to work with them for another transfer! 

Love you all!

Elder Wilde 

Elder Hunter the Lizard Hunter :)

Agua Blanca

What's up my dudes! Solid week (and possibly my last) here in Macuspana! We had a bomb week, taught some dope lessons, set some more baptismal dates, and ended the week with a fun trip to a place called "Agua Blanca". 

So, let's start this off with some fun news... we have a baptism lined up for Sunday (Aranza)! Has only taken almost 6 months but finally I will be dressed in white. Only way this will fall through is if the mom decides she doesn't want to give her permission (so pray she does). We could have baptized her yesterday but we want to make sure we teach her really well. We had a lesson with her and her family and it was going really, really well until the grandma decided to pull up. Grandma was out here trying to find the "false doctrine" but we all know that she couldn't. While Hunter was showing the grandma scriptures from the Bible, I was talking with Aranza about The Book of Mormon. She asked me how many times I have read it and when I told her how many times she got a big smile on her face and said that she wants to do that too! She then asked me how I knew the church was true and I shared about when I visited Palmyra and walked in the Sacred Grove and how you can't deny the spirit there. When she came to church she told us she watched the Restoration video and loved it! This chick is about to be a solid member!

We put 2 dates with Aranza's sister and her mom. They weren't at church but we know they are liking the stuff we teach. We are still working with the grandma. She said to us "I like your church. I like your doctrine. I believe it is all true, but I don't know about baptism." What in the world grandma! It honestly is so funny to watch her try to argue with us haha. Here they believe a lot in Mary and basically worship her. She asked if we believe in her and if our "bible" had her in there. Sure enough we kindly opened to a verse that describes her as a virtuous woman. Grandma aint got nothin on this church! She is actually a really nice lady, don't get me wrong haha!

The last baptism date we set up was with the boyfriend of one of the members. Dude is a straight homie and loves the lessons. He didn't come to church but he is 100% getting baptized in the future. His name is Alein and is a way chill dude. 

This morning we visited "Agua Blanca" and it was so sick! It is just a place with waterfalls and caves. It is in the middle of nowhere but it was really pretty. We went with Elder Ortiz and Elder Cicerone and partied it up. We didn't have a flashlight in the cave so it was an adventure using our flash on our cameras to find our way around haha. It was a fun P-Day!

This week I have thought a lot about the first members of the church. We taught the restoration a few times this week and every time I teach it I gain a stronger testimony. I think about how faithful the first members were. I don't know if I would believe a 14 year old boy, but I am so grateful that my ancestors did! The church is so freaking true!

Love you all! 

Elder Wilde 

Zone Conference