Steezin'

Well it has officially been 2 months and I'm still loving it! Not too much happened this week. It is still hot and humid, iguanas and lizards are everywhere, and I still don't know how to speak Spanish. (Although it is getting better.)

We have been teaching a few people this week. I think I mentioned last week but one of the families we are teaching is the Bishop's family. We taught a small lesson about the Restoration and The Book of Mormon to them on Friday. They all seemed pretty interested and I think we can keep making progress with them. It helps to have the Bishop involved so he can help remind them about important invitations and events. We are meeting with them again tomorrow!

We have also been teaching a lady named Sandy. She owns a really cool shop where they make these little statues. They're called "choca statues". Anyways, we teach her in her shop and it is awesome. She is super interested and loves having us around, the only problem is we can't get her to come to church. She is the nicest person and loves everything we have to teach, but she values her Sundays and it is tough to get her to church. It will happen though! 

This week we had 2 people come up to us in the street and told us they wanted to hear our message. We taught them a few things and they were interested. Only bad thing is they are in the Macuspana ward and not our ward (Libertad). We helped them with their questions and are hoping they can find their answers in the Book of Mormon. 

I finished the Book of Mormon again this last week and it is still the best book around. I learn something new every time I read it. Every time I have a question or a doubt I receive an answer in the Book of Mormon. I really love Moroni 10:5 and the power it has. "And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." I think about this scripture every day and I am always sharing it with the people here. I know that through the Holy Ghost you can find the answer to all things. 

That's it for this week, Happy Thanksgiving! Love you all!

Elder Wilde

I've still got it! My companion was telling me how the claw machines are rigged and nobody can win. So I showed him how it was done on my first try. Totally worth the 5 pesos.

There are iguana's everywhere!

Get that corn outta my face!

This week was full of some interesting food... On Wednesday we had a family home evening with one of the families in our ward and she gave us some of that Mexican corn. Nacho Libre makes it look way good and honestly it sucks. They put this sour mayonnaise and this dry cottage cheese on it and it is not very good. Then the next day she pulls the reverse uno card on us and made the best fish I have ever had! Today was definitely the best one... I ate a freaking turtle! It had like no flavor but it was still bomb because I knew I was eating one of the Ninja Turtles. 

The work has been slow. Every time we think we have someone who is interested they drop us so it is kind of discouraging. Well with every bad thing, there is a positive. Today we ate with the Bishop and he told us that nobody in his family is a member and they were being taught by the missionaries before the area closed. We set an appointment with them for this week and I really think that there will be something from this!

Another cool thing happened this week. We were walking around at about 8 at night and we were going to go visit a member that lives in a little sketchier part of town and somehow we got lost even though we knew where he lived. We decided that we would go to another members house that is closer to ours and when we told her we got lost she was happy about it. She told us that we shouldn't go to that area past dark because there was a shooting the night before. So I think there was a reason we got lost... shoutout to Jesus!

My relationship with the Latinos in our house is awesome. I can barely talk with them but we are all best friends. Elder Montes is my favorite person on this planet. I never feel homesick because he is constantly teasing me haha! I decided to play a prank on him this week because why not. He has like 20 pictures of his girlfriend on his wall so I moved them all to my desk and put a picture of me on his wall and said "amor verdadero" (true love). He didn't think it was funny until I gave him the pictures back, then we laughed for a good 10 minutes, I love that dude! 

I am almost done with the Book of Mormon again. I decided I might as well try and read it once a month because that is what I'm on track to do. I read a talk in the Liahona this week by David A. Bednar and in it he talks about the true meaning of Joy. He says how Joy is long lasting happiness and fun is just temporary. As I read in Alma I noticed that Joy was mentioned in a lot of the verses and it is always after the people repent. I don't think that is a coincidence. The Atonement and Jesus Christ are the source of all Joy and I am so grateful for that. I love this gospel so much and am so grateful for it!

Love you all, stay sweet!

Elder Wilde

(If you guys have the chance, read that talk in the Liahona! I promise you won't regret it!)

Me holding the Word of Wisdom pamphlet La Palabra de Sabiduria 

Elder Montes, Elder Wilde, Elder Lopez

Mojarra, deep fried fish. It was really good!

Sorry Raphael. This is the turtle that we ate. They stick the whole turtle in and grill it. Not much flavor, but it wasn't bad.

No Entiendo

No entiendo (I don't understand) has become my favorite phrase, I use it every time someone says something to me. I thought I would for sure be fluent after this week... ha I wish! I have just learned to laugh when they laugh and smile when they say something to me. 

The work here has been a little slow. This area is new so we are still trying to find people to teach. We have been talking with members and asking for referrals and it isn’t working as well as we would like it to be. We have planned to have a family home evening with most of the families in the ward and we are hoping we can get some referrals from them. 

Sunday was the most productive day. We get to church and we talk to the Bishop for a little bit about members and inactives we can visit. After we wrap that conversation up he asked if we could give talks today. Not gonna lie I was really excited for my talk. The members know I can't speak Spanish so I was gonna crack a good joke, earn their love, share my testimony, and sit down. It sounded like the perfect plan. Well, I get up there and say "soy choco" which means I am a native of Tabasco. I got like 2 laughs out of that so shoutout to those people. I continued with my talk and shared Alma 26:12 with them and the spirit was so strong. I closed with my testimony in my broken Spanish and looked around and saw some tears and that made me happy. Not only did I know they could feel the spirit, I knew that they could understand me haha! 

Later on that night we had a family home evening with a hermana in the ward. Our goal is to reactivate her and help her daughter get baptized. We talked about the importance of the Holy Ghost and his role in our lives. Once again I shared my testimony and was able to testify of the greatness of the Holy Ghost. 

One thing I have noticed is that every time I share my testimony I always find the right words to say. I can't have a normal conversation or understand everything that is said, but I have learned to rely on the spirit and be an instrument in the hands of God. I was told  by a few people that my Spanish was nearly perfect in my testimony and I know it is because of the Lord. I am so grateful for the people here and the gospel. 

Love you all, stay sweet!

Elder Wilde 

This is my city! There is supposed to be an S where I am standing, but someone stole it. So the way it looks now is actually how they pronounce it.

It's Hawt

Monday November 4, 2019

I am alive and well. Right as I started to feel comfortable in the MTC I leave. When we were landing it was pouring rain and really humid and was really green. On the way to the mission office it felt like a dream. We are having interviews with the mission president and then we will get with our companions and go to our areas. I'm super excited to get out and get to work. Hopefully I can learn the language haha I have no clue what everybody is saying right now. Love you all!

Elder Wilde 

Me with President & Sister Whitworth                                 Me and my new companion Elder Brown

Elder Lopez, Elder Montes, Elder Wilde, Elder Brown

Me and Elder Taylor at the mission home

Me and my new companion Elder Brown

Tuesday November 5, 2019

Alrighty where do I even start? We flew in yesterday and went straight to the mission office. When we were there we had our first interviews with President Whitworth. He asked me about my likes and asked me to share my testimony. After I finished sharing my testimony he said he loved it and is really excited to get to know me better. So basically you could say I nailed it and will be AP after I finish my training. Just kidding, totally a joke ;) But my Mission President is really cool and I like him a lot!

Elder Brown is my trainer. He is from Vernal and went to Uintah High School. We honestly have nothing in common but who cares because I can make friends with anyone. I just agree with whatever and smile haha. We share a house with Elder Lopez and Elder Montes so hopefully they can help me with my Spanish. Our house is in Macuspana, our area is Gaviotas and we cover the Libertad ward. It is a straight party. 

Yesterday we stopped by the house of the Lopez Melo family. I go in and sit down on the couch and the mom says something to me and I am lost. I understood like one word every 3 sentences then I would smile about it and they would just laugh at me. I understood them when they asked if we wanted a Coke so I definitely said yes. Then Elder Montes translated a word for me and one of the daughters who is about our age asked Elder Montes "do you speak english?". Well I understood that so I say "Yo hablo perfecto Inglés" and that got a good laugh out of them. Basically I am a straight clown to them so this is gonna be fun. 

I finally got some real Mexican food and it definitely doesn't make me miss the CCM. We ordered some tacos and they delivered it to our house and they were so freaking good. The only bad thing was that it took a good hour and a half for them to deliver so we didn't even eat them until about midnight. Nothing better than some street tacos and some ice cold Coke! This morning I tried a new drink called Pozol and I did not think I'd like it but I actually like it a lot. It is a bitter chocolate drink with corn in it and it is kind of good. It is basically like drinking watered down chocolate milk with a tortilla. Maybe I liked it because it was cold, who knows. 

Now for the creatures. Turns out, I'm not the only creature in Mexico. There was a spider as big as my hand on our wall and a gecko this morning. Then we walk outside and there is a giant iguana and it was so sick. Apparently they eat them here so I am excited for that. There is also a stray dog about everywhere we go and it is kind of sad. Now that I think about it, wouldn't be surprised if the tacos last night were from a dog... just kidding, I think! There are lots of crocodiles here but I am yet to see one. I'm thinking I will be like Steve Irwin and go be their friend when I see one. The monkeys aren't in my area and I am super bummed because I was tryna be like Aladdin and have a pet monkey. 

Now time for the weather. It is one of the cooler months and it is still super hot and humid. I feel sticky all the time and I'm always dripping sweat. The shower is ice cold and it is the best! The only bad thing about it is there is no such thing as drying off. When I wipe myself down with the towel, the humidity makes me wet again. Gotta love it. 

I have always been a pretty patient and positive person but not gonna lie the doubts are hitting me. Elder Fogg is in our district and he helped me today. He was saying how I shouldn't worry at all because the people will love me even when they don't have any idea what I'm talking about. I also was reading in D&C when it says something about being able to share the gospel in different languages. It reminds me of the saying "you will make 100,000 mistakes before you can speak the language". I know there is a reason I'm here and as long as I trust in the Lord I will be able to do his work. 

Love you all, stay sweet. 

Elder Wilde 

Enjoying some Pozol

Everything is better with a Coke!

View from the top of our apartment

View of the back

Nothing like waking up to this guy. The gecko was too quick and got away before I could get a picture.

We've Only Just Begun

Week 6! I got my flight plans yesterday and we fly out Monday morning at 6:40! I am definitely not ready to speak Spanish to these people but I am ready to get the heck out of here! There are 13 Elders going to Villahermosa on Monday so I am super excited for that! 

As I say every week, this week was a normal week at the CCM. Class, struggling with Spanish, study... you know, the basics. I feel like my Spanish is basically the same as it was week 1. There are days when I feel like I am in high school Spanish class and understand absolutely nothing, then there are those days when I think I'm fluent. Sometimes when we practice teaching I just go off in Spanish and its kinda sick not gonna lie. 

So on Thursday a Latino came into our classroom and started talking with me for a little bit. He was a really nice guy and I liked talking to him. Then homie complimented my tie and said he wanted it. Well me being the nice person I am decided to switch ties with him. I got a cool tie in return but not gonna lie I only did it for the story to tell haha. 

On Friday we had a special devotional from Shayne Bowen of the 70 and it was amazing! He talked a lot about missionary work and the importance of the Holy Ghost. One of the quotes I liked from him was when he said "without the Holy Ghost, the mission is impossible." It is so true and I loved it so much! He also said "When you know it's going to be hard, it's not so hard when it's hard." It takes a while to think about but it is an amazing quote. We know that it is going to be hard but we know that through Christ all things are possible. 

Yesterday at devotional Elder McMaster sang "Homeward Bound" and it was amazing. The dude has a dang good voice, he reminds me of a young me. I definitely felt like a proud father. Everyone has been saying how good he did and how great he sounds but since he is humble I take the hype upon myself. 

I have been reading a lot in D&C and I started the Book of Mormon again! When people say the mission changes you, they're right. I don't know how but I love reading now haha! 

Last thing, Elder Gomez is a Latino in our house and he is going to Orem on his mission. So, I told him I have lots of friends and family there that will spoil him, so if you see him, you know what to do ;). 

There is literally nothing cool to talk about except that I leave Monday. I am not sure when my next P day will be so I guess we will find out. I am super excited for Villahermosa and the great experiences I will have there! I don't have any pictures because after 6 weeks in the MTC there is nothing to take a picture of... and I may or may not have left my camera in the house haha...sorry mom. 

Anyways, Love you all! 

Elder Wilde

Talk to y'all next time from Villahermosa!

Me and Elder Gomez

Me just chillin' with my 632 wipes. Thanks Mom!

This is Esteban Nava who works at the CCM. He sent me this photo of him and Carter this morning through Instagram! He seems to be a bright spot to so many missionaries!

Diarrhea Since Easters

What up Fam,

I think the title is pretty self explanatory. Elder McMaster is the last man standing and I don't know how! Other than that this week was good! Not much has changed because I'm basically in a prison and don't have anything other than class every day. 

Friday Elder Burr and I went to the migration office which was about an hour and a half away from the CCM so that was fun. I finally got to drink my first Mexican Coke and it was fuego!  I asked how much it was and spoke to the dude and it was sweet, well worth the 17 pesos. Then the lady in the office asked how old I was and I answered so basically I'm #fluent. 

There was a street taco stand and I really wanted one but the workers wouldn't let us have one... kinda happy I didn't! 

I know you think I am a Latino now because I can communicate like a 2 year old, but I am not. We had TRC this last week and that is where we talk to members from down here. My homie Moíses started talking and I understood nothing until I asked where he worked and he goes "New Era Cap". So me being the Latino I am, used my best buddy (google translate) to talk to him about my Cubs hats. Later on I found out he spoke English so we could actually talk. Then we had a 12 year old girl that we were talking to and I told her she can repent of her pescados not pecados... I said fish instead of sins haha! She just laughed so I told her my Spanish is very bad.

One of the instructors next door served in Villahermosa and he talked to us about it for a little bit! He said that the apartments have AC and that was the greatest thing ever. He told me baseball is way big down there and that got me more excited. He said there are monkeys walking around the streets and that got me even more excited! But with every positive there is a negative... he said you will definitely get sick your first few weeks. He also said that at night you can hear jaguars so that is kinda creepy but lowkey super sick! I can't wait to get out there!

Yesterday 240 new guys came so it is getting kind of packed! I saw my buddy Stockton Veenker and talked to him for a bit. It is always nice to see some old friends and talk with them!

Yesterday I finished the Book of Mormon again! Kinda proud of myself that it only took 2 and a half weeks. One thing I noticed while reading is how often it says we should put our trust in the Lord. I found a lot of good scriptures that have helped me when I struggle. There have been those days where I don't understand any Spanish and I am tired of being here, but when I read the Book of Mormon I feel the comfort of the Holy Ghost and it's amazing. Then if I am still feeling bad at the end of the day I sing Be Alright in the shower and I feel good after haha! 

That is it for this week! Love you all and go Nats! (Gonna be my Cubbies in 2020)

Elder Wilde 

Me and my buddy Stockton

Jonny boy and my mans Jake

Hacky sack with the boys, just hangin' the heck out

Classic tool pic

My boy, Xan

What it do baby

Howdy everyone! Week 4 here in the CCM and I'm still having a good time! Not too much that has changed here, still a bunch of Spanish and class. My Spanish is getting better! I can understand a handful of words in each sentence so that's good!

We will start with the bad things this week. There's a good amount of people getting sick, luckily I haven't been sick... yet haha! Also, the worst thing of this week was saying bye to the Latinos from our house! We knew them for 3 weeks and could barely even talk to them but we became best friends. Elder Garcia cried when he said bye to me and that was hard, I love that dude! I told Elder Garcia he could come visit Utah in 2 years and stay with us... (sorry mom). But some good news is we got new Latinos yesterday and they are awesome! One of them is from Chicago and speaks perfect English and Spanish. He is also a Cubs fan so I really like him! Latino people are the best!

Now time for some Spooky Madness! After lots of arguing and intense rounds, Reese's ended as the champ. It may not be that big of a deal to you guys at home, but this is all we got. We have been talking about the dumbest things because there's nothing else haha. And because we have no memes to look at, we quote movies and make our own memes. Elder Scott, Burr, and McMaster have been talking like Yoda and Luke Skywalker and it's hilarious!

Now time for the good spiritual stuff and there's a lot! Yesterday at devotional we watched a broadcast from the Provo MTC. Quintin L. Cook was the speaker and it was amazing. He started off by talking about the way they assigned missions and the spirit was so strong! A quote I liked from him was "The Lord is in charge, if I assign a mission incorrectly, the spirit immediately stops me and makes me go back". After hearing this, the spirit spoke to me and really let me know that Villahermosa is where I'm supposed to be. 

I got pretty bored this week so I read the Book of Mormon. Everyone who knows me knows I HATE reading. So I started reading and I didn't want to stop. On Sunday I read the whole book of Mosiah and yesterday I read 30 chapters in Alma. I have been learning so much and love this book so much! 

Last experience happened about 3 hours ago. As I mentioned earlier, Elder Scott and Simpson have been pretty sick so they asked my room to give them a blessing. I didn't give the blessing but the spirit still spoke to me telling me what needed to be said. Every time I thought of something, the person giving the blessing said it. The spirit was so strong I couldn't describe the feeling. I am so grateful for the priesthood!

I wanna end this with a challenge for everyone. As I have been studying the Book of Mormon, one thing that is mentioned in almost every chapter is the Atonement. I challenge everyone to start reading, or continue to read the Book of Mormon. I also challenge everyone to use the Atonement every day! There is no greater gift than the Book of Mormon and the Savior's Atonement! I am so grateful for this gospel and I love it so much!

Have a great week! Love you all!

Elder Wilde

I-I, I work out...

#TRUTH

Fresh haircut