Buenas dias familia!!
This has been a crazy week. Also I like leave for Mexico in three days or something so that's super fun. We got our travel plans and we are leaving here at 7:30 am Monday morning!! Which means any dear elders or letters sent after Friday won't get here just FYI.
Okay ready for these?
Miracles and Memorable Moments:
So once upon a time my companion and I were the only ones at the West Campus cafeteria except for two elders, because everyone else in the world had gone up to Main for dinner before the devotional, which they sort of ask us not to do but it's fun--whatever. So there we sat and the nice cafeteria man came over and informed us that the general authority who was speaking that night would be there in a few minutes if we wanted to stick around. So we're like, psh, OKAY I guess we could. Seriously though we were so excited.
Sure enough we waited about twenty minutes and in walks this squad of Elder W. Craig Zwick of the seventy and his wife and granddaughter, the MTC presidency, some police man and other happy-looking folks, all there to meet missionaries who weren't there. Except yours truly and her lovely companion. So we went over and got to talk to them forever and hang out and Elder and Sister Zwick told us stories of Tuxtla Gutierrez and we got to hug her and her granddaughter. (Story break: one of the things they said was the Tzotzil people in Tuxtla Gutierrez have a phrase they use and I can't remember how it's spelled, something like 'koo-la-something' ["K’uxi elan avo’onton"] that means "How is your heart?" To greet each other. Isn't that special? I'm going to start asking people how their heart is. Goodness. Adorable.)
It was just the most special thing and we walked out of there skipping and smiling, only to see our bus driving away. So of course I start running after it and hollering like the dignified missionary I am as my companion dies of laughter behind me. But alas 'twas gone. So we went to our apartment, which was locked, and started walking back to the bus stop as bus #2 pulled up while we were yet afar off. Here I go again, sprinting after it, shouting to the one lone man on the empty campus "STOP THAT BUS!" (of course he couldn't hear me, he was way up there), and then I pause in my running to turn around and assure my companion "Don't worry, I told that nice man to hold it for us" and kept running and that was just it, she lost it laughing. But I did get up to the bus right as it turned off its brakes and waved, and he opened the door and informed us he was going to BYU and was not in fact our bus. But we made the third one, never you worry.
The devotional was so wonderful--Sister Zwick talked about patience and how it is more than just waiting, but is acting with hope and faith that things will work out. She said a lot of times we don't get what we want at the time because sometimes "more blessings come through waiting than receiving," so we are able to grow more by being patient than we would by getting the answer we think we want. I thought that was very interesting. Everything in this life has an ebbing period, where it has to retreat and store energy in life's cycle--she talked about her tulips that turned all dead and nasty before they could come back in full bloom. So we have to be patient with those times in our lives when everything isn't in full bloom and know there is a time for everything and we may be receiving the nourishment and growth we need to bloom later.
Elder Zwick taught us about the work of salvation which is hastening, and how each of us must allow that work to happen inside of ourselves in order to be the servants we want to be. Some of the most sacred moments we can have are when we pour our hearts out alone and know that God is listening. It was such an amazing talk to listen to. How amazing that every one of us on this earth right now get to be a part of this hastening work, and we don't want to miss it! The Savior Himself is leading it and we are to become actively engaged, work with missionaries as members, apply every principle in ourselves and stand as a witness of Christ at all times so we can be ready when He needs us. He also gave us a shoutout as the West campus missionaries at the cafeteria, which I don't think everyone realized was exactly four people, but anyway. They are such special people.
Memorable moment number two is one morning as I walked up the stairs innocently, but alas had my hands in my pockets. What a terrible decision. And so when my foot missed the step, my face plunged toward the awaiting concrete-and-metal step ever so quickly and I broke my two front teeth in half. Just kidding, that's what you'd expect to happen though right? The miracle is in the fact that only my lip was cut and I have a beautiful gash on the space between my mouth and my nose, which I later learned is called a mandible. We had a great job of searching for a bandaid on that campus, because turns out the health clinic over here on West campus doesn't have or know anything about bandaids (what?) but we eventually cut a giant one into a little rectangular Hitler mustache for me which we all enjoyed quite a bit. Anyway, every day since then I have been ever so grateful that I still have a face and all my teeth. Wow.
And to complete my happy week, I was a little sick all week long. And by a little I mean I was coughing my lungs up every day and it was nasty, but luckily I have some wonderful hermanas taking care of me and a wonderful God helping me to have the energy and strength to keep at it. I felt His hand so much this week helping me to keep going when moments were rough. I decided that impossible moments and really rough days are such great gifts for each of us, because we can't see it but we are growing so much in that time. I can't remember if I already shared this quote, but a couple of weeks ago we talked about a man in the Willie and Martin Handcart company who said he would not have changed his decision to travel with them because "We paid a great price to become acquainted with the Savior and that price was a privilege to pay." What an amazing perspective, right? That is something I am learning more and more everyday. My companion and I were talking about those times when you really don't feel like moving forward or you don't feel like enough for the Lord, but even when we feel this big (.) and we think He deserves more, we should still give Him all of this (.) and He can make up the rest. Did that make sense?
Yesterday I fell in love with Mosiah 2 and 3. I love how he tells us how small we are and how much God gives us every day. He is lending us breath and strength and life every second and there's no way we can ever get out of His debt. We talked about how we often don't realize where everything around us is coming from, the wind, the moments of happiness, little miracles, but that God is constantly pouring life and help and blessings on us every day. And in those moments when it stops for a second or we get hit by a little acorn, we wonder where in the world He is. What a silly thing. There's power in thinking about where all the blessings we have come from. Reminds me of the mormon message, I think it's called "Earthly Father, Heavenly Father", go watch it. Sometimes we are like fish who don't know what water is even though we completely depend on it every second of our lives. So we're going to go teach some fish about water, teach people about the God who is already so involved in their life and giving them the breath, love and blessings they need to make it through each day.
Well, I am off to Mexico it looks like. I am SO EXCITED. And I love this work and I love you all! Keep going, chins up!
Hermana Wilson
p.s. Here is us with our investigator from Guatemala Hely. She is so cute. We have a very special relationship and her husband says she talks about "Miss Wilson" all the time at home. What a sweetie. We just talk and talk whenever I see her, I'm sure it annoys my companion a little bit, whoops.
And this is us fruity pebbling after long hard days. Hermana Brau bought a huge thing of the dinosaur fruity pebbles and it is the best tradition ever. Love these hermanas!
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