Homeward Bound

Homeward Bound

If you find it's me you're missing

If you're hoping I'll return

To your thoughts I'll soon be listening

And in the road I'll stop and turn

Then the wind will send me racing

As my journey nears its end

And the path I'll be retracing

As I'm homeward bound again

Well, this is a little bit of a delayed letter, but I received requests for one last letter to end it all up. So I will now account for what happened since my last Monday in San Cristobal.

The week was a whirlwind. Monday [July 6] we visited, got permission to eat pizza with all our girls in the zone and I got to say goodbye to the Lopez family (tears) and Sara and Mari, the reactivated daughter (more tears), and then I finished packing all night and got everything completely ready.

La Familia Lopez

Tuesday we went to the OCC [bus station] at 7 even though I didn't leave until 9:45 to make sure the rest of the girls got off safely. They all left at 7:45, and then we had two hours to go grab something to eat and contact a few people there in the station. We had some fun last minutes and then suddenly the people were telling me my bus was leaving and to get my luggage on so I left in a big rush and waved a lot, and right as I left Maria Ester got there and I just had to blow her kisses, and then let the tears flow their way out on the way to Tuxtla. We got to see a bunch of people changing areas there in the Tuxtla OCC as always -- old district leaders, companions, friends etc. Once we were tired of that, we headed to President's house, made ourselves quesadillas and then took a trip to Coita. I saw Dani and her family, Citlaly, and Zoila and it was all great. Then we went home and had a girls night with the 9 of us going home.

Wednesday we ate waffles. I got to have a nice long companionship study with Hermana Hickman, my MTC companion just like the olden days! I've missed those. She's wonderful. We practiced our song with all of us, ate pizza, had a testimony meeting, went to the temple, and then went to the dinner with President and all the office elders and sang our song. They'd put me in charge of a surprise song for President, and we sang "A Window to His Love" alternating between spanish and english and pulling off some cool parts. It went well, and then President asked for another one so I sat at the piano and we pulled all the elders in to sing too. It was a wonderful feeling. I don't know if I just get really happy every time there's music but I was. I just love those people and that place and the weird feeling of it being our last night in that world and holy cow.

Thursday we left at 6 am, said goodbye to our wonderful President and assistants and had a fun day on airplanes and in airports. Once in Mexico City Sister Bunker wanted to contact someone and we looked at each other and then at this one lady in the big airport sitting in her traditional flower-embroidered garb and we stood up and went to contact her. Because she's our people. We had a nice conversation about being Catholic and our beliefs. She was nice.

And then we came home and there were people in sombreros and so many of them and it was fun and we talked all night and I came home and collapsed on the carpet and everything felt really weird for about 36 hours.

People in sombreros

The welcoming committee

Having American food at Wendy’s

Telling people all about it

Carpet!!

Jogging companions the next morning! (Still not released)

[Dad’s note:] Erika and Jared were at trek when Kelsi returned home, so they didn’t think they would get to see her until Saturday when they returned. But the whole stake presidency was there, too, so we took Kelsi to trek Friday evening to get released. Erika’s reaction was perfect. Kelsi walked up behind her and put her arms around Erika. Erika said, “Who are you?”

Then a girl yelled “Kelsi!” and Erika screamed as she suddenly realized whose arms were around her.

We also caught it on video if you haven’t seen it.

It was cute seeing Kelsi with her friends at camp.

And how cool to get released up in the woods with instrumental primary songs playing in the background.

Kelsi also spoke in church that first Sunday.

Kelsi with Andrea and Craig Merrill
(Craig is her dad’s cousin, and their son Andrew went to the same mission the same day and is still there!)

PART TWO RM Life

We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.

—T.S. Elliot

That's a quote my MTC branch president shared with us right before we left. Transitioning from the mission life (or "REAL LIFE" as Elder Holland calls it) to earthly life I guess is like waking up from one of those really long realistic dreams and wondering what you're doing in your bed and sort of wishing you could go back to sleep and go back but knowing it's too late. But once you get all the way awake you remember why it's good to be there. The first few days were lovely and confusing and then I started wondering what I was supposed to be doing here. But I had an experience in which I was suddenly needed and it woke me back up. I learned that we can't do this alone.

There's a reason we have companions, and families, and wards and leaders. So once I could get someone to tell me to wake up and make goals together, I found myself studying like never before and having an absolutely amazing and full week. It's really been absolutely beautiful. Especially to realize that the spirit I was afraid of losing hasn't gone anywhere. The missionary calling doesn't give us the spirit--it gives us authority. Our covenants give us the spirit and that's a promise forever! I've also felt very inspired about some directions I need to take in my life and have learned a lot in my studies. Since I am ending this family email system now, I may just be starting a new blog to have somewhere to put my findings. Mostly, I want to thank each of you for shaping me and helping me become the person I am. Life is so beautiful and full and we are here to enjoy it! The gospel is JOY and if we want more joy, we just need more gospel in our life!

I know that Christ lives. I know He is our Savior. He is so filled with overflowing love for each one of us and gives us the chance to feel it when we let Him into our life. I will never forget how I felt when I really thought the Savior was standing beside me in Chiapas, Mexico. We can come unto Him and do it every day! There is so much to do wherever we are and it's time to get changing! I hope you're all with me! Love you so much!!

Hermana Wilson, signing off for the last time!

Kelsi Wilson

2716 W 12875 S

Riverton, UT 84065

Cell: (801) 473-3851

E-mail: kelsinwillis@gmail.com

If the Savior Stood Beside Me

This week. This week. Was indescribable. I can't describe it.

So I'll just tell you about it in a few days :)

Just kidding.

Well sometimes we hope that our last week we'll be able to go out with a bang and get the highest numbers in the planet, and we got the lowest. But we had an incredible week. It started last week after moving when we met with our leaders to plan and I felt we needed to center our conference completely on the Savior and do something different. So I started studying a lot about that.

Tuesday morning really early we headed to Tuxtla for my last council and got to see everyone up there. We began singing "If the Savior Stood Beside Me" (but in Spanish of course) and about halfway through the second verse I pretty much lost it and was just crying. I felt something so special. The Savior has become an even closer friend and He has changed so much for me. Only my companion noticed so that was nice. She's gotten to see me cry...a LOT. I decided I like crying now. The spirit changes us so much. But it was amazing because President talked only for a minute with us all and said he wanted our missionaries to understand the Savior better. So much inspiration going on everywhere.

We zoomed home and went at it preparing things with the zone leaders for the next morning's conference and had a really, REALLy special conference, in which we were able to throw together several activities and workshops, AND a completely impromptu musical number in which I suddenly had the violin I'd borrowed longer than I'd expected, and brought it, called the bishop to see if he could help, and halfway through the conference we snuck out with the ZL's to throw together an arrangement and practice one time with the bishop in the other room as some other elders were giving their workshop. It ended up going perfectly, I played "I'm trying to be like Jesus" on the violin with the bishop on the piano, and then he did a cool transition into "If the Savior Stood Beside Me" and the four of us came in singing the first two verses. Once again I lost it a little. And then the third verse we had the words on the board and the bishop did this huge introduction, and we ALL CAME IN SINGING with me on the violin doing harmony-obligato things and the HEAVENS OPENED ALL AROUND. I'm not sure if anyone else really felt it or if music is just such a powerful thing for me but it may have been one of the most beautiful moments of my existence. One elder was crying. Aw.

Here are our guys in Comitan. They're perfect. And basically our brothers.

Then we spent the week working a couple afternoons fixing problems in the new house, going to Comitan for amazing conference round 2 in which we tried some other ideas and also had an incredible experience, and THEN I came home and my eye had exploded with red and I was coughing a ton and my throat hurt and we were like "What just HAPPENED?" and luckily it was time to go home so we did, and the next morning I woke up with a fever and stomach problems and all the above from the day before and it was awesome. I told my companion she did a good job in "matarme" (killing me), which is what we say here for those who send their companions home.

When I called the leaders to tell them they just laughed. So did I. It was awesome. I was like "I always wanted to get sick in the mission!"  Too bad it didn't have a cool name or anything. It was just pure death. But they were nice and came to give me a blessing, we did it in a member's house closeby, where conveniently three other people wanted a blessing as well and then they gave us all protein shakes, and they took care of me all day even the mom who isn't a member was just bringing me things and rubbing my back and saying "poor thiiiiiing so far from home" and I was just laughing and I just sat in death and didn't want to eat or look at anything. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm not sure why. There's something satisfying about getting really sick your last day in the mission.

But now I'm pretty good, I just have a Miley Cyrus voice.

The point is, I love you all and am ridiculously grateful and happy and not sad, just really grateful for everything in the whole world and really excited to see you all . In the morning I head to visit Coita, (Ocozocoautla) go to Tuxtla, and that's where I'll be til Thursday morning.

Have a great day!

Here are Hermana Riches and me being killed by our zone.

Oh how glorious from the thrones above...

“...Shines the gospel light of truth and love!”

I think that's how it goes in english. I can't be sure. But that was my week. Pure light. So let's talk about it.

On Tuesday we had our tri-zone conference with President and the assistants. My companion and I taught a workshop on "receiving" the spirit and did an activity in which we threw balls randomly at people who weren't ready, and then at people who were, and how we need to prepare ourselves to receive the impressions of the spirit. I had the thought about a football receiver and how much he has to train, prepare and change himself physically to be ready to catch that ball in that one game, and then talked about how we can't just be ready out of nowhere but need to exercise our faith and train ourselves, change ourselves day by day to be ready when that one impression comes that we need to help someone.

President talked a lot about one of President Uchtdorf's talks about how "We are doing a great work and cannot come down." We watched the talk and it inspired me beyond words, as did President's words. Wow. The spirit was strong. Then they decided to end with testimonies and said "Who are the hermanas who are leaving this transfer?" I turn around and look behind me and everyone's like "Willllsooonnnn!" That was mean. So the other two and I shared our testimonies along with a bunch of other elders and a couple hermanas. Wow. It was so powerful. I cannot express in this moment how much I love the missionaries in these three zones. In fact, I don't think I've ever loved almost anyone this much, because it's not my love. It brought me to tears several times throughout the conference just watching them and their progress. I never expected how serving among the MISSIONARIES would change me so much, but for me it is even a more priceless work than the investigators. I've learned that the Lord's work will always go forward, and if there were no missionaries, it would continue in some other way. But that this program is so inspired because it takes youth and takes them right up to heaven for a little while so they can then learn how to spend their life getting back to that place and helping others. And I won't even start with th elove for the zone leaders. They are GOOD BOYS and I've seen how they've grown to have that same love, and many times we've been able to talk between the four of us about how to save these missionaries. I just want to marry all six of them. But not in a romantic way. Wait.

After the conference we all ate tacos and laughed a ton with our hermanas. They are ALL hilarious and all the same (and now I'm one of those). I feel like I'm hanging out with Angie and Paul all the time. Latin humor is the best. Last week an American lady came to our church visiting for a humanitarian trip. She didn't speak any spanish so I went and talked to her. We had a short conversation in which she was almost interested and then suddenly she just walked away and it left me almost in shock. We need to be less dry in our country.

After THAT I headed to Comitan to do exchanges with herman Baer from Nevada, which means I got to go with them in their megavan and we sang church music, played games and took pictures all the way down. It was awesome. Sending pictures.

Trip to Comitan

Elder Merrill and the others in the back.

After two days there, I came back up and we decided to do a second pair of exchanges that week although there wasn't a time. It turned out to be the most inspired thing in the world and one of the most beautiful experienes. We arrived to find two girls who hadn't spoken to each other in three days, who were completely consumed in pride and near tears not knowing how to let it go. We were shocked because these are GREAT GIRLS and our good friends. After talking it through a little we split up and I stayed with one of the hermanas. It's really interesting how the Lord does things, because ever since she arrived, we became really good friends and she told me that although she didn't like intercambios [exchanges] OR capacitadoras [sister trainers] that with me it was different, and because of that relationship she was able to open up to me throughout the whole day and I was able to talk to her very directly and talk about all the pride that was going on and what we needed to do to change it. We also had fun and relieved stress and got to teach in their little mountain pueblo, Elambon. The next day we decided to switch companions and do another round of divisions and I talked to the other hermana. We ended up going to the house to talk for about an hour and I let her get it all out and then we read Ezra Taft Benson's "Beware of Pride" which completely changed her perspective. One of the most beautiful moments of my mission was THIS one, as we talked and things were coming out of my mouth that were NOT my words and the spirit was filling the room and then I started to tell her of the companions I have struggled with, my own pride I have struggled with since day one, and HOW MUCH I loved them and how that love is worth absolutely everything. And then how much we--the capacitadoras, the zone leaders, assistants and you--loved them SO MUCH. I started crying because I really could feel the love of the Savior for both of them in that moment and she started crying as well and recognizing all she needed to change. And seeing the process of a daughter of God who I already knew was amazing go from being filled with pride that was just torturing her to being absolutely filled with the love of Christ and start to say all the things she loved about her companion. It was absolutely beautiful and made me realize there's a lot I want to change as well. The atonement is real and it is SO POWERFUL and so beautiful.

We also talked a lot about how the things our companions do that sometimes seem so deliberate and hurtful are often only because Satan is tempting them as well and unfortunately they give in sometimes as do we. So rather than taking offense or using it against them, we need to recognize what is happening in that instant and feel the desire to help them when they fail to rise above their temptations, and that is how we can continue to have a supportive, loving relationship even when bad things happen. We ended with a little testimony meeting and laughed a lot all four of us together, and each talked about what they'd learned and all they were going to change. I think it will be something of a process but they at least understand better now what the real problem is -- not their companion but PRIDE-- and how to fight against it together.

We came home and I was just about in tears once again for how much I loved them and how grateful I was for the Savior's atonement to change our hearts.  

And last but not least, the stake had a Family History fair and since [the RS president] Susy's husband is a stake member, he heard about everything last week and asked me to give one of the workshops. Actually, he asked my companion if I could and she said yes and no one told me anything about what I had to do until we were in the room, it was filled with a group of people and he said "Okay you can start Hermana Wilson" and left the room. I thought I was supporting but apparently I was teaching the class! It was how to find our ancestors, since most have no idea you can search for them and are limited to only do the work for those they already know about. So it was something confusing especially for those who knew nothing and didn't know what we were searching for, but those that have already done something learned a lot and that was awesome. I ended up having to give 4 classes of 30 minutes and I decided after that I never want to be a teacher. Haha but it was awesome at the same time.

Family history activity

AAAAND last but not least I got to speak in church this week and talked about Ammon and King Lamoni which is by far my favorite story in the world. I just adore all the light and joy and falling down in that room that happens because of the gospel, because lately I've just felt like doing the same. I cried a little there too which I've never done in a talk before as I talked about all the joy that comes when we participate in this work. We can choose if we will or won't but we're the only ones who will lose or gain. People cried.

Well, that was my beautiful week! I'm just all swollen up with love. I think if you could see me here you wouldn't ask me to come home. But it's not what you're asking, it's what it's time for so I will do my best to do it in one piece. But I think it might be an important idea if the house is decorated like Christmas and music is playing because somewhere in my subconscience it's going to be Christmas when I get home. I think it's a mental defense. ;) 

Sure love you all like crazy! Have a great week!

[My how Kelsi has grown on her mission!]

El Espíritu de Elías

WOOOOW. This week was so cool. We did...so much.

Starting with a conference and exchanges with Chenalho (Tzotzilandia) where we learned more Tzotzil, taught lessons in the rain, and as always felt like we were in the Shire.

After divisions, I brought Hermana Wong back to San Cris for exchanges and we had a day of HUGE success with 7 lessons with a member present as well as some others and a bunch of street contacts and lots of new people. It was so great. It's cool how when we have to spend time in other areas, the Lord blesses us returning home to be able to do double. Which was good because the next day we went and switched companions, and mine came home throwing up, so we were in home all day. I learned a. TON. Holy studies. I finally learned how I feel like and now I just wish I was studying...all the time.

Friday we were blessed with another double day and had 7 MORE lessons with a member present, and more other lessons and contacts. God loves us. We took a girl whose family is starting to go inactive with us and I silently prayed we could have miracles so she could feel the spirit and be encouraged, and WOW. In two hours we had 4 lessons, found new people in each one, and then leaving one lesson suddenly we're surrounded by a million children smiling at us expectantly, and I realized that the little girl from the first lesson to whom I'd given a CTR ring had rounded up the whole neighborhood. I'm like "WOAH I don't have any more rings! BUT... what's your name?" and we went around memorizing each one of their names and then asked them if they knew how to pray. They all said no and I'm like WHAT! God's not hearing from 9 of his children! Let's change that okay?" We went through the steps and they all repeated and then we all folded our arms and one of them said a prayer right there and everyone was so reverent. Then we left and they all ran after us and hugged us and followed us to the end of the street. It was beautiful. Joana (the girl accompanying us) was so excited and we got home and read with her and she made us promise to tell her when we'd go over there next time. Prayers are answered.

And then possibly the most beautiful part of this week was Saturday. Susy, the RS president, had found out that my dad works in FamilySearch and I know some things and asked me to help them with their activity to get everyone a name to take to the temple. It was supposedly from 12 to 2, but ended up not starting til 3 and not ending til 7 because of a stake activity at the same time. So we ended up helping with the stake activity first and we got to know all the women in the ward better. And then she put me at a computer and had me help sister after sister create their account and put in the information. I helped 72-year-old Eulogia--who thought it was the same thing as an email and why did she have to create another one--was so excited and we ended up finding the dates to get her grandmother to the temple and a few others. She left in tears and every time she saw us after informed us how she was looking through everything she had for names and that she had referrals for us and who knows what else. She's beautiful. I helped a few others and we were there all afternoon finding and creating. And then finally as everyone left and we're finishing up, Susy asks me to help her with some questions she had in her account. So we look and fix some things, and then I taught her how to add sources. In the process, we were looking for sources for her grandfather and suddenly found a record of him and his whole family, who she knew nothing about. At first she didn't understand what was happening but I told her, Look that's his mom! And she gasps, then freezes, then says "DON'T MOVE ANYTHING!" and starts scribbling everything on a paper. I showed her how to connect it to her account and create the new people and get them ready for the temple. We were both SO excited, it seriously felt like Christmas in that room and the feeling still hasn't gone away. I saw her in church the next day and we're just like "YEAAHH." I can't describe it, all I can say is that the spirit of Elijah has TOUCHED this ward and they are changing! We are ALL going to the temple in a couple of weeks with all the names we can get. We'll do what it takes to get permission because wow.

Lastly, we had an FHE with a little humble family yesterday that's always at church but always so quiet, and all reactivated about 3 or 4 years ago except for the teenage daughter who's been making other choices. When I first got here she didn't have much interest in us or anything, but I started talking to her and gave her the first lesson. Since then I've always sort of sought her out and asked how she's doing with the Book of Mormon. A few weeks ago she started quietly coming to church, and she would tell me that she's read a little bit. Yesterday in the FHE we talked about the plan of salvation and the atonement, and then at the end I felt this impression to end with a little testimony meeting and asked if they'd feel comfortable sharing their testimonies. They all said yes and the mom started. She's so sweet and humble. She cried a lot and talked about how hard it was to have a calling in Relief Society when she just wanted to be in the background but how the Lord has helped her and how she'll never leave the church again. When she finished we asked who was next and were surprised when M. (the daughter) said it was her turn. She looked at the floor, said "I don't know..." and then suddenly she was crying really hard. She told us she'd made a lot of bad choices but she felt so grateful to be going to church again and that she can renew her covenants and start over. I didn't even know she understood those things. She ended with her testimony and then we shared ours, and it was a BEAUTIFUL moment. Afterward as we left, I hugged her, and then she wouldn't let go. And it was so cute because every time we let go she would just hold on to me and hug me again and she just said "Thank you." It was such a precious moment. I had NEVER known I'd done absolutely ANYTHING for her, but the spirit works in everyone and as quiet as they may be, they just may be changing as we hug them each week, ask how they're doing and if they're reading their Book of Mormon.

We're going to get her to the temple and quick!

So those are the miracles of this week! Love you all and loving it here!

Queen Sister Wilson. hehe

Traveling the World

Welcome to more last-minute exchanges with Comitan! 

But first going to Tuxtla!

And two zone conferences in between all that.

Leadership council was beautiful. They ended up dividing it for the first time so we were only half the people we usually were, we went up the same day instead of staying the night and then came home afterward. We learned a lot and I liked it. It was interesting to be there with Hermana Coronado and Hickman, my two ex-companions who have also been companions with each other, forming this funny triangle relationship. It was awesome.

We went home and had a great zone conference. We'd planned a lot of new activities and it went pretty well. That afternoon the girls from Comitan call and one had fainted and the other was a little beside herself, and something just told us we should probably get down there. So we called our zone leaders, "We're suddenly going to Comitan, we might come back on Saturday!" And they said "Cool! If people suddenly explode up here too let us know and we'll be you!" We appreciated that. They're awesome.

We went down and it went really well, we were able to help them and have fun and work up there, and the great thing about it was we got to help with their zone conference too which we weren't originally going to do. And it turned out. FANTASTIC. It was by far the best conference I've participated in, and we'd only had an hour to plan with the zone leaders the day before. But we got a flood of ideas and they really outdid themselves with the preparations. I'm going to run through it a litle bit just to give you an idea:

We started out with music and all the seats in a circle and some announcements. Elder Garcia then said that they had one more announcement but it was too hard to say so they were going to have Hermana Wilson give it. I'm like, "Right now?" "Yeah; I think so hermana." So I get up and solemnly tell everyone that the number of missionaries has gone down drastically in the mission (true), that President has to make some hard decisions (true) and that he's decided to close this zone at the end of the transfer (total lie). Everyone's all shocked, and we said we wanted to have the best transfer ever because of that. So we started singing, talked about what manner of missionary we want to be, time management, and then headed to a different room where there were four cakes set up representing four missionaries. A huge, beautiful one, a large, almost beautiful one, and then two pathetic bread rolls, one of which had a bite taken out. We talked about what our "offering" to the Lord is, and how each act of disobedience is taking a bit out of that offering. It sounded better there.

Afterward we went to a different room with a video and an activity with an alter to leave old behaviors. Then a different room where I had three paper swords and had them fight against Satan, then against God AND Satan (with disobedience, mind at home, etc) and then united with God AGAINST Satan. Because really, it doesn't work when we're fighting against both.

And we did a couple more, but the point is we felt so inspired and had so much help in that conference and it answered a lot of questions we had of how to improve the zone. We then set an impossible goal for each week of the transfer and sent them off with the challenge.

Oh! And Elder Merrill is in the zone so that was awesome. He was my Satan ;)

Meanwhile we're having a ton of fun with the comp. 

She's just like Erika and says random things and makes weird faces. And she's the sweetest human ever.

(For comparison, we’ve got Erika here on the right…)

(The Comitan zone; I'd awkwardlky understood that this was the crazy picture and...it wasn’t.)

So we're loving it in San Cris! I love you all, and I'll try to be more spiritual next week! Because holy tired. THIS IS THE BEST!

P.S. [Dad: "So did you ever tell them you were full of frijoles?"] Yeah forgot to tell that part! It was awesome, at the end I said I had one more announcement.... we're not closing the zone... but if we WERE.... what would you want to leave these people with? And everyone was like "HEEEYYYY" and some hermanas almost cried in relief but then we talked about how they'd felt and it turned out to be a really awesome thing. That's when we started putting impossible goals for each week, one in each category to really go for it and we ended singing the Army of Helaman with me at the piano. It was superb.

Like a FIRE is burning

Well this was a beautiful crazy week.

First, it was Monday. We had several sisters from the zone and tzotzilandia come eat lunch with us to bid my companion farewell, and then one of them helped me by asking if I could pass her some music and we escaped off to the internet cafe of a member to get together a surprise for my companion. It took a while but turned out great. I'll send a copy. We had been planning what to do for her all last week in secret phone calls and whispers in the church hallways. I will tell you that it is HARD to keep a secret from a companion. They are just always there. But we successfully got a poster printed out, hung up in her room, and sent everyone back to her area. When we got home she wasn't feeling well and went into her bed, a moment of silence, and then she shouts "TE PASAS WILSON!! AWWW!!!" She said she's going to frame it once she gets home. 

Here's the poster for Caraballo. We printed it out huge. Everyone always tells her she looks like the princess and the frog princess and she gets mad and says it's not true, but then one day we found a frog bag made out of a real frog and I was sneaky enough to get her to kiss it, get a picture, and put it all together here and she laughed a ton. 

Still got it! ;)

The next day, the hermanas called us really early saying that apparently one of them was sick and couldn't drop her companion off at the bus stop to go to her new area, and could we please magically be ready and go take her RIGHT NOW, and the ironic part was that my companion had to throw me the phone and run to throw up because she's actually sick. So we ran all over town, ate breakfast, took some stuff to the sisters that are staying, realized we were all sick, so made an appointment and all went to the doctor together. And then Sister George calls and says she'll be coming down so she'll take my companion away and to not worry about the bus. But they didn't get there til 8:30 that night. Which was perfectly fine with me. Saying goodbye to her may have been one of the hardest things I've done on this mission and I was emotional for days. ME! COLD HEARTED WILSON! But luckily President was really sweet and brought me my package and a letter to make up for it and I got to drown my sorrow in goldfish and nuttella. THANKS MOM!

But the next day as I was studying and just about every scripture was bringing tears to my eyes I realized how the Lord has changed me and purified me in this transfer, and I guess the whole mission. I was feeling the spirit like never before, and something I talked to my new companion about was that sometimes I think the Lord makes holes in you so that He can fill them up with something else. And that "else" is absolutely beautiful. He wants us to be a different material, and He has to change us piece by piece. The love He let me feel this last transfer was a gift from Him and the sadness afterward created just the hole He needed to make me a completely different person, and I haven't felt the same since! My new companion and I sat down and made some goals for this transfer and I just have this constant feeling of overwhelming gratitude and humility for all that has happened. We met with our zone leaders who are also new now and I was equally grateful to see their love for the missionaries and their desire to help each one. It is the first time we have had four leaders, all together, who only want to do good and not just mess around and we met together in prayer and HOLY REVELATION that just came raining upon us. This zone conference will be beautiful.

I just can't get over any of it. Everything I knew is so different now! I just want to get to heaven and fast! But not that fast. Don't worry. I just can't wait to love more and more people because it's incredible. I think I'll have ten kids.

Well, love you all! Hope you have a superb day and feel the spirit this whole week!

Hermana Wilson

The Last Melon!

Well, here we are! Beginning the LAST TRANSFER. [The ‘Last Melon’ was an Ice Age dodo reference, btw] My companion is getting transferred to the Dominican Republic :(

Yesterday we had quite a dramatic scene in which she said she's leaving me and started throwing all her clothes dramatically onto her bed and telling me everything I'd done to her. She's so funny. I'm going to miss her.

So this week we worked like MANIACS. Our district leader put a goal on the district to have 21 lessons and 220 contacts as well as a bunch of other things that all sounded impossible. So we decided to go for it and it was quite the week. It also rained. Every single day. And our feet were constantly wet which apparently makes your lungs hurt because that's what happened. I think I'm going to invest in rain boots.

[Here’s the weather forecast I snapped from my iPhone while Kelsi was online this morning:]

But I'm going to tell you about what was probably the BEST day of my mission. I don't even know why. It rained the entire day. Hermana Ana, this single 50 year old lady in our ward accompanied us the whole day and we contacted EVERYONE. We kind of made it into a competition, my companion was keeping score and she'd be like "Okay I've got 12 and you've got 8." "Did you count the last two ladies?" "Those were MINE! I talked to them first!" "But who had their card ready?" "No! Bad!" And then later, she's like, "I'm winning both of you!" "But Ana and I are a team, right Ana?" "Yeah!" "NO!" It was so funny. Also, I had like a million failures. For example, we're walking along the busy street on the sidewalk and suddenly I feel like I'm going to fall off the curb, so I grab a telefone pole, fall anyway, and end up swinging around it as my bag goes flying off my shoulder and into my hand and then I end up just embracing the wall and collapsing in laughter while my companion can't even breathe and we're just maniacs in the street laughing beyond control and she's like, "What WAS that!?"

Kelsi, Ana, and Hermana Caraballo

That night we had a great family home evening with our struggling recent convert family and everyone felt the spirit strongly, we read a very moving "letter" from Heavenly Father to his daughter and everyone felt it. Afterwards, Hermana Sofía gives us mugs with this warm pink thick drink in it. I whisper "What is this?" and my companion tells me it's yogurt. I try it, it's good, and I'm like "Wow, I've never tried it like this before!" And she just dies "BAHAHAHA she thinks it's yogurt!" and I just about tackle her and the whole family all night keeps saying "Did you like your yogurt Hermana Wilson?" "Anyone want more yogurt?" And I'm like "How am I supposed to know there's a pink hot milk thing!” [Apparently it was really strawberry flavored “atole”] And then we leave the house, start walking, my companion hurts herself, I look behind me and then walk into a hole and fall again and she is beside herself.

But despite all the craziness and laughter we had the most success I have ever had in one day, with a bunch of lessons and 82 CONTACTS, (the mission goal is 20 each day).  So with a half hour to spare we went and bought huaraches to go and taught a lesson to Hermana Ana right there in the restaurant while they were being made. Awesome.

Meanwhile, I forgot to mention that last Monday we went to these caves in a forest and it was awesome! It was like being in Timpanogos but without the hike, you just pay 5 pesos and walk in, and then they try to charge 15 more after you're in but your Dominican companion says "Do I REALLY have to pay to see some rocks" And they let us all in free and didn't even take our money when the rocks were actually cool and we tried to pay on the way out. They were nice.

Hermana Alejandra and Kelsi

And last of all, here are some random questions and short answers from my little sister :)

So how are you? Awesome!
What's your favorite part of your mission? See above!
Do you wish you could extend? Well, why wish for things? There are things to do here and things to do at home so I'll just do what I'm told. :)
Do you think mom wishes you could extend? I used to think no but I'm not altogether suure. They keep telling me how much they like having me on a mission. But I take it as a good thing!
How's your (new?) companion? Coming tomorrow! 
Are you hungry a lot? No.
Do people feed you? Yes!
If so, do people feed you well? Most of the time!
Do you ever just scream from joy? Every day.
Do you still dance in the rain? I sort of smile upwards and do a little jig.
DO YOU MISS ME!?!?!?!? YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
What is your favorite Mexicano food? Everything
What is your favorite Americano food?  Bagels
What do you miss most? Bagels
Do you mind answering these in the main letter? That's what I'm doing!
How many people do you think are counting down the days until your home? You tell me :)
Many people are wondering (me), is your bed comfy? 

Do you sleep well? On that note, do you see emoticans? Yes. yes, yes :) 

Who do you miss most? (me, right!) Carpets!! The violin. Oh, and you. 

Well, I love you all! My new companion is Hermana Membreño and will get here tomorrow. I like her. She does crazy things. She's one of the girls that was trained in Tapachula at the same time as I was training and we would see them a lot.

Have a great week!!

Beware of Pride

Well things are back to normal-ish. It was something of a rough week but with lots of happy sprinkles.

Hermana Pugh ended up staying with me til Thursday, and we had lots of fun, conversations and success. But we were both ready to have permanent companions and get to work, especially her. But I'll tell you about one miracle.

Every Monday night we've been doing FHE's with a member family and whoever they or we choose to invite that week. It started as a four-week plan to go through the mission lessons and invite people, and I think I already told you about the inactive sister that came the first time and has just been glowing with happiness and changing her life since. She calls my companion her niece because apparently they look alike, and she calls me her "Guerita." (White one. I'll never get over that word. We need one like it but with an affectionate connotation because all we've got that I can think of is "pale," "pasty" etc..) But anyway it's been more than four weeks but we figure, why fix something that's not broken because it keeps bringing success and Hermana Fide makes delicious quesadillas.

So this week may have been the greatest yet. We've been having lots of issues with one of our convert families of one year that have started going to another church and closing their doors to the members. But miracle of miracles, both we and Hermana Fide invited the mom and she came with her daughter! And so did M., the miracle from week one. Annnd as we're all arriving, who shows up but a random aunt-something-removed and her friend who came to visit from Guerrero and had no idea about the FHE, nor the church in general. So as a big happy clan we put on the movie of How to find faith in Christ and have a nice discussion afterwards. It went really well, the spirit was strong, but the best part was as we're saying goodbye to everyone, the aunt hugs me SUPER tight to my surprise and says "Thank you." And then before I can ask anything she says "You can come visit me tomorrow. I'll be here for three days or so.”

Unfortunately the next day something came up and she wasn't able to make it home in time, nor the next night after, and then they were gone. But. The miracle is that upon talking to Fide, it had opened the door for lots of late-night discussions about the Book of Mormon, and after everything was said and done, she left town determined she wanted to be a member of the church and ready to go find the missionaries there. Yay!

We also had some days in which we walked, and WALKED all over our area in the rain and found empty door after empty door. But you know what? It wasn't anywhere near discouraging like it once was. Sometimes it's just nice to be in Mexico, with a namebadge on next to your companion and be doing the best you can. We found ourselves at one point at the limit of our area in a place we'd never been by a smelly river and took ourselves a picture. Cuz you're never going to remember the normal days, but the brutal ones live forever and are just awesome. I can't believe we've only got seven days left til this one leaves me. I just want to cry. But we're having fun, and today we're going to head down to Rancho Nuevo. Who knows what that is but it was my idea. I think there's caves there. We're going to go with the girls from the other ward who are our good friends.

Today we were studying about pride. Holy Ezra Taft Benson, everyone needs to look up his talk called "Beware of Pride." People who are older than me probably remember when he gave the talk because apparently it was super famous and impactful, but I can't get enough of it. Interesting to see that pride is not just vanity (a fruit of pride) but rather everything that is enmity towards God or any other person. Every time we compare ourselves to someone else, or want to have something better it is PRIDE. That's why Satan became Satan. Not because he wanted all that the Father had, but because he wanted MORE. He wanted it and for his own father to go down a rank. And now look at him. Poor kid. If he could just have been happy with being "Assistant 2" as my companion puts it, he really could have come to have all the father had. But it took HUMILITY to get there, it took glorifying the father, and it wasn't a price he was willing to pay. We HAVE to be willing to pay the price of humility! We have to admit we're wrong, say I'm sorry, be happy for other people's successes, and help in every way we can. Pride is just so destructive. That's why we have the old testament and Book of Mormon, just to teach us that. So anyway, loved that talk. Read it. Enjoy.

Well, you're all great! Wish us well in this last week and pray that I don't get dehydrated from shedding tears. Hehe ;) 

Love you all!

That week happened. :)

So as a sum-up of the absolute CRAZIEST week of the mission:

We drove to Tuxtla with President and Hermana George on Monday, squished in with a bunch of luggage, their daughter, and one of the sick sisters, and THEN added in two elders who had a sudden problem with his appendix, which meant Hermana Grover, Kim and I ended up in the one available seat in the back and were laughing the whole way there. Meanwhile, we get calls that one of our girls in Comitan who's been having a lot of problems lately has run away! Oh! And her companion is in the mall and is freaking out. So we tell President, and he's like, Oh! And we spend the next two hours getting lost, calling a million people, sending for help down in Comitan which is two hours away, and driving in the opposite direction to Tuxtla. With the help of some ward members and missionaries they found her at about 9:30 that night. Holy cow. And we were basically on the phone most of the day trying to keep people calm.

Then we had a great council. Very inspired. My companion provided most of the comments in her very direct manner and took everybody off-guard a lot, but the assistants asked President why she wasn't made STL before because they were awesome. She scares people sometimes and she knows it but I don't know why, she's perfect. I think it's hilarious.

We got to go to the temple and I got to see Elder Merrill, and President was all surprised we were cousins (AFTER we took the picture) even though I've told him before, and then we found out that WE'RE cousins too! Turns out President, like many others, comes from Anson Call, and we got on FamilySearch and found his father from my account. So that was cool! He told his wife, "Sister Wilson's our cousin too!" And she lights up and opens her arms to me and says "Family!”

Then we went home, did a zone conference which went awesomely—we got lots of participation and taught about self-reliance and instigating it in investigators and in ourselves. Then since it went so well, we decided to go down to Comitan to their zone conference and help the girls out down there, even though it didn't make logical sense because we wouldn't have much time to be with both companionships and it was really far away. But we went! And it's a GOOD THING. Because everything crazy happened and we were in the right place to be able to help and now everything's calming down and it looks like we'll be in a trio for a little bit and wait for a new companion.

But let me tell you what I learned about self-reliance. This is SO KEY to EVERYTHING! It is the major focus in Mexico for this year from the Area Presidency. They talk a lot about "Autosuficiencia" because we need to help these people take responsability for their own conversion. So many depend so much on the missionaries. So we taught how to take responsability for ourselves and OUR conversion, and how to help investigators and members answer their own questions and solve their own problems. And that's what we'll be focusing on for the rest of ever I think, because it just makes so much sense and solves all our problems. Goodness.

Well, I enjoyed this week. Can't wait to start sleeping and working again, because we didn't do either of those things that week. But I have felt such a strength and ability beyond my own in everything we have done this week and I know we have not been alone one step of the way. I am so thankful for this gospel and for such a stellar family. Thank you for your faithfulness, happiness, and every other ness you have. I love you! Happy Mother's Day!!!!

Hermana Wilson (or half of her ;)

Twists and Turns

What a week! This week we spent Monday down in the dumps physically, if you know what I mean, and spent most of the day sleeping. Tuesday we decided to push our stomachs to the limit and head to Chenalho, aka Tzotzilandia which is an hour drive of pure twists and turns up and down the mountain, and my companion vowed she'd never return. We spent the day teacing their district leaders and then doing divisions with the hermanas for a few hours before heading back and feeling completely wiped. We worked Wednesday and Thursday and started exchanges with Jovel, the other ward here in San Cris in the night. We had crazy exchanges and kind of felt bad afterward. We ran out of food and the neighbor came over and said there was no water so we started filling up buckets in preparation, and then I was coughing all night and then I injured myself! Poor Hermana Alejandro. She's the best though I really love her and we had fun.

The injury went like this. We went up to a mountain to grab a member who was going to accompany us to see an investigator, and then once we arrive the investigator calls and cancels. So we're suddenly on top of a mountain and not sure where we're going. But the sweet member was willing to go with us anyway even though it wasn't going to be as close, and sacrificed her day of laundry to walk all around the city with us. She's this sweet 60-something single lady with gray hair that goes past her waist and her first language is Tzotzil. We went with her niece who's been inactive and taught her, and then with some new people we found. Then we finished up the night visiting L.

I don't even know if I've talked about L. but I should have because he's wonderful. He's María Ester's friend, 21 years old, and has been investigating for a while now. He kind of disappears for weeks at a time which is probably why I don't talk a lot about him, since he lives in a village two hours away but goes to school and has an apartment here. Well, he's been progressing really well and we'd challenged him this last week to leave tea, since he did so well with the coffee but really loves his tea. One thing about Linder is that he always keeps his commitments which is really wonderful. But this week we showed up and he started right off to say that he needed to tell us something. He then proceeds to tell us that he'd gone to Tuxtla this week and had honestly forgotten and drunk wine at a party. He said afterwards he realized what he'd done and felt SO guilty, and just awful. He didn't know what to do, so he opened his book of mormon and prayed. He thought we'd be mad, but we had a really REALLY awesome lesson about repentance, the sacrament and the Atonement. And it was funny because the night before I'd had an experience where I messed up on something little and for some reason felt SO guilty and didn't know why. I just wanted it to go away but it wouldn't and it took a lot of praying and reading to find peace again. Well it was in THIS moment with Linder when I realized that I had felt all of that to be able to understand him. We are representatives of Christ, and Christ felt everything we felt to understand us. In that moment I felt this HUGE rush of love and understanding and realized I was feeling what the Savior feels for each one of us when we mess up. I'll never forget these moments because I feel like this is really what the mission is about--not baptizing a hundred million people before they're ready, but experiencing moments of understanding the Savior and loving God's children. WOW.

We had a talk last night and realized that with our last few months that's what we want to do. There's a lot of pressure here for numbers, as in all missions, but upon talking with the bishop and being completely inspired by him and how hard he works for these members, we decided we want to give all we've got to help him in his job and convert the people of San Cristobal -- help them to understand the doctrine, live it and love it. So keep your prayers up and we'll keep working over here! Love you all, have a great week! :)

....Awkwardly realizing I never said anything more about the injury. We left L.'s house, tried to get a taxi for Hermana Manuelita who lives in the mountain, but when we stopped it, she shouted NO and started walking away firmly, because apparently she just doesn't like taxis, so we walked her to her bus stop and then had to move quickly to get home, in the process of which I stepped wrong, doubled my ankle, shooting pain for like thirty seconds which went away and then came back at 1 AM and kept me up all the night. The next morning I couldn't even walk to the kitchen. Alejandro called my companion and she didn't believe her at first, but then she passed me the phone and I'm like "Compañeraaaaa" "Y que FUE??" And she comes home, the doctor comes, tells me not to walk that day, gives me pills and told us we need more humility and to stop getting sick, alright, and then I spent the day at home with María Ester, a 20-year-old perfect convert of one year. We spent the day eating sandwiches, talking about the mission and reading the old testament which was super cool. I love her. But now I'm walking all over again woohoo!

Kay NOW have a great week :)

The Lopez family with Kelsi and her owee foot.

Hermana Caraballo, Kelsi, noodles, and ‘pan’. And juice. Apparently made in a bowl.

Foreign Tongues

THIS week was incredible. But I guess that's what a mission is. It's still just so cool.

Tuesday we had a tri-zone conference with President and the assistants. It was awesome and we all got a ton out of it. They'd asked me to share for ten minutes about Matthew 10:39. I had an awesome time preparing and finding all these cool thoughts, and then the elder before me went twenty minutes bearing his testimony in a monotone voice and everyone was asleep so I sort of chucked the plan and decided to do a three-minute explosion of what I'd learned. The main thing that came to mind makes more sense in spanish, which says "El que busca salvar SU vida la pierde, pero el que pierde su vida por causa de mi la hallará.” [He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.] I focused on two parts of it. The word "Su" (your) and "la" (the) and talked about first everything that makes up YOUR life, or MY life. Talked about a lot of things we have to give up to be a missionary from MY life. And then I talked about THE life, and pulled out a picture of Christ. He IS the light and the life. If we can learn how to give up MY life, our will, our disobedience, our pride, we will find THE life--We will find Jesus Christ and we will find Him in ourselves for we shall see Him as He is, for we shall be like Him. And THAT is worth losing a hundred My lifes. In english the words are "his" and "it" which wasn't quite as impactful to me. So there you go. 

Afterwards we did exchanges with Comitan, and I got to stay here with Hermana Pugh - our third exchange in the mission! It sort of just happened that way since we decided to give her companion the chance to direct the area which totally freaked her out. But that's exactly why we did it, because she's had a lot of freak-outs and thinks she can't do anything and only follows her companion who can do EVERYTHING. Perfectly, I might add. She's awesome. We decided it could be really good or really bad. And it turned out to be really good! She came out of it with a new calmness and confidence and found she was able to do things she was convinced she couldn't. In four weeks she'll be doing the same thing anyway since Pugh is headed home.

In our exchange we got to sing a lot of hymns in harmony, find cool people, including one crazy one named L. He started laughing maniacally at one point. But other than that he's pretty golden. And I showed her a "chamula"--the indigenous people who wear goat skin skirts--and then we decided to contact her. Most here speak Spanish but this one didn't. So I gave it all the Tzotzil I had which was totally cool. I told her we're missionaries from the church of Jesus Christ (Vuún kutik misioneraetik yuún li chulna yuún Jesucristoe in case you're wondering) and she got these wide eyes and said "Oooooh! Missionaries! You speak Tzotzil?" And I'm like, no. Muk na. And we had a whole conversation using a mix of Tzotzil phrases and Spanish words. I asked her where she lives, and she's like, over there! pointing to the mountain. Helpful. As we ended, I asked her how she was just to extinguish the very last drop of what I knew and that was that. We said bye and she went off and Pugh just looks at me with big eyes and says, "That. Was so. Cool." And I'm like "I KNOW RIGHT I'VE NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE!" Anyway. Going on three languages over here.

Saturday and Sunday we had stake conference which was beyond inspiring. Elder Alfredo Mirón came and blew us all away with laughter and knowledge and we learned about the HUGE importance of the Sabbath day. That's one thing here that almost zero people obey. Gotta buy those tortillas. And we've sort of been trying everything. Also, we invited so many people, and none of the new ones came anymore. But we got a cool surprise when SIX new new ones came, who were all invited by member friends! That makes missionaries happy! We have lots of appointments this week.

Now to finish up, I will answer the following questions of my Father:

1. Could you send a picture of your new companion?

I would love to.... my SD thing isn't showing up again. We're even at the most fool-proof cafe. I'll see if I can get another computer to let me but we're going on two.

2. Do they have you give talks in church? Or do you bear your testimony there sometimes?

Supposedly. As in every other missionary yes, but for some reason all of mine have been canceled due to surprise speakers or general conference etc. I have not spoken all mission. But I do bear my testimony almost every time. Some think it takes away chances from the members but I think it helps them get to know their missionaries and want to work with them better. And there's always something specific they need. 

3. Have you ever had to speak or do training in zone conference?

See paragraph one. 

Other than that, yes we help the zone leaders every time and sometimes travel to one of the other two zones to help them too. We'll be doing that tomorrow in Chojolho (tzotzilandia)

4. Do the people wear bright colors there like Guatemala? Or western clothes? Or what?

Most people wear normal things. Indigenous people wear pretty self-embroidered flower shirts and cool skirts with a belt thing. Or goat skins if they're from Chamula. 

5. Are the people tall or short?

Short. Except the European tourists. 

Love you!!

Hermana Wilson :)