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.