I know that I am suppose to be teaching them, but they are really teaching me

JOSUE CHOQUE WAS BAPTIZED!  and his son Luis Angel!  Seriously, the greatest day of my entire life.  When Josue came up out of that water, I can't even describe the feelings that I felt.  He is just so great! Their whole family is amazing. The bishop gave them a picture of the temple on Saturday night and by Sunday afternoon they had framed it and put it up in their room to remind them that's their next goal.  Josue and Luis are preparing to recieve the priesthood this Sunday.  I just love them so much, it's nuts.  We had a cita with them yesterday after church and we showed up and they were reading their scriptures as a couple.  We taught Josue's brother on Saturday and when we gave him a Book of Mormon, Josue said "brother, this book deals with problems we have.  Any question or problem you have, you can read the Book of Mormon and find your answer.  All the answers are in there."  And on Sunday, their family bought a subscription to the Liahona.  I just can't even explain my feelings for them.  

The people here are amazing.  I know I'm supposed to be teaching them, but they are really just teaching me.  They have so much faith and they love the Lord.  They don't always understand everything, but to them it doesn't matter because they have the faith to carry them through.  I just love them and it's a privilege to serve them.  I love them with my whole heart.  

I hope you all have the best week!

Love,

Hermana Willes

On Saturday, Miguel Angel was baptized!

This week was great! We had an a amazing miracle. The son of Rolando, the dad who didn’t want to get baptized, really wanted to get baptized.  He’s 11 and is so great.  We knew he was ready and so we had the goal to have him be baptized this past Saturday.  But, in order to do so, his dad had to sign a permision slip allowing him to be baptized, because he’s under age.  We met with his dad and his dad told us he had his permission, but he refused to sign the paper.  We tried explaining in everyway we could think of, we even tried getting him to pray with us to ask Heavenly Father to help him understand why he needed to sign the paper but he refused to pray.  He just wouldn`t.  This was Thursday afternoon.  So, Hermana Feddock and I left the house just completely destroyed.  We went back to the house to eat something for dinner really fast and we decided to kneel down and ask Heavenly Father to please give us a miracle, so that Miguel Angel could get baptized.  We did that and then we prayed the entire way over to their house.  Miguel Angel was home this time and we asked him if he had talked to his dad, and he told us no.  I told him that his dad needed to sign the paper so that he could get baptized.  He said "ok" went inside his house and about two minutes later came back out and said “He said he’ll sign it.  Where’s the paper?" Hermana Feddock, his sister, and I could not believe it!  We gave him the paper and he came back out with the signature!!!!!! I still can’t even believe it.  So, on Saturday, Miguel Angel was baptized.  He’s just the sweetest thing.  Everytime he prays, he asks Heavenly Father that he can wake up on time on Sundays to take the sacrament because his family was struggling with getting to church on time to take the sacrament.  I know that this experience will help soften Rolando’s (his dad) heart and poco a poco he will come unto Christ.

Josue Choque is getting baptized this week! He’s just de oro! Yesterday we taught them about tithing and when we put the compromiso about paying tithing after he was baptized, he said "well of course hermanas.  I’m going to be baptized, which means I’ll have promised to keep the commandments.  So, of course I’m going to pay."  He`s just wonderful.  

Lidia should also be getting baptized this week.  She still has some doubts, but we’re going to work really hard with her and I have faith that it will all work out!

I love this gospel, I have honestly never been so happy in my whole life.  As hard as it is sometimes, I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.  In such a short time I have come to love these people so much, not just the investigators, but the members too.  The Church is true and Christ lives.  

Hurrah for Israel! Have a great week.  I love you all!

Love,

Hermana Willes

Hermana Willes and her 
companion Hermana Feddock

 Hermana Willes, Miguel Angel and 

Hermana Feddock at Miguel's baptism

I finished the Book of Mormon in Spanish!

Hermana Romero and I had an emergency transfer and now I’m training a gringa, Hermana Feddock! She’s super great, we’re having a blast!

This week was really good, we had a miracle with one of our investigators.  He received a blessing to help him overcome the word of wisdom and he’s super excited to baptized in a few weeks! 

The fila Choque is progressing really well, they are just golden!

 

Lidia’s fecha is this week, but we don’t know if she will be ready! So pray for her!

Sorry this is so short, but I love you all and I’m loving it down here! The Church is true and so is the  Book of Mormon! I finished it in Spanish today and as I prayed to know it was true I just felt the spirit testify to me so strongly that it is! I just love the Book of Mormon! Have the best week!

Love,

Hermana Willes

I'm just so happy to be a missionary!

Well this week was great.  The Familia Choque is just progressing sooo well! They went to church on Sunday and were early--and the members don't even do that!  They are reading the Book of Mormon and praying and I just love them with all my heart.  Hermana Estaquia said something really cute to us the other day.  She was telling us how she and Josue, her husband, read the Book of Mormon together and prayed.  Then she said "after we prayed, I felt something, something peaceful, right here (as she touched her heart), and it was something different."  Hermana Romero and I were just exploding with joy. 

 

Yesterday we started teaching a new investigator, Leonardo.  He's sooo great.  Literally everything just screamed "prepared".  He told us how he doesn't think the Bible is complete, because sometimes it's confusing and it doesn't explain everything.  Also,  he knows that God has laws and if we follow the laws, then we will be blessed but if we don't then we won`t.  It was nuts.  He committed to read the Book of Mormon and pray and we have a cita with him and his wife on Thursday!

We had a lot of miracles this week, but also one really sad experience. We have a family that we have been working with, the mom and the daughter are members and the dad and the son are investigators.  The sons, who are ten and fifteen, are super great.  They're reading their Book of Mormon and are preparing to be baptized on the fourteenth.  Their dad told us last night that he doesn't want to fead the Book of Mormon and that he doesn't want to be baptized.  It was super sad.  We're going to keep working with their family and we're praying really hard that his heart will soften and that he will change.  I know that his heart can be softened, we just need to follow the spirit and he'll show us what to do.  

As hard as that experience was, the week was still so great.  We had so many miracles and I'm just so happy to be a missionary.  I know the Savior lives, that He loves us, and that He died for us.  His atonement is real and people really can change.  

I hope everyone has the greatest week!

Love,  

Hermana Willes