I'll be eternally grateful for the opportunity to serve

Well, I hope everyone had a great week! This week was really good.  Leonardo Pedriel was baptized and confirmed! He is such a sweet kid.  The young men's president baptized him and it was so sweet to see how happy they both were! Now all we need is to baptize their dad! 

This week the Choque's son, Jose carmelo, is getting baptized.  He's thirteen and is a little different, but is really sweet and I'm so excited for him.  His dad is going to do it, which I'm soooooo excited for! They are just so great.  I love them so much.  

I always forget to talk about Maria Elena Gil, the menos activo that we have been able to help come back to church.  She's so great.  Her mom is in the presidency of the relief society and her brother is menos activo also, so the elders have been working with him.  But it's really funny because we literally visited her once and then she started coming back to church.  She got a calling the second Sunday she came back and hasn't missed a Sunday since.  So she's been active now for about a month.  She accompanies us on visits, is doing her visiting teaching, and is fufilling her calling to the fullest.  She's 22 and is so great.  I just love her. The best part is she acts like she's been active forever.  We taught her the other day about the plan of salvation and mid lesson she asked us "hermanas, why do some people leave the truth and the church?" Hermana Feddock and I were like, well hermana, there are a lot of reasons.  After we had to laugh a little because like three weeks ago that was her.  But she's so great, the other day she showed us the metas (goals) she has and one of them is to go to the temple and be married and raise her kids in the gospel.  

Hermana Feddock and I always have lots of fun and I always forget to write about those stories too! But, this week on Thursday night we were walking to our very last cita and it was kinda raining, but not a ton.  Anyways, in Bolivia rain equals flood and it started to pour.  We're talking Noah and the flood pour.  We huddled under a little tienda roof for about five minutes and then decided to ask the lady for plastic bags to put our bagpacks in so all our stuff didn't get wet.  So, we stuffed our backpacks in plastic bags and took off running.  We were completely soaked in about .5 seconds.  The water was up to our mid calves and it was hard to see, but we ran on.  We rain past the church and some members were waiting outside and when they saw us running past they started cheering us on.  It was hilarious.  I was dying.  I wish you could have seen it. 

Anyways, the mission is great.  It's hands down the greatest thing I've ever done. I'll be eternally grateful for the opportunity I have to serve. I'm loving every second of it.  The church is true and this is the Lord's work.  I know that because everyday miracles happen that make me so grateful that He is in charge and I'm not.  I hope you all have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Willes

Baptism of Leonardo Pedriel

 Hermana Willes after surviving the downpour

The power of members

This week was great!  Shout out to Mamoo and Boppy for the package!  Thank you!  

We had zone conference on Tuesday, which was just amazing!  As a mission now we are memorizing The Living Christ in Spanish for a conference we're going to have in August when we will all stand and say it together.  I'm sooooo excited.  Hermana Feddock and I are working hard to memorize it.  We already have the first two paragraphs. 

This week we started teaching a family that is so wonderful.  They are really poor, they only have ten bolivinas ($1.50) for lunch everyday and they are a family of ten.  Their oldest daughter is 17 and from the age of five she has stayed home taking care of her siblings.  Because of that, she doesn't know how to read.  Meeting them has been a very humbling experience, but I know that the gospel can change their life and and make it better.

  

The Choque familia is doing well.   We're working on teaching their thirteen year old son.  He's a bit of a special kid, and he doesn't like going to church because he just wants to sleep.  BUT poco a poco.

This week we went to visit the Pedriels and their fifteen year old son, Leonardo, told us he wants to get baptized.  Before he's always been super hesitant and we didn't really know what else to do, because we had prayed with him, had super strong experiences with him, and he goes to church every Sunday.  But recently the young men's president sat down and talked to him.  After that, he decided to get baptized.  Goes to show the power of the members!  So, he's getting baptized this friday and that will be really great.  Now,  all we need is for the dad to get baptized as well. Pray for him!!

Right now we're working with a lot of menos activos, who are all really wonderful.  I love the ward I'm serving in so much and I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve here.  The church is true and missions are the greatest thing ever.  Have a great week!

Hermana Willes

PS--Mom, (this was in response to some of the things I told her about Nicaragua and wondered if things were similar in Bolivia) yes, there are dogs everywhere.  Are there not in the states? honestly that seems weird to me.  Also that people live in houses with connecting rooms.  Are the houses there made of mud or bricks? and do they have actual doors or just cloth?  There are paved roads here, in the central. but as you get farther out into the rings there are only dirt roads.  Where I am now it's about half and half.  and the humidity is 100%.  You walk out of the house and you're wet.  That's also why, when it gets cold, it get's freezing.  And I know what you mean.   It does change you. Things that seem sooo essential aren't anymore.  I know that will be something that will be really hard for me when I get back.  But, it really does teach you about what is important and also just the importance of being grateful.  The people down here are so grateful, they will also tell us "we are so blessed.  We have food for our table, we all have our health, everyone in the family is living" and they will tell me this sitting in a shack with millions of bugs and animals crawling around and only having ten bolivinos for their lunch.  It`s very humbling. 

Hermana Willes and Hermana Feddock 

celebrating Hermana Feddock's birthday

This is His work

Hey Family,

First off, sorry I didn't have time to write last week.  I went through three computers trying find one that worked!  Also, shout out to Gama for the package, the candles are awesome and so was all the food!

This week was great. I had an intercambio with Hermana Cladera and that was super fun! She is honestly my best friend from my whole mission.  Which is super weird because we speak different native tongues, but it doesn't matter.  I really want you guys to meet her someday.  She's seriously the best.  She says thanks for the package. Also, we had a conference with Elder Uceda, the President of the area.  It was awesome.  He talked about how we have left behind the time of splitting wards and now we are in the time of multiplying wards.  He said that if there are seventy people in a ward, that's a ward family, 150 is a branch and 300 people is a ward.  He then talked about how we have to strengthen the wards down here.  So right now that is our focus, strengthing the wards.

  

Things are going well with our investigators and we are in the process of finding new ones.  Also, we're working a lot with the menos activos and converso recitentes! The Lord is opening up paths for us.  I think one of the most important things I've learned is that I can't do everything on my own and the Lord doesn't expect me to.  It is a good thing, because this is His work and before I was running around, trying to do the work of Hermana Willes, because I felt like I had to be the one to make everything happen.  To be honest, I was lacking faith.  But I've begun to learn that Heavenly Father does not expect us to accomplish the miracles or fix other people's problems, He just needs us to do our part and rely on Him so that He can do the miracles and the fixing.

The Familia Choque is doing really well.  I love being here, the mission is the best! Seriously, I just love the ward I'm in. I care about them so much and I want to help them become a stronger ward! 

Mom, I'm so excited for you and for Joseph to go to Nicaragua! That will be so awesome! I haven't been able to flush toliet paper in six months, sometimes I forget that it's possible in other places. But I forget a lot of things wouldn't be normal to you guys, like dogs in the streets and unpaved roads.  Have so much fun! Try to pick up some Spanish, whenever you don't know what to say just say va a discupar.  Bueno, no se si ellos dicen alla pero trate no mas! 

I finally got that package you sent several months ago.  The bottles of onguard were in the boxes and all the face wash and everything.  Thank you soooo much.  You're seriously the greatest! Have the best week.

Love,

Hermana Willes

Baptism of Josue and Luis Choque

 Santa Cruz has been really cold and with the humidity it's freezing!  

Just trying to stay warm!

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