It was a really great week!

This week was a week full of miracles! I don’t even know where start!

First, on Tuesday, we were walking in the street in the morning and this woman stopped us and said "are you two working in this zone now?  When are you going to come and visit me?" Turns out she is a menos activo who was baptized in Spain, even went through the temple over there, but has been less active for a while now.  We went and visited her that same day and we have been teaching her ever since.  She’s super interested in family history and so we’ve been really working with her on that! Her husband isn’t a member, so little by little we are working on him too! They are both super great!

Also, as we were going through our carpeta de area to make sure we know all the menos activos we found one for a jovencita named Marita who we didn’t know. So we went and visited her and it was incredible! She told us that last week two elders just randomly gave her a Book of Mormon and she was super confused why and then a week later we called and visited her! She actually grew up in the states and was baptized in New York and was even preparing to go on a mission but went inactive when she moved down here.  She’s really great and I already love her so much!

We also have another investigator who is just golden.  We found him finding following up on a reference and we ended up inviting him to an activity for all of Santa Cruz to celebrate fifty years of the church here! As missionaries sang at the beginning and then all the wards danced.  He ended up going and then went to church on Sunday for all three hours, which in itself is a huge miracle! He’s really progressing and has a baptismal date for the twentieth of December!

It was a really great week! There were a lot more miracles but those are the big ones! I’m so grateful to be a missionary and I know the Lord is truly in the details of our lives! 

Love you all!

Hermana Willes

Opening a New Area

This week was super crazy! We ended up splitting areas with the elders and so we are now opening a new area! So, lots of time trying to find people and getting to know members! But Hermana Garcia and I both feel really strongly that the Lord has lots of miracles prepared for us in our new area and we are really excited to find more people to teach!

We have one new family that are old investigators hace anos but we met with them yesterday and they seem really great, so hopefully they will be ready to progress!

I really love my new ward.   It’s in the same stake as la villa, where I was a few months ago, so I’ve been able to see members from that ward! I saw Maria Elena, which was so great! She’s doing so well! She’s getting ready to dance in a festival for the church to celebrate 50 years in Bolivia!

The elders had a baptism yesterday, a joven with about 20 anos.  It was incredible because when I got here for my first Sunday he was handing out programs for ward conference and I thought he was a member.  He even helped us teach a lesson this week. It’s just incredible to see how quickly someone can embrace the gospel, especially when the members just accept them!

I hope you all have a great week! The church is true and I’m so grateful to be a missionary in Bolivia! I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!

Hermana Willes

The Spirit does the Teaching

Well, I had a change! I’m now in a new area, Guapilo, with Hermana Garcia! She’s super sweet and my new area is a lot like the villa, which I love.  The people here are so humble and the members are so willing to work.  I know we are going to have so many miracles in this area. 

On Tuesday,  we had a conference all based on chapter four in Preach my Gospel, como reconocer el espiritu.  It was incredible.  President got up and,  instead of speaking himself, called up two new gringos up and told them that they were going to give his talk for him.  It was incredible, because as they spoke in their brand new, halting Spanish,  the spirit was so strong.  It made me remember when I was new in the mission and I didn’t know Spanish but it didn’t matter because The Spirit always gave me the words.  It made me want to be a new missionary again!  I’m so grateful for how merciful the Lord was with me and still is with me.  And I’m so grateful for The Spirit who does the teaching.

Sorry this is so short, (hearing this way too often now :) the internet here takes years to load! But,  I love you all and I hope you all have a great week!

Hermana Willes

I Know My Savior Lives

Sorry this email will be super short but this week was good!   We were able to work hard and the Lord gave us some wonderful miracles! I know He is preparing wonderful things for us!

I know the church is true and, most importantly, I know my Savior lives.  He has walked with me every step of my mission and I’ve come to know Him in a very personal and real way.  I know the power of His atonement is real and very personal.  I’m so grateful for His sacrifice and the privilege I have to testify of Him all day long!

Have a great week!

Hermana Willes

My Testimony Grew So Much

This week we weren't really able to work in our area a lot because my companion was really sick.  I took the time to read Jesus the Christ and to really study the New Testament and it was amazing.  I loved reading the stories of Christ and seeing how merciful He was, so full of love.  My testimony grew so much that He really is my Savior and Redeemer and that He loves me so much! 

On Saturday we did an activity with the ward where we went to a park and passed out cake and folletos and got a ton of references.  It was awesome, to see the members so excited to talk to people and to help us.  We're definitely going to do it again!

Sorry this email is so short, but I don’t have a lot of time.  This week we should be able to work more and I know the Lord has a lot of miracles prepared for us! 

Love you all so much!

Hermana Willes

Sister Power...

Huge Miracles

First off, some very big thank yous are in order! Amber, thank you so much for the letter! It was so sweet and it made my day! Marianne and Keith, thank you for both of the letters!  And Mamoo and Boppy, thank you so much for the packages! You guys are the best! Love you all and thank you so much for all the support you give me!

This week was super crazy, but full of miracles.  The Family Ortiz are doing so well! We had an incredible experience with them.  We went on Monday and showed them the a video of the restoration.  The spirit was so strong! We then both just bore our testimonies and closed the noche de hogar (FHE).  Then Hermano Saul, with tears in his eyes, said  "I too know that it is true.  Right now I feel the spirit so strongly, and while I may not be perfect, I will never deny that it is true." Turns out he had actually given a book of mormon to his niece that day and explained the restoration to her that day.  So the video helped remind him even more of his testimony.  I can't even explain the difference in him.  He was glowing!  After the lesson he told us how we could work with our ward better and he was so animated telling us.  He literally was a different person.  I know that he will be an incredible leader in the church someday. He has already taught us so much.

We also had another huge miracle yesterday.  We couldn't leave during the day because of elections, (Their mission president had all the missionaries stay inside during elections because apparently it can get kind of crazy) so we left the house at six to proselyte.   Hermana Romero and her hijita  (greenie) have been staying with us for a couple of days (that has been so fun to  see her again!).   So we split off last night in order to teach more citas (appointments).  We went to the house of a converso reciente that has been going for a while and it turns out her parents have moved into our area.  Her mom is a member, but her dad isn't yet.  The elders in their old area were preparing him for baptism and so he's going to be baptized next Saturday! It was incredible, the spirit was so strong and, more importantly, the humility of these people! 

This week was super crazy, but great.  I love the mission and I love my Savior. I'm so grateful to be down here serving! 

I hope you all have a great week!

Hermana Willes

Hermana Willes and companion 

Hermana Lainez

 a shot of Lundy's "wall" in their apartment

 With a member of their ward

 Hermana Willes with Hermana Romero 

(One of the hermanas Lundy trained 

who is now training) and greenie Hermana Osoro

The Lord is truly guiding us in His work.

This week was so good! We had consejo de lideres (leaders conference) and then conference! So much spiritual revelation in one week.  It was really incredible to see how so many of the things we talked about in consejo were addressed in conference.  The Lord is truly guiding us in His work.

The familia Ortiz is doing so great.  Hermana Fani is sharing the gospel with her sister and was so excited to have us help her sister come to understand more of the gospel.  She doesn't live in our area, but I know that she will get baptized.  We have a noche de hogar  (home evening) with them tonight and I'm so excited!

This week we were able to find a lot of new investigators and have really been working on talking to everyone we see. We also have plans this week to do acitivies with the ward to help us find more people to teach!

Conference was so good, we were able to hear all four sessions in english (such a huge blessing) and it was especially wonderful to hear the two talks in Spanish!

I know that the Savior lives and died for us.  He is truly our Redeemer and He can not only heal us, but make us better than we were to begin with.  He is always extending His arm of mercy to us and all we have to do is have faith and take it! He loves us so much.  I can't even begin to express my gratitude for the love He shows me each and everyday.

I hope you all have a great week! Love you all!

Hermana Willes

 Hermana Willes

Hermana Willes and her companion Hermana Lainez with 

Hermana Fani and her daughter (members)

 Hermana Willes, Hermana Lainez with the two hermanas 

they  live with and Hermans Fani (member)

Hermana Willes on cambios