JUNE 16, 2014

I am so grateful for your letters mom. I was laughing and crying along with you and the thought of all the youth, and the guys behind the lighting. I was thinking about all the events we went to and watched that Dad played such an integral part in and that people don't tend to think about. It truly is amazing and we have been so lucky to be able to see so much of the behind the scenes stuff, and I was thinking about how different events are going to be for us to attend now. Kinda crazy. But I'm grateful I was able to have those experiences growing up. 

I am so glad that Grandpa was able to be there for Keiras graduation! I feel bad that she sat through all of ours and none of us could go to hers, but ... now Im over not sitting through another graduation haha. Sorry kid! But it sounds like you got to see the Wights a lot this weekend too! Man I love them and miss them! Casey is at VF now?  Im glad. They are pretty great. Congrats to Casey on Valedictorian! Thats a lot of work and time spent, good job! 

Sounds like Keira is liking the Mango Tango place still? Thats good! Especially since she practically just started... but Im glad that she is able to be getting lots of hours and work in. Thats awesome. And it sounds like she is friends with a few of her co-workers, so thats good. By the way KEIRA HOW THE HECK ARE YOU? I always knew she didnt really love me... just kidding, but I havent heard from you in a while... you know graduation, dance festival, finishing school, work all of that, you have had so much time to email me... so I understand. But no more excuses little missy! whats going on with YOU?

Anyhow. Im glad that the dance festival went well! Sounds like it was a lot of fun to watch! I hope Keira enjoyed the swing dancing! Thats the one I wanted to do, but I am glad now that I was in the African, it was pretty cool, And the Celtic, that one was fun to dance as well. Man that seems so long ago now! 

Im glad that Stuart and Lindy were able to come down and bring Clara and that Grandpa was there too. Sounds like it was a fun time! And how fun that you were all able to facetime with Garret, could grandpa really see him? Thats cool! I guess its a big enough screen for him to see Garret easily, so thats good. How long is Grandpa in OR for? I cant remember. 

And oh my goodness, Im so glad that Grandpa called and alerted the world that he was locked in the Jeep and forgotten! haha. Poor guy... NOT. Well okay 45 minutes is more than a few, but come on you big baby! There are worse places to be stuck grandpa.... oh Love you grandpa! Miss you too! Hope you are enjoying 'cold' Oregon! 

I was walking though target or something last week and saw a display of little cars and I thought of last summer when Grandpa was here and we were teasing Grandpa about buying me a car and how he offered me to take my pick! And showed me the toy car selection at Albertson's, I still get a kick out of that. Not sure if any of you remember it, but I sure do! 

Im glad that Hazeldale ward is still as grand as ever! and that people remember Lindy and her name and love her! It so fun to get to watch the ward grow as people go off and get married and then we get to meet the spouses. I know there are a few who seemed to visit a lot that I alsways seemed to sit by in Relief Society, I think it was Cody Smiths wife, we seemed to sit together a few times while she was here. 

I pretty much just love Hazeldale ward with all my heart! I love everyone and I think often about my experiences growing up as we are discussing the ward and their needs here. I am so grateful that I am a part of the Hazeldale ward! Its a great support and love to know that they are still back home, I got cards from the Achievement day girls at Chsirtmas time, and I think I wrote them all back! I hope I did.... I know I sent post cards to several girls groups, not sure how many there are any more.

And the stake changed lots of boundries for the Bethlehem ward here, and it made me sad to think that Hazeldale will probably be split one day! But I am so glad that it isnt yet! And I know that it is a good thing, a sign that the work is moving forward and that the work is being done, but it is still hard to lose people you love. I am just grateful the splits happened after I was transferred out of Bethlehem. 

Anyhow. 

Oh mom, did I ever tell you that we got to teach early morning seminary twice? Yup. We did. A few weeks ago, they have been done for a while now. But we did get to get up early, teach and them come home and journal for that extra hour we gained, it wasnt worth going to bed to get up so soon after getting home. It made for a few long days, and lunch time quick naps for a while! But nothing terribly big. One thing about missionary work is that it never stops! So we did catch back up, eventually! haha. But it was fun, and challenging to get the kids to talk about ANYTHING that early in the morning! It was kinda funny to watch them all though. And think to myself, man I am spoiled rotten and SO glad that we had release time!!! But I will take my spoiled rotten-ness, I rather enjoy my blessings thank you very much :)

Lets see, what happened this week? Well we started teaching a guy in Russia! He found sister Shaia on Facebook somehow and added her, so we have started teaching him via Skype, which is neat. He has really great english and had studied the religion a little bit, but enough to understand the basic concepts rather well. Which is nice. Its interesting to see the differences in beliefs and culture. The ends of lessons are rather abrupt with him. Which is very different from lessons here, it seems like people here just like to talk so much more! Its ridiculous, you need to plan the last 10 minutes of just good-bye chat to get out the door! But that is fine. Its just interesting to see how abrupt a goodbye could be! Also when we do skype with him its almost 11pm his time, so he is probably going to bed right after, so that might have a little bit to do with it, but from the sounds of it that is how Russians are. Abrupt. So that is a new cool experience! 

We also got to go and double into Nazareth this week which was fun, its something I havent done before. Normally when we do exchanges we swap companions and then one set goes back to Doylestown and one sat stays in the other area. Well when we went into Nazareth we swapped companions but then we both stayed in Nazareth and worked. Which is nice because you can teach a lot more appointments having more missionaries. And funnily enough Nazareth has elders and sisters in their ward, so we doubled in making it 2 sets of sisters and 1 set of elders, but then the Assistants doubled into the Elders area so the ward of Nazareth had 4 sets of missionaries for a day last week, and no one even knows what hit them! It was a funny realization. And a neat experience. It was interesting because the other sisters appointments all held and they talked to a ton of people! Whereas our appointments fell through because our members all cancelled.

As we were meeting up to swap companions a big flash flooding storm came through and it was a turrential down pour outside! Complete with lightening and everything which was fun. Expect for the fact that the members all got scared and the girl that was supposed to come out with us called and said her mom wanted her home now. 

I guess some lightening hit a tree and a telephone pole, so she went home. We were able to stay inside the church for a few minutes and sync the iPads and do some of the paper-worky type stuff. Figure out who needed which phone and car etc. and then we headed out, luckily the storm died off really quickly and we werent stuck in the rain for much of the day at all. But anyways, the whole point was that our appointments fell through so we ended up doing a lot of stop bys and literally only 3 people were home all night. We even walked main street to try and find a few of the homes and no one was out! Even though it was a friday night. It was weird, and the weirdest part was just that the other sisters talked to SO many people, and we werent able to talk to hardly any at all.

BUT we did have a cool experience, like I said we walked main street for a little bit and we had to park (obviously) and we both got out of the car and felt like we needed to knock on the house right there, but it was completely dark, no movement, no cars outside nothing. So we walked to find our home we were looking for, and then realized that we had another one way up at the top of main street, so we could either walk back to the car and drive up, or we could just walk up and back. We were so sick of being in the car and driving around (it feels like such a waste as a missionary! You cant talk to anyone when your driving!) so we decided to walk. It was nice out by now and we figured we would get to talk to someone along the way.

Nope. 

No one. And the person we were trying to find blew us off, so we turned around to walk back to the car. And then we knocked some of the houses we passed where it looked like people were home, and we got a few bad excuses, like my dogs are too rowdy etc. 

If you dont want to talk just say so, but mostly you should just talk to us, we have something you actually do want! I promise you that!

Anyhow, so no one wants to talk to us all night. We get back to the car and the house that we wanted to knock earlier now has lights on and the door open! So we went and knocked and we talked to this woman. My companion at the time said something about how we are missionaries for our church and we share a message about how the Atoning sacrifice of our Savior has given us the opportunity to be a forever family and asked if it was a message she would be interested in hearing. And she said YES! But she didnt want us to come in because we were strangers and she had two little girls, which I understand. So she said we could come back when the kids werent home, she wasnt sure when that would be now that it is summer, so she asked for our card. So we pulled out a card and started writing the phone number and info and we got to talk to her a little bit.

Now any of you who have served missions are now thinking 'come on sister Wilson, she is just blowing you off by not setting up a time and asking for your number...' and I was trying to figure it out as well. But then we were able to show her the picture on the card of the Philly temple that is being built, we talked a little bit about how beautiful it was and she said it was impressive, and then we got to talk about what happens inside the Temple. We shared with her that this is a sacred building, which she can see before it is dedicated, but after it is dedicated it is a place where families go to be sealed together for not just time, as marriages here on Earth bind us, but for eternity. 

She was really excited to learn more, told us that we could stop by and knock on the front or the side door and she would answer and sincerley wanted to hear of our message.

Which was awesome! On my mission I really havent been able to see many positive things come from tracting out doors like that, but it was neat to be able to see someone who sincerly wanted to learn more about how she could strengthen her family, and how strongly the spirit was able to be there just by seeing the picture of a Temple, that isnt even finished being built yet, and knowing that she wanted something from it.

The gospel is true! The Spirit testifies to all of the truth, the light, the way. The spirit is what helps us to learn and grow and develop our faith, because we are all constantly growing our faith.

It is amazing to see how the Lord's work is going forth to all nations through the resources we use everyday! The internet is allowing us to teach more often and to more people. Its truly a blessing to be able to use and see the benefits from it. 

And we are inviting many people to join the efforts of spreading the gospel though the internet and facebook and other social media sources especially. I am going to invite Mom and Stuart to be a part of this group that is on Facebook that is working to spread the Book of Mormon, they have asked us to help the members become a bigger part of the missionary work, then can you two invite other people from home? Im not sure if your missioanries have facebook yet, I know there are only 28 of them in the world thus far, but there are things that each of us can do to help this word be spread far and wide. If you dont want to post the pictures as they have instructed you can just share your experiences and then use the hashtags.

Hash tags description--
This is what the hash tags look like: #xxxxx (dont use any spaces between the words) 

What this does is it links all of the posts that have the same #xxxxx so when someone clicks on the hash tag you made they can then see everyone elses hash tags.

I hope that helps to explain the hash tagging thing to the older generation reading this.... its really not as scary as that may sound to link everything together, people who are not your friends cannot get to your profile if your privacy settings are set to protect you. And it doesnt give out any of your personal information.

But what this does do is flood facebook with uplifting experiences that others are sharing, it helps to get the face of the Book of Mormon out there, and it helps others learn more of what missionaries do! 

This is an invitation that is coming from our mission President, and probably even Salt Lake, as they are working to use social media to spread the gospel. If you can all invite others to be a part of the group and then post either the picture they describe, your experiences, or just the hash tag, it is all helping to hasten the work and to flood the internet with good, uplifting and encouraging stories. I hope you can all find a way to take part in the hastening of the work online. 

It is an amazing tool that we are learning together church wide. We are the internet pioneers! haha. That was cheesy... but really we are.

ANYHOW, thats just an invitation to others to be a part of this work. Here is the link to the facebook page that is doing this:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/774654132574908/

All of the 28 Facebook missions have been invited to participate as we flood facebook with the Book of Mormon. There are instructions on the group for EVENT #2 that is happening soon. So I just wanted to invite the ward and people back home to be a part of this great experience as well.

I love you all! Thank you for your love, support and prayers. I truly do appreciate all of them!

LOVE YOU!

Sister Kindra Wilson

P.S. Thank you for sending that box mom! I do appreciate it! And just fyi while I am here in Doylestown you can send packages here to my apartment, we have parcel lockers and they can leave them on our doorstep as well. Just a touch quicker, but we will have Leadership Council next week so I will get the box soon! THANK YOU! 

LOVES TO ALL! 

June 9, 2014

Surely I cannot agree with you that nothing much is going on! It sounds like EVERYTHING is going on now! haha. 

I am so glad that you were able to go to Texas and spend time with everyone there, and I am jealous, but not enough to switch places :) It just sounds like it was a PACKED house!

Im glad that the wedding went well and that so many people were able to come for it! And wow, sounds like Monica and Brittany and family are having a grand old time together haha, packed full! And sounds kinda like us at Christmas time with everyone, which its full of family time anyways so its all good. 

Well I will include Devon and Monica in my prayers as they are searching to find their family, I cant even imagine going through that. But I am glad that they have the gospel and have that testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ and know where they can lean to find that comfort and support and strength to get through this. They are pretty great! 

Sounds like Amanda is having the time of her life with all those pups! Im glad that she is doing so well with the training and her job, sounds like they found something that will work well for their family, what more could you want?! Im happy for them. And I didnt realize they were getting ready to move back to Texas!  Hope Isaac likes the heat! 

Grandpa is back in OR, and cold? Man. Its getting hot here, not as hot as it has been in the past I hear (ALLELUIA!) but it is still warming up, in already high 80's and 90's and its the beginning of June! But I guess it was high 90's & 100's last year, so Ill take it! It would be alright if there wasnt so much humidity! Its annoying, not as bad as people make it out to be.... YET! so for that I am grateful.

OH and we saw a few fireflies coming out last night :) I love fireflies, I wish they were in OR, but I am not willing to take the heat to bring them, so I will enjoy them while I have them. They are fun! And SO slow, you can catch them quite easily. Im glad they are back out now :)

Keira is a working girl now! Done with school? Man. Its just really not okay any more, alright Keira? Enough is enough! Just kidding. I am excited for you, but still, your the baby sister, you cant be out of High School! That makes me feel old... by the way today marks 5 years since I graduated... YUCK.

But anyhow, life is grand :) I love it! 

Lets see what happened this week? 

We had an intriguing discussion yesterday at dinner with a member and he was telling us the significance of the use of the word 'hasten'. He is a project manager by trader and talked about when you want to hasten something that does not mean to speed it up, that does not mean to rush to get things done, (thats how things get sloppy and forgotten). But he said, hastening something means adding more resources to pull the finish line closer. He talked about adding more resources to the mix to do the same thing but more of it, not faster or different, but simply more. Or taking things that were done serially and doing them simultaneously instead. Adding more resources allows you to move up the deadline without getting sloppy, or rushing, it allows you to get the job done well and accomplish it sooner than originally planned.

It got me thinking, you know the Lord has a deadline on us. He knows when He is coming again, and He has that deadline, but it can be affected and put into place sooner if we are ready sooner. We are being called to hasten the work, to allow Him to come sooner, if we are willing to work with all our might and with an eye single to the glory of God, we will be able to accomplish all that He has set for us to do, but now He is giving us more resources, to allow us the opportunity to use our agency to accomplish the task sooner, if we are ready and preparing for it.

Its amazing to think about and to see in action. We had a wonderful sacrament meeting this week. We had a lot of people come that we weren't expecting to see. Some less actives, some spouses, some investigators and man it just kept getting better and better! 

And we basically had a party in Relief society, they pulled the couches in from the foyers and we talked about the talk from conference in the womens meeting about 'Help needed, true disciples of Christ'. It was our visiting teaching conference and we started out with food :) Croissant sandwiches, fruit, cheese and crackers and chocolate cake :) It was delicious! They gave us a paper and asked about how we have seen people be rescuers, mentors, helpers, and disciples of Christ either through our visiting teachers or family, friends, etc. It was a very uplifting meeting, and very filling :) And nothing like I have ever seen done in RS or church before, but it was a fun 'conference' and I think it did a better job at helping people desire to be the best visiting teacher they can be, and not something that made it sound rebuking and needing us to do better and improve, it was very encouraging and well done. I like it, and the food :)

Also we volunteer at a thrift shop called NOVA (Network of Victims Assistance) its part of a larger corporation and the shop just helps to fund the great programs that they have. BUT it was so much fun. We got to go to a volunteer appreciation dinner. The sister started volunteering at NOVA just a few months ago, so we are still pretty new to everything, but they are SO grateful for our work that we do each week. We get to go in twice a week and help out there. 

So they had a dinner of appreciation for the volunteers and we were debating about whether or not to go knowing it would be dinner, the event would probably be longer than an hour, and they were talking about having wine etc served. But we felt like we should go, so we did. 

And it was awesome! 

We got to meet people that worked in all aspects of NOVA in the head quarters, in the learning aids, in the support groups etc. And they were all talking about us, the table behind us was talking about our life style... but they thought we were nuns. AND WERE NOT! Trust me, I will be married to a man one day and have my own family and finish my schooling and go back to life, I am not a nun. But lots of people think we are... its okay. My life goes on.

But we were able to tell a lot of people and answer some questions and we were able to talk to a girl who is searching for the truth, and has a rough family life. But sister Shaia sat by her, and it was a good thing, because she was able to talk  to her the whole time, next to me were some ladies who were retired and just liked to chat, but not religiously. So that was fine. But it was such a cool place too! The dinner was in the loft of this old barn that has been renovated for events and things, and below you, guess what? Its live stock. Goats and sheep etc. running around. It was not like anything Ive been at before! but it was really fun. The food was fine, and they had some good lemonade, so we were glad that we went and were able to talk to lots of people and get to know the higher ups in the corporation so they understand who we are when they talk about the sisters that come in to volunteer. Its great! 

But also while we were volunteering at NOVA this week we got a few pairs of these atrocious wrap around pants... so I tried them on. And then Priscilla wanted pictures! So we had a mini photo shoot... Maria found a cheetah costume that she put on, complete with the footie PJS, tail, gloves, hat and mask. It was so funny! We love NOVA and those ladies there. On Saaturday when we were in they treated us to lunch from Tabora which is a GREAT place to eat. We love it, so we let them treat us! It was delicious and much needed by that time.

We also got to go and study the sunday school lesson with this little old lady in our ward, Sister Zander. I love her. She showed us pictures of her wedding because we saw her family pictures all over the house and asked where she was. They were cute, and she had a few funny pictures, but we loved seeing the dresses and her sisters who look just like her! Then as we were studying there was this great big spider that crawled across her ceiling and Sister Shaia pointed it out, well Sister Zander shrieked! And then yelled at it "come down here so I can kill you!"... well it didnt listen and we went on with our lesson, but sister Shaia kept looking at it and sister Zander would shriek every time she remembered it was there... so funny! So before we left we chased it down and I killed it with my shoe. We are such good spider killers.

We got to do exchanges with the Morrisville sisters this week which was fun. We had a lesson with a guy in a music store, that was interesting. We had brought a member with us and he was the only one running the store, so when the few customers would come in he would stop and help them. Then he would ask, okay what did you want to talk about? each time he came back. Not my favorite way to teach a lesson, but you know, whatever works. 

We also had Zone Training this past week which was good. Sister Shaia and I trained on how to work closely with the members and how to help gain their trust and keep it. Being out here has taught me how important it really is to have members and missionaries working together. I didnt realize how vital the members were to missionary work until I have come out here and seen the differences. 

In the wards where the members are asking us about what is going on, its on their minds more and they are looking for those opportunities more. in the wards where we have to ask them and its like pulling teeth to talk to some of them, the work doesnt move. Because yes, the Lord must trust the missionaries to teach the investigators, but the Lord also has to trust the ward to take care of the recent converts. So look around when you are at church and notice who is new, reach out to them, get to know your ward and the investigators the missionaries are working with. Pray for them by name, do what you can to reach out and welcome people who look uncomfortable. Do your part to help the Lord trust your ward to have new members come into it. It makes a world of difference with the missionary work to have the members involved, and there are so many miracles that happen for the members who are involved and the wards that are involved.

We had another awesome lesson with our investigators from Iraq. I learned that while there are many similarities, there are also many differences with their beliefs. 

They believe that God loved Christ so much that God did not let him suffer and actually feel all the pains of the world. But that when Judas, who is named Joshua, betrayed Christ, he did so at the last supper, but when Joshua went to open the doors to let the guards in to capture Christ, God took Christ up to Heaven with him and that Joshua's appearance was changed to look like Christ so the guards actually took Joshua and crucified him.

So major differences there, that belief completely cuts out the Garden of Eden experience, which is HUGE. We know that Christ suffered every weakness, affliction, hurt, trial, despair and pain that has ever been experienced here on Earth by everyone who has come, is here now and has yet to be born. We know that Christ did feel those pains because someone has to make that restitution for our mistakes and down falls. Without Christ feeling those pains and burdens, how could we rely on Him? Sure he was a perfect leader so we could try to emulate him, but that places Him so far away from us to know that He never suffered? How could he ever relate to us? How could he ever truly comfort us if He didnt know what it was like?

I think it brings a whole new meaning to me to know that He suffered and felt EVERY pain that we have felt. Its amazing to know that He is truly our advocate with the Father, and that He can be because He has felt what we have felt and He truly understands each of us. I am so grateful for my Redeemer and my Father in Heaven and everything that has been given to us and for us. How much our Father loves us! We cannot even comprehend. I am so grateful to know what little I do know, because that perspective affects my life, every day. That perspective shifts my focus from immediate gratification, to looking at eternity and what the future holds and what I need to do now to prepare for the future. 

Isn’t life wonderful?   I sure do love it :)

Anyhow, those are some hi-lights from the week and a few insights that have come along the way.

I love you all! Thank you for the letters, prayers, thoughts, everything! I truly do appreciate each and every one.

p.s. mom, I still haven't sent your birthday box... hopefully this week! Im packing some clothes around the gifts to protect them in transit. Hopefully Ill get it out this week! I love you and I think of you every day that I walk past that box!!! (and every other day too)

Your in my daily prayers! Love you lots!     Love, Sister Kindra Wilson :)

June 2, 2014

I dont know why but I am feeling on top of the world right now! I read everyone emails and responded and it was all just so uplifting to hear and to read and to know that God is watching out for us, and that so many good things are happening. Lots of changes and lessons learned and people loved and man. It is so good to be alive! 

I was talking with Lindy and Stuart a little bit about how happy I am to be a missionary. Which was not always the case. 

Honestly, when I came out on my mission it was not because I had this burning desire to serve a mission, in fact it was the last thing I wanted to do! I wanted to go back to school, I had finally figured out my life! After 3 years of praying to try and figure out what I should study, what I wanted to do and who I wanted to become I had finally received my answers and things were lining up. I could see the stars pointing me where I needed to be and I was so excited to finally have some direction in my life after everything that I was praying about and after losing dad and trying to figure out my life. I had answers and I was ready to act on them.

But then God said, yes, this is your answer, but put that on hold and go serve a mission first.

Are you kidding me?

Seriously?

Right now?

Right in the middle of finding my degree, finding something that was such a stress relief, something so encouraging, something I wanted to do, something that brought me more direction than I had ever had! And I wanted to start! I was part way through and I still dont know what the program will look like when I get back to it.

But God told me to put that on hold and come on a mission.

So I did.

But only because I knew I would be unhappy if I didnt follow Gods will. And that was the attitude I have had for a good portion of my mission. I am here and I am happy because this is where I needed to be. This is where God wanted me to be and therefore it is where I wanted to be.

Which was fine, but I am so glad that that has changed.

The longer I have been out on my mission the more I realize how it will impact all of my life in the future. This time is going to give me everything I need to be able to continue to serve, follow and focus on my Heavenly Fathers plan for me and for my future and for my family and everyone I come in contact with. 

It is going to be such a blessing in my life, and it helps me to realize how blessed I have been. 

I have truly had a blessed life, not a easy one, but the one I needed to live and one that was carefully planned for me. And through finding that individual plan for me, I have found the greatest happiness I could. By following the call to me to serve a mission I have been able to understand what happiness truly is, and to see first hand how obedience brings blessings.

We have been teaching a man named Emilio, and he is so prepared to hear and find this gospel. He is reading, praying about, studying and truly searching for the answers we all want in life. What is my calling? What is my path? What do I need to do? Why am I here? 

Watching him learn about and then acting on the answers he receives and the happiness that he is gaining, is truly inspiring. Emilio has many road blocks that keep being put into his path! He is being pushed back time and time again, but he is not letting it stop him. He is continuing to act in faith on the answers he receives and is seeing blessings in his life. 

I finished the Book of Mormon a few weeks ago and I wanted to start it over, but I needed a new subject to study. I was looking for names, titles and the words that Christ spoke scattered through out the Book of Mormon, it was neat to see how much He is truly testified of within that Book. It truly is a testament of Him. But I needed a new topi to study for, so I chose obedience brings blessings. As I am studying and looking for instances of people being obedient to the call of God and then receiving blessings, its amazing to recognize all the instances and ways that the Lord truly blesses us, simply for obeying his commands, whether or not we understand them.

This has been the greatest blessing of my mission. I have been able to see the transformation in myself as I have followed the promptings and feelings of needing to serve a mission, and coming for that reason. I am the happiest I have ever been in my life! Because I know I am where God wants me to be. Because I am able to bring the truth to people and answer their questions and help them come to find the truth for themselves, whether they feel it is in the Book of Mormon or not! I am able to help them learn to hear the promptings of the spirit and to find answers they are searching for themselves. 

It is truly a blessing to see people light up as they understand who they are as a daughter of God, or to see someone light up as he understand the scriptures on his own for the first time.

These are spiritual things that cannot be replicated by any one or anything, and it is something that brings lasting happiness to people. 

Maybe that is why I enjoy being a missionary so much, because I am able to bring people lasting happiness. Something so much more than the year of your life spent at school, or being on the winning team for years in a row, or graduating from high school. Something more than watching your family grow together, because we know that as our families grow together and are sealed together by the power of the Priesthood which has been restored to the Earth, we know that this happiness will last forever. Into eternity! 

We know why we are growing together, why it matters that we put effort into our relationships and what we need to do to have that happiness last eternally. 

We know that we dont die, go to heaven and automatically get to live with God and our families, but that as we progress and learn and understand the things that God does want us to do, we can start now to build our eternal families.

That has brought a lot of comfort and peace and strength to me and to many who we teach. I think the saddest moment on my mission was when a member of the church realized that her marriage was not sealed through the power of the priesthood and that right now, they are not eternally married. It was so sad to see her realize that, but it was so rewarding to know that she was working on learning and progressing to be able to go to the Temple so that she could be sealed to her husband for not just time as we are married on Earth, but for all eternity.

We have lasting happiness, and there is nothing that can replicate that joy and peace. I am grateful for it, and I have truly come to love my mission as I have been able to prepare people to make and keep the sacred covenants of the Temple. 

This is the time we have to prepare to meet God, but we need help to know how to prepare! I have not done anything so fulfilling as teaching people how they can prepare to meet God. 

Sounds corny but its true. 

And that is part of how I realized that I am not just here because God wants me here, but I am here because I want to be here! I want to be a missionary and to bring this to people! And I want to live every minute to the fullest because I will not be a missionary forever.

President gave me permission to fill out my housing contract for school, so I did that today and I am so excited to be able to go home and go back to school and to know that I do get to go back and continue on that path that I finally found. But I dont have to start back on that path today, I still have 6 months to find those whom I am supposed to find, to help answer their questions and to show that I truly am here to work. 

Man, isnt it good to be alive? Life is grand! And we are so blessed! 

I love you all, thank you for your updates, letters, notes, prayers, love and encouragement. It truly does mean a lot to me, and I can feel your support all the way over here! Keep it coming, I've still got 6 months over here!

Love you all more than you know, 

Sister Kindra Wilson