Kindra as a Sister Missionary!

What in Hell do you want?!‏     August 5 2013

We heard that quote this week and its my new favorite, because its so simple and so true. There is nothing you want in Hell. Which is why Heaven is my goal!

Well Im glad that you guys got to go to Vernonia and see the parade, did you stay for the concert? That would have been interesting to see. Im glad the Barfuss' were able to go with you, sounds like you guys had a fun day!

Also thank you for giving the Sister’s Collin's name, I have been thinking about him off and on, I guess I could have put in the referral but now they know they can come and talk to you and whatnot. He is just such an awesome guy I feel like he could benefit a lot from the message of the gospel!

I dont interact much with the Spanish missionaries, but I will try to remember if I run into any of them. Thanks for feeding Hazeldale's sisters and taking care of the missionaries! Being in members homes is such a treat! Just remember to go light on the desserts! But you dont have to cut them out all together...

Hows the pool going? Anyone else ask you if they can have doggy time?! Haha. That was so funny to me, but Im glad you let him for a little while!

Man, we have so many missionaries out right now its awesome! Give em my email when they leave if you want and tell them they can email me. You can give my email to more people too,tell them they can send an email if they wish. I do love getting letters or cards or post cards! Anything in the mail is fun.

And I did get the package THANK YOU! You guys are awesome! I love you. The CDs are fantastic! and I did get a cheap speaker thing so I can listen to the MP3 in the apt so I have more music now which is superb. Thanks! And thanks for sending the letters from the other missionaries, its fun to read their experiences as well. And you can send those packages to me in Montrose, they are outside on the porch or inside our little sun room? I dont know what to call it. Im not worried about that stuff, but when you send my Primary Song Book send that to the mission home please, because thats something that I do NOT want to risk losing. So anything  valuable send through the mission home. Thank you :)

Okay so my week, was lovely. It truly was. I started thinking a week or so ago why am I here? I know that I am on a mission because thats where the Lord wants and needs me to be, but do I want to be? I am here because God told me to be, but am I happy about it? And I realized that I was happy about it.

We have an investigator who is going to be baptized on Sunday Aug 11!  And I am so excited for her. Through our teaching and talking with her I realized that she is one of the people that I came to find. When I realized this my testimony of timing grew exponentially. I am supposed to be here now, the Lord has a plan for me. I also learned that I need to open up and share with people my experiences because that is what makes me who I am and that is why I am sent here to find certain people. If I dont open up I cant find the people I am sent here to teach! She taught me that, and she is awesome! I love her so much. she is getting baptized this next Sunday and we are so stoked!

That is kinda the low day that turned my outlook positive again super fast. Another day that was awesome was Saturday. Well okay so we had a Zone Training this past week to teach us all about the new key indicators that the church is changing.

Missionary work is ready to move forward like it never has before! The changes in the key indicators (how they track numbers and missionary work) is changing, from tracking the missionaries and how much we are teaching, to tracking the members and how involved they are. The truth is ready to spread! And we need the members to move the work along. We need to stop being so shy and reserved. Missionary work is as easy to do as telling people that we are going to the Temple to do service for the Lord, or I went to church this weekend, its giving people the opportunity to ask questions! The members job is to be out in the community finding people who are wanting to learn more, the missionaries job is to teach.

I think that is one reason members are hesitant or scared to do missionary work, because they feel like they have to teach people everything. First of all no one knows everything but God so stop beating yourself up. Second, the member missionary work is to give people the opportunity to learn by interacting with people, not teaching lessons.

We have this amazing family in our branch that has given out a few copies of the Book of Mormon in the past few weeks. And it was simple and beautiful. He was talking to someone and saw a clue that they could use the gospel, he asked them do you believe in Christ? The people said yes, he handed them a Book of Mormon and said if you read this book, even just verse by verse it will change your life. He didnt teach any super profound doctrine and he didnt get any hard questions. He saw the opportunity to share what he holds most dear with a complete stranger and he acted upon it, not knowing if he would ever see them again. We are not here to shove anyone into doing something they dont want to. We are here to share what we have with people and help them understand how it truly can benefit their life!

Saturday was a very uplifting experience. We had an 8 year old in our branch get baptized, but she was able to be baptized in the Susquehanna river! It was very neat to be able to go and be there with her family and celebrate on that day with her. They also asked us missionaries to share the message of the Restoration. This was a very neat experience, we had the opportunity to teach about the restoration of the Priesthood power back to the earth on the bank of the Susquehanna river, where the Aaronic Priesthood was restored once again to Joseph Smith. And to see her being baptized in the river at the same spot that Joseph was baptized. It was a very spiritual day.

And quite the party! There were 5 baptisms that day. Ours was first, then there was a family from around here who had 2 cousins fly in from Utah so that they could all 3 be baptized on the same day in the Susquehanna river! Then there was a convert baptism after that as well! It was neat to be able to see all the families and friends and missionaries gathered to such a sacred place for such a sacred ordinance.

This Sunday was another great day. We taught a guy named Kevin last week and we invited him to be baptized, he said yes and we set up an appointment. He rode to church with his friend and when the friend picked him up Kevin asked "do I need to bring a change of clothes so I have something dry to wear after Im baptized?"

GOLDEN! He is so ready! And this came just because he asked his friend if he would be willing to meet with the missionaries. We had a lesson with him after church and he asked what else he had to do in order to be baptized. We told him he would have to quit smoking and he said I can do that. I asked 'will you quit smoking this week' and he said 'yeah, Ill go home, have one last one and that will be that'. This was without even teaching him the Word of Wisdom or the reasoning behind not smoking. He was just so willing and ready and wanting a change that he has committed to do it.

We also got to teach the son of a part-member family about how to believe in God. We asked him do you believe there is a God? He told us that he wanted to. So we taught him how each of us came to believe in God and gave him and Book of Momon and told him that it was a resource he could use to learn about God. We read a few verses with him and he expressed the fact that what he got from those verses was that he needed to just accept that there is a God and that that is how life is. So I shared with him that when I read those verses I read that we have the opportunity to pray and ask God and get an answer for ourselves. That it is not saying you need to accept it and move on, but that you need to figure it out for yourself. And just the like the introduction to the Book of Momon reads test it out, ask if it is true, and ask if it is not true! dont take our word for it, learn for yourself!

I am so blessed to be able to have this gospel. I was born into a family who had the truth, and for that I am eternally grateful to my Father in Heaven. And that is why I am on a mission. To bring this comfort, this knowledge and this good news to the people of Motrose. This gospel changes lives. It has given me an understanding of who I am, where I came from, my purpose in life and my goal of where I am going after I die. With that eternal perspective I live my life. I cant imagine where I would be without it, and I do not want to. I know that Joseph Smith was called of God as a Prophet to bring the fullness of the gospel to the Earth. That we have that Priesthood power and authority from God and that we know the way back to live with God again. I know that Jesus Christ is my redeemer and that it is only through him that I can return to live with God and to be able to be surrounded by my family. I love you all. Thank you for your support, your love, your prayers, I can feel them all the time. I love you, dont you ever forget it!

Love, sister Wilson