Week 4

I cant believe that i am already a month into my mission!!!! 1/24th of the way done! and half way done with my time in the CCM! it is going so fast.. I now understand what RMs mean when they say it will fly by so quick. 

I am still really enjoying being here in the CCM (Centro de Capacitación Missional) still, there is such a strong spirit here every day. But I keep on becoming more and more excited to get out of here to montevideo. I feel so lucky that I am able to have the experience of being in the Argenitina CCM, I really think that I have such a bigger advantage here at learning the language because I am with latinos all day and other natives, and because I learn some of the realaities of missionary work because I get to go out on my prosilitismos every week. 

Every week prosilitismos get better and better and better. Last saturday was such a good day. Me and my companion were able to teach 4 full lessons to people we contacted! I cannot even describe how good it felt to be able to do teach and put into use eveything that we practice in the CCM. I was able to recite the first Vision 4 times (one for each lesson) and it was sooooo awesome to feel the spirit that it brings evey time I recited that powerful experience. It improved my testimony sooo much about the power and truith of the restoration. One guy we were teaching was a intimidating looking about 40 year man who was working in the street. At first, I thought why even bother with talking to this guy? he was busy and usually me and my comp dont have much luck with people like that. I was about to just ignore him, but I felt prompted that I could not pass over this guy. going up to him, I for some reason felt like I should say: hi, were here to answer your question. He immediately stoped looked up at us, and started crying and said: are you guys the answer to my questions? appairantly he had been praying for the last week every night to a god he didnt know to send him something to show him that god existed... this is what evey missionary dreams about by the way.. we taught him the first lesson sitting out on his fence to his yard. it was one of the most spiritual things i have ever done. the coolest part was at the end when we had commited him to read and prey about the book of mormon and prey about it and, get this... COMMIT TO PREPARE TO BE BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!! (got my first baptismal commitment!).. but at the very end, right before we had to leave, he said: thanks, I now know that god lives, Is that what Im feeling? and he pulled up his sleeve and his whole body was covered in goosebumps and he had tears rolling down his face. it felt soo good to have actual sucess!!! unfortuneately i will never be able to see him again or anything because i am changing prosilitismo zones, but i hope he has enough faith and courage to go through with the baptism wigh tyhe other missionaries. I cant wait till i get to go out to the feild and do stuff like this every day. 

So much more happeded that day that i dont have time to explain, soo many cool stories. But everything is going good! my spanish is progressing as fast as possible. I still havent got any letters, but nobody has, i think the mail is still all blocked up from the volcano problem. Thanks for all your prayres! I feel them all the time, and prey for my comp to learn spanish fast so i dont have to teach all alone! I miss everybody a lot, and am working hard! 4 weeks till i get to leave the CCM!

Elder Wilson

2nd Handwritten Letter from Covey

Family!

This is my second letter I am sending you, and my third Sunday in the CCM (centro de capacion missional). It is weird, but I am already having a hard time remembering how to spell in English, and it takes me a while to remember what words are right. The other day one Elder in my district asked me what my first name is, and it took me a few seconds to remember. I just never think about it anymore.

Sundays in the CCM are the best. We have 3 hours of church in the morning (But I guess we actually have 24 hours of church for 7 days a week for 104 weeks). But then we have a couple hours of personal study, which is the best part of any day, to be able to study the scriptures. Then lunch, then we get an hour of "preperacion personal" which I am in now, to just do whatever we need to. Some Elders nap, or read or write. Then we have a few hours of class, which is always really interesting and good. Then the best part is that we get to watch a missionary fireside. These are just re-broadcasted re-runs from the Provo MTC. I have seen one from Pres. Oaks and Ballard so far. They are sooo good because they do not hold back at all, or sugar coat their message, or worry about going into too much detail. I can't wait to hear the one tonight. Last Monday was an awesome experience. Elder Arnold from the Quorum of the 70 (the one who has given a few General Conference talks) came here and gave a fireside. It was so amazing.

I wish I had more time to fully explain everything here and in full detail, but I really don't, and especially during email time. Sorry my emails are so rushed. I love getting your emails, it really seems to be mail from home that keeps some of the Elders here going.

Love you and miss you all,

Elder Wilson

P.S. These letters I send home are for whoever wants to read them, but it would be nice if you could save them somewhere so I can refer  back to them after my mission.

PPS. Whenever you send me something in the mail, I need to get some American postage stamps, or else I won't be able ot keep on sending mail!

PPPS. I need a list of birthdays for everyone (new sibs, fam, extended fam, etc.) just so I don't forget.

PPPPS. I would like pictures form everybody, just so I don't forget what you look like, and because the Latinos are way interested in how my friends and family look.

Thanks for everything!

Week Three - Survived My First Natural Disaster

me and some latino buddies

Me and elder Angel. He was my favorite latino. from El Salvador. All tatooed up with bullet holes.

Me and some latinos. With the CCM in the backgound, and the temple under construction.

Me and elder Maloof form paraguay. He is on the national paraguay football team, and i want everyone to know that i scored a goal on him. ya.

_________________________________________

So, I dont know if this made big news in the USA, but a big volcano busted its top in chile about a week ago. When it blew, all the way over here in Buenos Aires we could feel a little earthquake, which wasnt a big deal, and only a few people felt it in the middle of the night. But two days later, I woke up, and looked out of the window, and it looked like a huge dust storm was happening, but really it was the ash fallout. The whole city was covered in a thick layer of ash, it was actually kind of cool to experience a part of a real natural disaster, even though it wasnt fatal to anyone up here in Buenos Aires. For the next days we were in kind of a lockdown, stuck inside of the CCM all day, and everyone was caughing and sneezing. The biggest effect of the volcano here is that the airport has been shut down for the last week, and it still is canceling lots of flights. Also it was kind of cool because the CCM was filled with stranded members from all over the world who were stuck in the Buenos Aires airport. And lots of members who are homeless and didnt wan to live out in the ash (understandably). The sunset every day that week was one of the most amazing things i have ever seen. The entire sky was the color of a red fire extinguisher cus of all the ash, I should have taken a pic.

This weeks menu special - Cow stomach with intestine soup.

This email, I want to talk about the people here at the CCM. Yesterday, all of the latinos that were here when I got here were transfered out to their real missions. They were all so amazing and taught me so much. The averege latino missionary is about half my size, and about 2 to 5 years older than I am. They all have such strong testimonies, and incredible life storeys. About half of them were all covered in tatoos, and three of them had a bunch of bullet holes, but their conversion and testimonies is so impressive. I loveed to hear them tell about how they changed their lives and joined the church. Its sad that I wont ever see most of them again. They were all kind of facinated with me because I was so big (And I look like Ricky Martin appairantly). They all called my elder Capo (Which means like a stud sort of thing), or elder Ricky Martin.

Prolelitismos went really well again for us this week, we had lots of good contacts, but we found 2 new investigators that we feel really good about. One woman and her nephew commeted to go to sacrament meeting, and we have a return appointment for this saturday. She had taken the lessons before from missionaries, and she mentioned that she wants to get baptized, but dosent know a lot. Me and my comp are going to try to commit her to baptism on saturday. It was really cool how me and my comp were walking by, and both felt really strongly impressed to trackt down the street that she lives on, even though it wasnt in the area we planned to trackt through. It was cool to feel just how strongly the spirit guided us. That would be so cool to get a baptismal commitment before I even left the CCM. Also, we found a really humble family of 7 that we feel really good about and are going to teach on sat. Plus I got attacked by a couple dogs, and some guy tried to take my money, but nothing to worry about! I know how to handle myself.

Well, running out of time. Miss everybody! I havnt got any mail yet, but when people do write me, it would be nice if you could send a pick of yourself, your family, whatever, just so I dont forget what you look like, and latinos are really facinated with what northamerican people look like.

Im doing great and learning so much, and getting excited to head out to uruguay!

Thanks!

Elder Wilson

Transcribed Letter from Covey

Transcribed from a handwritten letter:

Family, (any family who wants to read it, even extended)

Sorry I really never have time to send emails, only 10 minutes a week. So I just wanted to write a good letter home. This is my second Sunday, and so far this really has been one of the greatest experiences ever. Like I tried to explain in my last email, the food is so amazing (except for the 'cow head soup,' 'boiled cow stomach,' 'cow hoof soup,' 'cow tongue,' and various other parts of the cow). And I am glad to say that I was able to avoid getting travelers's diarrhea, or anything like that, but I will say that I am very inclined to take lots of fiber pills. That's probably TMI, sorry!

The average day consists of class, class, class, class, class, soccer, class, class, class... but I love it. It's amazing how I used to get so bored of 1hr of spanish class back in high school, but now I sit through 8 hrs of spanish a day, and still want to learn more, and faster. It really is such a huge blessing to be able to live with Latinos here. They are so much fun, and so humble. They really are my best friends. It is amazing how strong the Spirit is here. When you are studying, teaching, and memorizing doctrine all day, every day it is amazing how strong you can feel the presence and guidance of the spirit. I cannot even describe just how much my testimony has grown even in just this last week.

Yesterday was one of the those top-10-experience days. Here, every Saturday, they put us on busses, send us to random areas of Buenos Aires, and set us loose in the city to do procelitismos. So, me (who only knows one week's worth of spanish) and my comp. (who I don't think even knows how to ask someone's name in spanish) are alone in the streets of Urban Buenos Aires, and expected to teach. It seriously took every ounce of courage I could muster to open my mouth and for the first time, explain who I was, and that I had a message that can change your life. I cannot even begin to describe just how different the people and houses and cars and streets and shops and everything really is for America. But, the most amazing things happened. As I began to talk to the people, and grow more comfortable with my surroundings, me and my seemingly mute companion were able to get 25 solid street contacts, and set up 5 return appointments! It is so amazing to me! I have 5 potential new investigators, and I haven't even left the MTC! I don't know how it happened, except for that the Spirit was able to touch the hearts of the people who I talked with. There really is no other explination. Yesterday really increased my testimony about the gift of tongues, and the power of the message we carry, and really gave me a taste of just how rewarding and exciting missionary work is! Also, it made me so anxious to progress my spanish as fast as possible, because sometimes it was so frustrating to be inable to express my feelings and share my message because I could not speak the words. But the fact that the spirit was still able to be conveyed is so amazing and refreshing and motivating.

Well, I wish I had more time to more fully explain everything that happened to me yesterday, or more of my other experiences, but I've got to go. I hope everything is going well with everybody!

Love,

Covey

(he added a rubbing of his ELDER WILSON nametag at the end)

Week two!

Hello all my family and friends!

So, last week, I tried to explain everything in a little time, but there is just too much to say, so this week I am just going to focus on one thing and fully explain it. But the food hilight for this week was boiled cow stomach... I got to hand it to these Argentinian people, they really know how to use every single part of the cow. Nothing goes to waste...

But I want to talk about the very best part of the MTC: proselitismos. Every saterday, we are given an area in the city, and the load us up on busses and send us out to prosilite for 10 hours. Last saterday was my first time, at it seriously was up in my top-10 life experiences. At first it was such a huge culture shock. Everything everything everything about Buenos Aires is different than anything I have ever experienced. The people, the cars, the roads, the houses, the smell, the food, the noise, everything. I remember just thinking to myself: what am i doing here? I had no idea what to do, I mean I was in the middle of a foreign city with only 5 days of spanish beneath my belt. And I love my companion to death, but im not sure if he even knew how to ask where the bathroom is in spanish. It took all the courage i had to open my mouth, and for the first time talk to a native about who I was and what I wanted. But as the day progressed, I became more comfortable, untill by the end of the day, I just wanted to stay outside and teach forever. It really gave me a nice taste of how fun and exciting missionary work is. Even though my spanish is so bad, an amazing thing happened, we made 27 solid contacts, and 7 return appointments for the next week!!!!!!!!!! It was so amazing for me to be able to feel the spirit work through me as I explained the gospel, and I cant believe that I have 7 potential new investigators, and havnt even left the CCM!

At first I though the people were kind of stuck up and haughty, but as I talked to more and more, i noticed that all that haughtyness disappears straight away, and as soon as you say hi to them, they are so warm and nice and way more open about their religious beliefs than most americans are. it was such a relief to be able to talk to people with out worrieng about them thiniking you are an idiot for trying to explain your church to them... but i want to read a dialogue of everything I said that day, just to see all of the funny things I said on accident (I just realized that I spend 10 hours last week explaining to the people of argentina that I am a millionare from la iglesia de Jesucristo de los santos de los ultimos dias.. no wonder why they were so interested in my message).

One experience was really cool, and I want to explain it. Me and my comp were clapping doors (you dont knock here, you just stand out on the sidewalk and clap), and this one guy came up to me, and we made a street contact with him. As soon as he got the message that we were church men, warmed up with the biggest smile ever and launched into a long, detailed storey about his religious background. He was really good at talking quick, and i am not really good at understanding quick yet, but I was able to grasp the general themes. he explained his religious history and some of his problems. I said Si si si lots of times, and shared what I could about my message. Then he suddenly got real serious and looked way deeper into my eyes than anyone ever has I think, and he told me about some of his serious problems. Even though I really didnt understand most of it, I found myself bearing my testimony about the plan of salvation and the restoration and the atonement and saying all sorts of words that I have maybe only heard once before in my life. he kept on looking at me so intently, and when I was done talking, he started crying and grabbed me by the hand, and said Elder, thanks for the help... when he said this, i was completely taken away. what did he mean thanks for the help? I hadnt really done anything for him exept say a few things. But I gave him a BOM, and a couple pamphlets, and got his info down for the real missionaries, because he lived outside of my area. I problbly will never see him again, but i wonder if i made any real impact on his life. but i hope i did, and i know that he felt the spirit. This experien... time up!

gotta go!

Elder Wilson

The first week - the gift of tounges (Its not what you think)

Hey everybody,

Made it through my first week in the CCM (MTC)here in argentina. Sorry my last email home was so short and probably incoherant, but I only had a couple minuits to send off a quick message. So far my experience has been so interesting. Let me start by explaning the title of my email. it has to do with the food we get to eat here, which is waaayyy better than I expected, and much better than the food at the provo MTC. For breakfast we have a choice of cerials, fruit, and this hot drink called Malta, which is some sort of a barley-based drink. Also, for some reason, the only dissert we ever have is served with breakfast. Also for every meal there is a ton of fruit avalible, so I have problbly had more fruit in this one week than I had in the last year. But it is delicious. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day here, and is always very good, with a delicious entree and a salad bar that is nothing like the salad bars we have in the US. Dinner is way good also, but I want to explain my title first. One day we were heading down to dinner and we passed a cople latinos who had already eaten, and asked them what was for dinner. the said ¡el don del lingua tora!, which means the gift of cow tongues. we were pretty confused, but they meant that for dinner we were having cow toungue. Luckily I didnt know that till after I had eaten it so I was able to enjoy it. Also we have had boiled cow stomach and cow head soup. in the cow head soup i got a nice eye ball and a massive tooth. but over all the food here is very delicious.

My comp is Elder McLucky, straitgt out of Oxford England, and I love him a lot. We work together well, and are able to feel the spirit every day together as we struggle to learn to teach the gospel in spanish. The total number of people her is about 60, with only about 20 non-latinos. It is so much fun to live with all latinos every day. They are becoming my best friends, and I think that they so awesome.

Well, I wish I could explain more about the MTC, but i only have 10 minuits do do emails. I wanted to share one experience that I had yerterday. We were practicing teachiing in spanish, and me and my comp were teaching about God and the plan of Salvation. For the first time ever, as I was teaching and beawring my tesitmony, I was able to feel the spirit work through me in spanish. I was able to talk fluid for 2 straigt minuits in spanish about the plan of salvation, and I truely felt like it was not me speaking, because there is no way that I could talk that well on my own. That experience was such a confidence booster and a relief that I will be able to be an effective missionary and will be able to be comfortable in spanish.

Well I dont really have time to say everything i want, but I miss everybody and am having such a good time. sorry if this email isnt well writen, but i am so rushed for time. My adress here is:

Elder Covey Wilson

Uruguay Montevideo Mission

Argentina Missionary Training Center

Autopista Ricchierig Puente 13 1778 Ciudad Evita

Buenos Aires

Argentina

Mail takes 2 weeks to get down here. Also, I forgot to bring my adress book, so if you want me to write you, yuo have to write me first and tell me your adress.

Thanks Everyone!

Elder Wilosn