What a crazy week I had!

 What a crazy week i had!

First of all, on friday I had my first Zone Conference with 3 other zones, it was really really good, and the fun part of it was that President Da Silva for some reason chose me to teach a 10 minuite part of it in front of all the missionaries. It went well though. President and Hermana Da Silva are such good presidents, and I have so much respect for them. Oh, then on sunday I was given the chance to give a suprise 20 minuite talk in front of about 200 members at the District Conference (like a stake conference for branches), and it went really well too, even though I was scared out of my pants! But it felt good to be able to be helped by the sprit to talk for 20 min straight in spanish. It was a really cool experience.

But the week in general was really interesting. At the beginning of the week it was really really hard. Almost all of our good investigators that had baptismal dates we had to put off because of problems with the commandments - the biggest problem in Uruguay is called´´pareja´´which is that no one gets married because... well just because. It was really hard for me and my companion, and especially a really big test of our faith. It was like this almost all week, and we were not finding any new people to teach, but we just decided that instead of giving up we would just keep on pushing and pushing and pushing. But still nothing was happening.. till yesterday, after church we went out to work and all of the blessings came. We are literally seeing miricles. In those 4 hours after church we found 3 new beautiful ´golden´ families, and 4 other people to baptize. It was a miricle. yesterday I learned what the lord really means in 3 NE 22 7-11 (i think thats where..) and why he ´hides his face´ for a moment. it is in these moments that we must really build our faith, and we really do come out way stronger, and develop our faith. the lord pours out blessings. this is my testimony this week.

time up! till next week! I love the mission.

Thanks for your prayres!

Elder Wilson


the sun really knows how to rise here!! it is always sooo beautiful. for some reason way better than in the USA

love prayers and small branches, not stray dogs or blisters

Everyone

 

Ok, so I finally get a little more time to write! First I want to talk about the most important part - the baptisms and the investigators. Last week I had my first baptism! It was Hermana Beatrice, who we found on the first day clapping doors. the spirit was soooo strong in the first contact we had with her, because at first she was not interested at all, but we testified and her  heart softened... and well two weeks later she got baptized. It is so amazing to see the power of the atonement in her life, she had lots of problems, but i guess i can just summerize it like this. the first couple lessons I never saw her smile once. in fact she usually was frowning. But now, every time i see her she has the biggest smile on her face ever. That is the power of the atonement, and that is why i am serving a mission (plus another good thing about her baptism is that appairantly she really likes cooking... yess). We have tones of investigators right now, 14 progressing investigators, but each of them have really really really complicated lives, so each day we have to work soo hard to keep on modiviting them to make the tough changes in their lives and feel the power of the atonement. But it is so amazing to see the changes that they have already experienced!

 

We are working hard to always be searching for new investigators, and especially we are working hard to improve thae way that the branch works with the missionaries, because the members are by far one of the the strongest tools that missionaries have to baptize. The rama avereges about 20 people per sunday, but the members are so awesome and have such strong testimonies.

 

The apartment has a nice view (see pictures attached) and i live there with my district leader Comp, and the two Zone leaders. it is nice to be able to live with such great example missionaries, and thy are all training me to be a district leader and zone leader and just a good missionary.

 

Pres. Da Silva is amazing!

 

Ive lost like 10 pounds since ive been here. but the food is amazing. really reallly realllly good. 

 

I love prayres. and scriptures. and prophets. and small branches. not strey dogs. or blisters.

But the mission is the best thing that has ever happened to me! Thanks for all the support! and the letters, keep it up and keep me in your prayres!

 

_______

half of my area, just open ´campo´ where i spend lots of time walking. but it is way pretty  - just watch out for the strey livestalk

the other half of my area, just a sleepy little city where everyone knows eachother

the baptism of Hermana Biatrice, more details in letter

First Baptism and other things summed up in 3 minutes or less

My week went so great! I got my first baptism, and have lots of good investigators. I am really excited and having a really good time and working hard. Sorry, but ive only got a few minuits to type today. Thank you all for your prayrs! I will try to get more time to explain everythiong that is happening next week. I love the Mission!

in Uruguay at last!

¡Hola!

 

Here in Uruguay at last! It is so beautiful, clean, relaxed, and humble. I love it! Sorry, I dont have much time to write this week, but I will put down what I can. My trainer is Elder Aleman from Huston TX, he is completely fluent in español, and has only been out in the mission for 4 monthes, so we are learning together. He is awesome. Uruguay is beautiful. I am in a little city called Rocha about 3 hours outside of Montevideo. It is just a small little city that has the perfect balance of city and country. I feel like im in Italy but 50 years ago. My appartment is... very humble. but i like it because the view is way pretty. Ill try to sent a pic from the view sometime. The branch is small. The language is somewhere beetween portuguesa y español, pero i can pretty much pick everything up and say alot. We have a few good investigators. Beatrice is the best and is getting baptized this saturday. It is so cool to see the atonement change her life in only the few days that I have been here. I love my mission. and so do my feet. Our area is massive (about an hour and a half to walk a cross the whole thing) and Ive3 already lost a few pounds. food is good... when we get it. It is freezing all the time, and everything is semi moist. Somehow every building is way colder than outside, and i cant remember a moment that I havent been abel to see my breth. especially in my apartment where the water freezes. But better cold than hot! I will enjoy the cold while it lasts. Love it!

 

Sorry I cant write more, but details will come.

 

I love the mission and the church is true.

 

Later,

Elder Wilson

Covey arrives in Uruguay! A letter from his mission president

July 26, 2011

Dear Wilson Family,

                Today we went to the airport in Montevideo, Uruguay, to pick up Elder Wilson and welcome him into our mission.  He arrived a little tired, but full of excitement and enthusiasm to get to work.

                We have spent the day with him getting to know him, and we have recognized that he will be an asset to us here in the mission.  With this time that we have had with him he has shown many talents that will be put to use in blessing the lives of many wonderful people.

                Today was the day of transfers; he met his trainer and then headed off for his first area so that he could start ¨ [bringing] to pass the immortality and eternal life of man¨.

                We are now sending you a photo that we took with him this afternoon.  As you can see, he is extremely excited and ready to start.  We are so excited to have your son with us and hope that you receive this photo with excitement and pride in all that your son has done to prepare himself for the opportunity that he now has to serve the Lord for the next two years.

                                                                                                                                             Love,

                                                                                                                                             The Da Silva´s

Covey leaves the CCM

Monday, July 25, 2011

Hey family,

 

So I leave the CCM tomorrow morning at 4:00, and I get just a couple minuits today to write home a little email. I am so excited and a little nervous to leave the CCM, but I feel as ready as it gets. I have learned so much here, but still have a whole lot to go. My spanish is going well, and I feel like it will progress really really fast when I get out into the field. It was funny, but is my last proselismo, a couple people asked me where in Argentina I was from, and couldnt believe that I had only been learning castillano for a month and a half - actually exactly two months today! I have learned so much here in the last two months about the gospel, how to teach, and really just how to be a missonary. I feel like I have grown up a lot.

 

I the thing I am most looking foreward to tomorrow is meeting my Mission Presidents and my trainer. I hope I get a good trainer who can help me learn everything, but I trust that I will, I heard that trainers are the best missionaries. Cant wait to teach every day!

 

So, I think that from now on my p-days will be on mondays. Write me at the mission adress from now on. Thanks for your prayers, and I hope everybodys summers are going well. I love reading your letters that you send and hearing all about your summers and everything. -  keep it up!

 

Elder Wilson

Handwritten letter from Covey

7/4/2011

Family!

Happy 4th of July! Yay America! I wish the people down here liked America too, I've lost a couple good contacts because they figure out I am a Nortamericano. People down here don't like Obama very much. But my English Comp he's got it even worse! People in Argentina  are still way upset about the Falkland War, and at least a couple of times a day we get a good yelling at for starting the Falkland War. It's kind of funny actually.

I think that you guys are up in Hebgen right now, and I sure hope that everybody is having a blast, and it's working out good with like 1,000 people staying in the Ranch. But it's impossible to not have a blast up there I think. I just barely heard the news about Dave's hand! That is so terrible, and I wish there was something I could do to help. But I pray for him and hope everything is healing up good.

I am doing great though. The Spanish is coming along great, and I am still enjoying the CCM. But every week I get more and more excited to leave and get out into the field. Not because I get tired of CCM life, but because I get more and more excited to do full-time proselyting. I always look forward so much to Saturdays when I get to go out and work and teach. I can't believe that I am already 2/3 of the way through my CCM time. The weeks seriously fly be so quickly.

One thing that for some reason I have been thinking about a lot this week is Doctrina y Convenios 84:88. The verse is directed towards missionaries, but it really applies to anyone who is in the service of God. Among all of the amazing things that this verse promises, is that God will "send his angels to bear you up." I love this promise. We are never alone. There are countless angels, people who have died before us and people who are waiting to come into this world who are banking on our every decision. I especially feel lucky because although the other elders have their moms who send them nice letters and candy every week, I get to have my mom by my side every minute of every day. It's great.

Anyways, that's just a thought I've had on my mind this week. Hope everything is going well! I miss everyone and wish I could be with you to have fun with you. But I'm glad you understand why I am here around the world instead. I love being a missionary, and am so lucky to be able to have the ability to preach while I am still in the CCM.

Love you all,

Elder Wilson