Politics and River Monsters

Yeah another South American brother!!! (referring to Brian Hayden's mission call). From when I got to Puerto I have been teaching this person Jocelyn, and she was always like " I don't want to get baptized", and we had a talk with her and I just asked her directly some questions, Like did you receive an answer, she said she has an answer that it's true. I asked what do you think God wants you to do with that answer. she was like get baptized. So we put a date for June 27th. If we can we'll move it forward, and all. But its real good progress for her.

Another family we were teaching forever I think they have been listening for 2 years now. We pretty much did the same thing. We asked them if they have an answer. They said they both do. So we were like do something with it!!  Get married, then baptized!! The girlfriend has a lot of fear of marriage, but I feel like its gone down. Now were just working on getting their papers in order, to marry them in the end of JUNE!! 

Yeah so we lost Eduardo again. I don't know if he should get baptized while he has this job because it's very uncertain. maybe it's better for the future.  Melvin is doing awesome!! we found out yesterday he went and did visits to MA(less active) kids in the Primary with the presidency!!! I think he'll be ready, we just have to wait.

This photo is a noche de hogar (Family Home Evening) we did last night in a community on the highway to Brazil, where some members live. we are trying to help them out, they just got electricity a little bit ago!!! A very exciting day.

Sounds like the work is progressing in the house. FYI I broke a sprinkler by the fence line to Lang Lake, you should probably just measure the pipe and cap it off.

So this week, we have a new investigator Arturo, He's pretty cool guy. When we were working on the jardin (garden) a guy started talking to me and said we could come by and visit him. After a while we went by. and he was like yeah I've been waiting for you guys!!!  We visited and he described his beliefs, he said one night he had this dream, where he was in this big field, and all the people were wearing white clothes, and a voice told him it was el cielo terrenal (Heaven on Earth). After he went and bought a Bible and began to study (about) God. We talked about his faith, and he wants a way to show his faith to God, we talked about repentance. He gave the closing prayer to the lesson. MUY BIEN (very well).  I feel like he could progress, and maybe open the doors to his family!!!

We went and visited a family, and the Dad is pretty much a communist. He'll be friendly for a bit and then he starts hating on the US of A. He started to say all this crap about the CIA and how we are crazy capitalists. I started to engage him, and explain how he was wrong. Then I was thinking, and realized that's bad. So when he let me talk. I said were not here to talk about polotics (politics), the CIA, world domination, were here to talk about God, and how through Jesus we can all be saved. I testified some more, and he couldn't respond. So we got our stuff, set a return visit and left.

Today we're going to go fishing for river monsters in el rio madre de dios. Yesterday a kid by our pension (where we have our meals) caught the funkiest looking fish I have ever seen. I went and bought some gear, and we're gonna go fishing, until we go to play soccer with the zone.

I'm trying my best it hasn't been too hot lately, lots of clouds and rain. 

Hows the fam? big summer plans?? tell me.

Love

Elder Wilde

Fish, Birthdays and the bugs don't bite anymore.....

To Dad:  Wow that sounds like a busy week... That's a big burn pile though!!!!  Good luck down in LA wrangling those business deal things, the advice I always give here is to pray super hard, and listen before you do something, and I learned that from you dad. 

Something funny this week, I was on a work visit in the other sector with Elder Augat, and a drunk started talking to me in all right English, he asked me if I smoke, I told him no because it's bad for your body. We bounced around every topic and in the end, he was like I got lots of problems to work on, and I just said `I think drinking is one of your problems, you should stop`. After he left, it was so funny!!! You can be more straightforward with the street drunks and honest.

I don't have a transfer, neither my companion, so maybe 2 more changes (12 weeks)  here!! Yipee

Last p-day we had a super fiesta for two Elders' birthdays, the one Elder went a little all out, with his present. haha. 

It is weird I'm so used to Puerto I feel cold now in the morning, and I don't use my fan anymore, and I don't need bug spray at night anymore cause I don't get bites anymore, I guess that's a perk of being here a while.

So this week my pension (person who cooks meals) told me she was gong to make pancakes!!! I got super excited, and helped her out with making them right haha, Here they think pancakes are crepes.  I tried to explain it.

We are teaching a part member family and they always give us food!! their kid Melvin is accepting it the best I think he understands the fastest. We went yesterday and they made us Juanys. Fish stuffed with meat and baked in a palm thingy (with yuca).  It was very good and after we shared our lesson. Its tough because Melvin can get baptized but I don't think we should until his dad gets baptized. yeah I'm used to eating fish with lots of spines now!! 

Sorry I don't write a lot I'm trying to only write one hour because of obedience.

Love,

Elder Wilde

Mother's Day

We were able to speak to Michael on Mother's Day (via Skype).  Alex, Bianca & Sawyer were over and we also had Laura & Kenny on skype from Provo, Utah  and Julie and Brenton on Skype from Las Vegas, Nevada. It was great to see and talk to Michael.  He loves his mission and enjoys where he is serving. Since we spoke to him for a long time he only sent us a brief message on his P-day:

Wow that food sounds so good yummy!!!( referring to his Mother's delicious Mother's Day Dinner of Sauteed Shrimp, Mashed Potatoes and Sauteed squash). It's still true the best tasting thing I've had in Puerto was the Girl Scout Cookies!!  Sawyer is giant my companion was surprised he's like that baby is gigantic; It's impossible . Now that Eduardo is back I really want to get working with him again. Honestly I kind of wanted to get out of Puerto this change for various reasons but now I want to stay.

                                                Me at the Plaza de Armas (Parade Ground)

I'll try my best with my heart, might, mind, and strength.

Love,

Elder Wilde

Parable of the Talents

There is a rumor going around that an Apostle is coming in June to our mission!!! Because the Trujillo Peru Temple gets dedicated so the Authorities might tour some missions. 

Yes I have the package and I'm eating it slowly. Girl Scout Cookies are the best tasting thing I've had in Puerto. 

So about Eduardo, last pday we were in a mototaxi and I thought I saw him so we went back and searched the area another day and then we found him!!! We talked and made a appointment, and then he dropped off the face of the earth again. He is our baptism goal for May, we're trying hard.  

It's weird I've lost my appetite almost completely, I barely eat, like I fasted 24 hours and I wasn't hungry, only super thirsty!!!! I think it's the rice, it's just a mind killer, I'm dropping weight from living in a sauna, and eating less. 

For a family in Triunfo, in a lesson I suggested a date for them to get married (so they can get baptized) and committed them to pray about it. It's very difficult the Hermana (sister) has a lot of fear to get married. After I said my part she said she knows god wants her to get married. I responded then why aren't you doing it. and she was like (darn), I guess we should get married and the boyfriend   was like I'm fine with it. Its really good progress for them and they said that I'm gonna be the Padriño (godfather) to their new kid!!!!

Puerto rocks I just don't know how much time I have left, because i don't want to go to the Sierras soon.

This Saturday we helped a family get their 8 year old daughter Reina baptized.  The baptism went normal in Puerto about 4 hours long. The water came out of the thing super dirty, we tried to fix it and finally the dad said it's OK, it's water, no ones gonna die from it. I gave a little talk about the holy ghost there and it went real good.

A different family the mom asked us last week to bring a special message for her son because he doesn't want to study in college, he wants to drive big trucks. She explained the situation, and that night in the room, I suddenly thought of the parable of the talents!! We went and shared that, I think he understands the message, and we explained the glory of god is intelligence, and who doesn't want that? The mom and the son are  members and the rest are investigators. We're probably going to help the mom come to church more often and baptize the rest of the family. The 10 year old boy told his mom voy a ser Elder ( I want to be an Elder).  Its real good progress. he came to church by himself yesterday for the 3 hours!! his name is melvin. 

There's a lot of work to do here and the days are flying by.

Love Elder Wilde

Talent, Packages & Construction

I'm making a list of advice for Grant about what he can do to start a mission in Peru on the right foot. So one other big thing that happened this week is that we threw a branch talent show, and all the organizations had to participate, I was a little nervous for it, but in the end it turned out pretty good. Everyone was laughing and having a good time by the end, and I would call it a success. 

We still haven't found Eduardo and we went to the Triunfo and went door to door for hours with no luck. We gotta find him soon. Yeah about my shoes its a little tough to keep them clean... its all mud in Pueblo Viejo.

THANKS FOR THE PACKAGE ITS THE BEST, I GOT MUSIC NOW TO work out to and candy!! I was so happy when I saw the Zone Leaders with packages, I got all my candy in the fridge, and I'm sharing the joys of Girl Scout Cookies with my companion.

We're trying real hard down here, but there is a lot of work to do and not enough of us! We are looking to try to help the Branch but its tough. This week we went and helped at the contruction of a preschool down in Pueblo Viejo. We helped one of our investigators who was in charge.  I got all the Elders in the Zone there to help them out. It was some tough work, We were all dripping sweat it's like working in a steam room,wearing jeans haha we went there for two days and worked with them and we will work more in the future.

The mission is the best I wouldn't want be in another place right now.

Elder Wilde

Eduardo where are you?

We went back to teach that family a (great) lesson we had prepared but when we got there the dad was called away for special service and the mom was in the hospital!!  we came back later and talked to the mom and she gave us a reference to a family that she said really needed to hear the message of the gospel. And we found out that she gave a reference to the old missionaries that led to a rescue and a baptism!! We are trying our best with them.

 Yeah my Spanish is improving pretty good now that I only speak Spanish. I'm the only person in the branch that speaks English now!!! In my branch here we had  about 80 people in sacrament meeting. They are working to be a ward. We are still searching for Eduardo and it's starting to worry me, we are going to redouble our efforts this week to find him. 

A kid in a lesson said a closing prayer and he said please bless the family of Elder Wilde!! And also for the first time a member came up to me and asked when can I come visit families with you guys? He is super cool and we visited a lot of families and he showed us some I didn't know before. It's good to have people to break the ice. As a missionary I know the difficulties. But mom you can ask the missionaries when can I come visit with you guys and they will be stoked!! it's probably more common at home but it meant a lot to me when the person did it.

                                         Thus picture is me and my companion Elder Segura,

These pictures are of me cutting up a Castaño Coco with a machete, It's pretty much giant almonds inside, I think I'm going to buy a machete cause they're super useful here.

 A gringo came to church last week, he is from Lodi, CA but has lived in Ecuador for 15 years. It was fun talking about home and he took us out to dinner the next day. He was a super cool guy.

Oliver got a job working on the highway so now hes gone most the week but he's doing good. He showed up to church with a super high fever and refused to go to the hospital and everyone was just like, Elder Wilde you are not his mom he just needs to go drink some coco water, relax`.  I got a list of (converts) for the past 2 years and made a statistical report of the numbers and it was not good. I'm now making a rescue plan to go get them all.   It was a good week, I'm getting to know my companion better and I'm picking up Spanish. we also made some progress on some eternal investigators, 

 Love, Elder Wilde

looking forward to the 10th (Mothers Day when he can call home)

Important Lessons

 My new companion is from Argentina, its been good, he doesn't speak English so I have been speaking Spanish a lot lately ! haha My companion got in Wednesday night on the bus.. We have been trying to meet with Eduardo but we have had a hard time finding him. He doesn't have a cell phone, and the city is big. 

Gosh I'm so happy about Grant. I know a bunch of missionaries in Iquitos and from what I heard its a blast!!  To go between zones they use airplanes because highways don't exist!!!!  and their super lejos (far). I`ll tell him my CCM (MTC) advice too, I`ll warn my friends he's coming in a while. 

One family we visited this week we were there and the mom said she had problem accepting the Book of  Mormon. We talked for a while and by the end we resolved her questions and she committed to read and pray. At the end she told us, she felt she could trust in us what she really thought because it didn't matter if it was blazing hot or pouring rain, we always came to visit her. She said it was a good Christian example. Again the example when nobody thinks they're watching. This is really good progress for that family. 

In the Zone Meeting I got the envelope from the (Bass Lake Ward) Relief Society, thanks!!! it's always good to get mail, but I guess the package isn't here yet.

The picture is in Triunfo we were going to a community and the combi (bus?)  dropped us off in the freakin' jungle cause they said the road was too bad, so we walked the rest of the way.  

   

The thing here is most people don't go to the hospital , so they die. or are just in a lot of pain. Wow the general (Allan Tuttle) passed on. He was a very great guy , when I knew him in the ward. We always went over and put up Christmas lights and helped him out in his yard, he was always really nice and grateful to us.  

Gosh this week, we didn't have too much time in the sector but one night we went and visited an investigating family. They are legally married which is very rare!!! They always want to talk etc.  This visit the dad sat us down, and said he would like us to prepare a special lesson about the family and how to make it stronger. He explained some more, and when he said," Elder Wilde I'm putting my trust in you to help me fix this mess", I was kinda like whoaaa. I thought for a while and then just started talking. I haven't been in that situation before, but I gave him comfort and advice. I know I was guided to say what I did. He was very grateful for what I shared, and he really wants to make things right and we will help him as best we can.   That was the big thing this week I think, a very profound experience.

I'm trying my best here and hopefully it's enough.  

   

The photo is me and elder Augat trying to fix his phone!!!  It didn't work out in the end but it was fun. yeah that's when I had a cell phone for a week!!! 

 Love you all,

Elder WIlde