Monday, June 27, 2016

Two Chelas

Hola Holaaaa! :)

Well....IM TRAINING A CHELA! :) Her name is Hermana Gould and she is from California!! Woohoo! My hija is the cutest. She is full of energy and has a heart of gold. She fits in perfectly here in the greatest place ever :) She has already experienced no running water, no electricity, a donkey walking through a lesson, a little girl abusing a cat during a lesson, all the cat calls, and tracting in the rain! Love it.

The first day on the bus a guy started talking to her in english (so she understood) and afterwards she was like...totally thought that was the gift of tongues. HAHA. I love it :)

I also broke out in some random rash this week so everyone has been telling me I have chikyngunya..so yesterday I told people, look if I can go to church with chukingunya you can come too! :) hehe. 

We are working with a lot of different people right now but we are still working with a woman named Melva and we finally put a fecha with her! I love her so much and the gospel is definitely changing her life. I love SO much seeing how the gospel changes lives.

We explored a little bit today and hiked! We found a guy with a machete that was like, hey i know where there is some good fruit so come with me! haha so naturally we followed and we ate some fruit with him and his machete :) also...I AM WEARING PANTS! Love it. I love wearing pants. It rocks :)

President Collado leaves tomorrow and I will be headed to leadership council on Friday with the new President, President Poncio. I am super excited to meet President Poncio but also so sad that President Collado is leaving. But I know that President Poncio has been called of God!

A quote that I found this week that I loved says, "How does one get humble? To me, one must constantly be reminded of his dependence. On whom dependent? On the Lord. How remind oneself? By real, costant, worshipful, grateful prayer." (Spencer W. Kimball) 

The mission has really humbled me. I will complete 9 months this week on the 30th..defenitely cried this week during a comp study just thinking about how fast my mission is going. The mission has changed me life! I am so grateful to represent the Savior every day and learn to become a little bit more like him.

Sorry this email is kind of crazy!  Love you all!

-- 

Hermana Willes



9 months

Pants!!

Did someone say Machete?

It's how we get the fruit!

Hermana Willes and Hermana Gould

Beautiful Nicaragua!

Love it!

Love my companion!


Monday, June 20, 2016

I am still in Ocotal!

Well...

we had changes.

I AM STILL IN OCOTAL! :) Can you believe it? Ocotal is the promised land. and....

I AM TRAINING AGAIN! :) hehe. Now I know the Lord knows best but..the poor girl that I will be training..she doesn’t know that her mom is a crazy chela! I am going to Manauga tomorrow to pick her up..woohoo!

I have also been called to be a Sister Training Leader! I can’t even believe it..I am so excited but so nervous at the same time. President Collado leaves this week and next week the new President will be taking over. One reason that I am excited to be a training leader is because I get to go to consejo next week and get to know the new president.  

Something that I read this week from conference said, The ability to serve does not come from being outgoing or things like that, but from a commitment to follow Jesus Christ. I might not be the most outgoing missionary, the most organized missionary, or the missionary that I want to be, but I am 100 percent dedicated to following my Savior and trying to become like him every day. :)

This week was so fun with Hermana Perez! I sent her off today. I loved working with someone that gave something a little different to the work. Ernesto is planning on getting the Priesthood this week! Woohoo! 

I hope that everyone is doing well. And while a lot of my friends are finishing the mission...I am so happy that I still have more 9 months left. My decision to serve a mission has changed my life forever.. :)

--

Hermana Willes


Hermana Willes and Hermana Perez

Saying Good-bye to the Collados


With Hermana Marquez
and her companion, also Hermana Perez

Sweet Hermana Perez (#2)

Monday, June 13, 2016

Ernesto's Family got Baptized!

This week has been a little crazy..my sweet companion, Hermana Le Starge has returned home due to medical issues. We got the call from President Collado telling us that she would be going home on Monday.While we were crying, I had the crazy impression to call Ernesto and ask them if they would be baptized that night so that Hermana Le Starge could see it. He told me that we was actually not in Ocotal but he would try his best to be back around 5..so right at 5 we were standing in their house, baptsimal clothes at the ready. We explained to them the situation...and THEY GOT BAPTIZED! I wanted, I did, cry tears of joy. The youngest daughter, Gensis, was crying because she couldnt get baptized (she is seven) and each of them were smiling from ear to ear after they left the water. I just love them so much! And on Sunday Ernesto was really sick but he still came to church and all of them were confirmed :) We are planning on giving Ernesto the priesthood really soon!

Also this week...

I survived an earthquake! haha it was a minor earthquake but the nicas are very dramatic so we have been talking to everyone about how we barely survived.

we baptized a daughter of a member! Her name is Valeska and it was beautiful! Her dad was able to baptize her and it was just lovely.

I am now working with a mini missionary from Costa Rica named Hermana Perez! She is in her 60s and finishes her mission on monday so we will really only have this week together. She loves sharing her testimony with everyone and i love her desire to be here and work :)

On Wednesday we will have a multi zone meeting and I think it will be my last time I will see President Collado..AH!

I found this quote that I love:

"We are not here to while away the hours of this life and then pass to a sphere of exaltation. But we are here to qualify ourselves day by day for the positions that our Father expects us to fill hereafter."  -George Albert Smith

I love this quote because each day I am trying to be a better missionary and a better disciple of Christ. I LOVE being a missionary and am so grateful for every miracle I see! I am still in shock that Ernesto and his family got baptized. I know that the family is central to the plan of our Heavenly Father, and I cant wait for the day when I see them all in white in a temple one day.

Love you all!

--

Hermana Willes

The baptism of Ernesto and his family

Valeska's baptism


Monday, June 6, 2016

Studying the Conference Talks

This week was so incredible. We weren't planning on going to Ernesto and his family on Monday night because we were going to let Graciela spend mothers day (it was mothers day here in nicaragua) with her family..but we received a phone call at about 5 from them telling us to come over but they wouldnt tell us why..turns out they surprised us with dinner! It was so cute :) They were so excited to eat with us. I love their family so much.

Other than that things are going really great here in Ocotal. The Lord is blessing me in every which way. I have been studying the conference talks hard core and I am loving every single one..something that I read this week that I loved was, For God, there is no point of no return. We are never too far from the hand of our Savior Jesus Christ. He will always be able to extend his hand to help us, no matter the situation. We can always change and become better, even if we have to make a comple 180 degree turn. I will forever be grateful that the gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of hope and a gospel of light. I know that The Lord will never forget us, because we truly are graven on the palms of his hands.

-- 

Hermana Willes


Enjoying dinner with Ernesto's Family