1st Week - New Area

Hey everyone!

     This week was a great experience for me.  A lot of changes, but a lot of blessings coming our way.  Getting to know the area has been awesome and I'm really loving the People here.  We've been working with some people to help prepare them for baptism.  

     Dorothy is an amazing person and she really loves to learn about the church.  the past couple of weeks, she's been saying that she would come to church but something has been coming up.  So we visited her and taught her the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy.  And can you believe it, she came, and she even came earlier than us.  She loved church and she is excited for the general conference broadcast coming up this weekend.  It was funny though because her only concern was that we sing a lot at church.  She will learn that members of the church don't joke around when it comes to singing.  

       Isaiah is another prepared person that is preparing to be baptized in May.  Apparently before I got to Mukono, he's been having the desire to get baptized, but his only problem was that he was living with his girlfriend.  But just when I arrived to the area, he told us that he found a new place to stay so that he could be keeping the Law of Chastity.  What a powerful guy.  He even came to church and enjoyed the service.  I'm really excited for this guy to get baptized and he's totally prepared to be make covenants with God. 

     Being in a new leadership position, I'm coming to understand the importance of love and confidence in the work.  Sometimes, I think I'm not qualified yet for the position I have, but I'm learning that experience and confidence comes with time, and the Lord qualifies his servants.  My biggest focus is encouraging the missionaries in my zone to do the best that they can and to achieve the goals that the mission has set.  I'm looking forward to the rest of this transfer and I'm loving the time I have on my mission.  I know that this is the most important work that anyone could do.  I was listening to a talk the other day and Jefferey R Holland talked about how missionaries can find struggles and challenges in the work and they don't know why.  He said that part of being a disciple of Christ is to go through just a small portion of the pain and disappointment that He went through.  I know that being a missionary is tough, I admit it's not easy.  But when we focus on the salvation of others and the opportunity that people have to achieve true and lasting happiness in this life and in the life to come, helps us to know how important missionary work truly is.  I'm excited to watch the General Conference Broadcast this weekend and to receive spiritual guidance as an individual, and as a missionary.  I truly love my Savior and the sacrifice that he went through for every single person.  This is His work and it will never fail.  It only fails if we quit. 

      I love you all and have an amazing and fantastic week!!

Love,

Elder Wilson

Pic, found a friend

Easter

Hey everyone! 

    I hope everyone is doing great and had a fantastic Easter.  As for me, we had two eating appointments, so Easter was dang good.  This week was a littl bit rough becuase our investigators are not making church their first priority.  We've been doing finding through tracting but we have a lot of Muslims in our area.  and it's somehow hard to teach muslims.  But overall, there is a lot that needs improvement in our area.  and we are making sure that this area of Kajjansi is well taken care of.  I've been working on focusing my efforts on using the spirit and it's not an easy thing to do.  It requires diligence, obedience, and continuous charity.  It's so important to have the spirit with us always to lead us and guide us in our lives.  This easter, I've been reflecting on the sacrifice that was made by the Savior.  It was an extreme expression of love towards all of us and our Father in Heaven, and becuase of his resurrection, we are offered the gift of eternal life.  One evening, we went with the Branch President to go and visit a family that are friends of his that are not members of the church.  We visited them and shared a small Easter message and read from the account of John about the resurrection of Christ.  The spirit filled the room and the family was moved by the message.  No doubt their increased love for the Savior was strengthened and they have a desire to learn more about the church.  I love this gospel and I love the scriptures so much.  It gives me a sense of direction and guidance in my life.  The message which us missionaries hold is the eternal truth that can never die.  Recently I finished reading Jesus the Christ by Elder Talmage and my personal relationship and knowledge of his divinity has strengthened exceedlingly.  I can't wait to watch General Conference on april 25 to receive the guidance and direction given to us from our Heavenly Father through his ordained and chosen servants.  I love you all and I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Elder Wilson

Ma boi captain getting a haircut

Mugala and I at Lake Victoria

Robbed!

Yes hello everyone,

    Quite an interesting week.  The rains have been coming down, usually at night when we sleep, but either way it keeps the dust down.  This is definitely something that us missionaries have been waiting for.  This week there has been a lot of walking and a lot of finding.  At the end of the day we get super tired because our area is also like a kilometer away.  So walking there and back plus walking all day, makes sleeping not a hard thing to do.

      So, if you can recall from the beginning of my mission, I shared a story about coming across a muslim guy that said he saw the angel gabriel and gabriel said that the muslim guy was going to rule the world.  Well, we came across that guy again and he was very eager to tell us his story again, except this time in English.  Midway through telling his story, I said I know about your vision, and explained the rest of it.  He just stopped and stared at me and asked me if I was a prophet.  Yikes, I've been in Kajjansi long enough for him to forget me,.... a white guy.  Which is pretty impossible to do.  

       And this past week was a punch in the gut, because on friday A guy broke into my study room through window and stole a bunch of my stuff.  At first I thought he just stole a couple of things, then each day after that, I would come to a realization and say "Crap!  He stole my _______" New thing everyday.  But that's the Uganda Kampala Mission right there.  Came to church wet on sunday cuz he stole my umbrella.  The end of the week has been tough with having the spirit cuz I got frustrated really easily, but I tried to not care and tell myself that worldly things are not important.  I stayed positive and we found some pretty good people to teach.  Goes to show that in life we need to focus on the spiritual blessings in our lives, rather than the temporal blessings.

       Innocent is a guy we have been teaching who was a referral from an RM from the branch.  He's an artist that lives in Seguku and he loves coming to church.  We've been trying to teach him this past week but he's ever busy and hard to get a hold of.  We met with him on Sunday and he's feeling pumped about working towards April 12 to be baptized.  Super excited for this guy.

       Dennis is another one that we have found through tracting and he is a super humble guy.  He told us that he had some drug and alcohol problems.  We taught him about the Word of Wisdom and he has committed to quit and to live the commandment.  He's a great guy and we have seen his attitude change ever since we first met him.  

       So, I'm almost finished reading Jesus the Christ by Elder Talmage, and I've grown in my knowledge of the Savior and how personal He is to me.   Here in Uganda, religion is such a casual thing.  People will basically go to a church just because it's the thing to do.  But as missionaries, it's our job to invite others to come unto Christ, not just come unto church.  We are helping people see how the Savior truly does love them and care about them, not through words but through feelings.  I love this mission and I love my Savior.  I know that this is the only true church of Christ and that this work is the greatest work in all of the histories of work.  Lives are changed and the fold is growing larger each and every day.  I love you all and remember who you are and what you stand for.

Love,

Elder Wilson

Ps.  No pics, guy stole my SD card reader

We got RAIN!

So this week was pretty great.  WE GOT SOME RAIN FINALLY.  But the only problem is that after it rains, the sun comes out and gets super hot and humid.  But we push through, no biggie.  This week the letter is somehow short due to time.  But all I just want to say is that I love being a missionary because there is no greater work than this and I am helping God's children return to him.  Also, Hashim got baptized on Sunday, super proud of this guy and his decision to be baptized.  I'm grateful for the trials that my Father in Heaven gives me, because they make me grow.  I learn to become stronger, more patient, and more mindful of the needs of the people around me.  I wish you all a wonderful week full of blessings!

Elder Wilson

Hot and dusty March

What a crazy past 2 weeks we had here in Kajjansi, and let me just say that the heat is not something that we enjoy.  This month of march is supposed to be filled with some rain, but nothing yet.  And when it's that hot and no rain, the dust on the ground just destroys the cleanliness of our shoes and trousers and shirts.  So we are seriously waiting for that rain.  I'm almost to the point of trying a rain dance.  

       For some reason, I've been seeing a lot of stress come into the work.  But, stress is good, if we know how to handle it.  Elder Kapatamoyo and I have been working hard to find people that will progress towards baptism.  And we have been finding some powerful people.  We found a young man named Dennis when we tracted at his home.  He welcomed our message and he listened intently, we extended a baptism date and he accepted.  He even came to church and loved it!  We were so happy to see him there, even though he felt self conscious because he didn't have a shirt or tie.  But that will change soon.  We also got stopped by a man that works at a butcher shop whose name is Leonard.  He was just asking about our message because he's been across many different faiths before.  We taught him about the Book of Mormon and how we can know if the gospel is truly restored if we come to know that the book is true.  He accepted us to come and teach him and we offered to get him a book of mormon, but he asked for a french Bom because he understands better in French.  Leonard also came on Sunday but he had to leave early because of work.  

       I'm grateful that the Lord recognizes how weak we are but he still leads us to those being prepared to receive the restored gospel.  There are times when I just feel exhausted and just want to sleep, but I know from personal experience that the Lord only blesses us on conditions of obedience and commitment.  Being that the branch is split into two different chapels, we are assigned in the old one, but we are seeing some improvement in sacrament attendance and the branch reaching out to less actives and other members.  I'm so grateful for the learning experiences that my Father in Heaven is giving me.  Too many times I've seen small miracles here and there that help me to understand that God is there, watching us, helping us, and reaching out to us.  Serving in Africa is probably one of the greatest blessings in my life.  Because I come to know the love that our Heavenly Father has for His children here.  I love you all, have an amazing week and be the best that you can be. 

Love,

Elder Wilson

Pics:   Little Brave and a view from this morning.

Be the answer to someone's prayer.

So, this week has been truly a learning experience for me.  It was a little slow and we are trying really hard to find God's children that are prepared to receive the gospel.  With our finding, we have come to feel that direction in this work is simple.  And the way that we continue to find is through love.  Without love, there is no way we can help people to recognize the Savior and His invitation to come unto Him.  We were tracting in our area and we found this young man and asked if we could share a message with him.  He agreed and we started to ask about him and his background.  He told us that he doesn't believe in God, which is unusual considering that everyone here believes in God.  But he opened up to us and said it's because his mother had passed away some years back.  We assured him that God is there and He has a purpose for everything.  We shared our testimonies of God and how because of Jesus Christ and His atonement, we can be healed from the pains and sorrows of our lives.  He had a short amount of time so we couldn't share a lesson with him.  But we asked him if we could come and see him again, and he paused for a second and said yes.  I thought he was just going to say "naw I don't believe in those sort of things" but he accepted.  As I pondered on that, I realized that there were two reasons why he invited us back.  One, was that he felt something from the spirit that made him feel good.  And two, he felt love from his heavenly father.  As I come to understand what missionary work truly is, it's extending love towards others and making known the path that our Father in Heaven has prepared for us.  I was given a great email from my bishop back home and he talked about how God works through others who have the truth to meet the needs of those who have lost faith or hope.  Something that I am always constantly striving to live is to "Be the answer to someone's prayer".  Someone out there is praying for truth, guidance, and love.  As missionaries, that is our duty.  To be the answer to someone's prayers.  I love this work and I love my Savior, and it is through Him and by Him that hearts can be changed, that truth can be revealed, and that love can be felt.  I know what i'm doing is a divine calling from the heavens and there's no greater work than this.  I love you all and have a fantastic week.  and I exhort you, to be the answer to someone else's prayers.

Elder Wilson

Still in Kajjansi 3/2/15

Hey everyone!,

     Today marks the first day of the next transfer and my transfer news is............ staying in Kajjansi again.  Don't get me wrong, this is a super nice area.  But being it my 6th transfer here, I'll be making 9 months.  So, I really need to go out with a bang.  I do though have faith that the Lord wants me to be here still.  And I can't wait to figure out why.  

      Yesterday was an incredibly fulfilling day.  It was the first sacrament meeting at the new chapel.  Barbra who was baptized two weeks ago was confirmed a member of the church and it was just an amazing experience to be apart of.  To see someone grow in their faith and find their love for Jesus Christ and His church is a memorable thing.  On another note, James' two boys, Jordan and Phillip were baptized yesterday!  It was a super powerful experience because James, holding the Priesthood, got to baptize his kids.  They seriously love the gospel.  And I know that the Lord led us to James and his kids.  They are feeling a joy that can never leave even when they have rough times.  The District as a whole had 5 baptisms yesterday which was just an awesome thing.  I'm grateful that I still get to be apart of this district and that there will be so many more opportunities to serve in the next 6 weeks.  

    Also, funny story, we had a dinner appointment with a couple from the branch and they seriously make the best food and a lot of it.  Apparently it was a little too much for my companion and near the end of his meal, one of the buttons on his shirt completely popped off.  Everyone had a good laugh and I kept joking with him, telling him while he's sleeping, I'm going to punch him in the stomach.  He has this really high pitched laugh so,........we have a good time together.

    Email is short today, so I just wanted to say I love the gospel and I love being a missionary, there is this fulfillment that I have never felt before and there's power that comes with it.  I love serving the people of Uganda and the love that I have for them.  This is truly what I'm supposed to do and nothing will keep me from doing it.  I love you all.  Have a fantastic week and continue to be the person you want to be. 

Elder Wilson