June 30, 2014

This week was good.  Our new threesome worked out just fine because Sister Isham is super chill.  Neither of them had worked in a threesome before and were a little nervous but it is all I have known and I told them it would be fine.  The trick is learning how to share the time well during lessons so that everyone gets a chance to speak.  We are getting there:)  It was super busy again this week which is a good thing.  On friday we had lessons starting at nine in the morning and we had a lesson every hour that day and got home at eight o'clock that night:O  craziness!!!!

Goodness I am tired, I don’t really know what to share from the week because so much happened.  One super fun thing was that last monday we told Anaelle (a young mother who helps us a lot for lessons) that we needed her for a lesson that night.  She told us that she was super super super busy cleaning the house/getting everything ready for the week and we told her we really needed her help and that we would come over and help clean afterwards.  She said okay and we picked her up that evening and told her it was our first lesson with someone and that we needed her to teach the lesson of the restoration.  we spent the whole car ride preparing her for the lesson, right up until the end when we walked into her favorite frozen yogurt shop:)  we felt like she just needed a time out and a moment to relax.  It ended up being a super great idea/surprise and a fabulous evening full of laughter and joy:)  I love people!!!!

Soeur Isham (our new companion) went up to St Dennis with soeur thomas for a baptism this past saturday (because she had been transferred suddenly she got permission to go up to the baptism with one of her investigators:). I stayed down south and had soeur desvignes (a super cute, super active 75 year old chinesse lady who can still do the splits:) as a companion for the morning.  We had a great time.  We went to st joseph for our lesson with Antoine (jack sparrow) and he had a muslim friend there who is super nice but talked NONSTOP.  So Soeur Desvignes and I told him he had to give us ten minutes of silence and we taught the restoration;)  Also, every week at the beginning of the lesson I bring my guitar and we play/sing a hymn and Antoine accompanies me on his base guitar:)  And this week I asked him if he'd play with me in our Branch's talent show and he said yes, haha, I am so amused with life:)  It is going to be awesome!

The work is progressing here and I love watching all of the little miracles that happen, and to see people changing their lives and becoming happier:)  I think that one of the most incredible things is how I am changing without even noticing it.  I hope that when I come back I will have been changed for the better and for good (high five to anyone who catches that musical reference).  Have a great week everyone:)  And look for ways to become more like Christ, it will only bring you happiness, peace, and blessings:) 

love,

Soeur Wilson

June 24, 2014

This week was good.  We had lots of lessons and lots of beautiful moments and lots of sad moments.  We worked are butts off and were exhausted every day which is what I like:)  I realized that we are very blessed here in St. Pierre this week as I listened to the reports of the missionaries in the other areas during our district meeting.  Every other group has only one or two investigators at most and we have over twenty....  so I really can’t complain. Still, my heart hurt a lot this week because of some investigators that we lost.  One was patrick (a forty year old man that we had met while buying candy at a little shop in St. Joseph), who had decided that he wanted to be baptized!!  However, he recently re-got in contact with his mother (they had had a falling out five years ago and hadn’t talked since) and when his mom found out about his interest in the Gospel she flipped out and said he had to choose between her and religion.  He prayed about it for a week and told us saturday that he can’t see us anymore because he cannot bear to lose his mother again-_-  You cannot imagine how much i just wanted to help him understand that if he wants to be with his mother forever he needs the Gospel!!!!  But everyone has their own choices to make and we have to respect that and just keep loving them. It is cool to have so many investigators, but a bit stressful because I don’t want to lose any of them because I grow to love them more and more each day and I want them to find happiness!!!!! but the lords will not my will be done;) 

Also another moment that was super sad (also saturday) is that when we dropped Lisa van loon off (the daughter of a less active family who accompanies us all day every saturday--she's eighteen and wants to go on a mission and just got the answer that she needs to go in september, not wait a year:D!!!!!  It is super cool to be able to help her). We were going to give a spiritual thought to her family, but we learned that Ophesia (an older daughter-20) is having a really hard trial right now.  She came out and we gave her a big long hug and her mother as well and we just cried together.  We sang two hymns and read a scripture passage and then we knelt together in a circle holding hands and I prayed as we cried and just asked for comfort.  As I walked away I thought to myself that about how in the scriptures when people suffered Jesus wept with them and how he counseled us to "mourn with those who mourn, and comfort those who stand in need of comfort." I felt closer to him as I reflected on how that is what we had tried to do-- to do what he would have done.  It was a humbling experience and really made the reality of the fact that we are sisters in zion and that we do need to be there for each other penetrate my heart more deeply. 

Also, just an hour ago we had a surprise.  It is sad, but one of the sister missionaries is not doing so well emotionally and decided that it is best to go home.  So the area of St. Paul closed and they sent her companion to St. Denis (which already had two sisters) and we aren’t quite sure why but they are sending one of the St. Denis sisters to join us, so the threesome will be here in St. Pierre.  So I got to experience being in a normal companionship for one week and it was marvelous to work just as two, but apparently it was not mean to be;)  That is okay, I already know sister Isham and she is super nice and easy to get along with so things will go well.  Keep on shining! I hope that you all have a great week!!! Love, Soeur Wilson

“Who is God for You?”

By Sister Cecily Wilson

(NOTE: All scriptural references used are a link you can click on)

For my talk today I was not given a specific subject, so I reflected a lot on what subject to speak on. I wanted to find something really essential and really basic, and I tried to listen to the promptings of the spirit to help guide me to the topic that Heavenly Father wanted his children here today to hear. Every time I tried to think of a subject for my talk, the same question came into my mind. It is a question, that as a missionary, I ask other people quite often: “Who is God for you?” – and today that is my question for myself and for all of you “Who is God, and who is Jesus Christ for you?”

It is very important to understand the nature of our Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ. It is the very first thing that we teach people as missionaries—who is God. I think that it is because in understanding the nature of God we come to have a better understanding of why we are here on the earth, what we need to do/become in this life, and how we are able to do it.

                God, our Heavenly Father, is the father of our Spirits (Romans 8:16, Hebrews 12:9). He loves us and He occupies Himself immensely with our happiness and well-being. He has a perfect and glorified body of flesh and bones (D&C130:22) and perfect and complete knowledge of all things. He wanted to give us the possibility to have everything that he has and to become like him; to live at his side eternally in joy and in peace, and thus He created a plan for us. This plan gave us the opportunity to come to Earth, to receive a physical body, and to learn. He knew that we would be imperfect, that we would have weaknesses (Matthew 26:41), but He did not want us to become lost. So, He planned for us a way by which we could be cleansed from our mistakes and be saved. Jesus Christ was foreordained, before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1: 20) to be the Savior of the world and to redeem His people (Galatians 1:3-4, 1 Peter 2:21-24, Alma 11: 40). All of the prophets before His earthly ministry preached and prophesied of Him, and all the prophets who have come/will come after Him, preach and prophecy the same (2 Nephi 25:26) because:

                “There shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and the through the name of Christ…” (Mosiah 3:17)

Also in Mosiah chapter 3 veres 5-10 we learn about the mission of Jesus Christ:

                “For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases.

And he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men.

And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.

And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.

And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name; and even after all this they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a devil, and shall scourge him, and shall crucify him.

And he shall rise the third day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to judge the world; and behold, all these things are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men.”

                And why did he do all of that? Why did he sacrifice everything he had for us, take all our sins and sorrows upon him (1 Peter 2:24) and give his life for us. What gave him the strength, the motivation, and the courage to undergo and accomplish what only he had the power to accomplish? His love for us. Every single action in his life was done out of love. In the scriptures we learn that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). The crowning characteristic of Jesus Christ is his charity; his “pure love”, which “endureth forever,” (Moroni 7:45-47). The infinite love of God was manifest for us when he gave “his only begotten Son” as a sacrifice so that we, if we believe, may be saved (John 3: 16). For he said “behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1: 39).

                But how can we take part in the blessings that the Atonement of Jesus Christ offers us?  Or rather, what must we do to receive them, or what is our part of the deal? These questions go along with the argument that is often found among different Christian denominations “Are we saved by grace or by works?” The answer is that we are saved by grace “For all have sinned, and come short of the Glory of God; Therefore [we] are only justified by his (God’s) grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3: 23-24, Ephesians 2: 8). We all have the opportunity to be saved—to be cleansed from our sins thanks to the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He did not pay for just some of our sins, or even most of our sins, he paid for all of our sins. Our debt was paid in full, it’s finished. So what do we need to do? In the scriptures we learn that “faith, if it hath not works, is dead.” (James 2: 17). The Lord has asked us to keep his commandments, to repent when we make mistakes, and to always keep trying to be better and to become perfect like him (Mosiah 2: 22, Helaman 12: 23, 3 Nephi 12: 48). Elder Bruce Haffen wrote in his book The Broken Heart that “the great Mediator asks for our repentance not because we must ‘repay’ him in exchange for his paying our debt to justice, but because repentance initiates a developmental process that, with the Savior’s help, leads us along the path to a saintly character.”

                By doing good things we cannot earn our way into heaven (no man has the power to redeem himself from sin) but we do need to learn how to use the atonement so that we can be changed by grace. We need to prepare ourselves for heaven, we need to practice for it—so that when the time comes we will feel comfortable at the side of God and be able to stay in his presence to live happily for eternity.

                I really love the example of a child who is taking piano lessons. His mother pays the teacher to give her child an opportunity in the hope that he will not waste it, but rather use it to have something beautiful (in this case awesome piano skills that can bring joy to himself and to others). The “price” that the mother asks her child in return is that he practices. Sometimes the child feels like this demand for practice is a punishment, but in reality it is for his own good. It is the only way that he can exploit (utilize) the gift of his mother. The practice does not pay the piano teacher, but it shows his appreciation for his mother and what she did. If he chooses to practice and to use the gift he will be able to become an incredible pianist—but it is only by his diligence and many long hours that he can get there (not to mention wrong notes/struggles along the way). This is the same idea as the Atonement. One more time I repeat that the price has already been paid in full. If Jesus did not require practice (repentance) and diligence (endurance to the end) then “there would be no internalization of the necessary changes over time. They would forever be surface and cosmetic rather than sinking in side us and becoming part of us—part of who we are. Put simply, if Jesus didn’t require practice, then we would never become pianists.” (“His Grace is Sufficient” Brad Wilcox). We are saved by grace only if we choose to use it—only if we are changed by it.

                Jesus Christ shows his love for us by doing everything he can to help us change for the better. We show our love for him by using his atonement—by having faith in him and placing our trust in him and his plan for us. We come unto him as we humble ourselves and realize that we don’t know how to go through this life without him—that we cannot do it alone.

                Come unto Christ and let him change you, even your very desires and your heart. He has the power and his is the way (John 14:6). Again I ask you, who is Jesus Christ for you? Do you know him? Have you accepted what he did for you: his great atoning sacrifice (D&C 138:2)? Have you used the gift he offers you freely?

                I testify that Jesus Christ suffered and died for us; every single one of us. He is the only begotten Son of the Father (John 1:14). He loves us and wants us to come back and live with him and our Heavenly Father again in eternal happiness. He is always there for you; always ready with open arms to welcome you back. He has given us all the tools necessary to succeed I this life (2 Nephi 2: 27) it is our choice what we will do with it. We are all children of God, with an infinite and divine potential and our worth is beyond any price. Let the love of God into your life; let the peace that comes with faith in his Gospel help you—I know that there is nothing more important in this life. I know that Christ lives and that he loves us and wants us to be happy in this life and in the next, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

June 16, 2014

WHAT A WEEK!!! and this week is going to be even crazier.  My first two companions, Soeur Berchel and Soeur Packer, finally got their visas to go to Maurice (Mauritius) and Soeur Thomas and I dropped them off at the airport in St. Denis this morning.  Of course it was bitter sweet.  Things were not always perfect between us, but when people work side by side and experience the ups and downs together, it brings a closeness even to the most unlikely of friends.  We cried freely as we said goodbye and I said a prayer to thank my Heavenly Father that I had been able to meet those incredible ladies and share the experiences that we did here.

Yesterday we got to experience something super cool!!  There are tons of Indians here and there are lots of temples all over for the tamoul religion, and yesterday at the temple in Grand Bois (one of the cities in our area) they held on of their religious ceremonies called "marche sur le feu" = walk on the fire.  One of our investigators, a very friendly/talkative older Indian man, who we had met knocking on doors had invited us:D  It was super awesome!!!!!  I love, love, love the Indian tradition clothing for the women it is so beautiful, and the men were all dressed up too in tribal clothing.  There was a long bed of hot coals and the ceremony started with some ritual preparations and a little parade with lots of music and then one by one, they people who had prepared for the ritual were doused in oil and took their turn walking across the bed of coals.  CRAZINESS!!!!!  I am certain that my dad will be jealous that I got to see it.  Some people walked across like it was nothing, and others ran and you could see the pain on their face.  All I could think was "wow, what an interesting custom."  I will try to send pictures next week.

This coming week is going to be heinous because we have the entire area again and consequently twice the number of investigators.  If we don’t have too many cancelations we have already about 35 scheduled lessons, and maybe that is nothing in comparison to certain, but to me that seems like a lot :O  the most we've had in a week before was like 22.  But I am sure we can do it:)  woohoo, go out and share the love!!!!   I hope that everyone back at home is doing well, be happy and help other people (they go hand in hand;)  love, Soeur Wilson

June 10, 2014

Mmk what a fabulous week:)  I am exhausted and as happy as can be.  I’m not sure if I already wrote this in an email or if it only my journal at present who is au courant (in the knowing/up to speed), but in the last month or so I have really started to feel at home here in St. Pierre and I love it:)  I love my branch and I love all of the people that I meet, and visit and teach.  It is strange to think that everything here is in french.  When I hear english now I am generally very confused and I actually don’t realize anymore which language I’m speaking and sometimes I speak the wrong language at the wrong time without realizing it and I’m surprised when people don’t understand me.  It’s a funny occurrence:)  The advantage of having a small branch in the church is that you can actually get to know every single person personally.  We are very blessed here because there are lots of moms who take us in like their own children and love us and feed us:)  This past week we had an activity for all of the ladies in the district (all of the women in the church for the whole island) in Le Port.  It was incredibly well organized.  We studied separately in groups different topics such as humility, charity, forgiveness, patience, etc. and then came back together and shared stories/thoughts/experiences on the subjects and talked about how each one of us personally can work on becoming a better disciple of Christ in loving more freely and sincerely each and every one of our sisters.  I love leaving a place and feeling just full of inspiration to go out and be the best person I can:) 

It has been five months now since I left and I cannot believe how much I learned.  Like always, I did not realize it as it was happening, but rather it struck me at various times these past few weeks just how far I have come.  My testimony and my love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ becomes more firm and more profound every day, and while I have never had too much difficulty in approaching others and starting conversations, it has become even easier to do so in the past few weeks.  I just feel so grateful for the knowledge that I have of Jesus Christ, of my Heavenly Father, and of the plan that he has for us, the plan of happiness, that I just want to share it and the love I feel with everyone I see.  And I've noticed that the people notice and feel this love and it is making a difference.  We have moments like you would not believe with complete strangers in their homes, on the street, everywhere, people who just need to feel that they are loved.  Not everyone who is touched will choose to change, but precious moments where people forget about differences in culture, different languages, age, gender, and just take a moment to really listen to one another and to try to share something beautiful--are moments that were not wasted and that will leave an impression forever.  Because time as we know it is something temporal, something human, but things that are done, things that are said, things that are shared will last forever and that is why people and love are the most important things here.  Not computers, not a nice house, not money, those things will come and go, but our relationships will not; and so be careful:)  take time to appreciate and get to know those around you:)  we are here together for a reason--we all have something to give and something to learn from others.  

I hope that everyone has a fantastic week.  Know that you are loved, and take time for what matters most:)  Love, Sister Wilson

June 2, 2014

Mmk I am sorry but there will be no pictures this week.  We are back to the ghetto email place that is free:)  can’t have it all;)  This week was good.  We met a new family that I just love.  It is a mother named Elizabeth who has two girls (Lola who is eight and Maureene who is 13) and she is divorced.  We knocked on her door and she answered because she thought it was her daughter coming home from school (turns out she never answers the door for strangers so it was a little miracle that we were even able to talk with her!!!).  We ended up talking for an hour and teaching her about the restoration of the church.  She was super interested because she says she feels like she’s been missing something in her life.  She is catholic by tradition but doesn’t have a testimony of it.  Her little daughter however, Lola, is super intelligent and cute and had her communion this last week because she asked to learn about it all.  When we gave her mother the Book of Mormon, Lola took it and shouted "hurrary!!!!!" and ran right to the couch and started reading:)  Elizabeth has been reading it every day with her two girls:)  I hope that we will be able to help them find more happiness and joy in their life because things have been particularly hard for them the past two years.

Also, I love teaching Sandra (the daughter of Abel and Marguerite) and Brunella her half sister.  They are both single mothers and live in apartments next to each other and this past week we had a lesson with them together.  Brunella had read a ton from the Book of Mormon and kept telling us how intriguing she finds it.  It was super cute this last week because when we were asking them questions about what they remembered they sort of ended up teaching each other:)  I love lessons with people that we have a relationship with because it feels more real.  Like we are actually sharing, learning, and growing together.  It was a super spiritual experience:)

We got to watch the general women’s broadcast for the church this past friday at the church as a relief society activity.  It was super well done!  I loved all of the colors in the choir, and I found it really inspiring/touching to see it full of women of all ages (little girls of eight all the way up to grandmas:).  I cried multiple times as the spirit touched me as I washed.  It hit me multiple times this week just how much my testimony of the Gospel has really grown. It makes me happy to realize how much I love virtuous things and how when I see faithful and good people it inspires me:)  I love light, I love things that are good, I love things that are selfless, that are kind, that are gentle and thoughtful and I want to be more of those things myself.  I am grateful that I am not afraid to talk to people and for the experiences that that allows me to have. People just need a little bit of love, a little bit of kindness, just a simple smile:)  We cannot change other people, but we can love them and help them and be an example.  It is always worth it to do good, even if sometimes you feel depressed and the world seems dark.  There are millions of amazing people out there, all our brothers and sisters, and what a joy and a blessing it is that we all have to be here together and learn from each other.  My goal for this past month, and probably for the rest of my life (because I don’t seem to be learning it very quickly) is to become perfectly patient.  I also want to become the type of person that gives willingly in every situation because they have come to a point in their life where they prefer to see others happy than to have things for themselves.  It is not easy, but I have my own Nana as a great example:)  Have a great week!!!  love, Soeur Wilson