December 15, 2014

We had a good but slightly odd week because of the Mauritian elections.  Normally Monday is the "preparation day" where we do our laundry, grocery shopping, emails, etc. but we asked if we could switch it to Thursday to be able to work more.  So Monday we had lessons and whatnot.  Wednesday was the actual day of elections and people said we probably should not go out, so we decided to be cautious but still work and set all of our lessons up at the church so that we could stay in one place.  It was craziness because all of the roads were blocked and full of parades and all sorts of nonsense.  There are two major parties and there was a lot of contention between the two sides. 

Thursday is the day when the open the boxes and count the vote.  We had some great lessons in the morning and then went back to the apartment at noon and just stayed home.  We had bought frozen chicken nuggets and French fries for the first time, to make for the occasion and watched a LOT of Mormonmessages;)  I also took a 40 minute nap.  It was the first time in four and a half months that I have taken a nap.  That is one thing I really miss.  We also made protective cases for scriptures out of cereal boxes for several members who had asked up (with pictures from the Liahona to cover them and make them pretty), and we watched the district and did role plays to work on our teaching skills. 

We set the baptismal dates of a family who has been investigating for some time and they finally got their testimony of the Book ofMormon and are on fire:D  They are named Pascaline and Kersly.  They are so much fun and have three little kids who are super adorable:)  After the lesson on Saturday we had a little dance party to celebrate;)  The cultural dance here is the Sega and things got a little crazy and there may have been feather boas involved and plumes in our hair;) 

This weekend we had a district conference.  Maurice is now a part of the same district as la reunion so the district president (Pres. Ferrier) flew in with his first counselor Fr Argien (who is from the branch in St. Pierre:)  We had super good meetings:)  Fr Argien had a little note for me from Sister Argien which was super cute and made me happy:)  Sunday we watched a broadcast from the regional presidency in South Africa.  I liked it a lot and it was cool to hear a message centered more on African culture and members of the church.  It is true that we have so much to learn from them because their faith and their excitement/energy about the church is inspiring:) 

Everything is going well and is pretty steady.  Soeur Isham and I are trying to learn the creole, and we are also working hard on studying techniques d'enseignment dans PmE (Teaching techniques in PMG) and in watching the District and doing more role plays during companionship study.  We have been seeing some great effects in the work and are excited to keep learning.  I hope that you had a great week. 

One last silly thing.  We went to Port Louis today with the elders and the senior couple to eat at a Korean restaurant (For elder choi;) and then went and tried on saris:D  It was super fun!  I love traditional Indian clothing, it’s so beautiful.  It was a pretty funny experience because all of the store people kept showing us different things.  When you try on saris you kind of feel like a princess because there are two ladies who do it up all fancy for you:)  They told me I looked like a model but I think they just wanted to get me to buy it;)  It was super pretty, but hard to walk in.

Voilà mes aventures de la semaine.  Sorry if the email wasn’t too inspiring but I hope you enjoy and have a great week!

Love,

Sister Wilson

December 10, 2014

Life really is a crazy adventure and I love it.  I had an incredibly wonderful time (as I believe I explained in the email last week) while a la reunion.  I really prayed that I would be able to be useful even if it was just a week that I would be there and every single day the Lord answered my prayer.  I was able to be in so many places in just the right time, for investigators I had taught before, for other missionaries and for myself.  Hurray for the lord working through us if we have the desire and try to be humble:D  We were really starting to feel settled in on Tuesday and had had no news of visas and so were ready to stay for who knows how long.  I loved getting to be in the new branch on Sunday and meeting all of the members and starting to work with them.  Then, late Tuesday night we got a phone call from the zone leaders.  They had just gotten the news that sister Ishams visa went through and we were headed off to Mauritius the next morning.  It was cool because our last evening we had a meeting with our branch mission leader and I had asked his wife to teach us one of the most common creole dishes and so now I will be able to take the recipe home:)  It’s called "rougail saucisse" and it was fun learning with Sister Fortuna.

Life back in Mauritius has been wonderful and exhausting.  Wednesday we got back in the afternoon and went grocery shopping, unpacked and met up with Frere Benjamin (our branch mission leader here) to touch base with him and see what had been done in our absence.  From Thursday to Sunday we were able to regain contact with every single one of our investigators and recent converts and they are all doing super well:D 

Pascaline is someone we started teaching my first week in Mauritius and while we were gone she finally got down on her knees and asked God if the Book of Mormon is true.  As she told us about her experience tears came into her eyes and the spirit was very powerful.  She got her answer and she wants to be baptized:D   Kersly (her husband) also had a very spiritual experience this past week in coming to church and so we will invite him to be baptized the same date as his wife:) 

All of the members are super happy to have us back and said that they prayed for us to come back quickly:)  It is actually quite the miracle because when they put in the request for a one month visa for Sr Isham (because her year one was denied) it normally takes minimum of one month to go through, but this time it was one week:)  too cool.

This week has been a little special because it is the elections for the Mauritians tomorrow. They only have elections every five to seven years and things get so crazy in the roads that most Mauritians stay in their houses for two days.  So today we are having all of the lessons we could manage to schedule at church and tomorrow we will be on lockdown in the apartment and it will be our preparation day:O  cool stuff:) 

I hope that you all have a fantastic week.  I love you and hope that we will all be able to focus on the importance of our savior this Christmas season:)

Love,

Sister Wilson

December 2, 2014

So the first is a picture from sister Berchel's last day on the mission :O  We are in St. Denis with Sister Gardiner, Isham, and Olivarius.  We decided to go out to ice cream all together one last time:) 

The second is a picture from the airport.  We may or may not have cried like babies....  it is a strange experience sending a missionary off.  She was nervous, but also ready to go because she knew that she had done her best, worked her hardest, and was leaving no regrets behind.  Up until this point in my mission I have no regrets either, and I hope that I will be able to keep it that way right up until the end.  

Coming back to la reunion is not what I would have chosen for myself, but I had a week before I left to become adjusted to the idea and to remind myself that I know that the Lord always knows best.  So, by the time that I was on the plane I was grateful and excited for my new adventure whatever it may be.  Getting to be with/there for Sr Berchel in her last moments was a precious gift and a blessing to me and I believe for her as well.  It was a very strange feeling sending off a missionary, especially one who has become such a close and dear friend.

 I am in St. Denis now for who knows how long, and so I am trying to work as though I will be here indefinitely.  It has been hard but very satisfying work.  I like the feeling of starting from the ground and working your way up -it is a very free feeling.  Every day we left the apartment with plans of trying to stop by addresses of less active members and former investigators, and with the intention of talking to every single person that crossed our path, and that is exactly what we did.  In four days between the two companionships we had 23 contacts (people we met on the street who gave us their address, phone number and set up a lesson), and yesterday we had 7 lessons with members and two others, which is more than we had put together all last week!!! we also had a good number of investigators at church:)  the work is going well and I still have so much to learn, but I am happy and will keep moving forward.  Sister Olivarius has been on her mission for just one month and is super motivated and I hope that she will be able to keep her fire going:)  Sister Gardiner is almost at the end (one and a half months left) and is a bit discouraged because she has spent her whole 16 months in St.  Denis.  I hope that she will be able to re-catch the motivation and the joy of missionary work before going home so that she does not leave behind regrets.  I think that she is already happier and more excited because things are looking up:)

Another surprise blessing of being back is that Sr Isham and I were able to go to the baptism of Vincent on Saturday in St. Pierre.  It was someone that we had found together and taught just before leaving for Maurice.  He was doing well and it was super fun to see the members there:)

Luckily I love meeting new people, so this past week has been a blast.  I hope that everyone at home is doing well and that you are excited for Christmas and won’t forget that it is all about the love:)   have a great week!

Love,

Soeur Wilson

Okay so these are some pictures for the last P-day activity I had with Sister Berchel. We went to Casela which is a huge safari/park in Mauritius and you can pay to go on an hour tour walking with lions.   

The lions were orphaned in South Africa and trained from infancy to be with people so they had no leashes, no anesthesia, we just each had a wooden stick which is they sign of authority that they were trained to recognize.

 Needless to say it was paradise;) I love being with animals :D

November 24, 2014

What a week, what craziness, what sorrow, what happiness, and what a wonderful experience these last two months have been.  I have worked nonstop and I am tired but I am also so happy:)  We have seen so many miracles and have so many beautiful and spiritual experiences.  We have also had lots of hardships but I have grown so much from them and it feels good:)

This past Saturday we had our three baptisms and wow what a day.  Our emotions have been running high for some time, I think with all of the changes going on, especially because Soeur Berchel is headed home for France tomorrow (she is finished with her mission) and that is a crazy transition to make.   We had good lessons in the morning but we were far away from Rose Hill and hit unexpected traffic coming back. The roads here are craziness and we had a very scary moment on the way and were a little shaken.  When we got to the church (with no time to spare) we figured out there was a problem with Clency's baptismal record and luckily we got that worked out last minute.  Kevin's Mom who had promised to come cancelled at the last minute and I could have died when I saw the look on Kevin's face.  Nathanielle's family didn’t come.  Our investigator Steve who has been such a joy to teach and who has been so happy and grateful to learn called us to say that he can't come anymore because his companion told him to choose between her and the church, and in the midst of all of this it is not surprising that there were some tears shed.  But that is okay, the baptismal service started and there was a wonderful spirit there.  As each of them entered the water I felt tears of pride and gratitude come into my eyes, they were so beautiful.  When they bore their testimonies afterwards I don't think there was a person in that chapel who was not touched.  The members have been coming up to us ever since to say that it has been sooooo long since they felt the spirit like that. 

This is not surprising to me because these three incredible people (Nathanielle, Kevin, and Clency) made a lot of changes and a lot of sacrifices to get to where they are today and they have solid testimonies of the restored Gospel.  I love them and I love this work. 

I am sad to say goodbye to Soeur Berchel.  As I already said it has not always been easy but it has been so worth it and there is not another missionary like her.  Also, I am sad because I will also be leaving Maurice tomorrow as it turns out.  There is not another Sister who has gotten a visa yet so it is back to la Reunion.  I will be in St. Denis for a while which should be fun to have a new adventure, but I am worried by the possibility that I won’t come back to Maurice.  Well, who knows, what is important is that it is the Lord's work and he is guiding it so I don't need to worry--he will send me where I need to be.

I hope that you all have a wonderful week:) 

Lots of love,

Soeur Wilson

Sr Berchel and I with Kevin Nathanielle and Clency the day of their baptism

Just Nathanielle and I

Kevin with Sr Berchel and Myself

November 17, 2014

Mmk what can I say about this week.  It was another great one.  I still feel grateful every day when the sun is shining because I am warm and happy.  I think that the sunshine is one of the best and quickest cures when one is feeling down (and I know that my mom agrees with me, maybe I get it from her;). 

Kevin has been changing so much and it’s been sooooooo cool!  He got off to a rough start because he has some trouble with self-confidence, but he has made friends with all of the other young adults now, and every time we see him he is happier and we can just see his light growing brighter and brighter and it is so awesome:D  He had dreads and this week he cut his hair and it wasn’t even us who asked him to:)  He looks good with his new haircut.  Also he passed his baptismal interview, has stopped smoking, and is just doing great! 

Nathanielle also passed her baptismal interview.  When she came to church this past Sunday she wasn’t doing very well.  We left sacrament meeting early to go talk with her under the trees.  It was the first time I’ve seen her cry and it was heartbreaking.  It is a sad thing how often humans/things in life in general fall into cycles.  Well it is not inherently sad, but there are lots of sad cycles that occur.  Her mother had a terrible childhood, having to change homes many times, and never really having her mother there, and now she is making the same choices.  Nathanielle asked "how can she inflict on her own children what she already lived and suffered through?"  This is a very good question and what it comes down to is weakness.  We (as humans) are weak but we can overcome those weaknesses (Ether 12:27) if we have faith and come unto Christ.  Weakness isn’t sin but it can lead us to sin if we do not take control.

Clency also passed his baptismal interview HURRAY:D !!!!!!!!!!!  So there will be three baptisms this Saturday:)  He is super excited and doing great. 

This is my last week with Soeur Berchel because next Tuesday morning she will be heading home to France:O  What CRAZINESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Her mission will be over.  Time (as always) is such a strange thing.  Wish us luck;)  I hope that everyone back at home is doing well, have a great week, and never take for granted what is most important in life: the people:D

Love,

Sister Wilson

Ether 12:27: 

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

November 10, 2014

Mmk this week for my email I am going to cheat because I ran out of time and I am going to share what I already shared with certain people so if you are one of those people you will just have to read the same thing twice;)

Mark and I decided to start doing a weekly study together and the first topic we chose was Gratitude because it will be thanksgiving soon.  It was nice to study gratitude along with everything else I studied during the week because it kept me thinking about how important it is to be grateful for everything (the good times and the hard times;) and it made my days easier.  The scripture that stood out to me the most was D&C 59:7,15, 21 because I was trying to look up the doctrine of gratitude.  It is a commandment to be grateful in all things which I find cool.  We know that every commandment is for our own good (God doesn't need our gratitude though it does make him happy) and for gratitude it is easy to see why.  It is because being grateful changes our perspective on everything in life.  It is our attitude, and if we can teach ourselves to always "look on the bright side" as they say then we will become more and more free (which is the goal in life -freedom).  It is a way to self-mastery:) 

Then my sweet sister took the time to write me a little spiritual thought even though she has a ton on her plate being a new mother.  She talked about how growing sometimes hurts but that it is necessary to pass by the pain and that by placing our confidence in Christ he can lighten our burdens.  I have definitely had some growing pains on my mission but I try to be grateful for them and to not wish.  If we want the hard moments to pass quickly we end up missing some of the most precious moments in life and that is a shame.

This week we had less lessons with members which is too bad, but it was a kind of a funny situation.  Every time we called a member to see if they could join us they said they were already engaged to help the Rosalie family move into their new home.  This persisted the whole week, literally that is the only thing we heard from the members this week "oops sorry but I already said I’d help the Rosalie’s" "Sorry, we will be at the family Rosalie’s tomorrow"  "no that won’t be possible this week sorry, we are helping the family Rosalie."  We asked ourselves how all of these people were going to be able to fit into the Rosalie's house to help but at least the members were motivated for the service and showed great unity;)  Nathanielle (21) had her interview this past week and passed and will be baptized the 22 Nov.  Kevin and Clency will have their interviews this week and will also be baptized normally on the 22 so that will be an awesome day:)  We have lots of great investigators and it is a pleasure to teach and learn with them.

It is starting to be summer here again and boy is it hot.  Hopefully I will survive;)  Lots of fruit trees are turning ripe which is exciting:D  I am excited to eat letchi for the first time, it’s a funny little red fruit found on islands:)

Hope that you all have a great week!

Love,

Sister Wilson

November 3, 2014

Jose got confirmed yesterday and sustained in church so it’s official now;)  He is doing super well and also received the Aaronic priesthood yesterday.  This coming Sunday we are super excited because we have another baptism of our friend Clency.  He has a cool story.  The Elders gave us some numbers to contact one week and that very day we had a lesson cancelled and decided to call all of the numbers to try and find a replacement.  Clency was one of these numbers and he answered, was home, and said "sure, come on over."  We called Sister Avrilene to see if she could go with us and she said yes.  When we got there it turns out that she knew Clency because she had lived with him and his cousin for several years while inactive in the church.  The very first lesson Clency bore his testimony of the miraculous change he had seen in Sr Avrilene as she became active in the church and that he knew that the Gospel was true.  He had also worked for years on boats transporting goods back and forth between islands, and one of his shipmates was Frere Charles (a member of our branch) and so he already had a Book of Mormon.  He is very sick now and has been humbled by the years and has such a sincere desire to learn and to repent and come unto Christ.  He has gotten his whole life in order and has such a powerful testimony and I just love teaching him.  Also, he misheard Sr Berchel and I's names the first time and still calls us "Sr Brechmetel and Sr Forest."  He makes me smile:)

The Sunday afterwards is the baptism of our friend Nathanielle.  She is 21, a student, and we met her because we said hi to her mother while walking down the street and she invited us in.  She came to General Conference, she was at church again yesterday, she reads the Book of Mormon, prays, and already has her testimony and knows that the church is true.  I am sooooo excited for her, but also it makes me a little sad because she is afraid that her family will not support her in the decision.  I told her a little bit about my own mom's story and how she had to make the choice as well and had many long years where her family did not support the decision but how her faith and courage had changed her life, the lives of her children and many others for the better and that I know she can be that person for her family as well.

This week we had a funny moment because we tried out the sidewalk chalk contacting for the first time in Mauritius.  We tried first on a sidewalk in downtown Rosehill where lots of people walk by, but a security officer for the bank just beside us came out to tell us we couldn’t draw there.  As we were walking away a little mammy came up and cursed us with her umbrella which was kind of funny.  Then we met a Jewish man who stopped to talk with us, who ended up not being very open but who told me that my headband was Jewish and walked away.  Finally we found a good spot and got to talk with lots of people who stopped to look at the Plan of Salvation, so in the end it was a success:)

Things are going well and I am happy and healthy (so mom don’t worry;).  I hope that everyone has a great week!

Love,

Soeur Wilson

The first picture is Sr Berchel and I doing a princess pose in one of our many balconies.  I really cannot express to you the heinousness of our apartment, it is nicknamed the 'palace' and aptly so.

This is from a day when we went to a museum with the young adults on P-day and then headed down to the sea.

This one is when we went to a huge market and bought something I have never eaten before and I forgot what it’s called because most of the food here has an Indian name. It was cool.

At the Branch presidents house to share a message, and there two little boys decided to play with us >) 

I keep taking flexibility pictures for my papa.

From the top of the highest point in Mauritius, it was a gorgeous view.

This is a picture of all of us at the top >)  

Sister Berchel, Jose and I the day of his baptism >)

This is a family home evening we had at Sister Avrilene's with her daughter Gaelle, her son Yoan, Veronique from the branche, and our investigators Kevin and Nathanielle who had brought her little brother Ryan.  It was a blast, and this Sunday they were all at church and get along great together >D