May 28th

Hello everyone!
It has started to finally warm up here in England and it's about time.
I got sick as well because of the drastic change in weather. But we
have been working hard nonetheless. Here in Bury we are starting fresh
and really trying to work hard and find new people. We are working
with some less actives as well. I have had a real Eye opener because
of it as well. there are two basic principles of a testimony that if
you do not have them nothing else is more important that obtaining a
knowledge of these two things.
1. A belief in God, who he is and his character, and that he Answers prayers
2. A knowledge that the Book of Mormon is the word of God.
If you have these two things then everything else falls into place.
You know the Bible is the word of God because they Both teach the same thing.
You know that Jesus Christ is your Savior and Redeemer and that by his
Grace you can Return and Live with God.
You know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God and that this Church is true.
I have seen the effects of people who never gained a testimony of
these things but just went through church life and the temple and
sooner or later they begin to live the gospel because they don't want
to let other people down and sooner or later it all falls apart and I
have seen people who then completly turn away from belief and take
their name of the records. It is really sad because they went through
the temple and all the blessings of the gospel were theirs. But
without that strong foundation it became doubts and fears and then
relying on their own knowledge of the world and science and complete
disbelief that God is there or that there is life after death.
Strengthen your testimonies through prayer and relying on God. He will
halp you to know or remember that he is there and he loves you and
that the Book of Mormon and the Bible are the word of God. Nothing
else will matter untill you strengthen your testimony of those things.
Sorry for the sermon. I am doing very well and I love the people here
in Bury. They are all so nice and friendly. Much much more than
London. They say the further North you go the friendlier the people
get. I don't mind that at all and I am enjoying it.
Love
Elder Wilson

May 22, 2012

Hey Misty and Everybody
I have my new address:
16 Durham Close
Bury St. Edmunds
Suffolk IP32 6TH
England
So I am doing really well here with E. Mahendran, he is from Germany
but his family is originally Sri Lankan (Southern Island off of India)
and he is really good. Now I am Senior companion which is a bit
stressful but I am doing well and not stressing out too much. I will
send you the SD card this week so you will have pictures and videos of
Ilford and the last bit of G2 (sorry it's taken so long). We are only
teaching one person right now so we are starting fresh and doing a lot
of finding (nothing new there) but Bury is a really nice place. It's
full of such nice people and very few are rude they are very kind even
when they aren't interested. I am working hard and doing everything I
can to be a good missionary. The weather has been a bit cold but today
is warm and it should be warming up for the rest of the week. I don't
have too much time today but I will email you next week and let you
know some of the things happening here and Inform you a little bit
more. This is my Year transfer and I cannot believe it has been a year
already and it is supposed to go faster these next months, I got to do
as much as I can while there is still time. Keep me posted on
everything that is going on with you guys.
Love you all
Elder Wilson


A Note from Newt's Mom:
He has only been there less than a week but says he is already having some amazing experiences.
He is close to the US Military base so the members there feed them really well and give them American food they don't usually get. So he's pretty excited about his new area.
He also says he needs new running shoes...he's gaining weight. Imagine Newt gaining weight?
I'm sure he would appreciate cards or letters.

April 23, 2012

I can't wait to talk to you guys in 2 weeks (Mother's Day) I am super excited. Everything here is going really well. We are working hard and seeing so much success. We go all day long teaching and finding. I get home at night and I just plop onto my bed and pass out. HAha If I sit still for too long I'm out like a light during the day. ( Kinda Like mom) we have been having cold rainy April over here. The past week and a half it has rained everyday. Where does it all come from? It never ends and it is always wet. I do enjoy it but I think the biggest thing I miss is the feeling of the rain coming in Arizona and the smell of the rain. you don't get that too much over here. Its just always wet. What can you do but deal with it. Other than that not much else has happened. I am doing really well and can't wait to talk to you all soon. Tell Riley I say hello and I miss him. Even though he's the Devil. HahAHA Love Elder Wilson

April 16, 2012

Hey Misty and Everyone
I am having such a great time with E. Giboin. He's almost finished with his mission so he really knows what he's doing. He is teaching me so much and its like a second training for me. We are working so hard, everytime we get back to the flat I do everything I can to get ready for bed quickly and then hop in because I am so exhausted. We are doing really well in ilford and we are having alot of success. We just got done playing football (soccer) with the rest of the zone and my feet are really sore and I know I will be walking gingerly tomorrow. I can't believe all that I have been through and I can't believe I have been gone for nine months. It feels like yesterday and at the same time it feels like an eternity ago. So much has happened and I have had so many experiences. I am trying my best to write in my journal as much as possible so that I can remeber all the wonderful people and experiences I have had. Keep me posted on how you all are doing I haven't heard from a lot of my friends lately and you all better write me if your reading this. I will try to do better as well and respond to everything I get.

I love you all

Elder Wilson

Happy Easter

We had a great week this week and it is the end of the transfer. E. Murri is going to southend on sea and I am staying here in Ilford Yaay! I am getting the former Assistant to the President, E. Giboin (He's Scottish). I am super excitied and I am going to learn so much here in these next few weeks. and within these next 5 weeks I get to call you guys. FOR MOTHERS DAY. It feels like yesterday it was christmas, I can't believe when I call you I will be 2 days away from my 10 month mark. This experience goes by way too fast. But I am enjoying it and I am super excited. Easter was really great. We had an impromptu dinner at an american family's home. They were so nice to feed us. They have 4 little kids and it's so funny to see that 3 were born in the U.S. and have american accents but the youngest one was born here and she sounds english. So funny to hear her talk even though she's only 5. She says Mummy and other little english words. We had another baptism this past week. Vijay Sehgal. He is also from Punjab where Sham was from. We have been teaching and baptising alot of people who are from India and Pakistan. In the past 3 years we have baptised around 15 people from the middle east. This will probably be my last transfer here in Ilford so when it nears mothers day don't send me too much letters or anything because I might be moving. I hope you all are doing well keep me posted and send me an email whenever you can and let me know how everything is over in the U.S.
Love you all!
Elder Wilson

April 5, 2012

Hey Misty,
Happy Birthday and I hope it was a great one for you. Welcome to your 3rd Decade. :) Its okay you still look in your twenties. How was the Hunger Games, I read that book before I came out and I enjoyed it, the 3rd one however was a very mixed feelings ending for me. But I hope the movie was good. We watched conference and I really enjoy priesthood session. It was amazing and I know for me alot of it made me think of the Amazing Sealing power of the temple, I loved conference and I really enjoyed all the talks I got to hear.
This weeks analogy of missionary work comes from Elder Carder from Wales. He is serving in Romford with my district leader and this is his second transfer in the mission. He drew his testimony for us. It is two men with top hats, one has a duck on top of his head. His friend says why do you have a duck on your head, and he can't help but stare at this duck. the man with the duck says I have a duck on my head? and the other says yes. So the duck man says would you like a duck on your head. and his friend says Why would I want a duck on my head. This symbolizes our testimony. We feed and feed this duck (testimony) and It gets bigger and bigger and people without a duck, notice this wierd thing and can't help but stare at you. People always always stare at us. It is a little unerving sometimes but they look at you like you have this freaking duck on your head. During district meeting Elder carder told us about this analogy and we couldn't help but laugh profusely. But yes If you want to know what a missionary feels like put a giant live duck on your head and walk in public, you get the same response. We still get it even when we are in normal cloths which is just strange. Anyways Keep your duck fed.
Love
Elder Wilson

March 12, 2012

Hey Misty I hope you are feeling better now. How Is everything at
home. How are your scroungy kids and husband. I hope you are doing
well and they are helping you out.
I have been doing great out here. I can't believe that it has been
almost 8 and a half months since I left. It feels like yesterday that
I had left for the Missionary training center. The work is great out
here. We are constantly busy with all of the things we have to do each
day. Ilford is a very very busy place. We are teaching a few people
(5) and we are doing well and our investigators are progressing. Some
faster than others but you can't force it. I am learning so much out
here and I really want to try and continue and do my best. Time is
going by so fast. I am almost at the point where my trainer was when
he trained me. I can't believe that this time goes by so fast. Not
much is new out here, we have had ups and downs. I have learned this
week to not base my mood or emotions on the people I am teaching. It's
like when you're in a relationship and you base your mood on what your
boyfriend or girlfriend is doing. If they do something for you like
write a note or txt or something you are on cloud nine. But if a
situation doesn't go the way you want it then you are down in the
dumps. It's the same with investigators. When they progress in some
way you are so happy but when they hose your appointment then you are
down in the dumps. I have really been trying to get out of that rut
and just be happy all of the time and focus on other things. I am
enjoying myself and I am happy, I hope you all are doing well and I
will love to talk to you on May 13. For me thats right around the
corner.
Love you all
Elder Wilson

February 28, 2012

Hello Everyone
This past week has been such a strange week. At first we had P-day, then we had Zone Conference which was such an awesome experience. I learned so much and it basically summed up what I have learned this past transfer about finding people. They talked alot about the spirit and following the promptings that it gives us. I have really needed to work on listening and acting on certaing promptings. I also learned about having the right attitude about finding. Which isn't always easy, finding is one of the hardest things you do on your mission. And this mission is 60% finding. Our goal is to have 20 lessons a week and 20 hours of finding whether it be by tracting or Street finding or bus finding. We try and talk to everyone which is fun sometimes but alot of the time it can be difficult if not annoying. This past week I was given a Qur'ran by one of our potential investigators. (We traded books) And one of our members showed us some crazy scriptures in the book. It talks about Abraham and his father (POGP) and a few other things mainstream christianity didn't have. It shows us that mohammed was an inspired man for his time and that he knew a lot. It is really great to talk to other religions, most of the people in Ilford are from the middle east and most of our investigators are either Pakistani, Indian or African. It is so much fun to meet so many different kinds of people. They are so wonderful and are such funny people as well. Me and E. Murri have a good friend that we call KaKa (His last name is Kakakaehl) he is a recent convert from pakistan and he is here in the country for schooling. He doesn't have any cloths for church that he can wear so E. Murri gave him an extra pair of trousers and I called up G2 for the old Suit coat that I remember being in there and have them bring it to zone conference. We gave them to kaka along with an extra white shirt and tie and he came to church looking quite dapper. I was so happy to have some nice cloths now. It is very hard for alot of these people to buy anything, jobs are very few and far between here in England. It is very very tough to get an income so alot of people are struggling. It's so nice to help people where you can and to be their friend and they can be apart of a ward family. I really want to hear from you all very soon and I hope that you are all enjoying your springtime and that you are doing well.
Love
Elder Wilson

February 20, 2012

This past week was great. We had my first baptism. His name is Ghansham (Sham) and he is from Punjab India. He is a great guy and he started reading the Book of mormon a month ago and he is already in Alma. He loves the book of mormon and is such an awesome guy. He is very quiet and sort of does his own thing but he loves church and he loves to learn about the gospel. We are really busy here in Ilford and this transfer has flown by. It ends February 29 and I might leave. I hope not because I love it here and I want to stay a few more transfers. We have done so much but there is so much more to do. We are finding more people and we are being blessed with a lot of success. I hope to hear from you all soon and I have sent a lot of letters out this week so hopefully alot of you will get one in a week or so. Zone conference is tomorrow and I am so excited. I love zone conference because we learn so much from our leaders and we get to see all our missionary friends. Which I am really looking forward to.
I love you all and would love to hear from you. If you want to hear about something particular here in England send me an email and I will write you a letter.
Keep strong and carry on.
Love
Elder Wilson

February 6, 2012

Hello Everybody,
I can't believe it has been three weeks already that I have been in Ilford. It seems like yesterday that I got here. Me and E. Murri have so much fun everyday and we enjoy working hard and learning. I haven't had good companionship study yet with any of my other companions until E. Murri. We both love talking about the amazing things we had learned that morning and study about some really great things. I hope we get to stay here in Ilford for one more transfer. It is so much fun to be here and to have so many amazing people to teach. We potentially have 3 baptisms this month. Which is amazing and they will be my first 3. I am quite excited for my friends. They are so awesome, they love church and they love learning from the scriptures. I really enjoy this area it has such great people. About 80% of the people here are from the middle east and Asia. We are teaching 3 people from India, 2 from Pakistan, and 1 from Afghanistan. They are great and they have come from humbling circumstances. We are also teaching a man from Germany, and a man from Romania. Who are also great and are extremly intelligent. They have come to the gospel knowledge of truths before we even shared it with them. Peter our friend from Germany understood Adam and Eve and the Reason the Fall was necessary before we even taught it to him. It was really great to see how he came to these answeres. I am enjoying myself here. Two nights ago it started to snow for the first time in London this year. We woke up to about 4 inches. How exciting. England shuts down at about 5 or 6 inches because they aren't prepared for it. Just 4 inches and roads where shut down and buses were closed for a while. Its funny to see it all go downhill so fast. But we enjoy ourselves and have alot of fun.
I hope you guys are doing well and I would love to hear from you all.
Love Elder Wilson