ACTUAL MARDI GRAS

Never in my life would I ever have thought that I would wake up at 4 in the morning to go to a freaking parade. But it was crazy I've never seen anything like it, and this past week there have been a few people who have actually died in the parades which is sad but I was fine. Anyways this week started out pretty sad, a less active member passed away and apparently she was close with the missionaries like a year ago, so her daughter called us and asked us to come give her a blessing. So we hurried over there expecting to give the daughter a blessing, but she actually was hoping we would give HER MOTHER... that was lying in the bed right there.... dead... a blessing. So we had to tell her that we dont actually do that and that we exercise Gods power here on earth. But that was a really cool experience because we were able to share a message to this less active family and have a cool prayer with them and the spirit was so strong. We were able to assure them that their mothers spirit was in better hands now. But wow that kinda shook me. I had a lot of cool experiences and mardi gras was one for the books but I'd rather share a lil message again because these are more important, and all yall who dont like these messages have your hearts in the wrong place. So git good. What I want to discuss is the problems we be going through. We all know that we all will be going through some tough times in our lives, either by our own decisions or because of other people's ignorant decisions. But as we read in Matthew 5:45 "for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." No matter how good you have been and how many brownie points you think you have been scoring up, life is still going to SUCK. Like if you're here thinking every decision you make will be an easy one, you are wrong, because where's the progression in that? Basically my point is, these bad things happen... it's a fact of life, but what God is wanting to know is WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THE CHALLENGE YOU ARE GIVEN? Are you just going to pity yourself? Keep telling yourself "wow my life is so hard I'll give up" like come on, that's pathetic. When God gives you these trials he wants to see how you will handle it, so I want to ask all yall to think for a second, about a hard thing you're going through right now, and figure out a way that you can grow from it. Whether it's personal growth, or with your family, it does not matter. But the rain is going to pour, dont let it drown you out, let it water you and grown into a beautiful flower. Wow that was an adorable analogy. Alright I'm signing off see yall next tuesday bb Love Elder Wilson Mardi gras, super dome, me painting for soem reason and and ALLIGATOR! I saw 2 that day it was crazy

MARDI GRAS...

I hate parades. I was excited for Mardi Gras until I saw the first parade, literally just a bunch of drunk southern wackadoos, chucking beads, swords, hats, back scratchers, and candy at us. It's terrible. Worst holiday ever invented. The sister in our ward that took us (we will call her sister C) but she was running to catch some beads and she tripped and fell and it was so sad because shes a bit on the heavy side so it took a few good strong men to get her back up and running again. But she was laughing and cracking jokes because shes just that awesome hahah we love sister C. The saddest part of this whole story was that her daughter had to throw some shade saying, "Mom you can barely walk, what gave you the bright idea to try to run?" And boy did that get Elder Kephart and I WHEEZING. We had Zone Conference and Stake Conference this weekend which was awesome because we saw some General Authorities and our Mission President and his wife like every day the past 4 days. And boy was it a spiritual overload. I've been exaughsted from all this learning. (That's the only reason we hit up that mardi gras parade, to take the edge off). Anyways, all I learned from the first parade, (yeah, there will be parades like everyday for the next 2 weeks or so) but all I learned is that satan is evident in everything, and he is always trying to bring us down... spiritually aaaand physically (especially in Sister C's case lol). But yeah everyone gets all worldly and naughty and we have to stop that. Which brings me to the juicy stuff... CS Lewis, a great man with great christian insights said something that kinda captures what it means to see the Lord while on the mission, and in everyday life. And I quote, “We can say we believe in Christ as we believe in the sun at noon day, not that we can see it, but that by it, we can see everything else”. I love that because people often will say, how can you believe in something you can't even see? And then I will say the word "Gravity" or "oxygen" (because you cant see those yet everyone somehow still believes) and they shake at their knees and want to get baptized. Kidding kidding, in a more spiritual sense, it's really like what in this world DOESN'T testify that we have a LOVING Heavenly Father? Who, infact loves us so much as to send His son, Jesus Christ. Everything we see is a witness of Jesus Christ, who created it all. For example, I am just a small little boy from Highland Utah, spending these 2 years down here in Louisiana and Mississippi and it is ABSOLUTELY CRAZY how much LOVE and COMPASSION I can have for these people that i maybe will only spend 10 minutes with sometimes. But I know that everytime i meet someone, and i instantly feel this love for them, it is Christ allowing me to feel just a sliver of his love for that individual, and that is what it's like to be a disciple of Christ. Its all love. And boy am I filled with it right now. I feel like a non-romantic cupid goin 'round and shooting heart arrows into peoples bums. But instead of me being in just a diaper, I am suited up, white shirt, tie, black tag. And instead of arrows, I'm shooting the words of Christ into peoples hearts, and Christs words are giving them hope and love of their own. It's great. Anyways I love yall so much, and remember that it is because of Christ, that we are able to see everything else. Have love, valentine's day should be everyday. Just as Christmas should be everyday, share the love. Love Elder Wilson, No pics from the GRAS bc no need 1) greenie boy 2) Zone Conf, elder folokwe goes back to south Africa this transfer so I'm gonna miss him so a few of us held hands during the pic.

4-give-ness

Hey yall it's been a good week. In the past my new area has not done a good job of pulling through for dinner appointments but our luck CHANGED this week. It all started monday night, when a kind soul drove 8 hours from Florida to Chalmette to take my companion and I to raising canes, then had to drive those 8 hours back the next day. So shout out to Lauren and her mother Shanon Riggs, and dont worry I had mission president approval! The Chalmette Elders will forever be grateful, because after that awesome dinner, our luck changed. Literally every night this week we had dinner appointments, it was AWESOME. So we were blessed. So that right there is a HUGE blessing. Then we also found Dora. Dora is an angel. Dora wanted a bible. We gave Dora a bible and the Book of Mormon, Dora loves when us missionaries come over and read to her, we love Dora. Dora is an angel. I will update yall more on Dora next week. Lol I said dora a lot. This weekly thing is getting old. Now on to the GÜD stuffff. Lets talk Forgiveness. When we think "what would Jesus do?" We are too comfortable with it. All too often we think that Jesus will ALWAYS let us off easy, and we think he will forgive us after we sin, sometimes we think that before we even sin to bring us comfort so we CAN sin. But boy is that a sin and a half thinking that. Dont do that. Christ isnt always that soft, he may forgive your sins but he definitely does not CONDONE those sins. ("Allow" for those of you with the lower IQ's) When christ said "if your eye offends you, pluck it out" He wasn't this soft, comfortable Christ. He expects EFFORT from us. And if you're not even trying then good luck, I'll be praying for yall. Forgiveness is a hard topic, with so many different situations. But I just want yall to remember for your OWN sake, that Christ is not always that comfortable savior we sometimes think he is. He has rules. So follow them. Fear God. Anyways I love yall stay clean and we be thriving out in "Narlens" Love Elder WILSON 1) missionary handshake for lauren from 2 elders (what a lucky girl) 2) all us at canes 3) spanish moss behind spanish moss in mouth

Good times and tan lines

Oooooooo baby this week was just dandy We got fed this week which was pretty sick. I've learned how to make a sandwich that's not that bad and I eat 3x a day... breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Im like Gordon Ramsay good at making sandwiches now. Anyways, we had to give a last second sunday school lesson in church yesterday and so we talked about Nehpi and the liahona. Basically that the liahona would guide and direct them when they were faithful, diligent and "HEEDED" the guidance of the liahona. (Which is old people talk for basically "Doing what it tells you") So I low key wanna focus on that. We each have the liahona... in our hearts. The spirit. You all know what it feels like to be directed by the spirit. And you also know what it feels like when you have been asked to do something by the spirit, and then you didn't do it. Boy is that the worst feeling ever in the mission field. If nephi and lehi didnt listen to the direction of the liahona... it would stop working. And same goes for us. Like if you get a prompting. Just do it. Remember anything good comes from God. So story time, so yall can see a real life example. Because just like Laman and Lemual lacked so much faith, they needed the liahona so they could "see it to believe it" type thing so for those that lack faith in what I'm saying, here: Yesterday my companion and I had just gotten home from church and I just had the sudden urge to go tracting, which as a missionary, you never, ever, ever, want to go tracting. But I did, I obviously realized it wasn't me that wanted to go, but the spirit definitely had someone in mind, so I told my comp, said get up we are going tracting and we prayed to know where to go, (my companion was being stubborn and not wanting to say the prayer so I said a prayer then made him say another one) so we were feeling TWICE as blessed at the moment... A street sign we pass every day popped in my head so we went for it, the second house we knocked, a full family sitting in there eating superbowl dinner, the lady let us share our message, so we did it and she seemed interested, gave her the Good Book, and everyone left with smiles on their faces. Spirit worked through that entirely, and all we had to do was SEND IT. D&C 6:66 "but inasmuch as ye can send, send" a beautiful scripture thrown around a lot in the mission, and it not only is humorous, but insightful. Ladies and gentlemen follow your promptings, and stay worthy to have those promptings, good will come from it. Love yall, keep that black mamba mentality. Love Elder Wilson ;) 1) cute pick of me on top of an abandoned Navy building bc of Katrina, in front of the Mississippi river and new orleans in the back. 2) da oshin 3) congrats again, first pic of the family all together EVER. (I'm on the phone)