July 29, 2013

Whoa, what a week, what can I say?! It was kinda a drag? Very slow, nothing like Spanish Town but soon come!! Really working with the branch to get them motivated to be missionaries and Sunday we got a lot of referrals and see the results picking up a bit! We just need to be one D&C 38:27! Wow, hit 5 months this week, can’t believe almost a quarter done, seems almost too quick and that summer is almost over!! It has been raining like crazzzy and the thunder is unreal. Knocks the power out like every time and the roads are a wreck. And my companion won’t go out in it... which is ridiculous. It ain’t that bad, but it’s something I am trying to work with when trying to get along with companions!! I thought roads couldn’t get worse than Spanish Town but they are terrible! And on top of that no maps, no street signs, and no addresses.. great for finding less actives and anyone in general!! Haha, but it’s great fun! I’m starting to get the area down! There is one-ways everywhere, can’t imagine driving through it!! Sav is close to a tourist area so I sometimes see white people, it’s weird! I sometimes forget that I’m white and also outta place, hah!! With the rain it has been cold the last few nights, wish I had a blanket. We curl up in our sheets, tempertaure is getting down to 80! Ah, freezing ha! Finding some solid investigators! My comp was trained just to find solid people to work with, which makes sense. We want people who will build up the branch, not tear it down or go less active right away, but it has been a hard adjustment from trying to help everyone and see what they can become not what they are to sorry if you don’t come to church a couple weeks we are dropping you! Whaat! Didn’t think you could do that, but man, probably had more dropped lessons in this 2 weeks than I have my whole mission! But we still are finding some solid people.. mostly through referrals, members of the branch which really is where the work is at!! Love it! Zone conference this week, it seems to roll around at just the right time when you need that encouragement and such! I’m having a hard time remembering names and some are just peculiar names so I started making up names like Zig and Zag.. much much easier!! So we had a funeral for a strong member named Sis Scott, just passed away. And long story short, Elder Groesbeck made this ring tone that wakes him up from his nap at lunch and forgot to turn it off and it went off during the service!! For example, it’s like a yoda voice saying "it’s a spicy meatball" went off like 3 times -  moment ruiner, haha, good memories though!!! Found this sweet Book of Mormon study guide thing explaining all of it in detail and what prophets have to say and stuff.  Man.. sorry to say I have been tricked all these years... I love to read and study!  I have learned soooo much and so much has sank in so deep! Example: like sacrament, it "clicked" which is terrible it didn’t before.. but if you don’t partake you are out of the covenant. You don’t get a remission of sins and don’t get the privilege of the spirit! A sweet quote I also came across that has changed my prayers and hopefully can help everyone else evaluate their’s! Donald L Staheli said: "when we become hurried, repetitive, casual or forgetful in our prayers, we tend to lose the closeness of the spirit, which is so essential in the continual direction we need to successfully manage the challenges of our everyday lives. Family prayer every morning and night adds additional blessings and power to our individual prayers and testimonies. Personal sincere involvement in the scriptures produces faith, hope, and solutions to our daily challenges. Frequently reading, pondering, and applying the lessons of the scriptures, combined with prayer become an irreplaceable part of gaining and sustaining a strong, vibrant testimony!” Great quote! Learning so much and study time is to short! Well, that’s kinda the wrap of my week and what’s on my mind right now! Much love to all.

Elder Wilkerson

 Nun Tryd Nun Dun

dj godfrey (recent convert) works the music at friday night activities

July 22, 2013

Good Day! District Leader ain’t bad.  I get a great opportunity to serve the missionaries around me and understand more thoroughly how I can be helping them and serving them so we can all grow together! Responsibilties are just a few, collect numbers at the end of the week, do follow-up calls and check on their top two investigators which really just gives me an idea when they will have an interview needed to be done for baptism so I can prepare for that and be able to do some trade offs to lift the missionaries, give support and encouragement and also meet these progressing investigators so we can see any problems or concerns we can/need to resolve before the interview!!  My new companion Elder Wignal! He is just great! We get a long super well. He is a convert but 4 years now. Just baptized with his dad and uncle.. humble, hard working guy! The area we are pretty much starting from scratch but have 2 investigators right now and 6 recent converts moving slow but steady! But shore hope to really pick up the pace these next few months!! The area is great! A lot hotter than Spanish Town.  We wake up at 5:00 to do insanity with the other elders (which is great cuz I’m at 190lbs now- 35lbs gain)  and it’s flippin 95 Degrees!! Super hot and super flat, like no hills anywhere!!  But the people are great. Our house is on the 2nd floor so we get to carry our bikes upstairs and we got hot water and another washing machine! So good things there!! Sunday was different.. no one plays the piano so we listen to a loud recording of the hymns, the building is nice but the chapel can only hold like 100 people, will need an addition here in a bit!! Don’t have a microwave at the house so no more oatmeal, haha! And we live pretty close to shopping centers and stuff.  The email shop is a lot bigger! Has instead of 4 computers, like 40! So definitely striving a little more up here! Well that’s kinda the wrap on things today, will try to get more of the spiritual notes down for the next week, but you can guarantee I’m having them! This mission is the greatest thing I could be doing right now. Learning so very much!! Have an awesome week everyone! Much Love!

Elder Wilkerson

Nun Tryd Nun Dun!

Our house - top left side is our living quarters!

July 15, 2013

Good morning! Well jeez, today is mixed feelings and such!  Packing up the bags and getting the journal signed! I’m off to Savanna-la Mar to serve with Elder Wignal! A real Jamaican! Haha! Also get to live in another 4 man house with another washing machine! Get to live with my boy Elder Groesbeck! It was really tough bearing my testimony and saying good bye to people yesterday! This is my home town, I’m gonna miss it a ton!! We have some awesome things happening as well!  Along with splitting the area, Elder Strickland is getting pulled away from our investigators as well!  Maxine #2 is getting baptized next week and both of her missionaries won’t be there for it! Ha, good faith tester I guess!  We met Wega Williams last week!  Just a solid guy!  Works on cars, reminds me a lot of Grandpa Wilkerson and kinda black like him as well ;) (grease) haha.  We kicked off real well and he has read the whole Book of Mormon. We had one lesson with him! I’m excited to hear what happens to him, just going to be a solid Priesthood holder!  We need a few in Spanish Town!  Only have about 10 elders, working on it!! We started a class this week for the potential Elders cuz we have so many recent converts!! Zone meeting rocked! President Brown reminds me of Elder Holland. He speaks with convincing power to your heart and soul but does it with such love! Amazing work is going to go down in Jamaica!!  God really is hastening the work you can see it everyday if you keep your eyes peeled and sometimes, actually a lot of times, you don’t have to look, just focus up and you’ll see it! I love Spanish Town. I’m going to miss it like crazy!! I’m excited to be serving in Sav, but also a little nervous. I’m going to be a district leader for practically elders all way older than I! It’s  going to be a great growing opportunity!!  We had some super awesome lessons this week! Not a ton of lessons!  Lots fell through, but the ones we had we made count!! Sister Blake fed us on Sunday. We ate dog tripe, I’ll send a pic, it was great ;) Ha, well excited to hear from you all next week.  Love you!!  Oh and a shout out to Scott Pearson.. found a Scott Pearson in our directory in Spanish Town with a 801 number so gotta be my uncle! Weird!  Liccamor!

NUN TRYD NUN DUN

Me climb fi tree ta git drink!.

-Elder Wilkerson

Sis Williams grandkids drinking some jellies!

Dog Tripe

July 8, 2013

Gosh, this week has seemed long but it shore was a good worth while one!! First highlight I would say is Sam. Sam can’t read, but we gave him a Book of Mormon the 2nd time we saw him and his eyes lit up so big. Not a lot of family love, he is like 40, but we are now reading with him and he is just so sincere and the spirit is so strong when we just are reading the most simple things, it’s tight!!  Next day we had a sweet lesson with Melinda. Now that school is out there are parties all over... let’s just say Satan is working hard in Jamaica.  Anyways, the visit was so sick! She is a less active return missionary and even with the party floats and buses just around the corner, we just like somehow blocked it out and  focused and had a great lesson and she wanted to sing a hymn after, it was just so amazing!! Perfect lesson! So we got 2 more elders coming to Spanish town! Gonna have a 6 man party/work house!! 10 missionaries in Spanish town!!!  We picked up a couple solid referrals from x-man (Xavier). Gary is one, he’s just solid, asked some sweet questions. Whenever we talk about the temple and baptisms for the dead it always weirds people out, but for Gary he was like WHAt! Really? How do you do that?  Just solid! Can’t wait to teach him more!! Sunday was just a ahh yah moment day. Recent converts just going to work! Rick and Kimani passing sacrament, Jhaniel and Jason giving lessons and all rc's showing up on time!! Yahoo!! Been watching the broadcast in sacrament the last week and that was just powerful for priesthood and relief society! Totally pumped the branch up to spread the gospel and just open their mouths. We had like 10 referrals that night! Just sweet to watch how the work is progressing!! Makes all the blood sweat and tears worth while, haha! Not too much blood and tears but that transfer over to the sweat category!! Work is just going great, excited to see what will happen with transfers this week! All’s good ,just keep on keepin on! Much love to all!

Mac man is all done.

Painting with Xavier and kids.

Rode a cart! The old man that owns it is named Marvin, haha

July 1, 2013

So it has just been a busy week!  Not much to speak on really. We had a painting service project for a head pastor for the holy bible church that took 9 hrs, just softening some hearts. My comp almost got charged 250k for a friendly suggestion, but we will talk about that some other time! Finished the tang Mario wall! Things are going pretty well. Got 7 people to church yesterday have 6 progressing towards baptism and the work is going awesome. Had to drop Mama Lee this week, sad but one day she will come around!! Found out I’ll probably be training next transfer which is nerve racking, but exciting. Also saw this Chase Peterson that served in Jamiaca in 2010! It’s Gage Peterson’s older brother for those still wondering!  That was cool to see. At first we were like some tourist’s lost.. 2 white people and a black man are walking into our church, haha!! Was a great day! Really prayed to find some more people to teach on Sunday and we found 5 pretty solid! Prayer is a sweeeet thing, love and cherish it!! Hope all is going well!!  Respect, alright!