September 29, 2014

This week was hot! Not temperature wise.. I’m indifferent to that now. But we really had a great week. I Know that God really does want us to Pray Until Something Happens. PUSH! That many of our desires and things we want are only attainable through wearying the Lord in prayer. I have seen it this week! Through zone meeting and our missionary efforts. One day in particular was Saturday. We were looking for a less active, well two of them actually, and our teaching pool still wanted some great investigators. We petitioned the Lord for help and also the fasting was involved, but we were lead to this sweet family. Sister Scarlett! She works where? Take a guess. Utah! Ha ha, at the Canyons ski Resort, easy in for Elder Whitlock and I. Her husband is a police and they are both strong Baptist but whoa their vibes.. they are awesome. We are going back Tuesday to see them. We also have found several more former's by accident this week, well I don't if I can even call it that. The Lord Truly knows his people and where they are and when they are ready!(3 Nephi 17:4) They are not lost! I haven't seen eyes light up the way I have this week. A tender mercy indeed. 

Zone meeting was swell. The spiritual aspect went a bit long and cut short our role play or practice time (which I have grown to love). The ability to council is very important for success in anything, marriage, business and improvement. I was straight up nervous at first but that left quickly, I’m close with like everyone in the zone which is nice and things ran pretty smooth. My part of the spiritual aspect was taken from "Give me this Mountain” by Spencer W. Kimball.  Great talk. Elder Whitlock’s was taken from: “Begin with the End in Mind” by Russell M. Nelson. Another great discussion talk. I thought teaching for 3 hours would be tough, but it was smooth like butter, I just pray the next one will be better now that I have feel for what I was supposed to be doing!! And that's the thing, 2 minutes of relief "whew I’m done, shoot.. what will we teach in a 4 weeks??" Kinda stressing, but stress makes us grow. 

Favorite scripture this week:( Helaman 3:27-30) we really pound in how the basics are so important! And they are, yet we still forget so quick, or we get into a thoughtless routine and it becomes a duty instead of a relationship, a blessing and something sought after. Yes, scripture study, heart felt prayer and involved church attendance will divide asunder all the evils that are thrown at us. And at this time of life we are going to have to step up our testimonies if we don't want to be shot down into that pit of misery and be lost in the carelessness of this world. I know that as we do these 3 simple things we will hold out faithful to the end.  I'm so excited for last mission General Conference, and something I have realized is Saturday is probably one of the more important sessions, that is where we get to Sustain our leaders. All are great, but the little things are really coming to mean so much to me. Hope you all have a blessed week, and take care!

Love, Elder Wilkerson   

September 22, 2014

This week I guess a theme was played out in all of our teaching and it came from Mosiah chapter 2, mainly verses 21,24, and 41 (my favorite). But as we are trying to rebuild our teaching pool we are working with several less active families which we believe all are that way due to offence. It’s so sad to see how the small and simple things become so big! It can go both ways for good and for bad! I think that for this reason it’s one of the biggest lessons I have learned on my mission. Come what may and love it (2 nephi 2:2) these problems and trials will be Consecrated for our favour. Without problems and challenges there is no way to grow. We Must choose Not to take offence. (James 3) if a man not offend in word, the same is a perfect man. We all know we are not perfect and on many occasions we do the offending on top of Choosing to be Offended. Even this week we have a recent convert who said they are leaving the church cuz they got some money stolen at church! Of course things Should Not happen!, buttt.. they can happen anywhere, and WHY walk away from the church, the truths you cherish, your foundation of happiness? Are the people in the church true? Or is the Book of Mormon, Jesus the Christ real, and God's love and perfect understanding and doctrine? I hope we can all stay rooted for when those storms come in our life, for they surely will (Helaman 5:12). I have really learned all these trials help us REMEMBER who we are and who God Knows we Can become! Sometimes he has to knock us flat so we are forced to look up at him, other times, I don't know.. maybe just to strengthen our faith in him as we yoke up and totally surrender to him. I pray we can all have the same faith as talked about in the scriptures, live with unwearyingness that we may be blessed Forever!! And the way we can help others I think is to gently P.U.S.H. them and love them. Push= Pray Until Something Happens. (Like Mosiah 27:15?) I am so thankful to be on a mission. Blessed in all things temporally and spiritually (Mosiah 2:41), let us Remember and be FaithFull.

Another cool thing I learned this week, which probably isn't news to you all, but that in 2 Nephi 31:13 where it says we will be able to speak with tongue of an angel, that in 2 Nephi 32:2-3 that that tongue is the spirit bringing things to you to say, and that pretty much every lesson we try to speak with tongue of the angels, so cool!

Well, this week is going well, we had to drop off a potential missionary last night in Ochi and have to pick him up today. Also had to earlier in the week pick up an Elder from Ochi and take him to Negril so really racking up the road time and haven't had much time in our area this week. P.S. We just got our mission gas card so hopefully we are done racking up the home cards, I’ll probably be broke when I get home, but every penny and lesson learned will be worth it. Even if I have to ride a bicycle back home for a few years ha!  But some cool things that did happen: Bro Powell being baptized( Elder G and Johnson candidate). I got to interview him, great service, and we should have 3 following in the following 3 weeks here in Mo Bay! Preparations for zone meeting this week, so stressed, gotta teach for 3 hours! Yikes! Mostly prepared though. And some awesome talking to everyone experiences.  Also found a former that had lost contact with the missionaries after 1 contact with them and for 4 years has been wanting to learn more. She accepted baptism in our first lesson and is just awesome! Thank you for PUSHing out for me through prayers and other ways I do love you all so much. Bless up!

Elder Wilkerson 

Sept. 15, 2014

Things have been slow in MoBay, a lot of the teaching pool took a big hit with our companionship split and school being back in… only got one solid investigator and I just met her! But Shana Lee is looking to get baptized on the 5th and is doing so great! 

We have been working hard this week to build our teaching pool. Less active work has been key and is probably one of my favorite things to do! We met Sister Willocks, less active 3 years now, has been to the temple then joined a yahweh church. Cha! But she will be easy to get back, such a sweet lady, and will bring many with her. We also have been Talking With Everyone. Try to get 10 contacts on the side of everyone else we plan to see and things are going great there, lots of fun to get out of the comfort zone(at least at first), from the initial contact everything is just down hill and pure testimony. Nothing too exciting to report on. We had two emergency transfers this week so we spent quite a bit of time out of our area and lots of driving, no tickets yet though and things are going good. I love you so much and thankful for the opportunity to serve and learn and grow. God bless you all!

Elder Wilkerson

Sept. 8, 2014

Well this week was killer, we made lots of less active visits with the Hardy's since they are the new Branch President, well I guess technically just him, but it was great to get to go around the area in a car- this place is just way to hilly for me! Elder Hall smokes me up those hills! Thankfully the visits were a success, we found several part member families to work with, lots of back to school blessings, and this week the church attendance was tripled! Whoa! It was great, if it keeps up we soon will be sitting people on the steps up the stairs! We had quite a few investigators come as well. Bobby is progressing great, he is growing in his understanding of the priesthood and it is his desire to obtain it! Love that man. I will send you a pic this week. Hopeton is  doing well also. We assigned him this past week with like a primary assignment to help build his relationship with his mom cuz she isn’t going to let him get baptized til she sees the changes! Thankfully, this Sunday we had a great chat with her, she is seeing the changes and wants to learn how to strengthen her family and learn more bout the church. But as far as his assignment went, was he had him do one nice thing per day leaving behind a paper heart! Worked like a charm! He is on date for the 20th and is excited to be a member. It’s sad to leave behind so many great investigators, but the cool thing is as zone leader, and Elder Hall as district leader, we will get to interview them for baptism! 

We had transfer calls this week, I will be back in Mo Bay tomorrow and Elder Hall is training, and many other great changes are happening in the zone, although 3 of our stellar missionaries are headed home. It’s weird to think that MY trainer goes home next transfer! But it will be great, also I get elder carter back in Mo Bay. he has 2 more transfers so that’s sweet!

One of the highlights this week was Missionary leadership coordination meeting. I once again forgot my notes... I’m bad at that. But one topic was chickungunya...(which i already got) don’t worry its going away now.. then obedience and there are problems in the mission, but Elder Cornish from the seventy said we are one of the more obedient missions in the Caribbean, so that’s good but room for improvement.  One of the important parts was training schedule being formed to outline all the meeting we will have in the next year. We made our mission scripture D&C 6:3 with the theme of reaping and sowing. also 1Nnephi  3:14-15 was brought up. Nephi’s brothers had faith to sow(v14) they tried, (v15) Nephi had faith to reap! We will not go back home til we find 4 progressing investigators, til god leads us to an elect person, or something to that effect. and we have to have that attitude if we want to baptize, not only baptize but prepare souls for the celestial kingdom! And some won’t believe.. but leave them behind, we got the plates to get, people to save, and must move forward like Nephi even sometimes by ourselves not knowing before hand what we will do. That is the focus right now and I’m excited. It was great serving with Elder Hall, I learned some great things, I think Elder Whitlock did to. I’m excited to be back in our companionship and tear some things up in Mo Bay! 

Hope you are all enjoying your next school year, and that you all will have a  good week! Seemed like traffic was lessened when school was in back home, but traffic is a mad house with kids in school. Oh well, bless up and have a great week! 

Elder Wilkerson

View from my house

My good friend, Bobby

Hopeton, Stephanie and Jevan family 

September 1, 2014

Well, this week has been a blessing! I have learned so much from trade offs, to examples of Christ especially as I gave a 25 min talk on the perfect love of Christ! We worked hard this week and got a whole leap done. Lots of biking and among the other things I have learned I have learned I’m way outta shape! But down here in the mish they have a famous saying of 6 months to sexy. So I guess it’s bout that time, and to get into rhythm! We met some new investigators one of which is Bobbie. He is a Rasta. Hopefully I’ll i get some good pics this week, I have been a slacker on that note! But Bobbie is awesome. First lesson bout restoration he had studied up on the Priesthood and was committed to church! Just a solid guy. Wednesday we did a trade off in Port Antonio. It was bout 3 hours of taxiing to get there. Not a fun drive if you don’t go the speed limit, and that’s what taxi drivers do best! It was cool to be in a house with 3 Jamaicans. Now I really know what chatting is! When it’s straight Jamaicans and they don’t have to slow down for us white guys, good luck understanding. Well, I don’t really want to bore you with the facts of who we saw or what we taught, it’s the same 5 lessons in preach my gospel. But one thing I did learn as Friday night I was called to speak in church. As I was studying up a bit I was to look for opportunities to have experience with that. Well sometimes we pray for things we don’t want, but it was a good experience none-the-less, I’ll tell you about it. We went up to see an investigator, it’s close to a bar and this drunk yute, probably bout 25, came up and was all rude saying things that I need not repeat, and don’t use your imagination too much. Anyways, it gets to the point where I am just trying to ignore him which doesn’t make him happy which at this time me and my comp just wanna knock him out! Well... he thought it first. This man hits me across my face. I was shocked and at the same instance the scripture I read earlier was "turn the other cheek" and "do unto others as you want to be treated" whoa. Christ of all power had to do that a lot. It was hard not to revile. I just took it to which I received another. But the crazy thing was after the second I just felt bad for this man, I wanted to help him. But anyways, someone escorts him out. 

Had lots of opportunities to see the commands of Christ in action and it truly is a hard law to live for many, especially down here. One found in 3 nephi 26:19 - contention is of the devil. But if we really remember him always, pray for those that accuse, persecute and lay fingers pon us,  new love will come in our hearts and like Mosiah 5:2 we will not desire after those ways anymore. If we truly have faith in Christ, we will keep all these many difficult commands even if it is hard cuz we Know it will Bless us! 

But I guess the other fantastic part of the week was church! We had like 10 investigators there and it was just a killer meeting! The Spirit was strong and we got a new Branch President. Elder Hardy from one of the senior couples, it will be a blessing for this branch. Elder Hall and I taught the second class bout prophets and a focus on sustaining leaders and even members, which was cool that we were inspired to do that cuz we didn’t know we were getting a new Branch President. So cool how the spirit works, he shore does a great job, glad I don’t have that role! Ha, but it was good to train the members on their role and help them see it’s them that make a good branch president. And last was like a getting to know the branch/ testimony meeting. It was great and all our investigators said they are coming back which is cool cuz sometimes you go to church just praying that nothing tooo strange will happen today.  Bet it was like that in the days after Christ died. A bunch of new converts running the church and trying to add in different ways they think it should be done. But things are going great all over the island. What a blessed place to serve. Love you all and your support, and your Christlike desires, let all continue to work on our goals and do the best we can to fulfill our masters plan. Have a blessed week!

Elder Wilkerson