Oh It's Alright...Thems Just Cousins....

President Durrant: Alright now we're going to have to turn the time over to the Return & Report on Every Zone's Monthly Baptismal Goals, Dates, and Actuals, and those of you who hit goals and got to go to the temple please report on your temple trip....

(Normal Dallas Zone Report): We have the BEST missionaries! They work so hard and are so awesome and after such a hard month we had 4 baptisms! We didn't hit our goal but our Zone's the Best!

President Durrant:....Alrighty Then....Gilmer Zone...

Elder Nuckols & I: So as for the report on our Temple trip for hitting goals, as we started going in and talking to everyone, they all just started asking where we were coming from and we just couldn't help but say....(and please sing along if you feel inclined to do so)

We Are From Gilmer!!!

(we are from Gilmer...)

The Mighty Mighty Gilmer!!!

(the mighty mighty Gilmer...)

Everywhere We Go!!!

(everywhere we go...)

People Wanna Know!!!

(people wanna know...)

Who We Are!!!

(who we are...)

So We Tell Them!!!

(so we tell them...)

WE ARE FROM GILMER!!!!

Oh dang it was so awesome haha! Some missionaries just started clapping along with it, whereas some others just started to hate us, but I'm sure they all would have loved it if we weren't the highest Baptizing Zone in the Mission. Then one of my favorite companions Elder Rodriguez presented us with the Highly Coveted Baptismal Frame which was previously held by his Zone out in Dallas.

The last thing I want y’all to think is that we're getting all prideful up here in Gilmer (which may be just a tad bit true...), but we just can't stop celebrating after entering September with high hopes and getting everyone to push together to work their behinds off and finally see the Lord working miracles among us.

"Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel. [Especially after we had] suffered all manner of afflictions,and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some.

Now behold, we can look forth and see the fruits of our labors; and are they few? I say unto you, Nay, they are many; yea, and we can witness of their sincerity, because of their love towards their brethren and also towards us...And now behold I say unto you, has there been so great love in all the land? Behold, I say unto you, Nay, there has not, even among the Texans and Okies.

Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name.

Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, who are a branch of the tree of Israel, and has been lost from its body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, wanderers in a strange land.

Now my [homies wherever y’all may be], we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen." Alma 26:16, 30-31, 33, 35-37 (With some small but necessary changes.)

We thank y’all for your prayers and thoughts for us and know that they worked, because seeing what happened here could not have possibly happened without the divine intervention of the Lord. It wasn't a huge push where one companionship got lucky and baptized tons of people, but EVERYONE put in their own small part and helped earn a huge accomplishment, so we thank y’all again.

Now for some small intermediate updates on some of my best friends that I hope y’all have come to Love just as much as I have…

Raigan was able to get her Patriarchal Blessing last week and right after that, go to the Temple to do Baptisms for the first time and meditate the miraculous blueprint of her life that she received from her Heavenly Father. As great as the blessings were, there are still plenty of trials in her home while her Mother yelled that the Book of Mormon is "Bullsh__" as she left for her Patriarchal Blessing. We're just praying that she'll get her acceptance letters to one of the BYU's soon and live around those that cherish the same blessings that she does.

Quaid is a baller who just received the Aaronic Priesthood...power to baptize baybay!!! Now we're just planning with him which of his friends he wants to start teaching so he can baptize them haha.

Tommy & Jamie Phillips from out in Greenville sent me a letter telling me about how excited they were to receive their Patriarchal Blessings as well and are looking forward to being sealed in the temple within the next few months.

Jacobo gave me a call the other day letting me know how life is going.  He received the Melchizedek Priesthood on the anniversary of his baptism and will be going through the temple with his wife this November.

I've also had to say bye this past week to Elder Rodriguez, my companero from all the way back in the Oak Cliff days when we just tore it up out in the Ghetto. It's so crazy how that's over a year ago and just feels like Yesterday. I'm sure gonna miss this kid, and especially how when I served with him, I felt like Amulek; learning, teaching, seeing trials and success wherever we went. He taught me so many things that changed my mission and I'll always be thankful to him for that.

So back to business...

I figured y’all must be wondering what my title has to do with the E-mail, and sadly, it doesn't have to do with my awesome cousins, but rather what I've learned from spending a good amount of time out here in a small East Texas town. The more time you spend here, the more you start to understand how each family is connected, literally speaking. It takes forever to get all the relationships and re-marriages and nephews and first, second, and third cousins figured out, so we're thinking of starting a huge family tree showing everyone's connections.

The worst part is that since everyone is related to everyone, you can't say anything bad about anyone or it'll work its way to them. All I've gotta say is that we've probably offended every family in Upshur county at least four times. And if you want to know what awkward is, go to any dinner appointment in Kelsey/Gilmer Texas and ask the couple you're eating with "How they got to know each other." Last night's appointment told us they were second cousins. A few nights before were first cousins. It sure does make you wonder if every activity out here is a Family Reunion or speed dating??? They'll always try to put a little humor into it and explain how they got their third arm removed and then go into the subject of how, in a small town, there really just aren't that many marriageable options to choose from. So they'll always just settle for the saying, "oh it's alright....thems just cousins..."

Les quiero muchisimo y espero que los que hablan espanol puedan mandarme packetes lleno con Puppussas y Tacos de Lengua porque no los tienen aqui y los extrano mucho!!!

Viviendo el sueno en Texas....

Elder Wilson

Shout outs!!!!

Thanks for the Pizza Mom!!! It was delish!!! And came just in time for planning!!!

Ashlyn!!! Thanks for the Instagram Page!!! I don't know what Instagram is but it sounds pretty legit! You're going to have to teach me how to use it if y’all can get me back in California!!!