E-mailllling.....

Well, sorry to disappoint y'all but I'm staying out here in Gilmer for another transfer. I've definitely got mixed feelings about the deal and hope y'all aren't disappointed with the East Texas stories because y'all have been sending me transfer messages for the past 3 weeks. I feel good about another transfer out here and sorry Dad but the baptisms ended up falling through for this past Saturday, so we've still got lots to do out here and lots of baptismal dates hanging over November. We also found lots of new hispanics that haven't been worked with before and actually live in Upshur county so that's exciting.

As far as transfers go, Elder Nuckols is leaving and I'm getting a new companion whose name is Elder Trias and I'm stoked to see what he's like because the past two areas he's had have been Oak Cliff and Casa Linda...so he's just been following me for the while that he's been out haha. I'm gonna miss Elder Nuckols and everyone at church was just talking about what a great team we made so I'll miss that. One of the deacons that had tailed us just about every second at the Yamboree -watching us contact and getting us to include him (the kids about 4 feet tall haha but he's a boss), well he came up to us after sacrament and just started bawling.

Everyone in Gilmer is convinced that I'm staying here till the end of my mission. But when I said I'm feeling one more transfer, I for real am just feeling one and then I want to go back to the city. As beautiful as everything is out here, I can't give up the fact that I'm just used to city life having been so close to millions of people for 19 years. The smallest town I lived in was Provo until now so it's definitely a hard adjustment to make.

It's so crazy to think that I only have 3 transfers left in the mission and one more area, and President gives us some freedom with our last few months so I've thought about where I'd want to go. Our mission is super super young and it feels weird having only 5 Spanish missionaries older than me given all the ones that are leaving after this transfer. So I've been thinking that unless President really wants me to stay in leadership, I'd like to go back to the Cliff.

I'm not going to lie when I say that I never thought I'd make it this far. I was just somehow convinced that the world would end or I would die before I even made it to the year 2013, but the fact that we're just wrapping this year up isn't even real to me. I still remember in the MTC when I had the Laker calendar set up for March of 2012....the first week was full of X's as I finished the first week in the MTC. I remember just un-pinning the calendar and flipping through it, finding the pictures for October, November, and December...and then just staring at those months thinking that they'd never come. You'll hear it all the time Rachel, but the time you have to serve with ALL your heart might mind strength and soul is extremely short, so make the best of every minute.

This past week was full of some awesome stuff that I'll go into detail on some other time, but we've seen miracles for sure as we gave what I thought was the best presentation of the first lesson (one I've taught about 8000+ times) to Raigan's anti-mormon Baptist family. Lots of preparation+lots of prayer+lots of help from the Lord=Miracles. And that lesson was nothing short of a miracle. We also had another lesson with a lady's son who is completely inactive. Her feeling the spirit and inviting us over+us teaching with the spirit (power and authority Alma 17:3)= a real testimony for Dylan, but in a way that I've never seen before and has never come so quickly.

And I also wanted to give y'all a Congrats on the invites to all the Church activities! You're doing me proud haha, but Rachel....I've spent way too much time out here on my mission with people complaining about how they don't have any friends or any friends outside the church they could invite. Time and time again we've had to make them look at their phone's contacts or facebook and see all the people they do know. So don't make me chew you out haha. You don't even have to invite them....all you have to do is ask if they'd be willing to hear a little bit about your beliefs and then just give their info to the missionaries and they'll take care of the rest. Besides, you have tons of different contacts at your new job, so you better not send me another E-mail that says ".....Mom had everybody invite someone to all the random church stuff going on this week but since I don't have any friends, I couldn't really jump on that train...."

We actually have a baptism coming up on the 9th of November because there's a girl in our ward that's leaving on a mission in a couple weeks, so we told her she needs some practice before she goes, and now since she's invited just one of her friends to listen, that one is getting baptized. What a magnificent note to leave off on! Wouldn't that be awesome?! So you've got this one Rachie! But enough of the chewing out haha I'm way stoked to hear about the interview and when you get your call! Since you're already 19, when's your release date? President Durrant's son just got his mission call and he's leaving on the 18 of February...so if you leave on that date I'll be super disappointed that I've missed you by just a couple weeks or something like that. Well I miss y'all lots, but I'm not ready to head back or hear how many days I have left. It's depressing. Love yall!

Elder Wilson

p.s. Thanks for all the weekly updates! Sounds like y'all are keeping yourselves busy and I'm stoked to hear that BYU finally crushed Boisie. By the way...did y'all see a number 44 playing linebacker for Boise??? I heard that Elder Lee is red-shirting for this year.