December 31

Happy New Year, everyone! I can't believe it's almost 2013! I loved talking with each of you on Tuesday and am so grateful for your continued support and love. Thanks for letting me get my emotions out; I'll be tear-free on Mother's Day. :) I hope you each had a wonderful Christmas. I can't wait to hear how your day went.

 

 

Christmas Eve was our p-day. Sister Lewis and I treated ourselves to Red Robin for lunch-delicious! We spent some time cleaning and making cookies to deliver. We got pawned off on the Kesler family for dinner; it was fun. We stayed long enough to eat then went to spread Christmas joy to members of the Liberty 1st ward.

 

 

On Christmas morning we gathered as missionaries (visitor center sisters, senior missionaries, and President and Sister Keyes) at the Independence Visitor Center for breakfast prepared by the Senior Sisters. It was really great! Lots of food and love! I think one of my favorite things about being a missionary is that I always have friends around me. After stuffing ourselves silly we sang some songs then had the opportunity of having President Keyes read to us a book he had written. It was a great experience; one that really allowed the Spirit to be present through the remainder of the day. We spent a lot of time before going our separate ways taking pictures. One thing I really thought about as we headed back to Liberty was how privileged I was to have had the opportunity to spend Christmas morning with my mission president and his wife. There are 200+ missionaries in the Missouri Independence Mission and there were only 50 present on Christmas morning. It was a really great and lasting experience; probably the best way to spend Christmas as a missionary. Sister Lewis and I spent a couple hours studying before braving the cold to take treats to less active members and recent converts. It was great to be able to serve to remember Christ on Christmas. We had dinner with the King family (I love that family!) before heading to the Liberty Jail to be on shift. (Did you know that most people don't get take-out or have meat trays for Christmas meals? It's all about Thanksgiving dinner-again!) After talking with you I stayed busy while Sister Lewis talked with her family. We had one tour the whole evening but I can't think of a place I would have rather been on that Christmas night.
 

All in all, it's been a good holiday season. It hasn't really felt like the holidays so I think that has helped me to not get too focused on missing family. The only thing that told me this time of year was different was my crazy range of emotions-they're all over the place. I don't generally cry at the drop of a hat but that's what I have been doing!

 

 

Work in the area is going great! I got a random text from a Sister who has been off limits to the missionaries (don't know why..) asking for a meeting with President Keyes. After consulting with Bishop I let her know that she could contact him about that. The next text was--"He is who I need to contact for a baptism interview, right?" WHAT?! This sister, Heather, has been coming to church for a year and a half. She's taken the lessons about 3 different times. Since she contacted us we were given the go-ahead to talk with her. We've been meeting with her to review what she knows but have set a baptismal date for January 19--CRAZY! It's a blessing and miracle to be able to work with and know Heather.

 

 

Ernestine (who prefers going by Sister Ernestine) is in the hospital. She got sick shortly after her confirmation. Her husband, Carl, called today to let us know that she had a kidney infection and her blood sugars were over 300. Yeah, she's one sick Sister. We've spread the word around and are hoping to get her visitors for support shortly. Sister Lewis and I hope to visit her tonight.

 

 

One of my new favorite families in Liberty (I think they all are my favorite...) is the Pennepacker's. They are so great! Bro. Pennepacker is a less active member of the ward and Sis. Pennepacker is a non-member. We have been trying to get into their home for about 3 months. S. Pennepacker recently had some health issues that have restricted her driving ability for a few months. One of our ward members was driving by as she was taken to the hospital and actually got her husband involved in giving Sister Pennepacker a blessing. Since then they have really opened up. They actually invited us over to their home for dinner this week! While there, we had the opportunity to teach them the first lesson. Ah! Such a great family! They have a super cute year old baby boy, Paxton. Just a wonderful family! We have another appointment set up with them; it'll be great!

 

 

Well, I think that's about all for the week. Remember, I keep you in my prayers and love you tons!

Love, Sister Wilson

December 22

Hello, everyone! It has been a ridiculously crazy week! Sister Coplan left just after 8:00am on Monday morning to partake in the festivities at the mission home before flying out on Tuesday. I spent Monday morning at the Jail with Sister Ogletree and Altier then that afternoon we spent time in Sister Ogletree's area. Tuesday the 3 of us were out and about in my ward and had a great day. Wednesday Sister Ogletree and I had a 12 hour shift at the Jail.... Ahhh!!!! Long day! It was fun, though. We had a lot of study time. We planned to pick up our new companions in Independence BUT we had a heavy wind/snow storm Wednesday night and were put on house arrest until further notice Thursday morning--Second 12 hour shift at the Jail! more craziness!!! Our parking lot is on a slope... it was pure ice. We only got about 2 inches but with the wind and cold there was ice everywhere. It wasn't safe for us to get out of the parking lot. It was not until Friday morning that I was able to meet my new companion--Sister Lewis. She's really great. She is from Highland, UT and is one of the sweetest, nicest people I know. I've heard nothing but good about her and am really excited to be serving with her. She has been in Lawrence, Kansas for about 6 months. I don't have pictures yet but plan to get some. So with all this craziness our ward is super neglected and needs some attention but we needed a p-day today; we're running out of clothes! The dynamics at our house should change with 2 new sisters but I'm really excited to see what happens. I'm grateful to be here learning and growing and am grateful for all your support. I've appreciated all your letters and packages and emails. I am super blessed to have you all as a family. I'm excited to see who I can on Tuesday but know that you are all in my thoughts and prayers. I love you all and hope you have a fantastic Christmas!!!
 
Love, Sister Wilson

P.S. My new p-day is on Monday so I'll email again then!

December 12

Hello, everyone! It has been an amazing week! Lots of spiritual experiences to share! Saturday evening we went around visiting some less active members of the ward. We had a great excuse of inviting them to the ward Christmas party. We visited the Mawby family but didn't have any expectations of getting in the house-they haven't really been open before. Sister Mawby opened the door; we've never met her. We spent a great 45 minutes with her! She is a fantastic lady! She was very open about why they are inactive and the fact that they need to get back to church. She told us she'd come to the party and bring us rolls that she makes-yum! Well, we were getting ready to leave and I knew I HAD to share a lesson--it's part of my training. I was taking the lead in all teaching situations this week. I gave her a Christmas message in Isaiah 9:6 and let her know my favorite part of Christmas is serving others because we learn to love them and, thus, draw closer to our Heavenly Father. Oh, goodness! I opened a flood gate! It was such a great experience. The spirit was so strong. Sister Mawby requested a prayer before we left and promised she'd see us at the Christmas party. Yeah!

ERNESTINE GOT BAPTIZED ON SUNDAY!!! It was so amazing! Not only did we have a full house (in the R.S. room) but the program went off without a flaw. Some of Ernestine's family, who are non-members) came and were extremely touched by the Spirit. I had the privilege of watching from the sidelines as Ernestine was baptized and be the one to hold the towel. She came out of the water so happy and joyful and teary. She knew that her son was there with her (he had died exactly one year ago) and could feel his presence. She joined me in the changing room and just sobbed with joy. (It's really hard to comfort a soaking wet woman!) She was the cleanest, purest person that I knew and I was able to be there with her. I have a testimony of the gospel but to see the transformation and change so evident in someone was a special experience for me. When Ernestine came out of the water I felt the Savior's love and comfort for ME. I saw the atonement at work and had a visual of what it actually does. I was honored to be a part of Ernestine's day. She had asked me to the talk on the Holy Ghost and I think I did well. I related an experience I had last week with her. I had been sick and not feeling well at all one evening. A few days later, when I was feeling better, we met with Ernestine again. She said she knew I had not be feeling well because there was no sparkle in my eyes (Mom, don't you say I'm sick because of my eyes?) That statement really stuck with me through the lesson and the coming week. I watched and observed Ernestine every time I had met with her. I let her know during my talk that I had seen her countenance change. That I could see Christ's image in her countenance (Alma 5:14) and that the Holy Ghost was the one who had testified to her of the truth and would continue to do so. I don't really know what else I said but felt good about it after. Sister Coplan later told me she had heard a bunch of Holy Ghost talks but that mine was the best she had ever heard-it was interesting and engaging the entire time. Elder Stevenson told me he was tearing up through out my talk and later made the statement that they should have video taped it to show at the MTC, to mission presidents, and to my parents to show them how far I had come. What in the world did I say?!

 

I love you all and am grateful and blessed to have each of you as family. I know I'm in the right place at the right time doing the right thing. It's not easy but it's the best thing I could do. I'll keep you in my prayers. LOVE YOU!

Sister Wilson

December 5

Hello, everyone! I loved getting your emails this week! I am so grateful to all of you for keeping me updated and letting me know how life is going. Life in Missouri is fantastic! We are getting everything in order for Ernestine's baptism on Sunday. We (Sister Coplan, Ernestine, and I) are all so excited! We took Ernesting to a baptism in Raytown (Independence) this past weekend to give her an idea of what her baptism would be like. She absolutely loved it! We also went to the Independence visitor center and took her through the 'God's Plan for His Family' presentation. It was a great night filled with the spirit. I have the honor of giving the Holy Ghost talk at her baptism on Sunday. I'll make sure to take lots of pictures to share the event with you. It's going to be a great day!

We haven't had a whole lot new or different going on around the Liberty 1st Ward. We are just trying to find people to teach the gospel. We had an awesome lesson with Kimberly on Saturday night. We hadn't talked to her for about a week and a half; Sister Coplan and I were nervous that she was avoided us. So, as missionaries we're really good at not giving up, we drove to her house. And had a great one hour talk with her! She's still interested in learning about the church but has had an extremely busy week. She and her husband own a business and they'd had some car problems they were trying to take care of. She was really open with us and is a great person. She's got a lot to overcome but she is a great person trying to do her best with her family.

Did you love the 1st Presidency Christmas Devotional?! I was really grateful we got to watch it! I love President Uchtdorf's talk about receiving. That's one thing I'm learning now as a missionary is to graciously accept gifts. The people/members here are so willing to help the missionaries. The ward support is fantastic. Hmm... I really don't have a lot else to tell. I don't have any set Christmas plans yet. I get a new companion on December 20 so we're waiting to see what the schedule is going to be like before making those. It's getting colder here just today. It's been in the 60's so far this week. I love being a visitor center Sister and meeting all sorts of new and interesting people. I am working on getting outside my comfort zone to grow but it'll be a life-long process I think. Remember, I love you all and keep you in my prayers.

Love,

Sister Wilson

November 28

Oh, my goodness! Is Thanksgiving already over?! The time out here on a mission is really a phenomenon. (Hope I spelled that right.) It's crazy how fast everything goes; it feels like I've been here forever but I really haven't. Only 2 months! Crazy stuff! Well, I hope you all had an enjoyable 2nd Thanksgiving Day. Sister Coplan and I had a good day. We studied and did our planning for the week and had great plans to take cookies to some of our recent converts and less active families in the ward. Well, that's really hard to do when you don't have a car. So, we planned and studied some more before going to dinner. The Mundy's are a great family and treated us like royalty. :D They had a TON of food; we didn't make a dent in it. We did stuff ourselves silly, though. After dinner we had the opportunity to serve at the Jail... No one came in! I don't think that really surprised me too much, though. It was really hard to stay awake and focused for our 4 hour shift but somehow we managed. I would have taken pictures of the senior couple (sleeping) but didn't have my camera with me. It was a great Thanksgiving but it really didn't feel like a holiday to me; I wasn't surrounded by family.

Friday morning we again served at the Jail and it was CRAZY BUSY! There were over 100 people in our 6 hour shift. I don't think I saw Sister Coplan all morning. We had tours one after the other. It was good to stay busy but hard to grab a bite to eat and take a breather. I can only imagine what the summer months are like. Friday night was great. We had an appointment with Carl and Ernestine. Carl had worked all day so fell asleep as we watched the "Finding Faith in Christ" DVD. Ernestine is SO excited for her baptism! It's really great to see her child-like joy. Saturday we took Ernestine and her granddaughter, Vivian, to Independence for the Christmas lighting ceremony at the visitor center. They both absolutely loved it. They were super cute looking at everything. Ernestine said she could spend a whole day there. We want to go back down on Saturday. We have a baptism we are taking Ernestine to so she can see what will happen at her baptism. We have to talk with the member that is taking us, though, to see if they are all right with that.

Sunday was so much fun. We went to sacrament meeting then served at the Jail. For dinner we ate with the Nickel's family who are the daughter and son-in-law of the Kesler family who are ward missionaries. It was great! They have a 2 year old son who was super excited to play with me; it was great to get down on the floor to 'cook' in his kitchen. After dinner with them we went to the Kesler home to help them decorate their Christmas tree. I really appreciate the Kesler's kindness in thinking of us and letting us be a part of a tradition that we wouldn't get to otherwise. No worries, we still did missionary work. We tracted some and visited the Chrisp's-a less active couple in the ward.

This week has gone by crazy fast-it's Wednesday already! There isn't too much different going on this week; just lots of missionary work and preaching the gospel. Being a missionary is great. I love meeting new people and learning about them. It's been quite the experience and eye opener for me, too, to see how much people are actually changing when they join the church. I'm realizing how much I've been... Sheltered? (for lack of a better word) from life outside of Utah. I'm grateful for the experiences I've had thus far to help me understand more about the conversion process.

Two bits of good news for you. It snowed the other day! Nothing stuck to the ground and it only lasted about half an hour but still, it snowed! AND I got clearance to drive this morning! Hooray! I had to pass off all my lessons and get approval from President Keyes. It's kind of weird to me because I haven't been behind the wheel of a car for 3 months but I'm excited to be able to learn the area better before Sister Coplan goes home. I think Sister Coplan is a bit nervous about me driving, though.

Well, that's about all from here in Liberty. Remember I love you and will keep you in my prayers. Happy Wednesday!

Love,

Sister Wilson

(I understand the importance of this name now.)

November 21

Happy Turkey Day!! It is amazing to me how fast time keeps moving. I'm really struggling to remember what day we're on; every day here is the same! It's been good, though. Last week we had an appointment with Chris but ended up dropping him. His girlfriend wasn't too thrilled to see us when we showed up and let us know (in no uncertain terms) that they would be staying with the Baptist church. That's all right, we'll kill them with kindness. We left with an invite to the lighting ceremony at the Independence Visitor Center and went on our way. We'll keep working on it. We visited a less active member of our ward, John, and really had a good visit. John was just received the Aaronic priesthood and is now the assistant Priest Quorum advisor. He was really excited to tell us about the stake auxiliory meeting he got to go to but wasn't really sure why. We visited the Rocha family. They've got 4 adorable kids that are crazy rambuctious when Angel and LJ are there (Angel and LJ are kids of our investigator, Kimberly). We were trying to talk to Brandi but the kids were running around crazy. I couldn't stand it anymore so I let Sis. Coplan talk with Brandi while I played quiet(er) games and sang with the kids--whatever works, right? We had a great lesson with Kimberly and finished the Plan of Salvation. She basically believes everything that we're teaching her but wants time to pray about everything--YES! We don't want anyone to just believe what we say but take it to the source and ask God; it's great to see her progressing.

I'm really excited about Ernestine. (Remember, December 9 baptismal date?) Friday afternoon she made us REAL Indian Tacos with frye bread. (Have you ever googled fry bread, scone, and biscuit images?) FABULOUS! It was great to be with her and Carl and eat and share some gospel message. I have been nervous about Ernestine; I wasn't really sure how much she really understood about the gospel and where her testimony was. Monday night we taught her the "Big 4" commandments-chastity, tithing, Word of Wisdom, and Sabbath day. It was so great! Ernestine is super ready for baptism and is ready to do whatever she needs to do to meet her December 9 baptismal date. It's so great to see her progress.

We had Zone Conference basically all day yesterday. It was very spiritually uplifting and draining at the same time. I think the greatest thing I learned or was reminded of was the importance of my calling as a missionary. There's a lot of work for me to do and get better at. One of our speakers was President Ames (from the Liberty Stake but also in my ward) and I really liked how he told us to enjoy our missions and let it soak into our very souls and allow ourselves to be changed. We shouldn't just be 2 years older when we go home but should be a better person and individual.

That's about all our investigator news. Life is great here in Missouri. It's a balmy 60 degrees today-loving it! There's been only one day I've had to put a coat on. Sister Coplan and I are going to spend most of our Thanksgiving day planning for the upcoming week and visiting some of the less active members who need a visit. We are going to the Mundy home for our 2nd turkey dinner. (Monday night we ate with the Laudie family. Sis. Laudie just couldn't wait for Thanksgiving so she's cooking it twice this week.) On Sunday we had 3 or 4 families from the ward stop us after church to make sure we had somewhere to go. Liberty 1st Ward is so great-very conscientious of us missionaries and super willing to fatten us up. One of our senior couples (the Simper's) also made sure we had plans. They were going to cancel their plans at the mission home and cook for us if we didn't have any where to go. Remember, I love and miss you all but know I am where I am suppose to be. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Love you!

Cris

November 14

So, Sister Coplan and I were talking about our upcoming plans for the next couple weeks and... HOLY CRAP! November is basically half over! Where has the time gone? The days are really flying by. And, because each day is basically the same, I get confused what day it is. Since last week I have officially survived my first transfer--HOORAY! Sad, though, that Sister Lisonbee left us; she went home. It's really different with just Sister Coplan and I but it's great, too, because I have to force myself outside my comfort zone to talk more. We were really glad to have more space in our room, too. We got rid of my bed (sad day) and brought in a desk. Now, I'm sleeping on the bottom bunk bed-yuck! I told Sister Harding all the time at the MTC that I couldn't wait to get to Missouri so I didn't have to sleep on a bunk bed anymore; joke's on me! Sister Coplan and I are doing great, though.

As you might have guessed, my new p-day is on Wednesday. It was stretch from last Tuesday until today. Update on the week... Last Tuesday one of our investigators forgot we had an appointment (NOT OKAY!) so we 'stalked' by an investigators house who has been avoiding us. He was home! We talked with him, Chris, for a little bit and set up an appointment for today. He told us he's being going back to his Baptist church but he's still reading the Book of Mormon. Tonight our goal is to find out if he's really interested in learning more about the church.

Wednesday we met with Peter and his children, Mary and Amos. This family is a referral from a ward member. They are a really great family. Peter is from Kenya and the kids were born in Canada. Etta (Peter's wife) wasn't home. They took a copy of the Book of Mormon and said they would read it and let us know that maybe Etta would be there next time we met. We've got high hopes for them. Mary and Amos know a lot of the kids in our ward so we'll have quite a few people that will be able to help fellowship them.

We have had many appointments set up with Kimberly but she keeps cancelling on us. BUT she did come to church on Sunday and brought her whole family. We have another appointment on Friday so we'll see how that goes. We've done a lot of door knocking but that doesn't seem (to me) to be real effective. The best way is to have members refer people they know and to bring the missionaries in when there is more solid base. That's our ward mission leaders goal but it'll take a few years to actually get there.

Yesterday we met with Ernestine and taught the Plan of Salvation---she loved it! She's really interested in temple work and being baptized for her relatives that have passed on. She's super excited for her baptism and can't wait for it. Her husband, Carl, is still meeting with us but isn't ready to commit to baptism yet. Keep them all in your prayers!

It looks like you had a great "Fakesgiving!" Is anyone having a real one, too? I will get the opportunity to eat with the Mundy family. Sister Coplan and I are super excited about it. Liberty Jail will be closed for about 4 hours so we'll have a chance to actually eat with the family. (Normally if we're on shift and someone signs up to bring dinner they just drop it off and we eat when we can.) The Mundy's are great and their house is clean and doesn't smell like animals. I'll take pictures for you. :D

Well, that's about it for my week.... Not a whole lot new or exciting. I'm working on recognizing miracles everyday by finding a positive in every crappy situation. It's getting colder but the work is good and I really do love Missouri. Liberty 1st Ward is great; they spoil their missionaries and make sure we don't go without. Life is fantastic, I'm happy, and I love what I'm doing. I love you all and will keep you in my prayers.

Love,

Cris

November 6

Six weeks! Can you believe I've been in Missouri for 6 weeks? Sometimes the days are like 3 twenty-four hour periods but, looking back, the weeks are just flying by. We've had a relatively good week.... Well, okay, we didn't have a lot of success last week as far as our goals went BUT we did set a baptismal date with one of our investigators. We were really excited; we had talked about baptism with Ernestine before but it didn't work out. This time Ernestine set the date because it is special to her-December 9. It is the 1 year anniversary of her sons death. Ernestine is a Kiowa Indian who has been in mourning for the last year. She knows the Book of Mormon is true and always talks about the Church as "her church." I let her know how sorry I was that she had to go through the death of her son but that being baptized and beginning a new life in Christ on the 1 year anniversary would be a great way to celebrate his life. She agreed with that and is excited about it; she knows she still has a lot to learn but is telling her family about the date and is inviting them all to come. Even better--her husband is reading the Book of Mormon and is interested in finding an answer for himself, as well. We can definitely feel a difference in Spirit when we go into their home now.

We met with Kimberly again on Saturday. She's been sick the last couple of weeks so we haven't had the opportunity to meet with her. Everything that we are teaching her is the same thing that she believes--imagine that! She's had prior commitments with her family and hasn't able to come to church but we are hoping to see her this week; keep us in your prayers!

That was the extent of our meaningful lessons this week; kind of slow. We met 3 really great potential investigators last night but will have to check up on them later to see what happens. Yesterday was a slow day at the Jail. In a 6 hour shift we had 2 tours come in--an hour before we left. We did a lot of studying and getting to know the senior couple. I took some pics of the Jail to share with you-I haven't done that yet.

I really have great companions. Their personalities fit mine well and they aren't into drama-thank goodness. Sadley enough, Sister Lisonbee leaves us Thursday morning to return to Utah. Sister Coplan and I are really sad to see her go and will miss her positive example and willingness to work so hard. But we are also excited to have more space-it's been pretty crowded but I have learned you can do anything for 6 weeks. :D

That's about all that's going on around here. It's getting colder and the days are getting shorter. I love being a missionary and learning all about the gospel. Thank you all for your continued support and prayers. I love you all a ton; keep sending pictures!

Cristin

October 30 - Pics

Too many gray hairs!

 

Sister Coplan gearing up for Halloween...

Liberty Jail Sister's... Sister Conrow, Jones, Ogletree, Mendez, Me, Lisonbee, Coplan, and Altier

Award for our pumpkin

Our Pumpkin!

October 30

Holy cow! Where did the month go?! Honestly, it seems like I got here just yesterday but so much has happened. Talk about a humbling experience and learning so much about myself. It hasn't been a crazy busy week-it's the off season here at Liberty Jail so we've had some slow days. Last Tuesday after I emailed we went to lunch with Elder and Sister Stevenson; a senior couple from Alpine, UT. Sister Lisonbee is leaving next week so they took us out as a farewell to her. That afternoon we went to the Tyler's (an older couple in the ward) for dinner.... I was super leery about the yellow chicken-seriously, it was bright yellow. Turned out to be curry and wasn't too bad. We did service for the Tyler's on Wednesday afternoon. Honest to goodness yard work. I picked all the tomatoes, pulled out the tomato plant, pulled out 4 o'clock bushes, and transplanted a Lily. Mom, you would have been proud of me. I had some nasty green nails to prove how hard I had worked. Before I could get a picture, though, we had to high-tail it to Chick-fil-a to our dinner appointment with the Creswell's. Man, this ward spoils us! We had a great conversation with Mercedes after dinner. Mercedes is a 17 year old girl who is a non-member living with the Emmett family who are members. She's been really stand offish with us before but really opened up to us this night. To help out the Emmett's we decided to clean up their kitchen--MESSY! We had a great assembly line going. All of a sudden, I hear Sister Coplan laughing. I looked up to see blood gushing (literally) from her hand! There was a broken glass in the dish water. It was a pretty bad cut but it's healing well now. I won't send pics of it, though. Thursday night we had a pumpkin carving activity that the Simper's (another senior couple) provided for us. It was really fun; and you know how much I LOVE anything that has to do with Halloween. Friday morning we had district meeting and interviews with President Keyes (I passed!) Friday afternoon was a bit disappointing. We had 3 solid appointments fall through! Ah! Two of our investigators were sick and the other is avoiding us. Satan is really frustrating me bad this week. So, we've knocked a lot of doors this week and didn't really have a successful investigator lesson week--better luck next week, huh? Saturday was super interesting-we had exchanges. I went with Sister Ogletree (in the MTC with me) and Conrow. I will just say how grateful I am to Sister Lisonbee and Coplan. They have really taught me lots of good stuff and are making me work; I wasn't okay with it at first but see how much I needed that to be effective. I learned a new appreciation for how our attitude plays into our missionary work. I was really grateful to be back with my comps at the end of the day. Sunday after our shift at the Jail we visited a few less active families. For dinner we went to a Sister's house who I have done service for before, who has seen me with my comps at Walmart, and who sits by us sometimes at church. So we walk into the house and she says "Oh, I didn't know SHE was coming. Guess I'll get another plate." Umm, yeah, felt real welcome. Before heading home for the night we visited with Nonnie, her kids, and their dad, Avel. I love this family. They always welcome us into their home and are so kind and considerate. Avel was just recently baptized and we are working on getting him to the temple. We think it would be great for him to go with his kids. Yesterday was also a lot of door knocking with little success and an extremely slow night at the Jail. I got caught up on my journal writing, though, and am working on memorizing my lessons. I have to memorize all 5 lessons before I can drive. I'm hoping to pass off number 4 on Friday.

Well, that was just one long run on paragraph but... I've got an interesting spiritual insight for you. In the Bible Dictionary under "earnest" we read... "As used by Paul it means that the Lord gives us his Holy Spirit in this life as a foretaste of the joy of eternal life. The Spirit is also the Lord's surety that he will fulfill his promise to give eternal life to the faithful." How wonderfully awesome is that?! Not only do we have a small slice of heaven here on earth but it's God showing us in good faith that if we keep our end of the covenant that He will follow through on His! I love the bible dictionary!

So, that's about it for my week. I get to be on shift at the Jail tomorrow night-best way to spend Halloween! Send my love to everyone who asks about me. I love you all and hope everyone is still healthy and strong. As always, you're in my prayers. Love you all a ton!

Hugs and kisses!

Cris

October 23

Hello, everyone! I can't believe how fast each week goes! Is time flying by as fast for you as it is for me?

We had a great week last week--we taught 21 lessons. Well, we wish they would have all been with investigators but they were not, just random lessons we taught. We were so excited for Sunday, we had 12 people that were suppose to come to church! We got one... Dang! I've told you about Kimberly, right? She was going to come but she had an awful night with one of her kids, she promised to be there next Sunday. When we met with her last Friday she was so excited to tell us about the revelation she had received that she was going in the right direction and that she should continue to look into the "Mormon" church. It was great! We have a Halloween activity on Saturday we're going to invite her and her family to.

Chris was suppose to come to church, too, but he wasn't feeling well and he forgot about our appointment yesterday-ah! We rescheduled for Friday and are going to have a member of the ward (Cody) go with us again. He came out with us last night, too. We knocked a bunch of doors. There is an elderly lady (Betty Robinson) in our ward. She had a hip infection recently and was hospitalized for a couple days. We went over yesterday to see how she was doing and ended up doing an hours worth of service. We were late for our dinner appointment but it was great. Last week at the Jail I met Mrs. Horgesheimer's son. It was kind of crazy; there aren't too many of them around. She is still alive and living in Bountiful. Life wasn't all that different this week; just a bunch of missionary work.

 

I am so grateful to get and read all of your emails. I am so happy to hear how well everyone (most everyone) is doing. I really do love being a missionary and am loving Missouri-it is beautiful country. One day I WILL get you all back here to see everything. Not only are there a bunch of church sites/historical markers but there is just a lot of history I won't get to see as a missionary. It's a wonderful place and I want to share it with you someday. Keep me posted on life-send pictures-and I will keep you in my prayers. LOVE YOU ALL!

Cristin

(Make sure the little ones see this picture! Remember-I'm holding you responsible if they don't know me!)

October 16

Hello, everyone! I was so grateful to hear from each of you. The weeks are flying by here! I cannot believe how fast time seems to go. It's really weird to think that I've been here for about 3 weeks. Time just flies by when you're having fun. Here's how the week has gone....

Tuesday: After p-day we had a dinner appointment with the Kesler family; soup day! It was really good but slightly awkward because they weren't a very talkative family. We went to the hospital to visit Elder Tubbs; a senior elder in charge of the cars. He had fallen and broken his hip. Since the hospital was in our area we paid him a visit. The doctor came in while we were there. We did ask his wife if we needed to leave but she said we would be all right. We learned a WHOLE LOT more than we ever needed to know about Elder Tubbs. I'm glad we went, though, because our visit was greatly appreciated.

Wednesday: We spent the morning at Liberty Jail. I LOVE serving there. The history comes alive for me and I love talking to so many different people. I actually met Debbi Ames 3rd cousin Pam Randall recently and had a co-worker from Knowlton come in. How small the world is. We did a lot of door knocking and talked to some nice people but no one really interested in learning more. That night we had an appointment with Chris; a man who had yelled at us from across the street when we were visiting someone else. I was really nervous about the appointment. Chris had been slightly (alot) intoxicated when he had first yelled at us and was enjoying a refreshing drink (not root beer) when we had first talked to him. We had invited along with us Cody Kesler (from the quiet family). The meeting went great! Cody actually talks and Chris was very receptive. He even controlled his need for a cigerette until we had left.

Thursday: Every Thursday we have a training meeting at the jail... I play the piano--what were they thinking?! Then we had zone training at a stake center next to the temple. Gorgeous temple; someday I'll go inside. After a hurried lunch we did service for the PMS sisters (that's what they call themselves!) Three sisters living together who's lasts names start with those letters. We helped with a little unpacking then fed their horses apples. Fun day.... Okay, so I was too chicken to feed them but I did pet their noses. We went on shift at 3:00 and were there until 9.

Friday: Fabulous day! After 2 hours of study and 3 hours of weekly planning we had an appointment with Kimberly. Sis Coplan and Sis Lisonbee had tracted into Kimberly earlier; she had already read a portion of the Book of Mormon and was interested in learning more. It was a hectic appointment with kids running in and out but Kimberly was so engaged. We taught her the first lesson (Restoration of the gospel) and were talking about prophets. "Why wouldn't we have prophets now," she said, "that only makes sense!" Well, yeah, it does! She seems like a 'golden' investigator but the true test is whether people keep the commitments we give them or not. As of right now we have a standing appointment every Friday--YES! After that appointment we did service for Sister King; a member of our ward that recently had surgery and should not have been raking her lawn. So, we did it instead. our last part of the day was filled with a dinner appointment. We had hamburgers and fruit salad. The Kabel's are a part member family where mom and daughter have just recently been baptized. After dinner they were so excited to paint ceramics with us-so we did. Pictures coming!

Saturday: We spent the morning studying and then checked up on people we had visited previously. Total inspiration that Amber Thompson (a ward member) was out with us! We stopped by Darla's house to see if she had read the info we gave her but found her trying to make bows for homecoming. She invited us in and asked if we could help. Sis Coplan and I were totally hopeless but Amber had worked at a florist shop-hooray! We met up with Chris again later and invited him to stake conference. He agreed to come.... GLADYS KNIGHT DEVOTIONAL! I know she came to Stadium of Fire and I was not impressed BUT the traveling devotional she and her choir go around giving is the best. Totally inspirational, inspiring, and bold. LOVE IT!

Sunday: Chris came to stake conference! And he brought his friend, Melanie, and her daughter! We were so excited! Stake conference was great though I really couldn't hear a lot because Sis Coplan and I were back with all the kids (bad idea) while Sis Lisonbee sat with Chris. Fabulous meeting, though. Chris really enjoyed it; we have another meeting with him tonight. The day went fast and we spent some time at Liberty Jail.

Monday: Evening shift at the jail with lots of door knocking in the morning. Nothing too exciting.

 

Well, I love you all and hope you are all safe and sound. Keep smiling and keep me updated!

Sis Wilson

October 9

Hello, everyone! I was SO excited to get all your emails. Sounds like, for the most part, everyone is healthy and strong. You are all in my prayers! So, did you just LOVE conference or what?! It was absolutely fantastic. The Saturday morning session we watched at the Jail with our senior couple, the Stevenson's. D&C 121:33 gives me a great visual image of all these 18 and 19 year old missionaries rowing down the Missouri river to spread the gospel. Though everyone at the Jail was shocked by the change in age we are all pleased and excited about it; me included. I can only see the benefits and blessings that will come to those that decide to serve at an earlier age. As always, though, I think Elder Holland was my favorite followed closely by President Eyring.

Let me see, since I last emailed... We've done a lot of tracting and visited a lot of less active members. We've run into 2, possibly 3, people that may be really golden investigators. We've only met with them once and have appointments with each of them later in the week; I'll keep you updated on their progress. Can I tell you how awesome the members are here? I think I'm in the best ward-Liberty 1st. Since I've gotten here we haven't had to cook ourselves dinner once. Ward members have fed us for the past week and a half and our calendar is filled up basically through October. It's great...and interesting. My new favorite fast food place is Taco Bell; I had pork chops one night; peppers/onions/mushrooms with steak last night; and a whole world of different foods that I am being polite and eating. Hooray for new experiences! We've also tracted into some pretty dirty, smelly, cluttered houses. Thank you, Mom, for your standard of cleanliness-I see the benefit of it now.

Friday I got to go on a field trip with about 20 other sisters and senior couples. We went to Far West, Adam-Ohndi-Ahman, and Marydale Inn. The Spirit and peace I felt there was absolutely amazing! I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to learn and grow about our history while I was there. I've got lots of pictures and will hopefully send some today. Marydale Inn is a bed and breakfast owned by an LDS family. They fed us a lunch of sticky buns, Amish casserole, homemade bread, and strawberry soup. AMAZING! If you're ever in the area I encourage you to stop by. Their home is beautiful and they are wonderful generous people.

Friday night was a wonderful night for new investigators. We took one of our members, Emily, out with us. It was a fun time. Saturday evening, the Thompson's took us to IHOP for dinner. It was really fun. (Sometimes I worry about what members are going to feed us and how polite I will have to be. It was nice to order whatever.) Their daughter, Amber, is leaving for a mission at the end of the month. She's going to Brazil; we're going to try and get her out to do some missionary work with us.

Kind of funny story for you... We visited a less active member Saturday night and had a nice visit. I led the way out when we were done and walked straight into their glass screen door!!! It was pretty funny-gave the little kids a great laugh. I didn't hurt myself I really just kicked the door. I had a great laugh about it. I thought of Mark running into the sliding glass door when we were in California that one time--anyone else remember that?

Well, onward and upward! I love you all and am so grateful for everything you have done and are doing for me. I have the absolutely best family ever!

LOVE YOU!

Sis. Wilson

October 2 - Pics

Liberty Jail

 House with liberty Jail in background

Saying goodbye to Sister Harding (MTC Companion)

 

My new Companions

My Travel Group

October 2 - In the Mission Feild!

So, my last few days at the MTC were rather hectic. We didn't get a lot of time to pack so we had to stay up late then wake up early to get roomies off to the airport. I think I'm still catching up on sleep.

Anyway, my plane left right on time last Wednesday--weird! We made it to the Kansas City airport without any complications. I've never seen so many people use an airplane bathroom, though. I should've taken some data on that. The first people we met were President and Sister Keyes-I LOVE them already. They are great loving, wonderful people. I am so happy to be a part of their mission--ZION!
Our group of 25 (biggest group yet) got to visit the Kansas City temple grounds, take a tour of Liberty Jail, and Independence Visitor Center before heading to the mission home. We had a welcome orientation and Sis. Keyes (as well as the rest of the staff) made us homemade lasagna for dinner--REAL FOOD! It was amazing. Pres. Keyes interviewed us before we retired to our beds. Guess where I'm serving? I'm at Liberty Jail with the Liberty 1st ward as my area. I'm told it's the coveted assignment in the mission field and it's where I get to start! I'm in a trio with Sister Lisonbee and Sister Coplan. There are 8 sisters living in our house--I'm sending pics.

I'm really enjoying myself. I was super nervous about knowing/remembering everything but I'm doing good. By the end of my first shift at the jail I had given a half tour. By my second day I was doing the whole tour with my companions shadowing me. Yesterday I gave tours by myself. It's so wonderful to be part of this amazing work! I've also had some experiences with tracting... Not my favorite thing yet but I'm working on it. We've met some nice and not-so-nice people. Last night we had dinner with a family; they are absolutely wonderful and gave us a lot of information about who we should or should not contact. I'm still learning the routine and people but I'm doing well. There is so much to learn/memorize that I'm trying to just remember it all right now. My p-days will be on Tuesday this transfer so I hope to hear from you all before then. Remember I love and wish I could email you all individually!

Sister Wilson

Sept. 21

I'm giving you 2 minutes to read Matthew 28:19-20. Ready, go!!! (Insert Jeopardy theme song here.) Guess what?! THAT'S ME! I am helping to fulfill that prophecy!!! When I got my mission call to a visitor center (VC) I assumed I would be giving tours and spouting all sorts of historical facts and calling it good. NOT SO! We went to Temple Square on Wednesday and took a tour. It was a "feel good" tour. My job as a VC sister is to inspire others to change from the message I give them. What other missionaries do in an hour time period I have about 5 minutes to accomplish--AHH! But it's great! I am so excited. Not only am I going to be inspiring others to change but I also get to be an online missionary. When people go to mormon.org there is a chat button where they can speak with a missionary--me! We hold chat ''lessons," email, skype and stay in contact with our investigators for the entire length of their conversion and after. No other missionaries gets to do that. My teacher, Sister Clark, was telling us this week that in September alone there have been 152 baptisms due to online referrals--and the month isn't over yet. Sister Clark has been working with an investigator from Italy who is coming to SLC to watch General Conference and be baptized. AWESOME! You know those nations that don't have an official mission yet? There are still members of the Church over there due to the online mission. I am so excited to be a part of that. I'm bound and determined NOT to be a 'feel good' missionary but one that inspires everyone I come into contact with to change.

Well, our Elders left on Wednesday. Tuesday was an extremely emotional day for everyone. I love those Elders so much and am grateful for the opportunity I have to work with them. I threatened each of them if I didn't hear from them in 6 months. I can't wait for you to meet everyone I've come to know and love here! I've never before understood charity and Christlike love... I think I'm getting it now. So, since our Elders left we (the 4 leftover VC Sisters) got a new district. A district of all girls. They are all great people who I am super excited to get to know and love. Sister Arakaki and Moeller are going to the L.A. VC, Sister Wygant to Kirtland, and the rest of us to Missouri. Two of our "Missourians" are Spanish sisters.

I love Sunday's at the MTC! Last week for Relief Society we had the privilege of hearing from Sheri Dew. It was so great! She talked about the privilege we have of being women in the Church and all the responsibility that comes from that. For our fireside we got to hear from W. Tracy Watson (he's over proselyting). He talked about the Book of Mormon and how it's his best friend and how I need to strive to make it my best friend--Fabulous! For our Sunday night movie we watched Elder Bednar's 'Character of Christ' devotional that he gave on Christmas Day at the MTC. It was such a wonderful experience. I don't know that I've ever been more inspired to change and do better. I've begun reading the B.ofM. more diligently and am gaining so much. I'm also looking for Christ's attributes in myself--not always an easy thing to do.

Well, that's about the excitement from me. I fly out Wednesday morning at 10:45--wave to me! ;) I really, truly appreciate all your emails and wish I could respond individually to each one. Needless to say, I am grateful for your love and love each of you so much! You're in my prayers. LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!


Sis. Wilson

September 15 - Pictures

 Our Branch President

 Elders from the district that just left.

My Elders!

 

 Smelling the Cream Soda Tree - seriously smells delicious!

 

September 15

I GOT MY TRAVEL PLANS THIS WEEK!! There is a group of 25 of us going to Missouri on Wednesday, September 26.  Ours is the biggest travel group I have heard of this far. I've learned a lot here at the MTC but I am ready to be out and about putting into practice those things they have taught me. Most of all, I'm ready for REAL food and a more private bathroom. I don't like community bathrooms.

Every day here is like 3 24 hour periods but the weeks just fly. Our Elders leave on Wednesday morning and we are super sad to see them go. We've really learned a lot from each other and have come to love them like the brothers they are. All five of them will be serving in the Tulsa, Oklahoma mission. We've already got a district reunion planned in a couple years. I wish you could meet them all. Good news is, though, that us Sisters will get to begin our visitor center training. We've met 3 other sisters that will also be serving in Independence, Missouri. I'm excited to get to know them better. One of them is another Sister Wilson. Crazy, huh? Make sure any mail you send has my first name on it or she might get it. :D As part of our training we will get to go to Temple Square a few times. I'm not sure exactly what we'll be doing but I'm excited to see the outside world. :D

This weeks devotion Elder Bruce A. Carlson (of the Seventy) and his wife spoke to us. It was on September 11 so Sister Carlson talked a bit about that and told us to never forget that day. She also talked about the mothers of the Army of Helaman and told us not to disappoint our mothers (and everyone else that prays for us) by coming home. Her words definitely brought the Spirit to the meeting. Elder Carlson talked about obedience--that's a big thing with missionaries. My favorite part was when he told us that God knows how obedient we are or aren't going to be. He knows us so well already that we don't need to prove our obedience to Him. Our obedience transforms us. How awesome is that!

One our investigators this week was a less active member--Brother Johnson and his wife. They taught us so much more than we could ever teach them. He read a few scriptures with us in Alma 13 then said a beautiful prayer for us. Not only as missionaries but he also blessed our families. It's amazing to me how and who the Spirit works through. Sister Harding and I both needed to hear different things in his prayer. We had a small crying fest in the bathroom after we left. Anyway, after that meeting I decided to study Alma 13 in depth. Here's what I found in Alma 13:3.... (I'm gonna make you read it for yourself) Before the world was created God KNEW ME! He knows me now and knows the amount of faithfulness I would or wouldn't show. He had a plan and a purpose for me before He had somewhere to put me. He knew what I needed to do and how I needed to do it. Isn't that great!

Well, that's about it here. We get to go to the temple this afternoon. My next p-day is on Friday. I love you all! Hugs and kisses coming your way!

Cris

September 7

Hello, everyone! I absolutely loved getting and reading your emails. I cannot respond to everyone individually (I feel bad about that) but I can give you and update on me.

I feel like I am finally treading (?sp) water. Those first 4 days were ENDLESS!!! However, once Sunday hit the week just flew by and, oh my goodness, it's Friday already! It's really nice not to be the new kid on the block any more. I'm a veteran at this now. I am learning to love my experience here at the MTC. I came into it with no knowledge of what to do or what would be expected of me... And they never really explained that. At first, I thought that they had basically just thrown me to the wolves but now I understand that they are immersing me in the gospel learning from day 1. I think if they hadn't done that it would've been much harder. It's good now, though. Six hours of class a day plus personal and companion study plus investigator lessons plus planning sessions plus food make for a very long day. But I'm learning a lot about myself and the things I need to do to become a better servant of Christ. I still absolutely LOVE my district. The Elders and Sisters I am serving with are fabulous. We are already making plans to have a district reunion in a couple years.

My favorite part about the last week was fast Sunday. We had mission conference which is basically stake conference at the MTC. It is so awesome to see all the missionaries (mostly Elders) in one place. My favorite part is listen to them sing. The faith these 19 year old boys have is amazing. During conference President Brown (MTC President) spoke to us. He basically commanded us NOT to fail. He said "think about all the people you will disappoint if you go home now." WOW! I don't know what missionary hasn't had those thoughts. I appreciated Pres. Brown's words and felt as though he were speaking directly to me. I WILL NOT fail you guys! I have been promised that you guys will receive blessings because of my service. How selfish would I be to take those away from you. We had a fast and testimony meeting with our Branch in the afternoon. Our branch president is a shorty guy (seriously, shorter than Sarah--I will get a pic) but he is so awesome. Our whole branch presidency is awesome.

One of the major things I am learning here at the MTC is charity-the pure love of Christ. I never met any of the people I am serving with before I got here BUT I love them unconditionally. Every Elder and Sister I see is my brother or sister and I try to teach them as such.

Well, that's about all for now. My p-day next week is on Saturday. Keep writing even though I may not get back to you individually. Know that I love getting your emails and look forward to hearing from you all. I love you each and keep you in my prayers!

Sis. Wilson

P.S. I'm leaving for Missouri on September 26
P.S.S. Pictures.... aren't working.... maybe next week?

First P-day - Pics

Me and my companion - Sister Harding 

 Our other Sisters in our District

 My District!

First P-Day!

Hello, all! I made it to my first p-day! We've had a heck of a time finding a computer that works this morning--really frustrating. So far everything is going great. My companion is Sister --- from Lehi. She's really fun; we get along great. She is also going to the Missouri Independence Visitor Center Mission so we will spend the 4 weeks together and fly out at the same time. We've met 3 other sisters going with us but they aren't in our district. Sister --- and Sister --- are in our district as well as our roommates. We've got 5 Elders also in our district. The 9 of us have a lot of fun. It's really weird being here. It feels like I've been here FOREVER but each day seems to go on forever. It's really weird to explain. Each day is so structured and there is so much we've got to get done that it's a little overwhelming trying to do everything. We spend the majority of the day in the classroom or in personal or companionship study-my brain is fried. There's so much time to just read, ponder, and pray. Not at all what I'm use to. I really don't know what else to tell you. 

I'll do my best to keep you updated on what's going on here...

 

Love you all!

Cristin

P.S.

Looks like I made a mistake on my address so.... Here are the right ones.

MTC
Sister Cristin Wilson
MTC Mailbox #79
MO-INDE 0926
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

FIELD
Sister Cristin Wilson
Missouri Independence Mission
517 W Walnut St
Independence, MO 64050-3632
United States 


What can I say other than it was a bit stressful?

It's here....

I don't think I realized the magnitude of what I am doing until today.  I'm leaving tomorrow and while I am more than ready I'm having a difficult time this morning.  I know I am suppose to serve a mission but that knowledge doesn't make it any easier to leave my family for the great unknown.  I want you all to know that I KNOW this church is true.  I'm grateful to Joseph Smith for having the courage to pray as he did.  I'm grateful for modern day prophets and apostles.  I love the Book of Mormon and the knowledge we can get from it.  I most especially grateful to my family.  I couldn't have handled the last few months without their love and support.  I am going to miss them terribly but am firm in the knowledge that they will be all right.  Thank you all for your friendship, love, and support.  It will be a short 18 months until I see you again. 

Down to the wire...

Ahh! Time is definitely flying by!  I'm pretty much ready to go (other than packing) and mentally ready to begin this journey.  Mom tells me I was ready a few weeks ago... Guess I've been a bit irritable.  ;)  I'm grateful for the time I've had to prepare myself physically, mentally, and spiritually to serve-it's been a real learning experience for me.  I've learned so much about myself since I first got my call.  Most important of which is that I can do anything with the Lord's help.  I've had some major ups and downs emotionally the last few months but KNOW that I can do this.  It's going to be a great 18 months and I'll be back (harassing you all) before you know it.  Onward and upward....

Yep, I'm going.... I started a blog... Here's a post...

It wasn't easy for me to decide to serve a mission.  In fact, it's probably one of the hardest things I have ever done.  I know without a doubt that I suppose to be going on a mission and I'm thrilled to be able to serve in Missouri.  I have always loved history and it'll be good for me to be immerged in this portion of history for 18 months.  I am so grateful to each of you for your support in this new endeavor!  Ths most common reaction I got when I announced my call was "Wait... WHAT?!"  It was great!  I'm glad we're all still friends and can continue to be throughout the years.

While I would love to hear from each of you while I am gone, be aware that most likely I won't write you back.  I am on the Lord's errand and won't have time to answer the influx of snail mail I am sure to get.  Also, be aware that I am not providing my email address based on the fact that I will be using that solely for family and within the mission field.  Sorry, guys, there is only so much time on p-day and I'm sure I shouldn't be spending it on the internet.

Again, know that I am grateful for your friendship!  I wouldn't be the person I am today without most of your influences.  You have each touched me some way, somehow and helped me to become the marvelous, fabulous, wonderful individual I am.  (I'll be working on humility, I'm sure.)  I am especially grateful to my sis-in-law, Ashley, who will be keeping this updated for me.  Give her a nudge if you haven't heard from me in a while.   ;) 

Love you all!!