Kazan Week 12 - "Life in the Trio is Good!"

November 2, 2015

All is well :)

First of all.... I cannot believe that it is already NOVEMBER. What on earth happened to October?! Time is flyyyying. Anyway. This week has been amazing. I feel like I've said this a thousand times, but it will never cease to amaze me the amount of events that can take place in just one week, or in just one day. I have had so many mission/life changing experiences this week and I feel like the Spirit is really taking over. 

On Tuesday my companion and I took an 8 hour bus right up to Samara. We stayed at one of the sister's apartments with 7 other sisters. At 1:00 a.m. there were 5 new sister missionaries straight out of the mission field who joined us. Later that night at 4:00 a.m. 3 of the sisters had to wake up to go on a visa trip..... soooo it wasn't the best night's sleep I've ever had :) 

The 5 new sisters had training all day, but that night I got to take two of them out for their first night hitting the streets in Russia. Honestly that probably one of the best memories that I have had on my entire mission. I served with Sisters Johnson and Warnick.  And I don't know what happened that night... I honestly think that Heavenly Father wanted them to have a good impression of Russia for their first day because everyone that we talked to was on their best behavior. They had new missionary written all over their faces and the biggest smiles for each person we talked to. Half of me is really sad that I'm not training one of them. I have never seen young missionaries with so much zeal and excitment for the work. It really rekindled a fire that has been dying in me. That night I spent a good amount of time on my knees thanking my Father in Heaven for such an amazing experience. It was just what this old missionary needed to get me going again. My heart was full of gratitude and I went to sleep with a big smile on my face :) 

That night we had 12 sisters in that small apartment and the next day after they all left it was just absolutely filthy... and we'd be staying 2 more days still. So we spent some time cleaning things up. Also sister Thomas joined us and the cleaning went way faster with three people :) The worst part was cleaning the sink.... which smelled like rotting fish. Gotta love it. 

the TRIO

We are now back in Kazan with the 3 of us and things couldn't be better :) we've been working so hard and it's been so fun. We loooove having Sister Thomas with us. She's on her third cycle and just came out of training, just like Sister Neilsen. She's from California and has a cute southern accent even though she claims that she doesn't. She's a little fresh spice to our companionship :) We've only been together about 5 days total, but so far it's been pretty refreshing! Everyone complains about being in a trio, but it seems pretty great so far! Working with new missionaries has done so much to strengthen my faith. I feel like our companionship is so strong. We all love each other and are always supporting bearing one another's burdens and with three of us I feel like it's really easy to work fearlessly.  

I've never seen so many miracles on my mission. I feel like a flood of them are coming and I honestly believe that part of it is because of the faith of these new missionaries. Something that I've really been trying to do lately is studying the Spirit in the Book of Mormon and the way that he works. I've been trying to pay close attention to his still small voice, because really I feel like that's something that will really come in handy when I get home and face problems that I forgot existed :) He'll tell me what to do. 

And actually.... last night we had plans to go visit a less active. I wasn't feeling right about it, so I called to make sure it would be okay if we came over. She said yes, so we got on the bus and we on our way, however about 20 minutes later we get a call from her and she cancelled our appointment. So that was a little bit of confirmation from the Spirit. We decided to go knocking instead and switch things up a bit. Going knocking in huge Russian apartment buildings is actually one of the sketchiest things I've ever done in my life. So many men answer the door in nothing but their underwear and a chain necklace with a cross nestled in their hair chests. Never ceases to be amusing. Well our genius companion sister Thomas chose the building and what do ya know... the last door we knock on, we meet our miracle :) A 55 year old man opens the door, he was so kind, but wanted to know nothing about our religion and hands us a book he wanted to give us... turns out he wrote it. Then we gave him a Book of Mormon and asked him if we could teach him a 10 minute lesson. After warming up to us and seeing that we're harmless he gladly let us into his house. This man is a genius, and a little odd :) He just had graphs and charts hanging all over the place full of theories he's thought of. We taught him the Restoration and he understood everything. He was a little hesitant to pray at the end but promised he would pray for lesson number 2 :) He believes in science, but he also believes that there are some things that science just can't explain. We'll be coming over this week on Thursday.

Heavenly Father is pouring out his spirit on this part of the vineyard. I have never had more lessons planned for this next week than I have had my entire mission. People are popping up all over the place, and we're meeting sooo many more people with a third companion, especially with us all transport contacting. People have been calling us themselves and we're working with part member families and it's just AMAZING. I'm so so grateful, what a perfect way to end my mission :) God is so good. 

The next few weeks are just going to fly. I know it. I have exchanges with the sisters in Toliatti next week, and then the week after there is zone conference, then the week after that the sisters from Penza are coming down to Kazan on a 15 hour train ride... and one of those sisters is sister Warnick, I'm so pumped to work with her again, we really hit it off well I'm not gonna lie. I'm so sad that I don't get to spend more time with some of these super cool people. All good things have to end! 

I love my mission. Always will. 

I know that Christ is my brother. 

And I know that God delivers us from our afflictions 

if we have faith in Christ :)

Loooove, 

Sister Wilson 

Kazan Week 10 - "It's Been a Rough One"

October 19, 2015

All is well,

This week went by so quickly it's bizarre. Sooooo so many ups and downs this week.

On Tuesday I get a call from an unknown number who says that there's a couple from Salt Lake City who would like a tour of our church building. Apparently they tried to come last week but they couldn't find the building. I was confused on why they wouldn't just call themselves and why they had someone else call for them.... and then I got to thinking that maybe it was Lexi and Parker who are on their way to Poland and Ukraine and they just decided to drop by. I thought to myself that there was not way that they would do that... but then my companion said it to me too and then that scared me hahahaha. But, thankfully... It wasn't :) as much as I would love to see them, I'd rather see them in 7 weeks when I'm supposed to. So we met S and K Schultz who are teaching law at a school in Kazan for 3 weeks. They also had their translators with them who follow them where ever they go and we were able to give them Books of Mormon :) 

On Wednesday we were on a bus for 9 hours to Samara... which actually went by surprisingly fast. There was a conference in Samara with President Kacher and Sister McConkie (the young woman's general president). That happened on Thursday at 1:00. But before then we had a mini zone conference. Right now our mission has had 49 baptisms this year, there are 33 companionships in the mission and president has set a new goal that he wants 40 more baptisms before the end of the year. So we pretty much had a pump up session on how we're going to reach that goal. And of course... it will be rewarded to us according to our faith :) 

Friday we took a bus home..... that was only 7 hours, but it was tiny tiny bus, a marshootka, so that was a little rough, but all in all the time went by really quickly. 

The work has been really slow this week. Honestly after that phonecall my steam went way down and it's taken some time to get over what happened. But I know that God knew that that would happen, I don't know if President Schwab has thought about that or not. Also we haven't been in our area, and I have had to stay off my feet due to some problems with my legs/hip/thigh. Pretty much I have never had any health problems until I turned 20, and all of a sudden I'm hit with a wave of elderliness. Also.... the wrinkles keep coming. I'm not even frowning or crying all the time :( My skin just keeps getting older.  

So we've been spending the last few days taking it easy on my legs, but we went out last night and I was feeling great :) and we started taking to this woman, L, who is a single mother who used to attend a protestant church but fell away because she was offended.... in the middle of our conversation invited us over to her house for tea with her daughters :) of course we said yes. We shared a lesson with them about the plan of salvation. We did so by making paper airplanes, and then explaining that in order for the paper to become an airplane you need a plan. And that God has a plan for each of us.Then we talked about Christ and asked everyone who the most important person on the plane is.... the pilot. Christ is our pilot, and he helps us to make sure that we have a smooth flight. We really felt the spirit and we had everyone's attention and closed when the Spirit was the strongest so that we'd leave that Spirit in their home. 

It is amazing to me that God trusts us to do this work. He could send angels, but instead he chooses 18 and 19 year old boys and girls to save his children, so that we could truly come to know the worth of a soul. Our soul is precious to us and to others, but our souls mean much much more to God than it means to you or to anyone else. 

That's why it means everything to God when we offer that soul to him. Giving ourselves to God allows us to become so much more than we could ever become on our own. 

The worth of a soul never goes down to God, because he sees us in terms of eternity. 

I'm grateful for my loving heavenly father and for the opportunity to serve him, even when things don't go right or when I'm misunderstood or when I feel hurt, I am just glad that God understands me perfectly. 

Love, 

Sister Wilson. 

1. 1. Jesus, Savior, pilot me
   Over life's tempestuous sea;
   Unknown waves before me roll,
   Hiding rock and treach'rous shoal.
   Chart and compass came from thee;
   Jesus, Savior, pilot me.
2. 2. As a mother stills her child,
   Thou canst hush the ocean wild;
   Boist'rous waves obey thy will
   When thou say'st to them, "Be still!"
   Wondrous Sov'reign of the sea,
   Jesus, Savior, pilot me.
3. 3. When at last I near the shore,
   And the fearful breakers roar
   'Twixt me and the peaceful rest,
   Then, while leaning on thy breast,
   May I hear thee say to me,
   "Fear not; I will pilot thee."
4. Text: Edward Hopper, 1818-1888
   Music: John Edgar Gould, 1822-1875

Kazan Week 6 - "Investigators!"

September 21, 2015

All is well :) 

Well first I'll answer the question, how is my health? Sooo a miracle happened. I am completely healed. Zero trace of ulcer. Monday night I was feeling like a champion and asked if we could go out and work. We got the go :) And I've had no pain since Monday. Normally is takes about 2 weeks for the pain to go away, and about 4-6 weeks for it to heal completely. I feel like I never even had an ulcer now. It's gone :) So hallelujah and thanks for all your prayers! 

However... it was super hard getting back into the work this week. It's like running a marathon and then stopping for a while and then starting again. But Heavenly Father helped cheer me on and I'm running at full speed again :) 

About a month ago my companion and I were going through the area book and making some calls. Poor Sister Neilsen is terrified of using the phone (her mean trainer has her on the phone a lot) but she called a girl named S and thanks to Sister Neilsen's courageous phone call we got a lesson with her! She is 27 and is the neice of a new convert (who is now less active sadly) but her teaching record said that she's not really too interested in talking about God. On the lesson we focused on the gospel blesses families, she seemed a little stiff during the lesson, but she felt the spirit and promised to come to church. Ever since that lesson S has been coming to church every Sunday for 3 weeks! 

This week we had a meeting set up at 2:00 to take a walk with her around the Kremlin. Sister Neilsen and I prayed and did role plays to know how to bring up religion with her more naturally during this walk. Well... as we were walking amongst many churches I non-chalantly asked her, "did you go to church when you were little?" And the rest is history. The Spirit took over and she opened right up to us. She told us how her father is an alcoholic and how she can't stand him when he's drunk and that although she didn't grow up in a believing family, she wants her future family to be religious. She said that she knows that religion makes families happy because it teaches us how to properly love one another. She doesn't drink coffee or smoke or even drink tea. She is already living the word of wisdom because she has a testimony of it! Also she mentioned how amazing her life has been since she's been coming to church. She's making more money, and her clients are much nicer. While she was talking I was just in shock. I was totally not expecting this. Then she told us that she needs our help, because she wants to be baptized, but she needs to know the doctrine of our church better, and asked if she could meet with us twice a week (haaaaallelujah by my guest!) She said that previously she hasn't been interested to meet with the missionaries, but she feels ready now. I was sooo ecstatic. Probably way more than she was. Because she's young and beautiful and so normal and cool! And God loves her :) 

 After our walk she offered to drive us home. She also thinks that she got a good parking spot thanks to us ;) She has such a nice car.... and I was in paradise driving home. She may or may not have put in a John Mayer CD while we drove. The weather was beautiful and so we rolled down the windows and I almost cried it felt so good. I miss taking drives so badly. But man, what a good day, we love her so much! S is awesome :)

That night was a member's birthday/talent show and soooo many of his friends came and so many member's friends came. We were just rolling in potential investigators. It was so fun getting to know all these people and helping them to see that we are completely normal :) It's really nice leaving good impressions with people.

For the talent show I played a piano piece and it was just a nightmare hahahahaha AHHH. I was so nervous and I was sooo not expecting that many people?! I've played it before at baptisms and it wasn't a problem, but this time was awful. Also I forgot to pray before I played.... so I think that's why it went so bad. Everyone was really nice though and thanked me for the attempt :) There was soooo much food there.... awful. Pretty sure I gained 20 pounds in one night. But heeey there'll be more of me to love when I'm home :):):) I promised myself that I would be one of those sisters that wouldn't gain weight on their missions... ha.. ha.. haaaa... yeah right. It's all good. I've got a few months to trim down. 

We have other investigators that we've continued to meet with, Li, Z, and a Russian grandmother named R. The members in our branch are amazing. I love them so much. There's an elderly woman named G who is always willing to help on lessons and is so motherly. There are Y and Lo, who are my FAVORITE, man I wish I could just hang out with them sometimes. Y is always willing to help us on lessons and L has this completely dry sense of humor and a deep voice that makes everything she says so much funnier. 

All is well in Kazan :) Heavenly Father was really generous to us this week. Today at 3:00 we are heading down to Toliatti for a zone training! Yaaaay! We get to stay with Sister Twede and her companion. We are literally out of money because we've been spending it all on medicine and transportation... we have 10,000 rubles worth of refunds to send up to the office, yikes. 

This week in my letter to president I expressed a lack of hope that I've been having. I feel like I have a lot of doubt and fear for the future. This is what he wrote me in reply, "Thank you Sister Wilson. You said something really important. You said : "I feel that I have hope for the future, but not much faith." Things like the future (what will happen) are what we should have hope for. What we should have faith in is NOT the future, but in Jesus Christ. In other words, have hope that everything will work out well in the future, and have faith in Christ that HE will make it so. Leave the logistics and the specifics and the "hows" in His hands. Trust me that all will work out well! The Lord takes care of His returned missionaries, and He will take care of you! just worry about the work for now, and look forward to Him helping you down the road!" It's really what I needed to hear. My faith needs to be in Christ that he is making a beautiful future for Sister Wilson and that I need not be afraid :) He's in control. 

Sorry this was eons long. Loooove,

сестра вилсон. 

Bezi - Week 8 - "Do You Want Freedom?"

July 6, 2015

All is well,

This week has had suuuper nice weather, it's been quite the blessing walking around in cooler weather rather than sweating to death every day :) 

We have still be struggling to find investigators on our own, but God is hearing our prayers and this week a member called us and informed us that she had set up a meeting for us to meet one of her friends. The meeting went a little late and the member missed her bus home, so she ended up staying at the friend's house, but that ended up being a miracle, because the friend ended up coming to church with the member the next day :) I am not sure she would have made it to church without that happening. 

On a mission I feel like I go through ruts where I have an incredible boost of power and so much hope and faith, and there are other moments where you feel a little hopeless. This week... every morning I felt so groggy and had such a sour mood! My companion is an angel and has sooo much patience with me (if there's a difficult companion in this companionship its definitely me). However, what is interesting to me is that no matter how our day starts, if we choose to keep our covenants and to lift those around us, and to lighten the burdens of others... then we will always go to sleep with a smile on our face. And that's honestly what happened probably every day this week. Our burdens are lightened when we lighten the burdens of others.  Everytime when I have such sour moods, and I get on my knees and beg for more hope, as long as I get up and work to see those prayers fulfilled, God will always deliver. 

One morning when I was having one of the awful moods we had the opportunity to go a baptism. I feel like I was turned into a completely different person by the time the baptismal service was over. I remembered my own covenants and that God has promised to deliver us if we will keep his commandments and take Christ's name upon ourselves. I know that Christ has made deliverance possible for us. We can try to deliver ourselves, but our attempts will never be successful, we will only make the hole around us deeper. Don't try to be free without his help. In the scriptures it says that "ye can be made free by no other head." Do you want freedom? Do you want hope? Take Christ's name upon you. There is no one more free than Christ is. There is no one who is more joyful that Christ is. 

Without Christ the whole course of our life is changed. We are broken, and our smoothe places become rough. our great and noble deeds sink, we fall, and with that fall we not only damage ourselves, but all around us. Our purpose and identity is deformed without Jesus Christ. I am so so grateful for my covenants, which, if I keep, bind me to Christ. Who doesn't want to be bound to the Savior?

I know that in any situation, if I will just look to the Savior all will be well. Remember your baptismal covenants and take upon yourself Christ's name. Do what he would do.

I love my mission, I loooove love love my Russian companion so much, I cannot say
enough good things about her. I am good and happy :) 

Love, 

Sister Wilson 

Saratov - Week 12 - "Living as Christ Lived"

April 6, 2015

All is well,

Sorry this letter is going to be a short one. 

My companion got sick this week so being inside, the work has slowed down just a tad here in Solnechney. Which I have never had a sick companion before. But I did all I could to keep myself busy and wow did the time fly! Everything is stamped with our church's address and I did some Russian studies and made lots of tea and lots of calls :) She is feeling much better today though and we're all rested and recuperated so we should be ready to just go full speed this week! 

I am honestly just striving more to follow the spirit. Realizing that if I am getting a good prompting, that I need to follow through with it because its from God. We can ask ourselves, "at the end of the day, will following this prompting make me a better person?" if it produces any sort of spiritual growth and test of faith I am trying to follow through with it. 

We are praying for miracles every single day. Can't leave that out of prayers! This week we really met with some wonderful people. We saw people's hearts changed by the spirit and many of our plans fell through which required us to use our faith and to seek out the Lord's plan for us that day :) it's so interesting that for every day that we live on this earth... every hour we have is meant for something. If we are alive, it means that we have a purpose and that God wants us to go about living as Christ would. It's so amazing to look at the Savior's life. Never a better hero :) never a wasted day and not one regret! For that reason we really can look to the Savior and know what we need to be doing at all times. If you are sad, look to the Savior! If you're bored, look to the Savior. What would he do? All of us who have been baptized have taken upon ourselves the name of Christ, which means that we will try to live as he would. In that regards... I would say that if we have taken upon ourselves by covenant, the name of Christ then we better know him! How can you take upon yourself the name of a company without knowing anything about the product? It's the same with the Savior but even more serious because we've promised God to do so! We have made a covenant. So who is the Savior? For that reason we have God's written word. The scriptures :) read the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon to come to know him, and then ACT. The Book of Mormon is good for nothing unless its teaching get inside of us. Knowledge will not save us if we are not doing anything to live in accordance to that knowledge. So I challenge anyone who reads this to come closer to the Savior. Become saturated in his teachings and then let that knowledge make your life beautiful by seeing the fruit of living a Christlike life. I know that doing so will give you more purpose in your life and you won't feel so much that you are simply going through the motions. Let your life has purpose :) 

We will hear conference next weekend (and we will be listening to it in English of course). But I am so looking forward to that! I was once promised in a blessing that if I ever need any sort of motivation, that if I will look to the words of the prophets then I will be filled. And honestly I know that that is true. I love conference and have a strong testimony of the importance of watching it. You never know what sort of things God wants you to know :) 

Much love, 

Sister Brooklyn Wilson 

Click below for a beautiful video testifying of the life and divinity of our Savior

"BECAUSE of HIM"