This is a letter from Collin's District Leader

Dear Brother and Sister Wilson,

My name is Elder Smith and I serve along side your son in the Slough ward and also serve as his District Leader. I wanted to email you and thank you for raising your son the way you did and for making the necessary sacrifices needed to send him on his mission. I have spent a great amount of time with your son and do each week. We have a great friendship and I look up to your son. I have grown to love him deeply and I learn from him each week. I have seen him change, indeed I have seen his life change. Through tears and heartfelt admonition, I have felt and heard the love he has for his parents and his siblings. His love for you is inspiring. His heart is being softened and touched and he is becoming a great man. I couldn't ask for a better example to the other missionaries in our district. He has taken them all under his wing. He uplifts them, encourages them, has fun with them, and sets the example for them. You should be proud! I talk to the Mission President often and make sure to tell him that your son is becoming an incredible missionary and will be a great leader in this mission. Elder Wilson is happy, and loving the work, and blessing so many people, including myself. In fact, as I am writing this I am getting emotional. He has his head on straight, knows why he is here and what he is supposed to be doing and I know I can rely on him and turn to him for anything. He is becoming a spiritual giant and is changing into an incredible person! You will be proud! 

Regards,

Elder Smith

Just a Little Note from Dad

I am adding a post from the email Collin sent me.  I used a friends tactics to get him to to actually answer the questions I keep asking.  I told him until these are answered we will not send him Elk Jerky!

>1)     Have you found out if you get to Skype on Christmas or just call?

           A) I will be skyping home on Christmas as I have told you before I thought. 

> 2)     How long did it take you to do the long walk?

           A) The long walk took 45 minutes one way and we stayed by the statue for about half hour.

> 3)     Have you picked up a British accent yet?

            A) I don't have a British accent yet, but I certain words a little different sometimes and I also use British words like rubbish, cheers, and mate a lot.  Also hell and damn aren't swear words here and sometimes I find myself saying them and its really weird haha. 

> 4)     How many investigators do you have?

            A) Are investigator pool as gone to nothing basically, but we have a lot of good new investigators that are promising.  I don't we will see what happens.

> 5)     When do you think you will get a new companion?

            A) .  I will be getting a new companion in two weeks and depending on if I train or not I will be in Slough till Christmas or at my six month mark.  Sounds like I will be training though so I will be Slough till February.

> 6)     What is the best thing you ate?

            A) My favorite food is when a member named Robin feeds us and he throws in all this different meet and been along with good yogurt with fruit on the side.  It is usually pretty spicy as well and so good!  He told me that he has never seen an Elder eat so much food before.  haha oh well I am hungry all the time:)  Oh and I like spicy food now so that is cool:)  It really does put hairs on your chest cause I have chest hair as well haha. 

> 7)     What is the worse thing you ate?

           A) :)  I haven't had anything gross yet, but Fu Fu was the most interesting things I have ate, but was good. 

> 8)     Have you gained anymore weight?

           A)  I have not gained any more weight, but have a nice gut. 

> 9)     Are you still cleaning the apartment?

            A) Did not answer

> 10)  What do you cook for food when you are at your flatt?

           A) Elder Anderson makes amazing food while we are at the flatt and its anything for pasta to some kind of fancy cake.  Its the reason I'm fat:) 

Well he answered 9 out of 10 questions so I guess that is passing so will send the jerky to him!

October 28th

 Well I don't have much time to write this email since I saved it for last again.... Got to be better at writing this first.  Well this week was super great and super long.  Had my first zone conference and it was super amazing! Learned so much and gained so much more perspective on how to be a better missionary.  Our investigator pool has gone to zero which sucks, but we have some solid new investigators we are meeting this week and we are praying and fasting that we can start seeing some success.  I know though that this is the Lords work and not mine and he will do things his way.  Its going to have to be a short letter this week so here comes the spiritual thought.

I want to share a simple thought on faith.  Without faith we have no hope, charity, humility, diligence, patience, and much more.  Faith is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is what changes and propels us to be better and want to be better.  I have found this out for myself and do everyday.  We can only strengthen our faith though by earnestly studying the scriptures, praying morning and night, and keeping God's commandments.  I got to watch the last session of General Conference this last Sunday and two quotes stick out in my mind.  The first one is " The most important part of you day is your personal spiritual time."  This is when we learn how to better ourselves and when we can receive revelation for that day to better ourselves and the peoples lives around us.  The second quote is "Permanent change comes through the atonement."  I hope you all know that once we have faith in Christ and his infinite atonement and go forward acting on that faith that is when we learn and grow the most.  Christ is waiting to help us. He has his arm stretched to us and all we have to do is hold on in his love and atonement and do everything to not let go.  I know that Christ lives. Because I have learned what the atonement truly is and can do for me my life has become so much and better and my burdens lifted.  I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVES.

I love all of you so much and hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Wilson

October 21, 2013

Well this week has been great! Had an awesome exchange with a Elder Smith's companion who has just started his mission.  It was really fun to go and see him grow from the morning to later in the day.  I really loved being able to lead by example and help him over come some of his fears.  It really pushed me as well to be better and overcome some of my fears and doubts.  I hope so bad that I will be training this next transfer because just like with an investigator this truly no better joy then helping someone feel loved and change for the better.

Nothing to excitng has really happened this weekend besides the fact that it is starting to rain every day and get super cold!  The rain is different compared to utah and is just non stop and gets super wet.

I'm ok with it though because when we are knocking people feel bad and are more willing to talk and that gives us the chance to bring the spirit in and baptize them! hahah I just want a baptism so bad, but I know that as long as I keep working hard and being obedient the Lord is happy with me.  In district meetin our zone leaders said something very intersting.  When we wake up the things we read in the scriptures are no different then things we can bring about during the day.  And when we go to bed and write in our journals that night the things we write can be no different then the things we read in the scriptures.

We can see mircales everyday we just have to realize its a miracle.

We probably aren't going to be struct dumb by an Angel like Alma, but maybe we can make some happy and smile or lighten someones burden that day.  It may not be a miracle to you, but it is for that person and you will be blessed for it as you do it.

Now time for the real spiritual thought.  I have really been thinking about what to say and for some reason I just really want to talk about hope.  We hear so much that we need faith in Christ and in no means am I trying to say that isn't important because it is the most important step. But so many of us think that as long as we have that faith we are good for the rest of our lives or thats all that is required of us.  It is not we also need to have hope.  Now the hope I'm talking about isn't just saying oh I hope mom doesn't ground me or I hope its a good day.  No the hope I am talking about is the Hope that Heavenly Father will and is going to keep all his promises.  If you imagine you have a boat and that boat is you.  You are out sailing enjoying yourself when all of a sudden a nasty storm hits.  You have all this rope, but then you realize you have no anchor and that you are doomed and will eventually be lost and swallowed up in the darkness of the storm.  Now the rope is faith in Jesus christ. You need that rope, but you can't do anyting with it unless you have an anchor.  That anchor is hope.  Once you tie the rope into the anchor and throw it into the see and you are secure you know that you can ride the storm out and be safe.  So in our lives when the adversary is hitting us with everything he as we can be swallowed up in darkness and be lost without hope.  We must rely on our faith that we can hope for better things to come.  We know that God has a plan for us and that he wants us to make it back to him.  Moroni tells us in Ether 12:4 that "Hope is the anchor to our souls."  When all seems lost and we feel like we are going to be lost at sea forever let us throw our anchor in with hope tied to our faith in Christ and wait with patience for the things to come.  I know we at times feel like we are nothing and that nobody wants us around anymore or that we can do no good.  Don't let doubts and fears consume who you really are.  We are all beautiful and wonderful Sons and Daughters of God.  He loves every single one of us with a perfect love and he has plan and purpose for each one of us.

He knows our strengths and weaknesses and what we can handle.  Have faith and hope that Heavenly Father knows who you are and what he wants you to do and be.  It is not easy in todays world to secure or anchor of hope, but through Jesus Christ I know that we can make it through anything.  I just want to bear my testimony to you that I know Christ lives and that he knows and loves all of us.  I feel is love more and more for me everyday as I go out and serve his children.  We are imperfect but Christ is perfect and has a perfect love for us.

Hold on in that love.

I love you all to pieces and keep being the amazing people you are and continue to grow in faith and hope in Christ!

Love,

Elder Wilson

October 14, 2013

Hey Family!

Well I forgot to mention somethings I did last week because I got to excited to talk about conference haha:)  I tried a dish from Ghana and it is called Fu Fu.  It is so good and I loved it.  They put weird things in it that I don't know what it was, but it was good:)  Elder Anderson didn't like it to much.  Last week for P-day we went on the long walk which is a LONG WALK.  It is so beautiful though and I loved it.  It goes up onto this little hill with a huge horse on it and you can see the castle from it and all of slough.  It was a blast and we even saw some deer while we were there. I got about 50 yards from a buck which was wicked.  I gave my first talk in my ward yesterday on "Feeding my Sheep" in John 21:15-17.  It went well and one member came up to me and said I truly inspired everyone.  I don't mean to brag, it was just a good feeling that I had prepared and gave my talk the way the Lord wanted me to.  I am sending it home to my parents so they can read my sloppy hand writing and can share more of it with the

family:)  There is a feeling in the air that is telling me the work is about to really start hastening in my area.  Our district leader feels especially with our new plan for this transfer and I am getting so excited to go to work everyday!  Good things are coming!

My spiritual thought for this day is about asking and receiving answers for our prayers.  So many of us forget that all we need to do is ask our Heavenly Father for the things we need.  He knows what we need, but wants us to recognize that we need him to help us accomplish the things we desire.  It will take us humbling ourselves if we truly want his help.  If you read in D&C 6:5-8 we read that if we ask and knock it shall be opened up unto us and we can receive it.  It says in verse 8 "As you desire of me so it shall be unto you."  A lot of us have a hard time knowing the difference between a want and a desire.

A desire starts with a want, but then leads into an action and showing our Heavenly Father how bad we truly do desire it.  For example if you see a nice and car and say I want that, and then go to Heavenly Father and say you desire it, then don't put in any effort in trying earn the money for it and expect it to show up on your drive way then Heavenly Father won't give it to you because you don't really desire it.  When we truly desire something we are willing to do all to achieve it.  For me when I first came out on my mission I felt so like I new nothing and really wanted to have great knowledge with the scriptures.  I asked in pray to have my mind opened when I studied and that I would learn something new every time I did.  I also asked that what I learned I may be able to use for the good of those around me and that I would forget my selfish desires.  It took me and still takes me spending an hour everyday when I am tired to open and read, ponder, and ask about the things I learn through the scriptures.  At first I didn't really feel like I was learning or remembering anything, but as I kept praying and doing my part I started remembering scriptures and using them in my lessons and when teaching others.  Heavenly Father wants us to ask him in faith and then he will see if we truly desire it.  Once he feels we have done all we can then he gives a helping hand.  In verse 7 it says "not to seek for riches, but wisdom... and then you shall be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich."  If we can change our thinking in a eternal perspective instead of a right now and what happened yesterday perspective we will be so much happier.  We will have increased faith and know that with the Lord's help we can overcome anything.  As it says in D&C 50:35 "The kingdom is given you of the Father, and the power to overcome all things which are not ordained of him."  As we pray and ask in faith let us not get discourged or down because we have not receive what we desire when we want it.  Push forward in faith and rely on him to help you overcome your challenges and then he will give it unto you.  Don't ever forget that we are all sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father and that he loves us so much and wants nothing more then to help us. We just have to open the door.

Hope you have a great week and I love you all so much!

Love,

Elder Wilson

Here are some pictures from our P-day last week on the long walk.

Also have a couple pictures of our Dinner appointment at a members house yesterday. I forgot to add in my letter that the two new Elder we got or named Elder Wilson (He has the glasses) and Elder Larsen who has his head on me in the picture at the dinner. Hope you enjoy!

October 7, 2013

Hello Family!

Well overall this week has been rough since nothing went our way and we didn't get much of anything done.  It was very hard and very humbling to know we need to rely on the Heavenly Father more in helping us do the right things through the day.  But on the bright side conference was this weekend and that made me feel so much better!

 I wish I could talk about every talk in this email because they were all so amazing and pertained to missionary work so much.  Just share a few of the ones I really liked then I chose one to talk about as my spiritual thought.  I really liked Elder Bednar's talk on tithing and it made me want to pay tithing, but then I realized I have no money haha.  But I like how he put into perspective the blessing we get from paying tithing.  Sometimes we get huge blessing we see right away, but most the time our blessing are through "small and simple means."  Like when we want to have a new job, instead of Heavenly Father giving us a new job he gives us a desire to get off our butts and go to work in trying to get a job.  That's a huge blessing for me cause most the time the hardest step is the first one.  Another talk I loved was the one Richard J. Maynes in the Sunday morning session.  How we need to have Spiritual endurance.  Once we make and receive our ordinances and covenants we must endure to the end in righteousness.  My favorite quote from that talk is "We must be the rock the river cannot sway."

The last talk I loved was President Monson's on Sunday.  WOW.  I don't ever remember seeing him tear up in a talk or pour his love in such abundance like that before.  From the moment he started talking I felt the spirit so strongly and the love he has for his wife and all of us.

 I didn't write much down from his talk because the main message I gained from it was that we are loved by our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ.  Once we know that for ourselves life changes so much.  It doesn't get easier, but becomes more enjoyable.  My favorite quote from conference came when he said "Good Trees do not grow with ease."

Alright now the talk I really wanted to talk about comes from President Packer.  I thought so hard about which one to talk about and felt like this one was a good one to expounded on.  "Gospel centered home is a safe place."  How true is that?  I hear parents all the time on my mission, and from my own parents say how dangerous the world is and they worry about what their kids see everyday.  Well President Packer gave us our solution and that solution is the GOSPEL.  I know the times in my own life when I have felt the most safe is at Young mens, church, when being at a family party, and especially when being in my home saying prayers or reading scriptures as a family.

President Packer say that "Youth who study the scriputes daily and our active in the church have less of a chance of falling away from the path."  (He had some percent, but I can't rember it.)  I love that so much and can see how true it is.  I never studied the scriptures that well before I came out on a mission and I regret it.  Since I have to study every morning it has become my favorite part of the day and it makes a huge difference in my mission if I study or not.  For those of you at home it is hard to make time for scripture study cause you are so busy and tired at night to study.  Well I have your solution.

Instead of watching tv right when you come home or before you go to bed turn it off gather the family sit down at the table and have scripture study for an hour.  You should have personnel study but good to get the family involved.  I listened to a talk by John Bytheway last night and he said he gave up his channel surfing at from 10 to 12 and went to bed at 10 so he could wake up at 5 to get to work and have an extra 2 hours from 6 to 8 to write a book he always wanted to write.  He said after finshing the book he looked at the four months it took him to write and all the things he learned in those two hours in the morning.  Then he tried to think of all the things he would have learned from two hours of watching tv and he couldn't think of one.  So with scripture study think of all the things you could learn if you spent an hour with your family studying and becoming closer to your Heavenly Father.  Think of all the knowledge you would gain in a year with at least 365 hours of scripture study.  Think of how much closer you would be to your Heavenly Father and how much more the Love of Christ would be in your life and in your home.  Pretty crazy how much one hour of no tv and just scripture study could change your life.  I know we all have busy lives, but I promise you that as you take time to study the scriptures your life will be blessed just like President Packer said.  I don't know if I heard it in conference or another Elder told me, but I love this quote.  "To talk to your Heavenly Father you must pray. For your Heavenly Father to talk to you, you must study the scriptures."  With that I challenge you to have daily scripture study in you families and maybe take time each week to study a certain talk from conference each week and better apply its teachings in your life.  As we study the scriptures we gain Christlike Attributes which better our lives and the lives of others.

Hope all is well at home and you enjoy your week!  LOVE YOU ALL TO SHREDZZ!!

Love,

Elder Wilson

Oct. 2, 2013

First off I'm not being apostate by sending this email since it is not my P-day, but it is the only email I'm sending so don't feel like your missing something haha. Alright so in the photo when we aren't all going crazy I will go left to right.  First is me, then Elder Probst who transfers to a new area today.  Next is his companion Elder Hammond who is the only English guy in the group.  Next is Elder Clark who is a cat lover and so dang funny and is leaving us to go train someone in a brand new area. Poor guy has only been out three months and just finished training himself.  He is also engaged haha.  Next is his companion and our district leader Elder Smith.  Coolest guy I've ever met and I can relate to him a lot.  Next is my beautiful companion Elder Anderson:)  Everyone is from Utah except Elder Hammond who gets made fun of a lot haha.  Just to explain the funny photo I was suppose to just be facing backwards, but we are on a hill so I slipped into Elder Probst who just started hugging me so you get what you see.  The other two photos are with Elder Smith who has the funny smile and Elder Hammond the English man.  Hope you enjoy the photos!

Love you guys!

Love,

Elder Wilson