A Week in the HOT South!

Dear Family,

 

We just had a great week!  It has been very hot here, but it did rain a few times last week.  I LOVE rain so much.  Rain restores any happiness that wasn't previously inside of me.  Life is good also because I get to stay in Hot Springs for one more transfer!  I pretty much know that I'll leave Hot Springs next transfer though.  I'm so glad President is keeping us here together because there is so much work to be done.  Wonderful things are happening.  When we told Tiffany and Cheyenna that we were staying and would definitely be at their baptism, Tiffany burst into tears, and Cheyenna just hugged us and said how much she loved us.  She is a special little girl.  Tiffany asked if Sis Gladden and I would make sure to keep in touch with Cheyenna because of how much she looks up to us.  Cheyenna said that we were like big sisters to her.  We will also be there for Bro Bledsoe's baptism.  It has become this huge deal because everybody and their dog wants to be there so they are all trying to get him to change the date to one that they can come to.  I don't really care what day he does it, as long as I get to be there.

 

Wednesday:  The 4th of July was..well..I'm not gonna lie. Disappointing and not very 4th of July like-even at all.  Oh BY the way!  Happy birthday to Melissa, Hannah and Elliot.  I thought about you all when it was your b-day.  Anyway. As for missionary work-the day was really good.  The best part was when we went to Antwon's house.  Antwon is this really cool black guy that sounds like he's rapping every time he talks. :)  We got there and there were a ton of kids running around.  Like 7.  Some of them were his, some were nieces and nephews.  When we came in, he said, "Who wants to do bible study?"  5 out of the 7 kids shot their hands up.  The two that didn't were the ones who can't even read.  How awesome is that?!  They all wanted to read from the Book of Mormon with us!  We passed out BOMS and those kids sat with us and read a whole chapter.  We read and discussed for a good 45 minutes.  I was honestly astounded. I loved those kids so much and was proud of them for wanting to read the scriptures.  

 

Friday:  We had two baptisms!  It was a wonderful experience.  Craig Baldwin was baptized. It was great to see how happy Nancy was. She bore her testimony at the end of the service about the Holy Ghost and how she knew in her heart that this was the path to her Savior, and that now that Craig is baptized, he can be on that path as well. We experienced first hand the truth that attending baptismal services is the best converting tool. Tiffany Martin attended on Friday and was very touched. She said that as she witnessed the baptism, she was completely overwhelmed with the peace and love she felt. She said that she now knew what that "energy for God" that she was looking for felt like. We helped her identify it as the Holy Ghost. She felt confident of that feeling and said that she knew this was the right church for her to be in.

 

Saturday:  Weekly planning got a little...long.  Somehow we got off on the tangent of how it's funny sometimes when people get mad and start yelling.  It really is funny.  I always feel a little bad for laughing, but it's not as bad as when I laugh when little kids get hurt.  I'm awful, I know.  Sister Gladden re-enacted her mom comin at her with a coat hanger yelling.  It was super funny.  Then, I remembered the time that I was little and our cousin Hannah was even littler and she got mad at me and came charging at me like a bull. We started laughing really hard, and then somebody from downstairs was like, "Sisters...are you okay?" hahaha.  It was the Griffin's niece, Chantel.  She said we weren't making normal "sister noises". We kinda aren't normal sisters. :)

 

 

Sunday: All our dreams came true because Valerie came to church.  She is doing so good.  She has gotten a lot of criticism from her family and the deaf community about studying with the missionaries and wanting to go to the Mormon church.  (If I've already told you all this, sorry).  She was nervous to come to church because of what they'd say, so she always made excuses why she couldn't.  Yesterday was finally the day that she came.  She told us of a conversation she had with her 10yr old daughter, Maegen.

Maegen: "You really need to be in church, Momma"

Valerie: "Even if it's the Mormon church?"

Maegen: "Momma, I see Christ in them"

 

WOW!  That was cool.  Valerie is prayerfully considering a baptismal date.

 

 

Well, time is ticking.  I love you all. I really do.

 

love sister annalisa wilde

4th of July

Dear Family,

 

I am sad to think about how you all are having a blast this week.  Fourth of July is my favorite holiday.  I will also have everyone know that tomorrow is my half birthday, so that is an accomplishment. :)  I hope you all have a great time at the balloons and the parade..(I'm only being a little bit sarcastic).  Send me pictures, okay?

 

Well, it is blasted hot here.  It has been over 100 degrees every day this week.  People are dropping like flies.  Literally.  Someone died here the other day because their internal temperature was 109 degrees.  Sister Gladden had an asthma attack on Friday and had to go to the ER.  JUST for being outside in the heat for 20 minutes.  It's nuts.  It's always an adventure to go to the ER though. haha.  I feel pretty cool giving her nebulizer treatments and driving her around to safety-sorta like I'm a doctor or paramedic.  Savin lives.. haha. Well not really.  But she is doing good now.  I have a horrible fear that they are going to transfer one or both of us next week.  But they can't, you see!  Because listen to this..

 

Miracles this week.

 

Tiffany and Cheyenna have been comin to church and meeting with us regularly and reading the Book of Mormon.  They have felt a lot of resistance and negativity from family members for doing this.  Last night she told us that she knew this was the adversary being mad that she is doing the right.  Tears filled her eyes as she said, "I want to set a baptismal date.  I want to be right with the Lord".  YEAH!  Like Joe always tells me "Punch Satan in the face!"  That's what she did.  I hope Joe is reading this.  I am humbled to be able to have seen the change in her since she has been gradually accepting the gospel and the blessings of the atonement in her life.  They are getting baptized August 4.

 

Brother Bledsoe has finally worked out his baptism date.  It's July 29.  He asked me and my companion to sing a special number at it.

 

On the way home from Joy's house the other night, this lady came out of her apartment as we were driving by.  Immediately, I thought of our investigator Marci.  I said, "We've got to see Marci.  Tomorrow."  Sis Gladden said, "That lady looked like Marci, didn't she."  We had had the same thought when we saw her.  The next day, we went to Marci's.  She told us she had been very depressed and had laid in bed for 3 days crying and praying.  She said, " I could feel you girls getting closer.  I knew you would come soon.  I  thought it was going to be yesterday.  But today was the day I finally got up, and then you showed up."  Wow.  As I thought about it later, I realized that I'm not sure how much that lady even looked like Marci- but just the slight resemblance was enough.  Heavenly Father had timed that just right so that we could receive the prompting to go see Marci when she needed someone.  I witnessed how Heavenly Father is the best composer in the universe-  using us as instruments to orchestrate our lives and interactions with each other in perfect harmony to bring about His eternal purposes of our peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come.

 

On Thursday I think it was, we went with the Relief Society President to see a young mother whose family is struggling very much.  We went in to the appointment thinking that we would watch Finding Faith in Christ with her.  As we sat down and began talking, it became apparent that we should go in another direction.  We didn't know what that was, but we just listened as she talked.  I always think of Dad when things like this happen because he is the best listener I know.  Somehow, with her talking and just a few questions from one of us, Sis Floyd(rs pres) was able to give wise counsel.  Her story brought me to tears.  I felt so bad for her and the situation.  At the end of our talk, we asked her to pray and plead with Heavenly Father for the things she needed.  It was a beautiful heartfelt prayer.  As we talked about it on the way home, I realized that the object had been to soften this woman's heart to come to humility and prayer.  I also realized that in the process, my heart was softened too.  I have become so grateful for a family who supports me, and that I am healthy.  I have gone to visit quite a few people in the hospital lately.  How cool is it that I don't have to be in the hospital.  It's a blessing.  I pray for those who are sick in our family.

 

I don't know if I've shared this with you, but something my mission president told me has helped me a great deal.

 

Seeds of doubt cannot be planted in grateful soil.  Seeds of worry, anxiety, fear, anger, envy, impatience...any kind of negative seeds.

 

I love you all dearly.

 

love sister annalisa wilde

 

P.S.  Elder Anderson says HI to everyone.  He thinks I'm the coolest.

Last week of June

Dear Family,

 

I had a really great week.  I feel like I've known these people in Hot Springs for my whole life instead of just a few months.  They have really gone by fast.  It's crazy to hear about how so many of my friends and family are getting home from missions and getting married and having babies.  Change is good..I guess.  Anyone who knows me also knows that what I just said is a complete lie. I hate change.  I really hope I don't get transfered, but there's a real possibility.  Transfers are in 2 weeks.  I have grown very close to my companion and the people I serve.  So many good things are happening!  I don't want to leave..It's like never watching the end of a TV series like Lost.  Well actually I have never finished that either..bad example.  But seriously, there are so many baptisms in the works and so many people I love.  It is humbling to hear our investigators say that they don't want me and Sister Gladden to leave because they have grown to love us too. 

 

Nancy Baldwin got baptized on Thursday. WOO!!  This is so good.  Her baptism was really wonderful.  A few other sister missionaries from other areas who found Nancy in the first place were able to come.  She had many people from the ward there to love and support her.  I am grateful for the love and compassion that others have.  The Samoan family that fellowshipped Nancy, the Kennach family, was also there.  Brother Kennach baptized her and also gave a talk and did the special musical number.  A few days ago he asked me, "What is that song that your Dad always sings?"  My face lit up as I said, "Hymn 307 In Our Lovely Deseret."  They sang it at the baptism!  Just for me and my daddy!  I was so happy.  I grinned the whole time as I thought of Dad singing that at family night.  There was a special spirit there. 

 

Our dear Bro. Bledsoe will get baptized in August.  I think the whole world is going to be there probably.  He's the talk of the town.  Everyone is so excited about how it's finally happening.  The best part is the change we've seen in him. He reads the Book of Mormon every day, prays, attends church, and has been transforming.  Really.  He has become such a dear friend to us.  The Glenwood branch is so small, but so strong.  You can feel it when you walk in the building. Their testimonies are rock solid.  Testimony is a funny thing..sometimes it's hard to know that you have one and what it is.  Maybe it's just me, but I've had a hard time with that.  As I've contemplated grandpa Wilde's passing, I just feel that he is okay. I know that because we have a Father in Heaven who blessed us with families on earth, he wants us to keep our families after we die.  If there was not a plan or way for us to accomplish this, why are we living?  Why do we live if not to bless, serve and love those around us?  If we understand love, we understand God and the gospel.  It's simple.

 

We met two girls through one of our investigators Valerie.  They are in their 20's and were a blessing to me because they remind me of my wonderful friends back home.  I could feel of their purity and love for God as I spent time with them.  You really can feel so many things about people when you talk and spend time with them.  Again, I felt that feeling that I had known them my whole life.  Life is cool because you get the opportunity to meet people like this and learn from them.  You also meet many unpleasant and rude people too, but that's okay.  These girls, Melissa and Laura, used to be park rangers in Hot Springs. They were tour guides for one of the bath houses.  They took us on a tour of it and told us cool historical facts.  We saw this old school gym in the 3rd floor. It used to be the biggest gym in the U.S.  Anyway, we had a really good time.

 

There's lots more to tell you, but I'm running out of time.  I hope you all are doing well.  I pray for you daily.  

 

love sister annalisa wilde 

Dear Everybody,

 

Everything goes by fast.  We get up, run all over the place all day while I make a bunch of calls and plan appointments. It seems like there is always about a thousand things on my mind.  I'm constantly thinking, "now who am I forgetting?  There is somebody else we need to see..." However, when we go into appointments, if we are doing it right (meaning we have the spirit with us), it all stops and we listen to the person we are visiting.  Quite a few times this past week we have had conversations with investigators that say "I LOVE it when you come to visit me.  You don't know how much it means".  This makes me want to work even harder to bring kindness and love and the joy of the gospel to them.  Then we go to bed, and five minutes later, it is 6:30 again.  Then we do it all over. :) 

 

We played our weekly dominoes game on Saturday with Charlie and 90 yr old Margaret.  It seems like everybody knows about our dominoes thing!  Seriously, word gets around.  As we played at the table near the lobby of the nursing home, people passed by and commented to us about how nice it was to see us spending time playing a game with Margaret.  I got the feeling that it is a rare occurance. These elderly people don't get visited much.  As we played, we talked with Charlie.  He talked about how we literally make people's week by our visits.  It's all Margaret talks about.  He said that so much of our world, even the religion part is corrupt.  Too many preachers do it only for the money and don't practice what they preach.  He saw how we give up 18 months to visit the sick and the people who need help and was truly impressed.  He said, "you girls give me hope for this world.  You restore my faith in faith."  Although he doesn't believe in God, he sees that latter day saints care for the people around them and really try to be like the Savior.  This was a precious experience.     

 

Nancy and Craig Baldwin are two investigators that we have been teaching since May.  I have never taught anyone who had more of a desire to be baptized than Nancy.  Her baptism is this Thursday-and I really think she's gonna make it with the word of wisdom.  She hasn't smoked in 3 days.  This is a big deal.  I never really knew how big of a deal it was, but now so many that we teach struggle with this addiction.  Don't ever smoke! It's nasty.  Me and Sister Gladden like to joke that if we don't come home smelling like cigarette smoke then we haven't done our job. hah.  Anyway, back to Nancy.  A sweet Samoan family in the ward, the Kennach family, have fellowshipped the Baldwins and are taking part in the baptism. Brother Kennach is performing the baptism.  I told them about how my daddy served his mission in Samoa and they got super excited.  I was then part of the family. :)  We talked all about lava lavas and everything I knew about Samoa (which isn't very much).  I told them about how my dad always sings "In Our Lovely Deseret" in Samoan during family night.  I tried to get them to sing it for me-they sang a line or two and then stopped, but that was good enough for me.  They are singing the special musical number at Nancy's baptism in Samoan.  I will be thinking of you Dad!  How sweet is that?! 

 

Yesterday I got the opportunity to play the piano in sacrament meeting for Father's Day. I was asked to play O My Father.  Thank you so much Mom for sending me those arrangements-and don't be mad at me please-but I decided to just make up my own arrangement.  It turned out very well and I loved doing it.  My companion was very sweet and prayed for me that I would let my love of the Savior guide my playing and that that would be what would touch the hearts of those in the congregation.  Isn't that the reason we should do things?  That is why we are given talents in the first place-to bring others unto Christ.  It always works out so much better this way anyway.  I was able to convey that feeling as I played and many kind people expressed their appreciation afterwards. The whole thing is, it's not about us. It's about the Savior.  Lots of time when I'm upset/annoyed/irritated about something it's because I'm prideful and have forgotten to look unto the Savior in every thought.  Doubt not, fear not.  Anyway, I really love the Hot Springs ward.  It will be hard to leave it whenever I have to.

 

The other night we got to teach Dennis and his grandparents.  Do you remember the story about Dennis?  We had taught him and his little 5 yr old friend Olivia some primary songs a few weeks ago.  This night, Olivia's parents were there and we all sang the primary songs we had learned together.  It brought the sweetest spirit to see these children singing about choosing the right.  Olivia's parents could feel the light and truth that came when she sang that song.  I know that choosing the right-choosing to follow Christ will bring us happiness in our lives.

 

I love you more than sleep,

 

love sister anna

First Week of June

Hey All,

 

I'll start with the awesome things.  We live with awesome people.  They traded out the old washer and dryer that we had upstairs in our apartment/part of the house for a newer one. That was pretty cool.  The other ones were way old, and the dryer was super noisy.  When we got our newer ones, we found out the washer is super noisy.  So we traded out a loud dryer for a loud washer.  Doesn't bother me, it's just funny.  Also, there are waay too many raccoons around this place.  Every time they come up in conversation, I don't fail to mention my severe dislike of them. They are super creepy, nobody can deny that.  We see quite a few dead animals on the side of the road.  I'm sure you really wanted to know that.haha.  Also, turtles come out this time of year and start crossing the roads and highways. Not safe.  Sister Burnett was taking us to Glenwood church the other week, and pulled over on the highway so that she could pick up a turtle turned upside down and put him back where he was safe. She is such a sweet woman.  I will never love animals as much as she does.

 

Yesterday was an interesting day.  My mission president drove from at least an hour away to come and personally tell me the news about grandpa.  I very much appreciated this, and gained a lot of comfort and counsel from my conversation with him.  He let me call Dad too, so I definitely scored yesterday.  I cried a lot, but then when we had an appointment last night, I was able to pull it together very convincingly, if I do say so myself.  I'm doing pretty good- and I know it's because of your prayers in my behalf.  Also the priesthood blessing I received.  I feel like y'all are really taking care of me, so thank you.

 

Church yesterday was bomb!  We got Tiffany and her daughter Cheyenna to come-for their first time!  Our lessons with her have been going extremely well, and she had told us that she was searching for an "energy for God" that she couldnt' find at any of the other churches she went to.  It was testimony meeting yesterday, and all the testimonies were direct. I was praying for that.  They all testified of the Savior and His reality.  Something I thought about a lot yesterday was the Savior.  President told me that the more I increase my gratitude for who the Savior is and what He did for me, the more I will love Him and realize that I have nothing without Him.  And as I thought about it last night, I realized that the very relationships I hold dear are upheld because of the Savior.  My family is the most important thing I have on this earth- and the reason we are close in love is because of the doctrine of Christ. That is the plan to success.  Because we have built our foundation on Him, we understand how to solve problems. It is because of His atonement that we have hope for ourselves, for without an atonement, all mankind would be lost.  Without Christ, there would be no purpose to life.  That is why what President Petersen testified to me yesterday was so important-that there is a Christ. He is real, and He is the way to our peace in this life and eternal life in the world to come.  President Petersen is such a good man, I wish you could meet him.  Something I know I can always hold on to is that the Book of Mormon is true.  It really is.  I'm so grateful for it.

 

I am kind of weary about this being post all over the internet, cause I kinda poured out my soul just barely. :) Anyway, my thoughts and prayers are with you all, and with Grandpa.  What an amazing example and legacy he left us.  I love you all.

 

love sister annalisa wilde

End of May

Dear Family,

So the email at the family history center in the church wasn't working yesterday, and since it was a holiday, the public library was closed.  We had no way to email because we can't use the members' computers.  So that's why I'm doing it a little late. Don't worry, I'm not being rebellious.  Sometimes I wish I could be rebellious, but I don't really have it in me.  I'd feel too guilty.  I am my mother's daughter, I think...

Have I told you about our 89 year old investigator Brother Bledsoe?  I think I have.  Well, his wife has been a member for a long time and he has never accepted missionaries.  They just celebrated their 70th anniversary, and at no point in those 70 years has he ever listened to the missionaries.  We feel privileged to spend time with him and teach him the gospel.  Every Thursday they come to Hot Springs to the YMCA to do their exercise.  After that, they pick us up and take us to lunch, and then we teach him at the park.  It's pretty sweet, hanging out with people in their 90's.  Impressive how healthy they are.  Well, last week when we were teaching him, we started talking about baptism again.  He had previously said he wanted to wait til after he turned 90.  He turns 90 on July 1st.  As we talked about baptism, he said, "Well, aren't there certain lessons you need to get through before being baptized?"  We looked at him and said, "You've had them.  You're ready".  He began to get emotional.  It was very touching.  I'm not sure if that scared him or made him happy or what, but I think he's at the point in his life where he realizes how important his wife is to him, and that he wants to be sealed to her.  As they dropped us off, Sister Bledsoe hugged us both and said that she was so grateful the Lord had sent us to her husband, that she had been waiting for 54 years.  It was a sweet experience. They also told us that they would like to adopt us.  We will be filling out pretend adoption papers very soon.

I had a strange and embarrassing experience this past week that I hope to never repeat in my life.  We were at a member's house for dinner, and they had invited their neighbors to come and eat with us.  Us and the elders were both there.  Do I talk about them ever?  Well, they are Elder Keller and Elder McMurtrey.  Both are from Utah.  So we were all introducing ourselves to this guy named Roberto. The elders introduced themselves, and then it was my turn.  I stuck out my hand and said, "Hi I'm Sister Gladden". As the words came out of my mouth, I was like, what the heck..?  Why did I say that?  I wasn't thinking about telling him that, I wasn't trying to make a joke..it was super weird.  The real Sister Gladden gave me the weirdest look.  It was just really funny cause everyone was surprised, especially me.  Then I had to say to Roberto, "I have no idea why I said that, that was a complete lie."  And then I felt like an idiot.  But everyone got a good laugh.  We were talking about it later, and decided that since we introduce ourselves many times a day, all I hear is Sister Gladden introducing herself, so it must have just..well I don't know.  I think I might be going crazy.

Oh yeah, and transfers are this week, but I'm not getting transferred. Woo!  Keep writing me at my Maplewood Ct. address.

I hope that you are all healthy and well and that you have a great summer planned.  Please don't go on any cruises without me.  I guess you can go on vacations, but maybe to just Vernal or something..like to that dinosaur museum Dad's always talking about?  I'd be okay with missing that one. :)  Also, congratulations Cameron on graduating seminary and school!  I am so so proud of you.  Know that I love all of you and pray for your success.  Thank you for all your letters, support, prayers, and love. 

I love you!

love sister annalisa wilde

Happy Mothers Day to all (and a few other letters)

Here are the last three letters Sis. Wilde has sent.  Sorry there was a miscommunication in getting these last few letters.

Dear Family,

 

It was cool to talk to you all yesterday.  I wish I could have talked with Becca and Jeremy.  I trust you are all doing well.  I was surprised that I wasn't too emotional.  I only cried a little, but I think it's because I prayed for 2 weeks before that I would be able to be okay after I talked with my family.  Sometimes it's weird to hold our cell phone and know that I could just dial my mom's number and talk to her.  I won't, obviously, but you really gotta know why you go out on your mission, or it's pretty much pointless.  I learn daily why I'm here, and I know I need to be here.  That makes me happy.  When I share with others about the importance of having a loving family, I love to be able to speak from experience about the blessings it brings.

 

The weeks are flying by.  There are only 3 more weeks left in the transfer.  Both Sister Gladden and I are crossing our fingers that we won't be transfered.  I feel pretty confident that neither one of us will, because they usually keep sisters in areas longer than they do the elders.  I love my area.  It is quite beautiful and green.  They have Lake Hamilton and golf courses and pretty country side as you drive out to Glenwood.  It's also really touristy.  On Central Ave., there are lots of little shops, a gangster museum, a wax museum, and bath houses.  Why you would want to walk around naked and have people bathe you, I have no idea.  NOT my cup of tea.  I wouldn't have a problem saying no if someone asked me to do that.  Which brings me to a problem I am having.  The funny thing about my companionship with Sister Gladden is that we are way too similar.  Both very sensitive and loving- and as a result, we have a very difficult time saying no.  People are offering us stuff all the day long.  Mostly food. We don't want to hurt their feelings, so we usually accept and then pay the consequences later when we feel like throwing up.   One of our investigators, Joy, knows about this little problem, so she started speaking up for us.  Last night we had just come from dinner and then saw Joy and her friend Jamie.  Jamie offered us dinner, and we said, "Oh, we just ate dinner, but thank you!"  She was disappointed, so we were about to give in and eat, even though we really had just barely eaten.  Then Joy said, "I'll speak for them-sometimes they get fed too much and they are worried about gaining weight."  It was funny.  Why we can't fix our own problems, I don't know, but we're glad for people who can.

 

Lots of great things are happening here.  We taught the first lesson to this lady named Tiffany the other day.  We were talking about Christ and the prophets testifying of Him in the Bible.  She started talking about how her daughter was half Native American and then said, "Ya know, I always wondered, what about the Native Americans?"  Well, we'll tell you about the Native Americans!!  We taught her about the Book of Mormon.  Man, it really does make sense that God loves all His children, not just the ones in Jerusalem.  That's why He wants everybody to know about Jesus Christ and how He is the Savior of the world.  It's powerful.  Last week, we did an activity with our whole mission called Atonement week.  Each day of the week was attributed to a different part of the atonement. We would study and apply those principles each day.  The last day was called Born Again day.   studied the topic of conversion.  Through my study, I learned that when we make our baptismal covenants, we are covenanting to be converted through the atoning blood of Christ.  Look up Mosiah 4:2 and Mosiah 3:19.  As we repent and seek forgiveness, sacrifice, and serve, we learn to develop the qualities we need to be converted, namely, to become as a child-meek, submissive, humble, full of love..  When we do this, we realize how much we need Christ and our own carnal natures.  The awesome part is found in Alma 5:33.  God's hand is stretched out still.  He will forgive when we repent. 

 

Well, our 89 year old investigator is gonna get baptized.  He says he wants to wait til he's 90.  Whatever floats his boat I guess, but I want to be there!  Hopefully I'll stay here til July.

 

I love you all.  Thanks for the ways you serve and help those around you.  It means a lot to me and I know you will be strengthend and blessed as you do so.

 

Love always,

    sister annalisa wilde

 

 

 

Dear Family:

 

Arkansas is a great place.  Sister Gladden and I enjoy eating cadburry eggs and listening to christmas music in May.  I got my first tick yesterday!  On my leg!  Sister Gladden ran a match over my leg and then pulled it out with tweezers. It was very eventful.  Also, we got sunburnt on Saturday and then ate Thanksgiving Dinner.  It's super weird.  All out of order.  But we enjoy it.

 

It seems like something awesome happens to us every day.  I think this can be true for everybody.  Because God blesses us so much-we just have to recognize it.  We go to appointments and we always come out loving them more.  The other day we watched Finding Faith in Christ with some of our investigators and had a really great experience with them.  I felt my faith in Christ grow- mostly I realized how amazing it is that God sent His son to make the Plan of Salvation work.  As we've listened to the Christmas album in our car, one of the lines from a song sticks in my mind.  "Wise men still follow Him each day of their lives".  I love that.  It's a daily thing.  We can follow Him each day and continually become closer to Him.  We can make small changes each day that will eventually bring to pass great things.

 

One of our investigators just had a baby!  That's cool.  We know so many cool people.  It's great to have so many people to teach and so many members who support us. 

 

Well, I love you all.  God lives and loves us.  He watches over us and can be in the details of our lives if we pray for that guidance.

 

Love Sister Wilde

 

 

 

Dear Everyone,

 

I hope you are all doing well. People tell me that they read my blog and I feel pretty special. I was telling Sister Gladden last night that I feel like P-day is an assignment day because when I write my letter to the family, I really want it to be good. I want to help you see the picture of what things are really like for me. I want you to know the cool things that happen and how I feel as a missionary. I know I shouldn't think of it as an assignment, but I don't want it to be a crappy letter. So just so you all know, I try really hard. haha.

 

This past week, we took one of our investigators named Valerie to the church for a tour. We explained what the meetings are like and the purpose of each one. The last place we took her was the chapel. We talked about the priesthood and the sacrament. She asked to see our hymn book. It ended up being a really sweet experience because I got to play some hymns for her and Sister Gladden and I sang them. Valerie's mother is deaf so she knows ASL. She signed the words while we played and sang Nearer My God to Thee. The spirit was there.

 

Okay, this one goes out to Emily, Becca, Jeremy, Elliot, Valerie..well pretty much everyone in the fam.  Yesterday we went to Glenwood. Sister Burnett was with us to drive us around. They just got a "new" car. Guess what kind of car it is.  Astro Van. I got to ride in it yesterday and I felt so nostalgic.  Did I  use that word right? It was so awesome though!  Everything on the inside looked exactly the same as our old astro van!  All the little comparments and the window that you have to pop out. I was freaking out about it and they thought I was kinda crazy.  I just really wanted to tell you all that because it made me really excited.

 

So this less active girl we work with got bit in the shoulder by a brown recluse spider a couple weeks ago. NOT funny.  There was this huge hole in her shoulder..so gross. She says its the most pain she's ever been in.  I'm not sure Arkansas is such a good place....:/ I hope I can stay away from that stuff.  I haven't had anymore ticks.  I really shouldn't be complaining because at least I have a bed and food and clothes to wear. There's really nothing wrong. The bugs aren't that bad yet, and the humidity hasn't even really settled in yet either.

 

One thing I've noticed about the way people talk.  They tell their story (which is the longest part of the conversation).  It only takes a couple of phrases like "yeah" "oh really?" or  "wow" from me to feed the conversation. After I respond with what I think, they will then repeat what they just said.  I then respond with the same thing I said the first time.  They will agree with me in their sweet way, and then say, "well, like I said..." and say their whole story again. hahaha.  I love it.  It takes forever, but it's so funny. It happens all the time.  These people are the best.

 

Well, I hope you are all having a wonderful week.  Remember that Heavenly Father loves you.

 

love sister annalisa wilde