Prayer

I pray a lot! Morning, night, in the middle of the day, in my heart, at the gas station, at dinner, and even while i'm working out. We can pray whenever we want, for however long we want. Praying is easy but hard at the same time. We pray to get answers, to thank our Father In Heaven, and ask for blessings. When we ask for answers we normally have two options and we are trying to decide between one or the other. It is easy to get an answer when we are have a good choice and a bad choice to choose from, but what if you have two good choices, that are equally great in the eyes of Our Savoir? What do you do when that happens? What happens when both decisions are good and either one would hurt you in anyway? That is what happened to me, I had two good decisions that I had to choose from. I asked Heavenly Father daily for a good month "What should I do??" I never got an answer. I was like, am I not praying hard enough?, Is he not listening? I was not sure what was wrong. The Lord knows I have the patience of a 2 year old, and I have never had to wait for an answer that long. Finally, it came to my attention. I have my free agency. The Lord will be happy with which ever one I choose. I had to be the one who picked. I picked, I started down the path and everything just fell right into place. I felt that I made the right decision. I'm still on that path and everything is going good. If this path starts feeling like the wrong path, I can always stop and go down the other path. Many times we wonder why we are not getting an answer. I know for a fact that if you have two good choices, choose one, walk down that path for a bit, if it feels right keep going. If you start to feel like it is wrong, choose the next path. The Lord is always listening, he is always there for you and loves you. Sometimes we have to have faith in ourselves and choose for ourselves. Praying has helped me so much in my life. I don't know what I would do without this gospel in my life. I know this church is true. I have knelt in prayer, and have asked for myself and I know this is the true church. I choose to walk down this path and it has never done me wrong. So many blessing have come from being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I love prayer and have a strong testimony that it can help us through our life, we just have to use it. The Lord is always listening, "The hardest times to pray is when we need to the most" Kneel in prayer and thank the Lord for all he does for you. I know that my Redeemer lives. He knows each and everyone of us. He is mindful of your desires and dreams. He wants what is best for us. Have faith in Him, because He will never do you wrong. 

~Hermana Wilkinson

Time is flying by

I got my call March 15th 2013, and I don't report until August 7th 2013. That is a long time to wait. When I found out I had to wait that long, at first I was like why??? This doesn't make sense. Now that I only have 5 weeks and 5 days until I report, It all makes sense that I had to wait until then. I came down with Tonsillitis on Sunday Morning and I still am not feeling too good. I might have to get my tonsils out. If I reported next week (that is what I wanted because my birthday Sunday, so I for sure thought I would leave close to then) I probably wouldn't have been able to go on my mission and would have had to post pone it anyways. The Lord know me better than I know myself. It is kinda crazy, He knows when the best time for every person to report. Never question your call or you report date. He knows us so well. Also there is many blessings that have came from having to wait this long. Count your many blessing!! I love this gospel and i'm so excited to report to the Mexico MTC on August 7th. I would have had it no other way!!

~Hermana Wilkinson

I love to see the temple, I got to go inside!! :)

Holy Moly! What an adventure it has been so far, and im not even on my mission yet. Everyone who is preparing to go on a mission. GO TO THE TEMPLE AS SOON AS YOU CAN. I went May 11 and it was easily in my top 4 favorite days.

I'm not going to lie, I was so so nervous before I went through. I was like "what is going to happen?' haha come to find out that it was amazing and i'm totally addicted to going to the temple. Here is the whole run down. So My mom and I

 were suppose to be there at 2:30, I thought that it would take us a good half an hour to get to the Draper Temple

(see how pretty it is) anyways I was so wrong. Left at 1:45 and got there at 2... oops!! haha So you know when you are going to baptisms and you always wondered what is behind the desk that all the cute old men are sitting at? Well it was so weird walking to the desk instead of turning and going downstairs to do baptisms.It was the best feeling ever to know that I was worthy to enter into the Lords house. They scanned my recommend and I was off. Some people say it is weird but it was not weird to me at all. There were so many people there to support me:

Aren't they all the best!? Yup I think so also. I loved going through the temple, and I still strive to go twice a week. Here are 10 things that I would recommend people who are preparing to go through the temple:

1. RELAX,seriously tho. I think I forgot to breathe a couple times but there is someone there the whole time helping you so you will be just fine. 
2. Fast the day before. I know it is weird because most people would say fast the day of but we got there at 2 and we didnt get out until close to 7. It is a long day so you will need food or you are going to be starving and tired.
3. Make sure you take a temple prep class. If I didn't take temple prep I would have been so so so overwhelmed. Temple prep is there to help you and also it is a blast. My temple prep teacher was the best. :) 
4. Remember, It is the Lords house. It says it right on the outside:
   
   So why stress?? It is His House. Enjoy being there, it is peaceful, lovely, beautiful, breathtaking, and most of all just pure WONDERFUL. You will feel the spirit so strong I promise you, It is the best thing on the earth. No building on this planet compares to the temples!! They are stunning!! 
5. Invite as many people you want or can. Having them there is such a comfort. Instead of having the session full of people you dont know, it is way better to be able to look around and see all your friends and family smiling at the wonderful decision you made.
6. Make sure you get good rest the night before. You do not want to go to temple sleepy.. haha I have done that a couple times. But yes TRY getting some sleep, I know I was up most of the night because I was so excited. Take a sleeping  pill or something ;)
7. PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY. Pray to have peace, pray for understanding, pray for joy.... just pray! :) 
8. Read your scriptures!!! Bible Dictionary Temples and read all of those scriptures. So helpful!! 
9. Read Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple. Here is the link:  (http://www.lds.org/manual/preparing-to-enter-the-holy-temple/preparing-to-enter-the-holy-temple?lang=eng)or im pretty sure your bishop will have a copy that he will give you. (I got mine in temple prep.)  
10. Be grateful. It is a PRIVILEGE to enter the House Of the Lord.

It has been 18 days since I went through the temple and I have been back 6 times. I know that temple attend is important. We live in a world that is not always in syn with the Gospel, that is why we have temples.  To get away from the evilness of the world and become closer to our Heavenly Father. My temple prep teacher is a very wise man, he was talking about keeping our recommends valid, he said: "If our bishop got up on Sunday and said "The Lord is coming the Draper temple on Tuesday," I bet most people would be making an apt.with the Bishop to get a recommend and there is no way that the Bishop and Stake President would have time to get everyone recommends. That being said, we always need a valid recommend. You don't ever want to miss out on anything because it is expired." I know that we need to keep our recommends valid. Every 2 years we have to renew them. Every 2 year, that is not hard at all. There is so many temples out there and a lot more to still be built. Here is the link so that you can look up temple times and all the info, or you can look at the beautiful picture of all the temples. (http://www.lds.org/church/temples?lang=eng) I know that if we strive to go to the temple at least once a month that we will be blessed. We have to give some time and Our Redeemer is so merciful that he will give us a lot of blessings. I know this church is true, the book is blue. I love love love this Gospel and without it I don't know where I would be. I love Chicago already, I love the people I will serve, and I pray for them daily that they may be preparing themselves to hear the gospel. I know these things are true and I can testify that Our Savior lives. He knows each and everyone of us. He is so happy when we choose what is right. All I can say is that he is really there, THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND.

"Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation." - Psalms 24:3-5

~ Hermana Wilkinson  

Spanish Speaking?

When I first opened my call I was freaked out about going Spanish speaking. Last night on my way home I was talking to my friend about what someone said about the Church. I was highly upset. He said this "Good thing you are not going English speaking lol, you wont be able to say half that stuff in Spanish " Haha he is so right. God sent me Spanish speaking for a reason, and right now I think the reason is so I dont say the things I would say in English. I love this church and so excited to serve! In 96 days ill be a full time missionary, crazy eh? Who would have thought I was going to be a Hermana! So excited!

~A waiting Hermana 

Mission Call

Missionary Blogs, Aren't they the best!!? Many people ask did you choose to go on a mission because of the age change? "Actually no..I have wanted to go a mission my whole life but always said "If i'm not married by 21 I will serve." So actually the age change just benefited me. I went to the Bishop and got started on my papers, everyone who has done there papers this is an exciting time when you see this:

Haha for me I thought my papers were on there way to Pres. Monson, but I was wrong. Stake president interview and he says "We cant submit your papers for other 4 weeks". WHAT? NOOO!! ugh so I waited and wait and finally my Bishop said "Your call has been assigned!". Finally, So I thought well sweet, my call will be here wednesday... Wednesday came and I was so excited. Probably slept 2 hours that night. I get up and the mail lady passes me house, I LITERALLY RAN AFTER THE MAIL LADY. I finally catch up with her and said "Is my call here?" She said "No its not" I seriously broke down and started crying!! I was so mad it wasn't here. Anyways so thursday came and guess what?:

IT CAME!! sisters who are waiting on there call. I swear that special envelope will come. I had to wait a whole month of it, But it was worth it in the end. Anyways, so all my family and friends came over. Here is some of the photos of all the people who came to support me.

:) So the time finally came. "Dear Sister Wilkinson, You are hereby called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Illinois Chicago Mission. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language." HOLY COW!! :) AWW SO EXCITING:

Im so excited to serve the people of Chicago. I cant wait!! August 7th could not come faster!! I love this gospel and I know my call is from God. Im so excited to start this blog and I hope I can touch just one persons life. "I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy." -Alma 29:9

~Future Hermana Wilkinson