....and don't call me Shirley

Hello one and all! It's been another week here in Sierra Vista. We played basketball this morning. It was some really good ball. A member of our ward opens up the chapel and guys come to play every Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 5:30 AM. Some good ballers come. This morning there were even a couple of black guys that play at the local college, Cochise college. Needless to say, when the Wilson Family Olympics 2009 finally arrive, I will be prepared.

Raymundo is all set to be baptized this Saturday. I think we finally figured out his wife's doubt in that she's just scared of the actual ordinance of baptism and wants to see one and what happens before she gets baptized. So I think after she sees her husband get baptized she'll be ready.

Drama still continues with our investigators Ana and Jacqueline, but Ana is moving into a new apartment (and away from her abusive husband) tomorrow so things should get better after that.

This morning at basketball there was a guy visiting some family here in Sierra Vista who actually lives in San Ramon. Small world.

Yesterday at church I was translating for all of the English speakers during sacrament meeting (All the english speakers pick up ear phones coming in and I talk into a headset) and there were a lot of them because a lot of people had family in town for the 4th of July. Anyways, there was a lul in the testimony meeting where nobody was getting up and so I whispered "C'mon English speakers... you're slacking." They all started cracking up and the rest of the congregation was a little confused about why 20 people scattered throughout the chapel started laughing at the same time.

Then I got up and bore my testimony. Mostly to bare my testimony, but partially because I wanted my companion to translate the rest of the meeting (which he did).

I also have a sign off now "This has been a product of Wilson broadcasting, please tune in again next week."

Well this last week we received a referral for Bisbee (we cover Bisbee in Spanish) that was only available on Saturdays. So it was that on the 4th of July we ended up in one of the most bizarre towns in the world. First of all, it's an old, dead mining town (whatever they used to mine is all gone now) and there's a gigantic pit in the middle of the town. I mean huge. Obviously it's fenced off so you don't fall but it's pretty crazy to go and look at.

Also, because people were selling off their property cheap when the mine stopped (The town went from 60,000 to 5,000 I'm told) a bunch of hippies moved in so that they could have cheap property and barely have to work. So the place is filled with hippies, all natural co-op stores, weird murals, and every other strange thing you can imagine. Needless to say, contacting there was a little rough.

To make the situation even MORE bizarre, it was the 4th of July and they have some 4th of July traditions that have been going on there since forever. They had dry rock drilling contests (where they see who can hammer a nail into a rock the furthest in 10 minutes) and rock shoveling contests. It was just weird to see the old miner traditions and influences combined with the uber-hippy tendencies of the city now. It created a legacy that can only be described as bizarre.

4th of July was good. We watched fireworks from our roof. Other than that it was just pretty hard. People were in the mood to party, not hear about the restored gospel.

Well I'm in good health and spirits. I love you all very much. Thanks for all of the support.

Love,

Elder Wilson

PS Dad, I did get your letter, thanks.