Ipanema B (BdG) 7-7-2014

Olá família! Quero lhes apresentar o meu último email da minha missão! Foi uma aventura legal, um tempo de crescer e aprender, servir e amar.

Parece que tudo que vale a pena escrever acontece logo depois de mandar os emails no P-Day. 7 dias atras, foi assim:

Sunday we marked a Family Home Evening with [names redacted]. I could tell that [name redacted] was a bit hesitant about committing, and said that they wouldnt be able to give us esfihas that they always had at Family nights with us (its an arab fast food from Habib's, basically mini arab pizzas) and I told her it wasnt a problem.

Monday morning, I went preparing a message to leave with them that night, and I couldnt decide what to say. Pablo was going to be there, and two recent converts [name redacted] and [name redacted], so I wanted it to be extra special. I decided to show the video Missionay Work and the Atonement and apply it to our lives. After the Family night and lanche, Irmã [name redacted] took me aside and told me that the message I shared had answered her prayers. It was a really special moment. Even when we are feeling inadequate and unprepared, but give our best anyway, we can still do the Lords work.

Dad, I about had a heart attack when I read about the memory card. A small part of me couldnt accept that you didnt check first, but the bigger part just kind of sunk and froze. :P Master is tricksy.

Ah yeah, my temple recommend is expired. That is quite a problem. :/ Well, thats okay then, I can wait a bit. :)

Mom, could we stop at 5 Guys on the way from the airport? And this next part is kind of crazy. I want cold cereal Wednesday morning with an unopened gallon of milk. :D:D

Unfortunately, the temple wont return to the original, they already started construction on it. Its been approved and everything, but oh well. :/

You dont have to worry about making former President and Sister Souza feel obligated from your present. They liked it a lot. :)

Well, the last letter has come to a close. Sorry there isnt much news, just work as usual. We are going to pray for a miracle that [name redacted] will have the desire to be baptized this week and be prepared for baptism, which is much more important. Prayers for her and her family's behalf would be much appreciated, thanks! :)

Well, until next week!

~Elder Wille

P.S. Mom, when is the welcome home lunch? You can invite all the people that you feel appropriate. :) All the listed families can come and would be welcome if they would like.

Ipanema B (BdG) 30-6-2014

Hello family and friends, and welcome to the penultimate mission letter that I will be sending. Things are winding down to a nice end, the mission presidency has been changed, Irmão Francisco and Irmã Elaine Souza are now comfortably relaxing in Curitiba, and President and Sister Bonini (Like the pill bonine, with an E on the end) are now in command of the mission, from the moment they set foot in Fortaleza at afternoon. I havent had the opportunity to meet him yet, theres going to be a welcome conference when we will officially meet him for the first time.

The Goodbye conference for former President Souza (SOH-zah) I bore my final testimony (almost forgot how to spell that) and Sister Souza gave every Elder a departing hug. As for their plans when they arrive in October, I havent the foggiest. Just that they will probably now have a detour to Texas Roadhouse. I can keep in touch with them when I return. :)

I dont know if they have informed you yet, but when Elder Andersen was here, they made the final decisions for the temple here in Fortaleza. They had to change some stuff, cause the goverment is being difficult. They said its too tall and they have risks of airplanes where the temple is. I dont know how thats possible, when the apartment buildings on Beira Mar beach are much taller, and other apartments less than a mile from the airport are also really tall. The mayor or governer doesnt like the church, so it may have something to do with it. The modified design is much less attractive in my opinion, a fusion of the Nauvoo and Curitiba temples.

Mom, Im in the Brasil Fortaleza Mission, not the East. (West hasnt been formed yet, probably in the next few years. The interior is exploding!)

The cookies arrived a little melted together, but entirely intact. :)

President and Sister Souza dont speak hardly any english, just a few phrases here and there. Mom, that fast that you did really helped me, thank you so much! It passed quickly and now its not a bother at all! :) I found a conference talk that I think you might like, especifically the last half. Its from October 2013 conference by Elder Eyring, called To My Grandchildren. I think its worth taking a look at. And in church one of the counselors gave a very interesting talk about if the Savior visited our home, what would we do? Would we be able to let Him in right then, or would ask just a minute and run around hiding and cleaning stuff? Would we wish He hadnt seen that last scene on the TV, or hurry and switch our music to hymns? It was really interesting, and a bit of a sting, but it teaches an important principle, that we should always have our house in a state to receive a Celestial Guest.

Dad, thanks for the advice! I think maybe hibernating in the theater isnt such a good idea then after all? :D hahaha. What is Hand, Foot and Mouth disease? Does it come from babies' habit of sticking anything and everything in their mouths?

Im sorry the trip to Powell wasnt as sporty and exciting as other times. I wonder why fishing is becoming so difficult, it used to be really easy to get at least something. Are the mussels having an impact yet?

Congrats on keeping up with the young whipper snappers!

Once again, I cant believe that its all coming to a close, it doesnt seem real.

Well, I gotta go now. Brasil is playing here in Fortaleza this Friday, which is going to be absolutely NUTS!!!! The US is doing really well this year, they managed to stay in so far. Brasil isnt doing as good as it usually should. They tie a lot with people they should beat soundly, but its okay. Win or lose, Friday is going to be very hard to work, and nothing is going to get done after the game. Wish us luck!

~Elder Wille!

Ipanema B (Buraco da Gia) 23-6-2014

Hello family and everyone!

Wow, the time is flying by! We had a few things go awry this week. We had planned 11 people to visit the Lords house, but 3 or 4 at a time they dropped faster than flies. We ended up with just one, but she is almost a guarenteed baptism. Her name is [name redacted], 28, and used to go to the Universal Church, but its been more than 10 years since she went. She needs an answer to know that her pastor doesnt have authority, and then she should be able to be baptized soon after. Im pretty sure she lives most of the commandments, maybe just not coffee.

We also had a couple called [names redacted] and they werent progressing. We were just about to put them in the area book for later, when it turned out that [name redacted] put [name redacted] out of the house. She was the one interested in our messages, and sadly [name redacted] was playing the dead-weight role. Im sad that it has to be this way, but at least [name redacted] can have the chance to recieve the blessings of the atonement in her life. [name redacted] is now living with his dad, so at least he has a place to stay.

We watched Sinbad today! Its a movie that I rather like, and it came out 11 years ago! Ive had a hankering to watch it, and Elder Lessa just happened to choose it! For being pretty old movie-wise, the animation is stunning!

Um, there really isnt anything more to say. I made frozen hot chocolate that went really well, and Im going to buy pizza for everyone on my last Saturday. It doesnt seem like my time is almost up, but it will be really nice to have a break. Its been such a great experience, its amazing how much a person grows in adversity. Oh, President Souza got the card to Texas Road House, but he says he doesnt know how to use it. I will explain to him at the Goodbye Conference this Wednesday. I believe this is his last week here. On the third of July, we have the Hello Conference of President Bonini.

Well, I think thats about it! I will talk to you all next week for my penultimate mission letter!

~Elder Wille

Ipanema B 16-6-2014

Hi Family!

I have to be really fast today, |m sorry that It will probably be a short letter.

We confirmed [name redacted] and he already recieved the Priesthood! (aaronic) the baptisms are a little slower than we would like, and we are probably going to have to cut a family that we loved teaching. :( Someone else will come and harvest the seeds we planted. The husband [name redacted] stopped progressing, and doesnt want to mark a marriage date. They already plan to get married, but felt a whisper that he isnt ready yet.

Um, what else in terms of news. The World Cup is a bit different. We have to stay inside, so I took the time to make some brownies! They turned out really good.

We watched The Lion King today, and theres one part that made all of us SUPER trunky, it wasnt even funny. And we made at least 10 gospel/mission jokes as the movie went on. :)

Um, so theres really not much news to tell you guys, sorry! The most exciting stuff is trunky, so.... yeah. I hope you guys have an excellent time at Lake Powell! Dad, thanks for the trunky quote! :) Apesar do planejamento e comentários, eu não estou muito trunky. Só as vezes. Mas agora preciso ir, até mais família!

~Elder Wille

Ipanema 9-6-2014

5,  4,  3,  2,  1, at 14h20 I will be landing in the Salt Lake City International Airport. :) Passing from Fortaleza to São Paulo (Guarulhos, the airport that I arrived at for the MTC) to New Yorks JFK airport to SLC.

Hello family! I have some news today for you guys! I got my trunky papers!!!!!! I bet you guys couldnt tell! :P hahaha.

Okay, now the real news. We had a baptism! And it wasnt the grandma, its a youth called Jonathan with 16 years. (age wise) His brother is already a member, so he has some company! We will continue to see how hes going and help him in what he needs spiritual wise.

Well, we have a few more baptisms lined up! We are teaching lots of people (most of the people have never heard of the Church) and so its hectic in teaching everyone! we have around 7 people progressing in one week of work! My problem is I want to focus in on these people and not find new people, which kind of creates a problem.

Oh yes, because of the lack of water in the chapel, we had to fill the font up with buckets from the well. Its probably 150 feet from the well to the font, and I carried two 4 gallon buckets, one in each hand. I think around 20 times or so. My shoulders are still recovering, and I think I will end up looking like the Incredible Hulk from the chest up. :)

We caught a Lizard, and instead of his belly being blue, his back is green! It looks like someone painted his back, but its the real color. I got a picture so you can see it. Sarah, Im also taking lots of close-up pictures of bugs here. :) Even a few cockroaches! :D I hope you like them!

Today we watched Brother Bear in Portuguese. Its been a while since Ive seen it, so it was a bit of a referesher. Its not super high on my list, but its kind of a cute movie. The moose are much funnier in English, I have to say.

The world cup is on the doorstep! Everyone is putting up decorations, and all are identical. It consists of twine strung across the street (15 feet up or so) all parallel every 2 feet, with ruler size pieces of green and yellow plastic dangling from the twine. Its kinda cool, the strands blow in the wind and stuff. When Brazil plays, we have to return home during the game, cause itll be a bit dangerous and nobody will want to hear us. But its going to be cool. We cant watch the games either. :/ Oh well.

Mom, Im doing well. I dont know if the card has arrived yet or not. Did my package arrive yet? I sent it before Pablos documents, and it had the same number of days for arrival. I wonder if they sent it to Japan again...

Mom, what did you mean when you said that we can do Breakfast? I didnt quite get that.

Dad, the picture of your thumb is quite.... lovely... :D ahahaha. Im so glad its doing better! I think the pictures will be better when I get home, and maybe after hibernating and watching the movies that I missed. :P ahhahaha! I cant believe that its ending! I know I already said it, but really! I cant believe its practically over! Did you cry at some point when you came home? One thing Im curious about, how does it feel that your only son will have completed an honorable full time mission?

Well, sorry this letter isnt super interesting! I will have lots of stories to tell when I get back. I love you all! Im counting on one hand now, and staying busy. I know the Atonement is real. Elder Christofferson said something in conference last year that I read today. All the unfair things we pass through will be made right. Our wounds of innocent suffering can be healed if we do our part. We can find peace. And now family, até mais!

~Elder Wille

Ipanema - Buraco do Gia 2-6-2014

Hello family! Hows everyone doing? Im pretty fired up this week!

We have lots of work to do! The few alleys we were working gave us a few problems, cause Its actually another stake... >.> so we had to move somewhere else, but still in Ipanema Ward. Weve hardly walked the streets, and we already have a baptism waiting for us! We lost all of our investigators to the other stake, but Heavenly Father blessed us with this instead! :) Theres also a referral for us too!

I did something even better than draw Arches onmy planner. :D I printed out delicate arch, and put that on the back of my planner! And totop it off, I cut out the aviãozinho from the bonine box and put that under the plastic that holdsit all together! :) Its pretty trunky. :D heheheh.

Dad, those pictures are pretty cool! That was the worst part for me here, the description didnt really affect me. :)

Elder Parkhurst was transferred, and an Elder is with us now. Hes from Brasília, and... I think hes doing better than his reputation. Lets just say that President Souza asked him if he wanted to return home. (and President Souza does everything to keep people on the mission) Today I heard him and Elder Dos Santos talking, and it looks like he is wanting to do better. I hope that is the case, he will be so much happier.

We watched Tarzan today, it was cool in Portuguese. I understood practically everthing, and even more than I remember in english. :)

Mom, I think its a super idea on the Texas Roadhouse thing! Ive eaten beans almost every day, but Istill like them a lot. Just not beans in water, like a lot of people do down here. :) Maple is just what they say down here. Xarope (shar-OH-pi) is syrup, I dont know why they dont use it. I dont have anything in mind from King Arthur, sorry!

Man, I cant believe all this iscoming to an end! And Dad, it is getting a bit bumpy. :S maybe quite a bit? But oh well. This final stretch, Im goingto do my very best. Im going towork hard until the very end! Love you all, see you next month!

~Elder Wille

O Fim Se Aproxima (Parque Universitário 26-5-2014)

Yes, I am that trunky. :P Well, only sometimes. I seem to be getting trunkier and I dont like it. :( And to top it off, I made a cover for my last planner! I printed the picture of Delicate Arch and put it on the back with a little airplane flying home. :D Its my last planner, my last 6 weeks of being a full time missionary. I cant believe its the end!

Well, this week was stake conference, and President and Síster Souza talked in both Saturday Night and Sunday morning sessions. Sunday it was short, but Saturday was really good. Sister Souza talked about using Mormon words when you bater papo to help people get to know the church, and President Souza called the stakes attention to help the missionaries, reading off the statistics. Basically from what I remember, here is what it said this.

Of the new investigators found,

40% - Talk with everyone

20% - Referral

I forgot the rest.

Of the total people baptized:

48% - Member Referral

25% - Less Active/Partial Families

17% - Talk with Everyone

8% - Tracting

2% - Other

President Souza said outright that Tracting does not work here, the people dont want to know about our message.

Its true, even though here they are more warm and less hostile. They will listen and even agree to the teachings, but when it comes to put it in practice they make some excuse. My theory is that there is more or less some kind of equalizer in all areas, regardless on which continent it is, that it is equally hard to find elect. Teaching is easier in some areas, harder in others. Some will teach 20 people in a week and find one elect, others will teach 5 people in a week and also find one elect. Just an opinion of mine.

Okay, other news. We got 3 people to church this week! And the car didnt break down! :) Two girls of ages 16 and 17 (the mom had to work) and a lad that has (is) 13. We are going to try and baptize [name redacted] this week, one of the girls that went with us. If she isnt ready we wont. We also are teaching a few other people. [name redacted] has 3 kids of 7 years, 4 years, and one month, and she lives alone. We started teaching [name redacted] and her husband [name redacted], and she would have gone to church, but had to travel. This week she will go with us! :) Im super happy!

Elder Lessa is indeed conversing more. Our walks to Bela Vista are much more entertaining now. :) Someone asked how he and his Japanese girlfriend got to know one another. Theres a lot of Japanese immigrants in São Paulo, and here animé is a very common thing. Alisha and Sarah just rolled their eyes. :P

Ummmm, Im still playing piano? Im learning the left hand of Vede Morreu o Redentor #110. Ive forgotten which one in english. >.> Its not terribly hard, and Im seeing lots of progress! :)

Oh oh! We watched Cars 2 in portuguese today, but it was filmed by a camcorder in the theater and really hard to hear. I liked it, not as much as others, but I think its worth seeing another time or two. :)

Hope you liked the letter, sorry for lack of news. Not a whole lot has happened. Just that every single week, at least one person gets sick. We havent had one entire week with everyone healthy. I think we got 6 days at the most. Must be the lack of veggies here. ;)

~Elder Wille

Parque Universitário 19-5-2014

Ei família!!! Como vocês estão? Estão trunky demais??? Eu estou bem, não muito trunky. As vezes bate, mas só de vez em quando.

Okay, so we finally were able to bring people to church today! Even though the car broke down after 50 feet and the battery died. We ended up waiting for the bishop to pick up his car and take the two to the chapel. It almost didnt happen, but we hung in there and it worked out! The bishop only had room for the investigators, so Lavosieux got his other car (a glorified, street legal go-kart. Actually its a dune buggy) and we went to church in that! It was a bit scary, cause there is zero accident protection, and the entire car weighs about 700 pouds. Just a guess.

Funny story time! by the way, this letter is going to be a monster.

So we have this canal that runs by our area, and it always has 4 or 5 inches of water passing in it, and it smells awful. This week it rained pretty good, and we took cover on the edge of said canal. It rained pretty good, and the river got pretty high, and all kinds of small garbage floated by. We talked about grabbing something to raft the river and rapids that appeared a hundred yards down. Suddenly, Elder Lessa calls my attention upriver, to a bright orange thing floating in the water. (no dead bodies Dad, sorry) The thing was a tattered broken capsized sofa floating down the river! It didnt drag on the ground or anything, just bobbed downriver. We got a good laugh out of that, but the best is yet to come! 10 or so minutes later, we see yet ANOTHER sofa! But this one is even better, right side up, and almost brand new! We laughed pretty hard, but I think you had to have been there to understand the complete irony.

The conference with Elder Andersen was absolutely spectacular!!! They combined the missions Fortaleza and Fortaleza East, and we took pictures with Elder Andersen. Hes been an Apostle for 5 years, and he talked a lot about sharing the Atonement with our investigators. He didnt outright say it, but I learned that the key to real conversion is in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He also touched on and confirmed various ideas that Ive had throughout the mission on how to do the work, and this was one of them. He also said that we shouldnt baptize too soon, wait a bit to baptize. There has to be a change of heart to be baptized. Not complete, but it has to start for the time to be right.

During his talk/training, he invited the presidents of both missions to offer a 3 minute comment on Elder Bednar's talk from last conference about Loads and Progression. When President Souza talked, the Spirit went through the roof!

The entire atmosphere was amazing. Right when Elder Andersen walked in, a peace filled the room, and just looking at him, you know that he represents the Lord. Theres just a big feeling of calm.

Mom, you would absolutely love talking with his wife. She participated too, sharing testimonies and experiences. I dont know who she reminds me of, but I know you would really like chatting with her. :)

Elder Andersen talked mostly in Portuguese, a bit broken with a few words in spanish and french, and a noticable french pronunciation on the Rs. But I think everybody understood, the Spirit speaks only one language.

Dad, the idolatry pictures are quite hilarious! I got a good kick out of them. I actually do have a bit of an interest how the garden is coming along. Thanks for sending pictures, its looking very nice!

Pablo conveniently forgot to mention the Semi truck. I think he thought I would worry too much, but if everything is okay, then Im not worried. The gouge in the car looks pretty knarly!

In answer to your question, I miss Mexican food quite terribly. Almost, in the beginning I did, but Ive gotten used to not having it. I will most definitely love having it back. :D

Thanks for your uplifting words Dad. Only 8 more weeks! :P I cant believe its ending already! It kind of eats my soul knowing that soon I have to leave all this behind. Im pretty sure Im going to cry when my nametag comes off. Did you cry when you were released?

Dad, I sent Pablos documents to be translated to you guys. He gave me money to put in my account, which you will take out to pay for the translation, but I dont know how to make a deposit in Brasil. Im pretty sure I remember my account number (not a good idea to say it here) Theres a Citibank in Aldeota that might work.

Mom, Im sorry I didnt write hardly anything to you. :( But know that I love and miss you very much! :D Just one month and 20 days! (says Elder Gonçalves)

Love you all! Enjoy the monster letter and the stories! :) I'll be home for Christmas....kinda! :) Tchauuuuuuuuu!

~Elder Wille

Parque Universitário 5-5-2014

Uau família! Como o tempo voa!!! No tacos here, they dont even have tortillas! D: I cant make myself a dang quessadilla! :O

Quick trunky update! I can count the number of weeks left on my fingers... D:

Dad, how many seconds are left? :D hahaha. We are thinking that Elder Dos Santos, his companion, and Elder Lessa are going to be the ones to kill me, that I will finish my mission here. Elder Parkhurst will probably be transferred beforehand.

Okay, so we had an interesting week. We FINALLY got solidly working in Bela Vista, and its going pretty good! We taught the Plan of Salvation to a lady, who lost her mom some time ago, and started crying in the lesson. She accepted Elder Lessa's invite to be baptized, and to get married first to her husband!

We also found a youth named [name redacted] (16 years old) and he is awesome! Frequently we ask questions for people to reflect on and apply the principle, and 95 percent of the time the answer is "I dunno," but [he] understood and responded really well!

Until now, we have only had one baptism, [name redacted]. Hes 63, lives alone, but accepted the gospel really well. The other two baptisms are from Elder Dos Santos and Parkhurst, and they are [names redacted]. Dad, Im not sure which picture they posted. Nazareno is a pretty beefy guy, and Francisco is smaller than me, and [name redacted] was the other companionship's.

Elder Lessa is pretty cool! He talks a lot more to Elder Dos Santos, them being from the same state and all. But hes a really good missionary, has a Japanese girlfriend, and yeah! I think I already said that hes the only church member in his family. It just kind of hit me now how little I know about him. I think another week and we will be conversing quite a bit, and I will know more about him. :) I ask questions and all about him, his family, etc. and he answers, but doesnt continue the conversation. Itll all go good this week. :)

Mom and Dad, I think you will be happy to know that I played the hymns in Sacrament Meeting yesterday! (simplified to melody and chords) Do What is Right, Jesus Once of Humble Birth, and Redeemer of Israel were the selected hymns. I practiced for about an hour, and it was the first time I played in front of people except the 15 seconds in [names redacted]'s baptism (which was just a one handed melody)

I LOVED the photos! Rock of Ages is very pretty, and Kami turned purple? Minha nossa!

Sorry for the confusion about work Dad. My idea is that during the summer after the semester of Snow I can work for Jordan. I dont know the details, so its not a superb judgment call. Im thinking that maybe not working during the semester and keeping the two scholarships plus Top Job during the summer is what Id like to do. Unless Snow has a summer semester, then I have to rethink things. What's your opinion?

The Snow scholarship frees me from tuition, and the Regents is a small bonus for books and stuff. Regents only gives the extra $1,000 the first payment, so Im aware that the amount will be smaller this time around.

About calling Elder Damásio, I dont think it would be such a good idea. President Souza is already pretty vehement about keeping calls strictly to our leaders, no parallel calls especially outside the zone. Theres been quite a few problems, so I dont think it would be a good idea. Im sending him an email though. :)

Today we watched The Croods in Portuguese, and then I watched a clip in English and I have to say, the voice of Grug is much better in Portuguese... >.> Does anyone know of a place or website that I can get movies voiced over in Brazilian Portuguese?

I sent off the long-awaited package to you guys! I kinda combined some Christmas and birthday presents, I hope you like them! I got something for Hayden too. It should leave today, and arrive in 15 to 18 useful days/business days. Dias úteis? It came to 132 Reais for shipping. Theres a really awesome fruit that you have to try here. I couldnt send the fruit itself or the pulp, so I had an awesome idea of how to send it to you. Youll find out when it gets there! One fruit thing for everyone!

Well, this letter is getting pretty big, I think I better send it off! When you get trunky, just sing an altered version of Santa Clause is coming to Town, but put Elder Wille instead of Santa Clause. ;) guarenteed to help!

Inspiration that I learned this week. In a position of leadership, we need to be real friends with our counselors, not just someone to turn to when we cant do something. It really helps the work go forward. :) Okay, times up, until next time! Bye!

~Elder Wille

Parque Universitário 28-4-2014

Hello everyone! Yep, I stayed here in Antônio Bezerra and Elder Damásio went off to Ala Cidade Oeste (West City Ward) in Litoral stake. I passed in the neighboring area long ago, remember Boatan? Its been a year since I was there, how strange!

Trunky update: I can almost count the weeks on my hands! This transfer is only 5 weeks, and the next is regular 6.

I have some important news! Elder Savaryn and Elder Tamanho were made Zone Leaders today, and Elder Tenney is now a District leader! My kids and companions are all growing up...

My current companion is Elder Lessa, from the São Paulo state as well as São Paulo the capital city. He lives in the South Zone, and is the only member of his family who is a member of the church. Elder Benitez stayed a night in the same house, (the Zone leaders live in 4 with them) and had some really favorable remarks about him. Im pretty excited to be working with him.

More big news! We can use skype on Mothers day Sunday this time!!!! But we have to do it in the chapel on the computer, and that means using someone elses internet. >.> I will have more details later as to what time and stuff later. :)

Elder Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve is coming to Fortaleza on May 19th! And we get to participate! Its going to be so awesome, and they are doing a combined Fortaleza and Fortaleza east missions!

Dad, I think Im okay with missing my first day of class. The assignments are usually light on that day. Im honestly a bit relieved that it isnt Mr Platt. Hes a good person and really smart, but his teaching technique is a bit confusing. Thanks for your efforts in getting my schedule together, its good to stay out of trouble. Im okay with not working during the semester, cause Jordan will probably want me back at Top Job asap.

My name appears on my passport is that same spelling, but in all caps. Id like to spend most of the time seeing the places that I couldnt before. Be sure to include some time to browse the downtown, cause the girls are going to love shopping.

Mom, my package did arrive! without a ransom note too! :) Im going to pick it up today, and we shall feast! :) I dont have any requests for the last one, cause I will be coming home very shortly after. I think I can stand two weeks. :)

We are having quite a bit of rain that I forgot to mention in the last 4 weeks. Just about every day it rains for a bit, but usually stops before we go and work. I think the rain has missed only 3 or 4 days. It seems a bit cooler, but its extremely humid and stuffy. :) Oh yeah, the best!

There isnt a Walmart in Fortaleza, but there is a Sams Club that I think I talked about. Its in the other mission, so we cant go. :(

I got to see Frozen all the way through and it was AWESOME!!! And today we watched Turbo, which was cool. It got my blood racing a bit (no pun intended) but the engine layout when he gets zapped by the NOS is grossly inaccurate. :D

Well, I gotta get this sent off! Thanks everyone for your support, kindness, and best wishes! Im just around the corner!
Com amor,

~Elder Wille

Parque Universitário 21-4-2014

Oi família! como vocês estão??

tenho vontade de escrever em português, mas acho que vou trocar de línguas umas vezes.

Nós tivemos mais notícias esta vez! Uma irmã pediu uma bênção de saúde, e foi muito especial. As coisas para falar vieram tão claro na minha mente, e apesar de ela ser mulher, ela nos abraçou depois. Foi muito especial, e depois nós demos uma bênção em outro irmão.

Estamos conquistando a confiança dos membros numa ala que também tem problemas de gostar de Élderes. Pouco a pouco, um por um, as pessoas estão confiando em nós quatro.

I watched the first part of Frozen last week, but we had to leave early. We got everything ready this time, and today Im going to watch the whole thing! Im super stoked, cause I absolutely LOVED the part that I saw! The duet with Ana and Elsa in the Ice Castle was absolutely beautiful! And we ended right around the giant snow monster. I repeat, Im super stoked!!!

Dad, thanks for your input and counsel. If its meant to happen, it will happen. Ive written a letter to at least break the ice and gain a new friend, no harm in that. :) thanks again!

That photography class sounds awesome! Ive been seriously considering selling some of my stuff that I dont use, and buying an SLR camera. An Elder here has one, and I used it a bit, plus Teri has one and makes a small portion off of it. I thought about maybe doing the same thing, and a photography class would be really fun! (I enjoyed the one in High school)

Mom, did you know that they have nutella here? :O yup! They even have a Walmart in Curitiba! Elder Damásio almost dies when he sees american food. Im sure that President and Sister Souza will love whatever you send to them. I dont know their plans during conference, I just know that they are going to the October sessions.

And I made an error about Goianean cheese. Its the best in Brasil, not the world. Sorry about that!

Brownies, I think I can wait a month or two. I also have a recipe here in the star wars cookbook. :)

About Mr. Platt, he was my math teacher last year. Im just curious if its him again, cause he teaches Calc 1 and 2.

Palhaçada is a clown act, the goofs that they do.

Well, I gotta close this letter! Hope everything is well with you guys! Have a great day!

~Elder Wille

Ipanema 14-4-2014

Hello family! How is everyone doing?

Trunky update. Give or take an hour or two, I will be boarding the plane in exactly 3 months from now. :S Its all ending! Yet there is still a lot to be done, and a good amount of time to do it.

This week we baptized Francisco! Hes 63 years old, and I had to do it twice, but thats okay! I know numbers arent what count, but I think have 29 or 30 baptisms total. Its a bit low for Fortaleza average, but I dont mind in the slightest. My mission here isnt being a batizador, and Im fine with that.

Okay, so I really dont have news again. The area is just kind of slow, we are reduced to knocking doors and taking heat from our Zone leaders. We are working hard, but our numbers dont show it. We are going to try and unite the members and get them excited about the gospel in general. (at least sacrament meeting is VERY quiet. :D)

The fad on the mission right now is tons of short lessons. A few companhionships are getting over 50 lessons a week, but with very few results. Im sad, cause this is number work, and they are always getting after me because I dont teach like that. Oh well, I just have to do what is right, and keep on working.

Mom, President and Sister Souza are leaving the last week of June, and they will be at the conference center in October. :) How cool is that?

Im so glad that you liked the music that I sent. I was just going to recommend it off-handedly, but then I felt that you would need it. :) And I dont know the translation of palhaçada yet, sorry! Im forgetting english again. :/

Dad, I would like to keep my scholarship. If I need more hours, I think I will take Intro to Engineering. I know its kind of unnecessary, but a few friends last year took it and liked it a lot. (Maybe its just because they play with those high-tech legos that I have...) In the afternoon once a week sounds better for me.

From my experience, Im much more interested in the physics stuff than chemistry or biology. My biggest thing is that from my experience at fold3 I want to be more involved in hands-on stuff, and less at a desk. I know that desk work is going to be part of it, I just dont want that to be the major thing most of the time. And that maybe wont be sufficient to keep the scholarship. I do want to keep it unless its majorly out of my way. Thank you so much for the time you are taking to help me out with this, I really appreciate it!

Is there a light culinary course that I could use to bump up my credits? Or maybe a music class? It may not be conducive to my rigorous major, or I could focus more on study now and work during the summer and during fall semester. Just some ideas.

Is my math teachers name Mr. Platt by chance?

Ah, sorry its another short email. :( Really, there isnt a whole lot happening. Our Joseph Smith lady is lying to avoid us. D: but the work goes on. Shall we not go on in so great a cause?

Com amor,

~Elder Wille

Ipanema 7-4-2014

Dear family,

This week was crazy, but also kind of slow. Weve been knocking doors in a more inspired way than just randomly, but so far its only slightly improved. We are going to work with the members more closely to help us, cause up to now we havent recieved any referrals. President Souza recommends to not exert ourselves in the group, because its not a great division, and its really far away for us. So we are working with Elder dos Santos and Elder Parkhurst. (from Taubaté, São Paulo and Oxford, Alabama respectively. E Parkhurst is the other elder in the foto with conference)

We succeeded in finding a complete family though! The lady is like a modern day Joseph Smith! She had all the same questions, same doubts, etc etc etc! Sadly she couldnt go to conference, so we are going to pass by today. She is most likely an elect of the Lord, I can feel it. I just hope that she holds to the promptings of the Spirit.

We have a baptism lined up for this week! He is an investigator from the Parque Universitário area, was being taught by the elders before us, and his name is Francisco José de Souza. Hes 63, and has quite a few worries. His wife died 4 months ago, and his financial situation isnt the best, but he is using  his faith that the gospel is the best path he can take.

Elder Damásio and I are doing well. He went with me to the hospital when i was sick. I apparently had an intestinal infection, and for that reason I couldnt consume dairy products. :/ and all the good stuff has milk or cheese in it, but Im better now! Completely backto normal.:)

Oh, back to Elder Damásio, he is really cool, and even though everybody says it, he is really funny. I think his favorite phrase (boa sorte esse ph, F é melhor :D) is que palhaçada é essa?

He loves and misses good cheese. The best cheese is made not in Wisconsin, but in Goiania, where he was born. :) Here, the cheese is pretty low quality, so nobody get some hopes up.

Okay, so he is the youngest missionary here or something, cause he turned 18 and then left the next month on the mission. Hes a really good friend, is dedicated, and is in love with Christina Aguilara.

Conference was really good! The intervals were killer though, cause we had to stay at the Parquelândia stake center. We didnt want to go home, only to turn around and ride the bus back. I learned and practiced more piano! After less than 48 total hours of pracitce, I can play a few hymns! (just melody on the right hand and chords on the left hand) but I can make it sound pretty good! :) Dad, I think you will be very impressed. Its really basic, but considering that I learned basically everything here, its a good start. I missed you a ton. In light of Elder Eyrings talk, I just wanted you to know that you are my hero! :)

Dad, Elder Damásio wanted me to send you a link to a site (in portuguese) that combines flights with hotels. Its another option to look at, so here it is. www.decolar.com (decolar means to take off)

And for anyone who is interested, I have developed a great love for church music. Mom and Dad, I encourage you to take a look (listen?) to the CD Tribute to the Prophet Joseph Smith. Its so uplifting and brings an incredible spirit! Also the EFY cd Courage to Stand Strong has a few songs that I absolutely love, and one from EFY 1999 called Perfect Love. Please especially listen to this last one Mom, I think you will like it a lot, and I get the feeling that the message it has will help you. I dont know in what, but I think it really will help.

I also found a quote that was really cool. While we try to see where the gospel fits in our lives, only Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know how to fit our lives into the Gospel.

Mom, especially for you, I dont know how it went exactly, but its in the March Liahona/ensign on the inside cover. Motherhood is not a hobby, its not something we do if we have time to squeeze it in, but it is our calling, our privelege to care for Heavenly Fathers children. I thought especially of you when I saw this, I remembered your actions living this principle when you could have chosen to do something else to use your time. I know I added to the quote, but thats what I need to say.

Dad or mom, could you send me an attatched picture of Delicate Arch? Id like to draw it somewhere on my last few planners.

Dad, I did pass the AP Calc test, and took Calc 1 at snow. Which class is math 1210?

Well, my fingers are about falling off! :) jk, but time to end this beast. Hope you all like the music! I will write next week!

~Elder Wille

P.S. Did I write enough this time? I know there isnt a lot about the work, sorry about that. Theres just not a whole lot of action like my last areas.

And Mom, Ive been curious for a bit, and the video refereshed my curiosity. What did the priesthood blessing say when you were pregnant with me, from what you remember?

Parque Universitário - Ipanema 31-3-2014

Hello family and friends from all parts of the world!

Today it rained while we are writing, and it was kinda strong too, I got a bit worried that we would have to ride a rainy bus, but its okay.

Wow, lots has happened in the week. As some of you know, I got pretty sick. (surprise mom!) After almost exactly a year, I went to ye olde´ hospital again! three liters of soro! and the line got pinched in the hospital recliner, so the needle punctured the other wall of my vein and made a bubble of liquid next to my elbow. :D that was interesting. So I got a fever of 101.7F ish, and the next day it got up to 38.8C. (someone do the math for me?) Im okay now, the fever went away, Im working normally, just cant eat anything that has leite (milk) or milk products (cheese, butter, etc) for a week. And almost everything down here has powdered milk!!! >:(

My area really is two streets. And talking about that, its so small that I think President Souza is going to close it. :( but I dont believe it was because of my work, nor the 'demotion.' I figured I was rebaixado to let the rising generation get some experience. 80% of the mission has less than a year in the field. It is a bit weird, cause I was used to Elder Tenney and Elder Benitez, both a bit quiet with regards to planning and stuff, and now Im the first counselor, not the final decision maker. Not that its a bad thing, its just kind of weird not having the control of everything that goes on. It is a nice bit of a break.

Mom and Dad, I just want to say that the movie that Pablo put together was super special for me. :) It was a very huge and welcome surprise! thank you so very much for taking so much time with Pablo to put it together! Pablo prayed to be inspired on what to write, and he hit the nail on the head. What a stellar job! You guys have to see it sometime, Ive asked him how he can do that. I absolutely loved it!!!

Some less reverent comments:

I didnt know I was so fluffy when I was a kid! And I can see why the girls thought I was nerdy. :P hahaha.

Dad, you have changed so much! I didnt know you were just skin and bones when we were kids. All the yardwork and stuff has put some more meat on you. :) But no matter what, I miss you more than words can describe, and conference vai ser muito lonely, those Priesthood session dinners together are some of my fondest memories. Logo voltaremos a jantar novamente. :) Thank you for those stories about the missionaries, it helps me raise my vision a bit to more possibilities, even though it probably wont be a duplicate of these stories. I am having a tiny bit of difficuly in keeping motivated, do you have any suggestions?

I didnt see a lot of Mom in the pictures, just the clip at the end, but I have to say that in these short months, you too have changed a bit. And not just more tan. ;) but since I left, you have become more... Im not good at lots of words, but Id have to say you look even more majestic and graceful. Ive missed you a ton as well. Im sorry my picture makes you cry so you cant put it up. Im doing well. :) Yes, I did get those pictures and thought they were awesome! But not that skeelee ate my part... :( hahaha! Did you by chance put those in the package too, or did they arrive after? I completely forgot until just now. Dont worry if they didnt go in, it was just a curiosity.

Ah dang. Time ran out again. :( Love you all, see you soon!

~Elder Wille

P.S. Dad, that schedule looks just grand! Im okay with a class or two in the afternoon, I just didnt want the whole block to be there, especially cause Brazilians have a tendency to nod off after lunch. :)

P.S.S. Jordan Brown got called to Frankfurt Germany! she leaves July 30.

Grupo Parque Universitário de Ala Ipanema 24-3-2014

Okay, phew! Here we go! Some very different news about my new area! Mom, you are especially going to like this. Put on your seatbelts everyone!

My area is absolutely GIGANTIC! Its about 4 streets... >.> two are about 400 yards in length, one is a ways away in Bela Vista, and the other is a city block. In one day, we probably walked around the first two streets five or six times each day. We havent been to Bela Vista yet, but it sounds like its not much.

Mom, close your eyes for this part. My area is pretty much the literal definition of Favela. Since we are opening the area, almost nobody has seen (much less knows) the missionaries. They all stare as we walk past, and I feel especially unwelcome cause we pass by five or six times each day. I want to plan an activity to formally announce the church in a more favorable light, and Elder Damásio is going to give public piano lessons. :)

Did you understand the letter all right? :) even though it died in translation?

Dad, I did hit a bit of the slumps. When I got to Monese, after bom jardim, that was my most difficult area to stay motivated. but Elder Bramwell revived my fire, so Im good now. :)

Elder Damásio likes to mess around and kid a lot. Its good that he stays happy. The good thing is that we are almost never bored. :)

Man, I did not budget (yes mom, budget!) my time very well. Im terribly sorry! next week will be a much beter letter! Know that I love you all!

~Elder Wille

Parque Universitário 17-3-2014 (in English -- sort of)

Hey family! Me , Elder Wille ! I was transferred , yes , and we are opening a group ! Me and my new companion Elder Damasio of Curitiba . He has three months into his mission , and I am the third mate him . All transfers he had a new companion .

So , we are opening a brand new area , never had a double itself. We're starting from zero. Have had work here as part of another area ( as I helped Paracuru and Pecém and Itapipoca ) but now I'm officially opening University Park . It has about 10 members who attend , and will be interesting.

Elder Benitez stood at Benfica , and was too afraid to become district leader , but he is still junior .

So Pablo actually went with us to transfer the meeting to ask President if he Could visit Elder Tenney , and got the no. Elder Tenney is still contagious , but maybe the news changed . They conversed right in front of me .

Mom , could you tell me how much volume has a can of cream of mushroom soup ? And overcame his fear of the pressure cooker ? Yay !

E. .... CONGRATULATIONS FOR YOU ! WANTED THIS DATE !

MANY CONGRATULATIONS , MANY YEARS OF LIFE !

CONGRATULATIONS FOR YOU ! WANTED THIS DATE !

MANY CONGRATULATIONS , MANY YEARS OF LIFE !

Mom , I hope tomorrow will be a wonderful and fruitful day to fulfill their goals and dreams ! I do not want other land you parents! Many thanks for being the best parents to me !

Santa , but was a little worried , but when Pablo said that the doctor spoke of taking medicine and getting rest , ( and that was making Snowboarder racquetball and then I knew the order ) I stopped worrying .

Here in Fortaleza , is not very famous upscale barbecue. Rio Grande do Sul ( gauchos ) is famous for its barbecue . Tucanos is much better than Fortaleza , they do not have swords as toucans here! They have espeitinho , a piece of wood that they use for roasting meat . Are type one, only thicker shish kabob . A real two each 150g of meat. And use almost anything to hold the charcoal , until the rim car wheel ! :)

Damn , time is running out . Excuse me if I have not written for someone ! Love you, God be with you and pamper you !

~ Elder Wille

Parque Universitário 17-3-2014

E aí família! Sou eu, Élder Wille! Fui transferido, sim, e estamos abrindo um grupo! Eu e meu novo companheiro Élder Damásio de Curitiba. Ele tem três meses na missão, e sou o terceiro companheiro dele. Todas as transferências ele teve um novo companheiro.

Então, estamos abrindo uma área novinha, nunca teve uma dupla própria. Estamos começando de praticamente zero. Já teve trabalho aqui como parte de outra área (como eu ajudava Paracuru e Pecém e Itapipoca) mas agora estou oficialmente abrindo Parque Universitário. Tem uns 10 membros que frequentam, e vai ser interessante.

Elder Benitez ficou em Benfica, e tinha muito medo de se tornar líder de distrito, mas ele ainda é júnior.

So Pablo actually went with us to the transfer meeting to ask President if he could visit Elder Tenney, and got a no. Elder Tenney is still contagious, but maybe the news changed. They conversed right in front of me.

Mamãe, poderia me informar quanto volume tem uma lata de sopa de creme de cogumelo? E venceu seu medo de panela de pressão? Yay!

E.....PARABÉNS PRA VOCÊ! NESSA DATA QUERIDA!

MUITOS FELICIDADES, MUITOS ANOS DE VIDA!

PARABÉNS PRA VOCÊ! NESSA DATA QUERIDA!

MUITOS FELICIDADES, MUITOS ANOS DE VIDA!

Mamãe, espero que amanhã seja um dia maravilhoso e proveitoso em cumprir as suas metas e sonhos! Não quero outros pais terrenos que vocês! Muitíssimo obrigado por ser os melhores pais para mim!

Papai, sim estava um pouco preocupado, mas quando Pablo falou que o doutor falou de tomar remédio e ficar de repouso, (e que foi fazer snowboarde e raquetebol depois, eu já sabia a ordem) deixei de me preocupar.

Aqui em Fortaleza, não é muito famoso de churrasco chique. Rio Grande do Sul (os gaúchos) é famoso pelos seus churrascos. Tucanos é muito melhor que Fortaleza, eles nem tem as espadas como Tucanos aqui! Eles tem espeitinho, um pedaço de madeira que eles usam para assar carne. São tipo um shish kabob, só que mais grosso. Um a dois reais cada um, 150g de carne. E usam quase qualquer coisa para segurar o carvão, até o aro de roda de carro! :)

Poxa, o tempo está acabando. Me desculpem se não escrevi para alguém! Amo vocês, que Deus esteja convosco e vos cuide!

~Elder Wille

Benfica 10-3-2014

Carnaval has ended, the people are waking up from the stupor, and things are getting back to normal.

This week was an off one, we had pretty low numbers, but we renewed our vision and goals, regrouped our forces, and we are going to rock this last week of the transfer! Today we asked a referral (referência não é reference??) and we are going to find one at six o´clock today!

Well, I dont have a lot of news for you guys. We are going to baptize [name redacted] this week! Hes 12, lives pretty far away from the chapel, but Irmão Mário, our ward mission leader, takes him by taxi. The next week, we have [name redacted] scheduled to be baptized! He was a referral from a member, awesome guy. His dream is to own a red Harley Davidson. He has a bit of depression, so we are going to help him with the talk from Elder Holland, and I hope it will help him out.

Carnaval wasnt too bad, there were just some people throwing flour around. In Rio, I hear the women walk around without clothes on, so maybe it would be better to avoid Carnaval there... If I heard right, they even blindfold the Cristo Redentor statue every year.

The church sends the youth to a campout type thing, probably something between youth conference and EFY, and lots of people go on vacation.

So Dad, guess what I did this last week! The sisters scheduled 5 (!!!) interviews for me to do Saturday night, starting at 17h until it was time to go home. Two didnt even show up, and we still got home a little late. I did one of the missing ones the next day, and they had 3 baptisms!

Could you let Joana know that I sent the letters through the mission office and is should arrive with the Elders? I thought it would arrive sooner. She can cobrar the Elders for the letter. :) I hope it gets there soon!

That is super awesome that you won Todd at racquetball, despite the disadvantageous situation! One does not simply dethrone the king of Wille-Turpin racquetball. :)

Something to make you trun-kay trun-kay trun-kay, I come home in 4 months, 4 days, and maybe 4 hours. :D

Mom, could you send me a recipe for Au Graten Potatos? And no, I didnt get the recipe for the beans and pumpkin, but I think I know how to make it. They use a pressure cooker. ;)

The closest temple is in Recife, its something like 10 to 12 hours away by bus, and they spend 5 days to a week there.

Oh sorry, its not just caipira flavored, its caipira hen flavored ramen. :) Hillbilly chickens!

Well, sorry it wasnt a very newsy week. Im sure this next week will be better! Até mais, que Deus cuide de vocês!

~Elder Wille

Happy Carnaval in Benfica 3-3-2014

Hello Family!

Yes, this week is Carnaval, I think it started on sábado and ends on quarta-feira. (Saturday through Wednesday) The roads are pretty much deserted 80 percent of the time, and theres not lots of horrible stuff going on, just some drinking and dancing, and people throwing flour on each other.

I think about home every now and again, but I dont have that burning desire to come home. (yet) A lot of the time I think I just act and play it up. But really everything seems normal. Or maybe I really am trunky. :S hahaha Yep, I did get a haircut. :)

Pablo is a bit taller than me, por volta de duas polegadas amais, so he is taller than anyone in our family. He feels better around us americans, cause then he doesnt feel super freakishly tall. :)

Ah yes, he wanted me to tell you guys that at the acampamento sem internet, he won a spot in the Temple Caravan for free!

So, Elder Benitez is in revolution from the food here. He doesnt like beans, can you believe it? From Puerto Rico? nossa, como que pode?

Also, we are planning to take a picture with some kids this week and send it to you. There are SOOOO many adorable little kids here! Luna, Duda, and Brenda all under 7 years old. Duda (short for Eduarda) is 4 and can hold an intelligent conversation, its quite incredible and stinking cute!

Mom, everything in the package was completely edible and delicious! :) The cookies were sealed in plastic, so they stayed pretty fresh. And no thanks on the ramen, they actually have more flavors here than in the states! (pizza, galinha caipira, calabreza, taco mexicano, picanha)

Oh, could you send the generic athletes foot anti fungal cream from Walmart in the package? Im running low, but not because of athletes foot. (or trench rot, thankfully)

The mattresses in Brazil are okay, but I have a better idea! I will just sleep above all the mess na minha rede!

Its kind of funny about the food. I started to get a little tummy like dads, but its going away. I learned how too! Eat less of the really good stuff. :) I love the food here, even if it is repetitious. On Saturday, I had the most wonderful thing in the world! Feijão branco with pumpkin pieces in it! (White beans, and Mom Im sorry to say that I dont think great northern white are quite the same)

Our next transfer will be one day before your birthday! :( So I will probably be a little later that day to email.

Also, I was talking to Junior, (who wants to be a US semi driver) and he knows about Fold3!!! He loved the Vietnam Memorial page with the picture of the entire memorial. He was very impressed.

I bet youre super excited to try out the new wakeboard! If Pablo were to wakeboard, he would use the smaller one, can you believe it? Hes lighter than 150 pounds.

So sorry, Im short on time! I love you all, hope that this week will be more eventful than the Ghost town Im working in this week! :) Have a lovely Carnaval!

~Elder Wille

Triumfant Benfica 24-2-2014

Hello Family and Friends, bloggers and strangers!

Well, this week was a pretty eventful one. I dont want it to sound like complaining, but it was a fair fight to the end.

I didnt get to attend the wedding of [name redacted] and [name redacted] because of a Zone conference. That really didnt help, cause they really needed our support.

Changing topics, after a year and six months, I got lost in Fortaleza. Moreover, I actually ended up outside the mission limits. :S The story goes like this.

At district meeting, one day before that Zone conference, I asked how to get to the stake center, and was told to take this one bus and to get off at a certain point. I didnt understand exactly where to get off, and figured from past experiences that someone would know where A igreja dos Mórmons is. Well, they didnt. The driver, passengers, even the cobrador (the guy who accepts the bus fare and gives you your change) had no idea, and it didnt help that I accidentally switched the name of the stake from Aguanambi to Iguatemi. I was told to go to Papicu (a bus terminal near the temple site) and take a bus to Iguatemi and the bus passes right in front. Okay great, thinking it was that one, we went. A bit behind schedule, we got off the bus at the stake center to find it locked and utterly desolate. Oh goody!

I didnt even know what stake we were at, we left our cell phone/number list at home (only the Zone Leaders can carry on the street) and I recorded the wrong Zone leader number in my planner. I borrowed a phone (the mission carrier is Claro, which everyone hates and almost nobody has) to call a number that I remembered from another zone. He informed me that I was outside the mission limits, and told me what bairro it was actually in, Bairro de Fátima. The signal mark is a giant statue of Mary that I had seen every time on my bazillion visits to the foot doctor. I just hadnt asked what bairro we had to go to, and it would have solved a lot of problems. We got there at 10h30 instead of 8h30 like we should have. :)

On Friday, the day of the interview, we walked a half hour to the church with [name redacted] and [name redacted], got there, no Zone leaders. I called (interview days are the exception to bringing the phone) and they were at the hospital. Oh great. We marked for the next day right before the baptism and right as [name redacted] gets back from a short trip. We get there on time, and again, no sign of the zone leaders. They arrive late, and are on splits, so they can only do one interview at a time. :S BUT in the end, they got baptized and confirmed!

Mom, I did get my package! :) It was very delicious, but they switched the Lime skittle out for green apple! D: thanks so much for the treats! American stuff is awesome. :) and is that grocery store list some options for the last package? If so, I could I get the Raspberry, gingerbread (and very berry ;D) scone mixes, pumpkin pancakes, maple syrup, and coconut macaroon cookies?

I hope you get better soon! You should do like the Cearense people do, always pray for health. Their top things to pray for are peace and health.

Pablo absolutely LOVES talking to you guys, he says that you guys are angels!

Dad, your mission is very similar to mine. Almost nobody plays the piano, just us Americans. :) I played it for Sacrament meeting in Bom Jardim after Elder Savaryn left, but it was an automatic hymn playing electric keyboard. To make it more interesting, it has a mode where you play the rhythm of the song (including the notes from left hand that dont appear in the melody) by pressing any key, and it plays the song. Its pretty slick.

I sang part solo and part duet with Pablo in the baptismal service. I actually did better live than in practice. :) Pablo also has a keyboard at his house, a more standard one. He writes music, plays guitar, sings, etc. Its always fun to have him around, I really enjoy his company.

It was only 33 that day? Really? It was one of the hottest days that Ive been here, or felt like it at least.

I asked Pablo if he reads my blog, and he didnt even know I had one! I guess he does now. :) and speaking of social media, could you accept the three facebook requests? Alessandra, Vitor and Marília? Thanks!

Im sending Joana D'arcs letter this Wednesday through the office. It should be there next Monday to Wednesday.

Its been a long week, I got really worried with the baptism and wedding. Its hard work, but the blessings of eternity are not easily won. Its honoring and yet interesting to me what Pablo, Bishop Soderberg and people in general say. I just try to do my best to do what I know is right. I feel like myself, not anything special. I dont understand it.

Well, I have to go. Thanks for listening to my blabber about adventures. I think theyll make a movie called Lost in Fortaleza. :) Farewell to all you lovely people, thank you for your support, and Im terribly sorry if I havent responded to your letters! Have a fabulous week, dont miss me too much!

Love,

~Elder Wille

P.S. One more favor. Can you save some of those drinks for me? :P ahahaha. hehehe. ahem, tchau!