News! 16-9-2013

Hello everyone! Lots of good things happening it sounds like!

So, I watched Dispicable Me 2 last week. The audio was absolutely horrific, because it was recorded in the theater. I didnt understand 80 percent of it, but the general story was good. El Macho was quite interesting. And I have a fiery hatred of that chicken. :)

I have some very good news! [name redacted] and his wife got baptized!!! And they went to Stake Conference with us! Im so super happy for them, he really is going to make good progress. We did a fast with him, and he was so dedicated that he started at 4:20 and ended exactly at 4:20 not a single minute sooner. I was very impressed.

Dad, Im so very very very sorry for not wishing you a happy birthday last week! I was so looking forward to that, and then I ended up forgetting the most important part! I felt terrible the entire week knowing that I missed it. :( So happy belated birthday!!!

Parabéns pra você, nessa data querida

Muitos felicidades, muitos anos de vida.
Parabéns pra você, nessa data querida
Muitos felicidades, muitos anos de vida.

É pique, é pique, é pique-é pique-é pique

É hora, é hora, é hora-é hora-é hora.

um.... I dont remember the rest...

I think the weather is waiting for me to get back. :) I hope next year is good! And before the end of the season. Good luck with the new bouldering routes.

I have to stop sending so many pictures, its using up a lot of my time. I think Im almost done, so that will be good.

Sarah, you had surgery?? Wow, are you okay now? Thats pretty awesome about spraying blood across the room though. :) I hope it went well, and that you are okay. Does it still hurt, or has it pretty much gone away?

Hows Hayden? In that letter I sent, I asked bit about him. Does he want to serve a mission? I wrote that he should, cause its just amazing! And, at the very least, he will be able to wash his own clothes. :) bonus for you! I love and miss you so much!

Alisha, thank you so much for your letter! I really enjoyed hearing about the turtles and stuff! Good luck in your new job! I know youll do really great! Todd, congrats on getting a new job! I hope you like the picture of your stuff that they have here. :) The snowboarding season is just around the corner! you lucky ducks! I think youll have to teach me again the next time I go. :S

Miss you guys tons! Thanks for writing to me, even though you are really busy!

President Souza came and gave a talk in our Stake Conference, it was really awesome! His talks are so spiritual and powerful!

Ah, I gotta go! Talk to you all next week! Stay safe, stay strong!

~Elder Wille

A Hurried Letter

Hey guys, this one is going to be a little short, sorry! I had to shrink pictures to send to Elder R Barbosa, and then the computer stopped reading my card. :( So once again, I have no pictures.

I made the cookies for Elder Tamanhos birthday, and he really liked them. :)

Sarah, you have dreadlocks??? Could you send me a picture? I didnt get to go to the Beyoncé show, I didnt even hear any noise from that area! Hows work at footnote? Do you like it there, and are there lots of people?

Okay, so I have ten minutes. :(

Elder Tamanho and I looked at the people who can be baptized this month, made a list, and my jaw about hit the floor. We cant do this on our own, and we asked the ward to help make visits and pray for them. Would you guys be willing to pray for these people? We have around 20 people that can be baptized in just September, just in our area. Our goal for the Zone is 44. Names of people that need a special boost [names redacted]. Thanks so much!

Alisha and Todd, how are you guys doing? Is school still in, or are you in férias? (break) The time goes by so fast right now, every week passes and things still havent been done, people still havent been visited, and we're just scrambling to keep up. Is it like that for you guys too? :)

Dad, that story about Caleb is pretty funny! But what did you do with all the food from the cancelled trip? And the tornado, what happened there? Was it just really windy, or did it do lots of damage? Its getting a little scary, things are getting worse and worse as the world nears the end. I cant even imagine what its going to be like a few days before the Lord comes again. I want it to be soon, but at the same time, I want to live life a little bit on earth.

That is super sad about your boss's son! There was a missionary here too that went home from mental problems, I think Elder Lysenko was his name.

My problems here (the toes) are getting a lot better, the retainer is helping everything to grow naturally. I go in again on the 19th.

I finally saw the Work of Salvation. Do you remember Elder Reynolds, whos family was preparing him for the mission? He was one of the Assistants here in Fortaleza!!! And the courtyard is from the MTC in São Paulo! :) Cool huh!!!?

Well, my time is up. :( I really wanted to tell you guys more, but mom just a quick last note. Im just fine, Im tired constantly, but I have a vigor that I never felt before. I just keep on doing the work, and everything else is taken care of by our older Brother. :)

Love you all! Sorry for the lack of news, letters, and stuff. I will be back in less than a year! :O

~Elder Wille

Palmares 2-9-13

Dear Family,

So in the rush to get here, I left my card. again. D: So sorry Gromit!

Dad, that shirt that you gave Frank is hilarious! :) I got a kick out of that, and Skeelee with the jalapeño.

The rope actually broke, on rappel? Wow, that must have been a real gut dropping experience, and not one Id like to live. I think its a good idea to skip that one.

I finally got myself the messenger bag. I had to use the money to stay alive in Caucaia, and then I heard about a delivering problem from someone else who wanted one too, so I never got around to it. Then the boyfriend of a girl who lives in the ward happens to be the delivery boy, so I bought one. And the buckle broke two days after. :( I just need that part replaced and all will be as good as new. :)

Dad, I have a favor to ask of you. could you email me a picture of the Kokopellis on the boat, and maybe a few others? I have the tradition of drawing a Kokopelli on each planner, and I want a different one on each, if possible. The boat has quite a few that are simple.

We had not one, not two, but THREE baptisms this week! [name redacted], (10) his sister [name redacted]  (12) and [name redacted] (14) who is the brother of [name redacted]  (anyone see Portuguese grammar structure? Yeah, its bad) This week we are having the baptisms of [name redacted] and [name redacted]  (calm yourself Iago)

Remember that couple that had the goal of not just baptism, but going to the temple? [name redacted] and [name redacted]? Its that [name redacted], and then a year after, they can go to the temple! yay!!!!

[name redacted] is the nephew of [name redacted]  15 years old. Get this, she has a niece ([name redacted]'s sister) who also is named [name redacted]  :SSS We are hoping to baptize them both with another sibling named [name redacted]. [name redacted] hasnt gone to church yet, and FINALLY [name redacted] went to non-evangelicals-church for the first time, on Fast and Testimony meeting. (Side note, I play the piano for Sacrament meeting, which consists of playing the rhythm with any key and the piano plays itself.) I was a little concerned, because [name redacted] has had a bit of a problem accepting that God only has one true church, and testimony meeting is chock full of that. Between testimonies, I walked down and briefly explained what was happening and why, and she already understood, and said "Eu me sinto paz, eu nunca senti assim nas outras igrejas" or translated loosely "I feel peaceful, and Ive never felt this in any of the other churches"
Wow. I about did a backflip, but that would be a bit disruptive. Instead, I crept back up onto the stand (I just barely remembered what it was called. :P) and watched the meeting go on. When we open our hearts, we really feel what the Holy Ghost has to tell us, and it only happens if our hearts are open.

I very recently had an enjoyable time reading Our Search for Happiness. I highly recommend it for something beneficial to do. Its written by Elder Ballard of the 12 Apostles, and he explains our basic beliefs to non-members so that they understand what we LDS people are all about, and does it in just about the perfect way. Applying a few techniques and situations in there, we can help spread the gospel and not be overbearing and offend someone. Even though the material is basic belief, the book is still a really good one to read. It strengthened my testimony that God lives and has an active role in our life.

Dear Sarah, I have some news that will make you super jealous. :) Beyoncé is coming to Fortaleza on the 8th of this month! Shes doing the Mrs. Carter show in the Castelão stadium. :) I cant go to it, so dont feel too jealous. :) in the bus terminal, they always have an ad about it, and I think especially of you every time I see it! A bit more trivia, Paul McCartney played in the same stadium a few months ago, and the world cup will have a game or two in there this next year! :)

Did you get my letter that I sent to you? I hope it didnt get lost in the mail, I would be so sad if it did, cause you'll miss my awesome and skillfull drawings. ;)

How are things going for you? I hope you are well and enjoying life after High School! Stay safe, I love you so much! :D

Oh oh, também, youll never guess what I found at the supermarket today. Chia seeds!!! What a coincidence! And we do indeed have a blender!! :D

Kung Fu Panda 2 was really good! i cant decide which I like better, I have to see number 1 again to make a decision. Theres a lot more friendship in 2, and the bad guy is really awesome. Seria legal se vocês assistissem Kung Fu Panda 2. :) hint hint.

I made the coconut scones this morning. They were good and everyone liked them a lot, but personally they rank #4 in the ones Ive made so far, not counting the apple cinn ones. Raspberry is by far #1, then Gingerbread, and then peach. thank you so much for sending the mixes, they are perfect for breakfast and super tasty!

Ah bummer, I have to go. Have an excellent week, keep pressing forward with Faith in Every Footstep. (missionary hymn) I love you all! Talk at you next week!

~Elder Wille

Palmares 26-8-2013

Hello família! As of late, Ive been having a real hard time talking and even thinking in English. I think Im done-for when I get home. :S

So, I went to the Podologo again, and they put a retainer thing to help the nail grow normally, but only on one. The other still needs to dis-inflame (yes, I do rather enjoy creating new words from Portuguese. ;) ) to put on the other side. I go in on Friday at 11:20. I really hope that it works and that I can wear shoes again. I just have to take good care of things.

Okay, I loaned my camera card to someone to copy pictures, so I dont have it with me today. I get it back tomorrow, at least I hope. :S Theres this adorable little girl in the ward, both parents are Brazilian with darker toned skin and black hair. She is very white with red hair, and the cutest thing ever! Ana Louisa is her name, I will send those pictures next week. And lots more too.

Okay, so Elder Tamanho is from Curitiba, has some Italian blood, likes to eat, and has 2 brothers. One is older and married, the other is younger than him and I think single. He wants to learn English, so Im going to help him out on that. Hes been on the mission for 4 months, which is the same time that Elder Savaryn had when he left. Elder Tamanho's family are all in the church, so thats really cool. He didnt leave a girlfriend at home.

Então, I didnt know this about being district leader last week, so I think I will share it with you. Every other week I give a training session in the district meeting, training the teaching techniques. Also, my district is very, very new. We have three pairs of Elders and one of them is me! :) And the other two are both training and opening areas, one of them is a double. Two areas and training, its gotta be super hard. Both trainers only have 8 or 9 months (I had 10 with Elder Savaryn) and Elder Tamanho has 4 months. I have a big plate on my hands, and my Zone Leader says I dont know how big. But I know that all will go well, a little rough in some areas. But its these areas where we grow the most, like the Pioneers in the Martin and Willie Handcart Companies. They paid a huge price, but the reward was also of exceedingly great value. They passed through those miserable conditions, but one of them made the comment that they came through knowing that God exists, because they got acquainted with Him in their trials. Everything spiritual comes with some form of sacrifice.

A bit of homework for everyone. I encourage all you reading this to pray to Heavenly Father and ask him if the Church is true, and if Joseph Smith was a prophet every day for a week straight. For those of you who already have this testimony, this exercise will fortify it and help you overcome more challenges that we have every day. Those who have an intellectual testimony like I had will gain the spiritual part. It will fill a part of you that you didnt know was empty, and its something very special to be had. Like we all say here, we cant force you, but I encourage everyone to try it. :)

Im glad to be staying in Palmares, but Im really sad that Elder Savaryn had to leave. I would have preferred him stay and me go to another area. Normally, I dont like to be transferred because of the things that I dont know. Where I will go, who I will be with, etc. The only thing they tell us is who is leaving and who is staying, and where to meet.

Sarah, congratulations on joining the fold3 club! Sadly, we dont have jackets. :) Im sorry your other job didnt go so well, but it sounds like you stuck in there for a good while and taking lots of flak for it. :) And teaching other employees how to do things? If it werent frusterating, Id say that is super neat! I hope you like it at fold3, theres some really good people there. :)

One other thing. I feel like such a sinner! I bought Kung Fu Panda 2, the pirated version, for R$2, or less than a dollar. But it had English AND Portuguese! I couldnt resist. >:) hahaha. I think that if we have enough time, we will watch it today.

Note to Mom. In spite of my toes (I got the nickname dedão) Im doing really well. Tired almost constantly, hungry most of the time, but really good. :) The members give good lunches here, and they almost never fall through. I have many people looking out for me here, so you dont have to worry near as much. :)

Note to Dad. Im happy that the trip to Egypt is going to work out! I would worry about the rope too. Normally the canyoneers are good mannered about helping out and leaving stuff that others need, but the road is not all canyoneers. :( What kind of rock are you putting in the backyard? Landscaping boulders, or more pebble stuff like the garden?

also, how do you pronounce the turtles name? Or for that matter, how do you type it? :D hahaha. Thanks for the pictures, that sunset was brilliant! Every once in a while we get one almost as good as that one. Makes me miss home a little bit. Just a bit.

Okay, Ive bored you all to death by now. Talk to you all at Christmas, more news coming next week if I get my card back from Brenda. Love you! Stay true to the faith, the Lord is right around the corner. The work is accelerating to prepare the hearts of man for the great and glorious day of the Lord.
Isso não tenha poder para vos arrastar para ao abismo de miséria e angústia sem fim, por causa da rocha sobre a qual estais edificados, que é um alicerce seguro; e se os homens edificarem sobre esse alicerce, não cairão. ~Helamã 5:12

~Elder Wille

Novidades!

Hi all! I got some biggish news for you guys!

First, we finished the transfer, and we got the call. The training period is only 12 weeks, or two transfers, so the training ended. Im no longer a trainer. Elder Savaryn got transferred, and I stay here in Palmares. Im happy but sad for him. Sad because he loves his first area, the people here are really loving, he got an adopted mom on the mission, etc etc etc. But Im happy because he did a most excellent work, and now his mission really begins. He gets to have so many experiences now, in Novo Araturi, (NOH-voo ah-dah-too-DEE) and the growth will just explode for him. He learned what he needed to in half the time that it took me. In the beginning, I knew he had a huge potential, and at the end, he has so much more than I first thought. Brazil Fortaleza mission is very lucky to have him on their side.

Everyone was thinking that I would return to train again, and it is possible, but it wasnt to be. I will tell you in the next paragraph.

About the things going on this transfer: I got called to be a District leader! :D yay! lots of my friends/previous companions are also advancing. Elder R Barbosa AND Elder Villalba are Zone Leaders!!!! And Elder Bonds, my district leader before this transfer! Props to them, Im so happy!

Okay, my new companion is Elder Tamanho, or Elder Size being translated. Hes from Curitiba where it gets really cold, theres frost and stuff, but rarely snows. His family is all from the church, converts I believe, and he has 2 brothers. I will ask the details this week and fill you guys in.

In regards to my toes, the podologo wants me to go in tomorrow for a checkup, and then a couple days later to put an aparelho... device or doohickey.. on my toe to help it grow normally and not cause problems. Aparelho is a rather odd word, they use it to describe 1) braces, 2) retainer, AND 3) DVD player. And 4) this thingy they want to use on me. Im thinking its some kind of retainer, R$35 reimbursable moneys. I finally got to do something fun to celebrate. We wanted pizza, but the oven had a problem, so we bought two giant Pasteis. Its a false cognate of spanish, salty fried goodness instead of sweet. Its basically a thin flat piece of dough that they put some filling (ground beef, ham and cheese, just cheese, etc) and then fold it in half and seal the edges, and fry it. You can look it up for more details, just search pastel de queijo, pastel de carne do sol or pastel misto. We also had açai, which is incredibly tasty. :D Mom, you would like it, it tastes a bit like dirt. :P hahaha. But really, it has a little bit of an earthy taste.

I havent made the cookies yet, its on my list of things to do. I think this transfer we will make them. :) And the coconut scones too. :) do they have a translation for scones? nobody knows yet, and I cant look it up on the web.

I got my card to work, so no worries there. Mistake on my part, but thank you so much for looking into it! :)

Well, I think my time is about up. :'( I keep moving up, learning, finding new things, and Im loving it! Im a bit worried about the extra responsability of doing interviews, but I know it will all go well in the end. I also have to give a training session to the Zone, on how to teach and use the techniques better.

One of my cards works with this computer, but the other one no. I will send the more recent pictures next week. Thank you all for all you do! Thanks for the prayers, they really help. Until next week, Até mais, tchau, boa tarde! :)

~Elder Wille

New Week

I only have one more week as a trainer. I cant believe that I made it so fast!

Im sorry, but this week wasnt all that exciting. We baptized a lady, [name redacted], who was prepared since day 1. Her goal wasnt baptism, its being sealed in the Temple. The only problem is that her husband works every Sunday last month and this month. D: She was confirmed the next day, yesterday. Bispo Rogério baptized her, and Mateus Duarte confirmed her, with Elder Savaryn participating.

Im editing pictures, and it took a long time to figure out how to do it. Sorry!

So, I went to the podologo to get my toes taken care of. They cut my nail with a razor blade (moms favorite!) and took out the side of the nail, maybe a 16th of an inch. One of them, the one I thought was better, had a HUGE piece attached. One of the nurses commented that this one deserves a picture. Im doing a lot better now. The downside is what happened after. The mission pays for things like this, but not at the start. You have to get a receipt and get reimbursed for the trip. Luckily and unhappily, I had just taken out a bit of money to celebrate one year, and had to give it all up. R$130 just for two little sides of nail. D: Oh well, this next mesada is going to have more than R$200 waiting for me. :)

We are still helping [name redacted] to overcome his addiction to cachaça and cigarettes, which is cigarro. (Cigar is charuto) He isnt a golden investigator, hes a diamond investigator, and we found him all on our own! Well actually, he found us. :) Two Sundays ago, he wanted to buy us pizza after the meetings, but we had to stay and play the piano for the other ward's Leadership meeting, or something like that. We hadnt taught the Sabbath day to them yet, and I was a little glad to have the excuse, even though I really wanted pizza... :(

We have Zone Conference, and the entire mission is going to be there, and then after that is Transfers. I have the feeling that I will be leaving Palmares, but who knows? All will be well. I hope you are all in good health, having a great time! Dad, thanks for telling me about your trip to Jackson Hole, I really enjoyed that. I gotta go now, Bye!

~Elder Wille

Another Year, Gone. ~Albus Dumbledore

Woohoo! I finally have less time left than I have currently! It makes me happy, but also really sad. Time is really going to fly by. So I did get my package with coconut scones and the pictures. :) I only have one problem with the dvd player at home. It wont read some of the pictures, like the ones from Ariannes wedding. I was able to get a 1/2 second preview of a super small image while browsing the file tree. I will try it at a members house, hopefully the dvd will work there. I really really really enjoyed the pictures! Our poor little dog is looking about her age. :( But shes still so stinkin cute, everybody loves the snow and cigarro pictures that I have in my album.

Okay, I dont have a whole lot of news, and sadly not a lot of time either. :( I will copy and paste a story that happened, but its in portuguese cause I sent it to President Souza.

We finally cleaned our house. President and Sister Souza showed up to our District meeting by surprise, and they informed us that they would be visiting our house right after. Ah crap. Earlier I had done 2 splits with our leaders, both telling me to Clean the house. I got the impression to clean the house on P-Day, but I chose to study the book of Revelation instead. (with a study manual, it makes so much sense!!!) And then, when we least expected it, President Souza makes a visit, and it was really not in good shape. On the drive over (in his very luxurious Hilux) we felt like the condemned to death. It really wasnt too bad, but still not the most pleasant of visits.

This Tuesday, while we are in centro marking a marriage date, Im making a trip to the podôlogo, the foot doctor, to get my foot taken care of. Its still giving me problems, and I want my shoes back as soon as I can.

Here is my little story:
Estávamos ensinando uma moça que parecia bastante mole no inicio, com dois recém-conversos. Percebi durante a Apostasia que isso não daria certo, que ela não estava aprendendo, e o Espírito estava faltando. Eu fiz uma pergunta se ela estava entendendo, ela respondeu que não. Eu fiz um resumo da Igreja de Cristo, como Deus a tirou, e as pessoas não estavam encontrando felicidade real, aplicou um pouco para ela. Prestei testemunho, e o Espírito reviveu, ela começou a aprender e participar, até mesmo desejar um pouco. Ela aceitou o convite de ser batizada, vamos marcar uma data na proxima visita. Sem o Espírito, nada disso teria acontecido. Realmente Doutrina e Convênios está certo, que se eles não aprenderem pelo mesmo Espírito, não ensinaremos. Não significa que nossa lingua não funcionará, mas que eles simplesmente não entenderão nem aceitarão plenamente. E ai, eles não vão ser batizados. Aprendi uma lição crítico aquele dia, ou melhor duas, a segunda sendo: Não pode ensinar mostrando sono, de jeito nenhum.

Good luck! :)

[Google translation] We were teaching a girl who seemed quite soft at first, with two new converts. Realized during the apostasy that would not work, she was not learning, and Spirit was missing. I asked a question if she was understanding, she said no. I made a summary of the Church of Christ, as God hath taken away, and people were not finding real happiness, applied a little to her. I bore witness, and Spirit revived, she began to learn and participate, even desire a bit. She accepted the invitation to be baptized, we will schedule a date next visit. Without the Spirit, nothing would have happened. Really Doctrine and Covenants is right, that if they do not learn by the Spirit, not teach. Does not mean that our language does not work, but they just do not fully understand or accept. And then, they will not be baptized. Learned a critical lesson that day, or rather two, the second is: You can not teach showing sleep, no way.

The garden is HUGE! Why didnt you tell me you planted a jungle in the backyard?? Its so pretty too, and I bet the veggies are super tasty.

Dad, the music you sent me is exactly what I wanted, thank you! :D
I went river rafting twice, its a blast! Im sure youll have a super fun time! Brock McMillan goes quite often, Im sure you can ask him if you have any questions or doubts. :) In the calm parts of the river, wars are pretty common, and with the Booths, I think at least one is inevitable. :) Have a great time, and throw lots of young whipper-snappers in the water!

Today, I think the elders are going to play volleyball. Should be interesting with flip flops and stuff. :) Vai dar certo. Anyway, I gotta end this beast. Have a wonderful week, try not to miss me too much, cause.... Santa Claus is comin' to town!!! In a year!

~Elder Wille