A Few More Things - And a Few Pics. :D :D :D

Dear Family,

Wow, P-Day again? Actually, I wasnt doing so well with routine stuff, and I really felt it. Study is essencial here on the mission and off the mission too.

Ive attached a few pictures here, and I will send another with more pics. Here is my toenail extraction (Rated R for Blood and Gore, protect your knees!) and of Elder Couto, eating a gingerbread scone. I havent made the raspberry ones yet, but Im super excited for them. The new house here is much better equipped for cooking and stuff. Elder R Barbosa is still in Caucaia, and he got his stuff from the package. :) The cookies were mostly intact. A huge piece or two with crumbs and stuff. They were pretty mashed together though. :)

I found a new way to deal with cockroaches! The deodorant here is aerosol, and we have lots of matches... >:D They cant survive a lot of heat, so we turn it up high in here. It makes a cool loud roar, I will get a pic and send it next time. We have to find one to burn first.

Ive made a goal to only speak Portuguese, especially with American missionaries. I also think almost exclusively in Portuguese too. :) Sometimes, I have to process and translate in English, but its more rare.

Thats so cool that lots of the Young Women (or young single adult women?) are serving missions! We really need the extra forces, especially with so many divisions and growth. Its a very exciting time to be alive!

So, a typical P-Day. Wake up, get dressed (t shirt and bermudas) eat, study-ish, use the internet, watch a movie at the chapel, clean the house, sleep until 6. Then the day is a normal work day until 9. We shop for food too sometimes, grab a snack for the movie.

Mom, Im so glad you have a wonderful birthday! It sounded really fun and special! A member here just had a birthday too, and it was Tinkerbell themed! I got a few pictures. :)

For Easter, I think we'll have to take you up on that offer. 100 should be fine, I will let you know. :) Maybe I will buy some black beans. ;) They do actually have them here. Oh, and mom I learned a really good way to cook beans. I think youll like it. But you have to wait until I get back! :P hahahaha! could you look up what kind of beans Feijão Carioca is? Or ask Pete? Cause thats the good kind.

Ah, one little request. Could you send the brownie recipe again, but just through email? I didnt make copies, so I dont have the last one anymore. And my oatmeal coconut cookies? Thanks! :)

News time. That house that we found with two men inactive? We got someone to church. Francisca, whos about 70, but its someone! Kailani, the 9 year old girl was sick that day, so she didnt come. :(

We have a wedding planned for a couple, Zemaria (the husband) and Cilene! Theyre getting married on April 19th! And probably baptized the day after! Yay!!!

Thanks for all the news! Dad, I really liked your letter, thanks so much for the updates! I gotta go now, my hour is up, and I still have pictures to send. I love you all, and pray for you!

~Elder Wille

A Few Things... (just a few!)

E ai, beleza? Como vão vocês? :D Its getting pretty hard to talk completely in English, and Ive had many dreams in Portuguese! At least Im pretty sure its Portuguese, its really hard to tell the difference... (who'da thought?)

Nossa, que legal, minha área tem DUAS áreas! And its still smaller than Caucaia. My two areas are Ômega and Boatan. (like boa constrictor, with a nasal A after the T) Its all good, but Im feeling a lack of the Caucaia grandeza, (grandeur, I think) but I like it here too. Its a lot easier to make visits, and its not so devastating when one falls through.

Ive heard that the next transfer (4 weeks from today, this transfer only has 5 weeks, minus the one that just passed) will determine who goes and who stays with President Souza. Before that, I dont think anyone will have the slightest idea. They keep us in the dark a lot. I do know that the new President will be Presidente Cabral, from São Paulo.

I loved my presents! is the adipose dude supposed to float? Cause he just kinda sits at the bottom, but thats okay! And the lego figure is perfect! I only cant figure out if its Frodo or Bilbo. Im-a thinking its Bilbo. :) Thanks so much for resending the package! I know it was a bit pricey, especially to send it twice. :( But I really really appreciate it!

A bit about my apartment: New Companion - Elder Couto, from Santos São Paulo. Other companionship: District Leader - Elder Bott, from Layton UT, training Elder Alves da Silva, from...Santos São Paulo!!! What are the odds??? They didnt know each other before the mission. :/ Oh well. Elder Couto is on his penultimate transfer, and hes most likely going to be transferred to a new area for the last one. President Souza said he wouldnt "die" in Boatan and Ômega. Elder Bott has a year and 2 or 3 months, and Elder Alves is bem verdinho. He has less weeks on the mission than years I have left!

And now my apartment. It has a bit of a problem with the shower drainage system. Sometimes, it backs up and fills the bathroom with foul smelling sewer water, complete with gray gunk. Fun huh? Lets do a baptism!!! And lets not forget my ingrown toenail. Mom, PLEASE do not worry, its almost completely healed up, (I can wear shoes again! Huzzah!) and the dirty water has never made it to my foot. The only problem is it smells exceedingly rank. Thats the mission I guess. :) But on the upside, we have an awesome... washing machine? for clothes, that one. Maquina de lava roupa.

I found a few movies that are absolutely awesome! I know Ice Age 2 bombed, but 3 and 4 are definitely worth watching. Theyre hilarious! And Hotel Transylvania is also extremely entertaining. I highly recommend these movies. Sarah, Ice Age 4 has Nikki Manaj as one of the voices. ;)

On a spiritual note, we recieved this book from the mission office or someplace like that, called Member Missionary Work. Its super great! We tried a technique of tracting that actually gets results! First you pray, tell the Lord youre going tracting at this time, repent and ask for inspiration. Then look at the map together, write down around 10 streets that you have the smallest inkling that it could be right. Then each missionary takes these 10 streets and prays again, writes 3 or 4 streets. Compare lists, and whaddaya know?? One or two are frequently the same. Then you go and knock doors.

Using this (slightly adapted, cause we have 2 maps) we found a family with 2 men that fell away. One of them has a family with 2 kids, a girl age 9 and a boy age 6. Theres around 8 or 9 people in that house, but I cant remember their names at the moment. D:

Tracting only works when the Spirit is there, and tells you exactly what to do. I thought that was really cool.

Mom, I made the gingerbread scones for my companions. They LOVED them, but ate a bit too much, and they feel a bit sick. :S hahaha. Except for Elder Alves da Silva, he put his last one in the fridge. :) He's the wise one.

And no, I didnt forget. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR MOOOOM! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!!!!!

(Same tune)

PARABENS PARA VOCÊ

NESSA DATA QUERIDA,

MUITAS FELICIDADES,

MUITOS ANOS DE VIDA!

É PIQUE! É PIQUE!

É HORA! É HORA!

RÁ-TIM-BUM!

I hope your birthday was very special Mom. or, in the case that you read it before, I hope it will be very special. Just forget about the world, your worries, your cares, even me, and let everything fall into place. A very happy birthday to you Mom. <:-)

Note to Dad: I dont express it very much, but I am truly thankful to have you as my dad. I wouldnt want anyone else, nobody can take your place. Im so grateful for the adventures and the time you spent with me. :) I really look forward to the next grand adventure 'of the infamous Jack Sparrow.' :) I cant look forward to it too much, or I get a bit trunky. :S And I loved the new creeper picture! I showed that one and the other creepers to Elder Couto, and he laughed pretty hard. :)

Ive been thinking a lot about potential. Ive wondered a few times if it happens on the mission, where youre the closest to God. But that doesnt make a whole lot of sense, when you have the rest of your life ahead of you to do better. What are your thoughts on that?

Last little bit, would you be willing to send an attached photo or two of the new car this week? It sounds really sweet, Id like to see it.

Well, thats about it for this week. Im still a bit lost when we go out for visits, but Im slowly learning the roads. Im starting to actually learn new things in the scriptures. Instead of just read, try to become an expert on whats going on. It makes the reading more enjoyable, and it benefits the soul, your life, your family, and you come closer to Christ. Apply, apply, apply. :)

Com muito amor (e sem corn chips)

~Elder Wille

P.S. Just one can of Pink Lemonade. Thank you so much! Oh, almost forgot! Mexican food is almost nonexistant here... :´(

Ive Been Transferred

Yep, its true! After 5 months, 1 week and 3 days in Caucaia, I got transferred. I have no idea where I am, I kinda got lost on the drive over here. Someone said its close to Caucaia, so I guess Im on the West side of Fortaleza. (Im in the actual city now)

The name of my area is a bit odd, I cant remember it. But it has Homen in it, which is Man. The map on the wall says this area is pretty small, and in comparison with Caucaia, its teeny weeny.

So, some big surprises happened today at the meeting. Dad, I dont know for sure, but Im pretty sure you trained at least one missionary, yes? They announced the companionships, and one sister is training 4 (!!!) yes, FOUR new sisters, all by herself. 2 other sisters are training 3 each at the same time, and one sister is training 2. How cool is that??

Elder Barbosa is also training this transfer, in Caucaia. Seems to be a popular place huh? :)

So, my package got lost. Again. JUST KIDDING!!! Scone mixes? Holy baked goods Batman! Edinho loves the peanut butter. :) I very much enjoyed the pictures, which brings me to my next item. Im not allowed to visit websites other than the church ones. :( so sorry! The temple picture is perfect, thank you Dad! And those canyoneering pictures are super great, very funny! I look like a creeper in the canyon :D haha, though I dont think my suit would last one canyon. :)

A DVD of pictures would be fantastic! I dont seem to get homesick or trunky, at least not very easily. Maybe its the big area, I dont know.

Could the pink lemonade be in the can, like the root beer? Its for a member that I got to know, and missionaries have yet to bring pink lemonade. I'll sacrifice a root beer for it, to help with space and stuff, just substitute one for one in the next package. :) And for it to get there, I'll send it via other missionaries and the mission office.

For the Christmas presents, I used the money you put on my card. :)

Im so sorry to hear about Aunt Joyce! I hope that everything goes smoothly, that she recovers quickly. And Aunt Celinda too! I really hope she gets back to health quickly.

So I still have a wad of gauze on my toe, with medical tape. I have to change it every day, or go in to get it changed. We opt to go in, it really isnt a scary hospital. They have a pretty clean program, and its nice. You walk in, get it looked at to acess the risk, and wait until your name is called. Then they treat it, and you walk out. No payment, no fuss, the doctors do good work, and everything goes well. Interestingly enough, its a government program, State level. Maybe it works better at that level than Federal, but its more or less what Obama is wanting to do.

Being a flip flop missionary (missionário de chinela) is horrible. I much prefer shoes, its so much easier to walk. You dont get rocks and sand under your feet as easily. My old flip flops broke a while ago, I had to buy new ones.

About the being perfect, we had that lesson yesterday. With an imperfect body, its impossible to be perfect all around, but we should still try. The Lord didnt set a specific time, so that means it doesnt have to happen on the Earth, during mortality. On the other hand, if we dont do our best, we dont qualify and justice takes its part. Its a question of priorities, like many other things. Thats my take on it.

Oh yes, I havent really been telling my experiences of teaching and stuff, sorry about that. A quick recap, my converts are Marcelo, Francenilda, Auriana, Jackie, Thiago, Creuza, and Bruna. As for actual teaching... Im still kind of in the "Vomit words and phrases" but in appropriate places. Ive been working on this, so nothing really big has happened.

I think my time is up, I cant remember when I got on. Love you guys! Thanks for the package!

~Elder Wille

Time is Flying By

Wow wow wow! I have 7 months under my belt! Nossa! :)

Its kinda weird down here, they dont use last names very much, just on the important stuff like medical and legal. I have no idea of the last names of 80% of the church members. :S

Ah, speaking of medical... I went to the emergency room today... They took my toe! :P Okay, just part of it. I had an ingrown nail, and they took care of it. I will now be a chinela missionary (flip flop missionary)

Dad, my debit card is working. :) I just wanted to make sure that debit cards from the States still work in far-away countries where the sun turns you into Ita-pipoca. :) Pipoca is popcorn.

In my next package, if possible, would you be willing to send a can of pink lemonade? Theres a good friend here who's dying to try it, and its nowhere to be found here. Thanks!

Glad to hear that everyone is doing well, that nobody died on the canyon trip, that the creeper is still just creeping and nothing happened. Stay safe, the Lord is watching over you.

Ah, one more thing. Could someone pay tithing on that last check I recieved? Thank you!

News time,

Keep updated on the church news, very exciting things are happening! Like my mission being split. :) Fortaleza Oeste and Fortaleza Leste. Some missionaries are going to the new mission, we dont know who until the actual transfer. They told us to keep quiet about the division, so I didnt tell you guys. Church news is up to date though! :)

Sarah, Im so glad to hear that your wisdom teeth are better! Im sorry they gave you so much trouble! :( I hope you had fun in the canyon, even though stemming is scary. I still get a little anxious myself sometimes!

My package has been sighted! Its in the Mission Office, the Elders from Itapipoca saw it on the day of the District meeting, and said that it must have arrived just after the meeting. All is well, I will get it this Wednesday. :)

Time is up, I will talk to you all next week! Love you and pray for you!

~Elder Wille

Poor Sarah (('_')) or :~D)

Wee package? 7 kilos? :D hahaha. I havent gotten it yet. :(

Oh boy, news report. Im great, we walk a lot, and we are in the new apartment. We had another companionship for about a week, and we have a running joke that they stole our city (or area, Itapipoca) our room, (they moved in the best one while we were still adjusting) our lunch, (they went and we opted to not go, cause it is far and we didnt confirm that it was there) our package, (Elder Patino got one, they didnt really steal it) etc, etc, etc.

Well, the work is going forward! Saturday, we walked from Parque Soledade to Planalto to Itambé and back to Parque Soledade. Or was it Planalto? Either way, theyre all bairros in Caucaia, and with all that walking, nobody was home! Nobody wanted to talk to us! :( But it paid off the next day, or yesterday. We had so many people at church! 4 or 5 investigators, a returned moça (young woman) that fell away, and the rest were members! It was the largest Id seen of just Caucaia. The youth that went to EFY the past week went up and shared their testimonies, which was really powerful, and after that a member named Néfi (Nephi) gave a talk. He lost his first baby 7 days ago, and he was only a month or two old. Néfi talked about the Plan of Happiness and how he found strength in the Lord through the scriptures to carry on despite his tragedy. The room was just burning with emotion and testimony and the Spirit of the Lord. Like the Hymn, The Spirit of God like a Fire is Burning.

Bruna, 19 years old, got baptized that afternoon. She did a 180 degree turn in her life. When we met her on the street, she had a nose ring and black clothes, not completely the goth look, but headed in that direction. We made an appointment, a visit, and after 4 or 5 weeks, an empty font with no water to fill it, she made her first covenant with our Lord. She will be confirmed this next week. :) Her aunt, Aurilene, is still looking for something to confirm that this is the church, and her uncle Elson (she lives with them, not her parents) is still behind his wall of Evangelical training. He's curious though, but doesnt want to show it.

Would you guys be willing to include Néfi and his family, Aurilene and Elson in your prayers?

Sarah, quite a few missionaries want to write to you! I wanted to confirm with you if its okay that they write to you. Yea or nay? :)

How are you doing with your cisos? (SEE-zoos, wisdom teeth) Do they hurt a lot? Im glad youre not super swollen! Remeber when I got mine out, and we took passport photos? D: hahaha.

Ah, time is up. I hope you all are doing really well, I look forward to next time! Dad, I miss your weekly letter. I dont voice it, but they mean so much to me. And do you have any suggestions on improving the gift of discernment? I realize that I need it a lot here, more than I thought I would. I really appreciate all that you guys do for me, I hope that the Lord looks after and blesses you. He is always there for us. :)

~Élder Wille

11-2-2013

Boa tarde família!!!

Well well, we finally moved into our new apartment with another pair of missionaries! My old Zone Leader, Elder Orchard, and a missionary whos been in my zone for a bit, Elder Patino. (pah-CHEEN-oh)

Sarah, I hope very much that your wisdom teeth go well. Despite my 5 sites, it didnt live up to all the horror that people always say. If it does, just keep in mind that it will be over in a couple of days! :)

Dang it. 6 o clock. I have to go. Dad, the temple pic I had in mind had letters photoshopped in. Could you do that and send it? Thanks!

Im so sorry, I will write next week!

Elder Wille

Ps journey 2 has Scorpion king in it.

2/3/2013

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of mail, I have a few missionties letters all written out, but we had some serious money issues. Im fine, things are great, our monthly fund fell (into our accounts. :) ) so we have money once again.

So, Im on my fourth transfer, out of 16. or is it 18? I dont know, but Im on my fourth! And I officially have 6 months on the mission! Hooray!!!

Monalisa (Sister Costa, we almost never use last names here) and Luiz talked in church today, that was a pretty amazing story. Dad, I think you can use it in your lesson. It goes like this.

Luiz was having some major difficulties finding work, they waited for a phone call or something for almost a year. They were praying and fasting that something would happen-- paying tithing, the works, but nothing was happening. Their food was running really short, when suddenly Monalisa felt an impression to invite the missionaries (us) for lunch on P-day, despite the shortage. Nobody is assigned that day to give us lunch, so it was nice to not have to look for something to eat. While we were there, the phone rang. That was the call theyd been waiting for during an entire year, that Luiz could work and support his family. Just by having the missionaries there blesses the family, and following the promptings of the Spirit, no matter what circumstance, will always work out.

I left my cerebro (brain, or planner) at the house, so I dont have my notes of things to say. :( Mom, I found a really cool website that has lots of channels. It might be in Portuguese, but theres lots of symbols and logos. its <www.tvgolonline.biz> tv go L online dot biz, the L is a little hard to see.

Im so jealous, I want to eat Red Lobster again. :( Seafood is expensive here, cause they ship most of it to other places, and rack up the prices here.

Dad, youre watching football? Wow, things change fast on the mission. ;) That racquetball competition sounds awesome, let me know how it goes? :)

If Russel and Steve did Blue John and you are doing the same stretch, I feel a lot better. Maybe Clark and Steve know a different section that most people skip over.

A few questions for you guys. Did you get the envelope that has letters from me and Elder R Barbosa? Is Alisha still alive despite me not getting my package? :) I hope she is, I would be very sad if she didnt survive. Thats awful that postage went up $20. D:

Im sending a letter snail mail and that aforementioned missionties letter. Im sending the family letter missionties, and one for Sarah via a snail. I thought it would mean a bit more. I dont want you to be disappointed that theres no letter for you in the snail, its in the missionties.

Oh yes, about the Transfer. Im still in Caucaia, still with Elder R Barbosa, and we finally started moving to our new apartment. He ordered new beds, a stove and a liquidificador. (blender. Ours 'pegou fogo', or quite literally exploded. Real fire was shooting out the vent in the back...)

Well, I dont really have much more to say. We got kicked out of Itapipoca, or rather, Itapipoca got kicked out of us. Its now an area itself now, with its own missionaries, so we have Caucaia, Paracuru, and Pecém. I dont know what will happen to the cities around Itapipoca, we dont have a base to work with those areas yet.

Mom, quick note. Im healthy, strong, and doing excellently. Ive forgotten to help assuade your worries, so just letting you know, theres nothing to worry about. I still have all 9 fingers, and 14 toes. (7 on each foot, like the dwarves in LOTR)

Im so glad that everything is going well, that everyone is going to church. I dont want to be annoying or preachy, but I honestly worry about church attendance. I know its hard for some people, but its definitely worth it with the right attitude. The Lord can and will heal any wounds, and allow everyone to enjoy His Spirit in His house.

I have to go now, I love you all! Letters are on the way! Bye!

~Elder Wille