Montese 28-10-2013

Hello family, friends, and other important people in my life!

Elder Phillips and I had this marvellous idea. Its P-day, and we have to do some shopping, so we thought Lets get an abobora or jerimum and carve a jack-o-lantern! :D As a bonus, we will toast the seeds and have a healthy snack to boot! :) Im thinking of getting one of those catholic shrine candles to stick in it, I hope it all works out! :)

I had a bit of an interesting experience. We knocked on a door and found a lady who is studying to be a Jehovas Witness, and we talked about prophets. She gave a few excuses that our work is good, but she believes differently. I bore my simple but sincere testimony about them and the Book of Mormon. It was interesting, because she began to falter in her excuses, not finding the sufficient words to defend against the attackless invite. I think that maybe someday she will remember those two peculiar boys who knocked on her door a half hour before going to study.

Trivia for you guys: Im going to enter the Missionary talent show by doing a medley of mixed hymns. For example, try singing the words of Joseph Smith's First Prayer (Que Manhã Maravilhosa) to the tune of Come Thou Fount. (not in the hymnbook) Its actually pretty neat, mixing hymns like that. There are a few more like that, some that fit, but dont combine very well, like Away in a Manger and How Firm a Foundation.

Dad, Im glad that you can see the end, and that it has an end. :) I would really like to share the website with Targino, he will probably really like it.

Im guessing canyoneering is pretty much over for the year, unless you decide to do a winter canyon like the Bretheren. I think I prefer summer trips, personally. Less clothing to worry about and lug around.

I think I like having Brazilian companions too, though Ive had very few of them. I have a bit of a hard time understanding missionaries that only speak Portuguese. The spanish speakers who are learning it too are easier to understand for me, so I think they are my favorite.

Eu achei graça da história do Secretário Executivo. :) Eles falam o senhor para os pais, em vez de você. Qual tu prefere? O senhor é bem formal, como usted.

Mom, we are finding a new house for the Sisters that are going to take over our area. I think its a good change, Sisters are a lot more friendly and natural at sharing stuff. I believe they will have good success here.

About the Chocolate... >:D We didnt find ten pounds, but we did buy one that beats out the Pound Plus from Trader Joe's (by weight, the flavor isnt as good) Its a 1,1 kilogram bar of Semi-sweet chocolate for R$10! ($5) Its double the size! :D But its also for making decorations and toppings, not specifically for eating. But it works!

Bem, quero falar um pouco de Português para todos vocês. Eu estou bem, eu comi brownies dois dias atrás, com sorvete de baunilha. Não tive o tempo de fazer cerveja de raiz ainda. :(

Alisha and Todd, how are you guys? When does school end? Vocês conseguem ler e entender o base de português como Pai? :) E bastante diferente, e divertido também. Eu acho que é mais fácil falar, é mais fluido.

Alisha, chegou a estar grávida? 'tou esperando! :P rarrarra. Como está teu trabalho? Você gosta dos meninos?
E Todd, teu trabalho está melhor? O que você mais gosta dele? Já foi perseguido por um cachorro? :)

Sarah, estou sem notícias de você e muito triste. :( Você está bem? Precisa de algo que possa fazer? Eu penso em você muito, e oro que você esteja bem. Vou te ver em 9 meses e poucos dias! Que incrível, o tempo está passando rápido demais!
Se Lembre de se divertir, e especialmente se lembre que eu te amo! Tchau minha irmãzinha! :)

Bem família e convidados, eu tenho que ir. Vou seguir o meu Líder de Zona que também era meu Líder de Distrito em Bom Jardim, e usar uma frase que ele usa: Tchau, beijos.

~Elder Wille

Montese 21-10-2013

Dear Family,

Your letters today made me more trunky than usual. :S Im pretty much forgetting when the holidays are, cause we cant do a whole lot about them. Ah well. :)

So, this week was a bit rough. We had to continue to look for a house, and we walked in a zig-zag to hit all the streets. I think we only found 2 new ones in 5 or 6 streets. :/ We make a few contacts, and most of them are people who live outside our area. The rest are not interested or too busy, so theres not a lot of success in this area of work. I have to admit, I was starting to get pretty discouraged, when the only contacts that have potential are ones you cant teach.

That was the start of our week, but happily the end was much better. It went like this:

I was doing a role-play/practice with Elder Phillips on the Sabbath Day, and he was giving the textbook answers, so I dug a little deeper. Paused the practice, asked him what it means to him, and he started to explain to me. That little inspired question led to a revelation. As he explained, I went back to the investigator role, and asked a question in that sense. Immediately the tone of the practice changed, the Spirit of the Lord entered the room, and I found what Preach My Gospel really does. Yes, it has the doctrines and stuff that we need to teach, but its not asking us to recite pieces of information that we learned from it.
Preach My Gospel works like this: It teaches us the principles so that we can recognize them in our lives, and then drawing on that, which is our own experience, we can share what the Gospel is to us. That is our testimony which is completely true, and to which the Spirit can bear testimony. Ive been reciting and applying the doctrine from Preach my Gospel my whole mission, and its given results. But using this method it will be many times more effective.

I learned that by accident, just trying to train my new son. I had an experience actually using it not too long after. We started teaching this elderly lady, talking about faith and repentence, because its something that Christians believe and would benefit her, despite her refusal to change from being Caltholic. Her adult daughter walked in after starting, and she participated in the discussion. (she too is catholic and has a teenage daughter who is a member) We taught what faith is to us, and what repentence has done in our lives. After that, Father had another idea, and we completed the Gospel by talking about baptism, Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the end. We invited them to baptism, and the younger mom accepted. I dont remember her name. D:

That experience changed our whole week. Even though the rest of the day wasnt too successful, that one lesson changed everything. It rekindled my flame for the Work, and Im much happier now. :)

Mom, my feet are doing great! Im going to Aldeota for my last checkup today. Theres no swelling, so I think Im all good to go! :) The tunnel has ended.

Dad, thank you for telling me about Cassidy Arch! Sounds like everyone had a pretty good time this week.

Im really sorry that this letter is short on notes to you guys, but know that I love you all! Follow the counsels of the Prophets and Quorum of the Twelve, they are inspired and are what Father wants us to know in these last days. The Ensign is scripture too, it helps resolve our daily challenges. Until next time.

~Elder Wille

Montese 14-10-2013

Hello Family!

Okay, my companions name is Elder Phillips, he's from South Carolina but was born in South Dakota, lived in Alabama, California, and Utah. He has 7 (!!!) sisters and two brothers. He likes a lot of the same style of music that I like, and wrestled in middle school. He set a school record in the triple jump from track and field to boot.

His family is all members of the church, some are a little afastados (gee, Im forgetting some important stuff) but the mission is helping.

He served one transfer in Fort Collins Colorado, Provo MTC, and now hes here. The transfer there kinda killed the portuguese he had down, so hes starting from almost the basics.

He also looks exactly like Alex Richeys older brother.

Well, not a whole lot has happened, but we make some contacts to try and make our teaching pool bigger. The thing is, everyone we teach doesnt live in our area. :/ I found a dad and his daughter that were pretty interested, sitting in front of their house, and we taught them. The dad, Cícero, was pretty into it until the end, and had listened to the missionaries before. The daughter was really into it, accepted the baptismal invite, and then we found out that they live in Maracanaú. :S

We are trying to coordinate the work with the members, but the meeting that was supposed to take place didnt. So, we are kinda just toodling around the area, trying our best on our own. Other than that, its great here! They have planes flying overhead every 10 to 20 minutes, super low cause we are about a mile from the airport. Trunky!!! Nah, Ive gotten used to it.

Living with the Assistants, its not a huge difference. They are gone a lot of the time, so its chill. But we do have some problems, for instance:

The owners of the condo put a brand new, shiny lock on the door to the sidewalk. Thats great and all, except they only gave us one key... Hmm. :) More coordination.

Mom, dry ice does exist here, but its incredibly hard to find and I would imagine insanely expensive. I found some leftover root beer extract (and maple too) that Elder Patino or Elder Canoy left behind, along with taco seasoning, some marshmallows, and a few other things. They do have club soda, so maybe that would work. I will give that a try.

Dad, I would like to pay tithing on the inheritance too. Could you do that for me? Thanks!

President Souza did put up the Wakeboarding Elder for me on the office picture board. Lots of people get a kick out of it. :) And the one I carry with my in my album, almost everyone laughs. Some believe its real for a few seconds. :)

How are you surviving all that load? I bet racquetball was a huge relief, a time to "sharpen the saw." I hope and pray that you can get all the things done for the release! And another canyon trip would be a welcome finishing present.

A quick favor, would you be willing to start to include the author or scripture reference of those quotes at the end of your email? Theres some that Id like to share with people, but I dont know where some of them are. Thanks!

Well, I have to go, sorry about the lack of news. We looked for a house, again, and I found a place that sells doughnuts. :) R$0,35 each, 3 for R$1. Thats like 7 for a dollar over there. Good price, eh?? :D

Thank you all for your prayers, I really appreciate all of you for doing so. Continue praying for that missionary experience that Elder Ballard talked about! The Lord is hastening His work, and He uses us to do it! What a privelege! The church is true!

~Elder Wille

Montese 7-10-2013

What?? Its October already? Happy one year anniversary to me in the field! :) Last week anyway.

Im kinda freaking out, I ONLY have 10 months left. Where has the time gone? What have I been doing out here? 6 more planners? Thats hardly any! Im honestly a bit scared.

Ive been thinking about some things, and I realized its amazing the changes Ive been through. I can identify 2 instances of personal transformation. One was a little after Snow College, and the other is here on the Mission. It really is interesting how much you change on the mission. Its miniscule by the day, but it definitely makes a huge difference over my 1 year and 2 months.

Well, about Montese. We went to lunch the first day, Tuesday, and I had looked briefly at the calendar. 31, Targino, beleza. We went to find his house, and lo and behold, I forgot to get the number of the house. We went back, 5 minutes of walking, got the number, and went back. Lo and behold again, it wasnt their day to give lunch. September doesnt have 31 days... :S The sister called her husband Targino and asked who has it, and we went to the right house, way down in the corner of our area. We got there around 1. :S

Conference this weekend was one of the best Ive seen, ever. Please tell me you watched all of it? Especially the Second session of Saturday? I was on cloud nine at the end. Elder Hollands talk was out of this world! I know that talk is going to help countless people.

Dad, yesterday I was talking with Targino, our Elders Quorum President, and I correctly identified him as a software person. :) He does a lot of other stuff as well as writes programs, lots of administration if I remember right. I told him that youre a software engineer, and he asked what language you use. I said java and he groaned. 'I do not like java' he says, in his thick brazilian accent. He uses Ruby instead, and cant stand Windows. He got a notebook which came with Windows 8, used it for half an hour, went crazy, took it off and put Kubunto on it. "Much better" he says.

Mom, I have a kitchen story for you. A tiny one. Ive sliced two different fingers cutting up mangas (not sleeves) for juice. Shallowly cause they didnt bleed, but its at the annoying painful depth. Im definitely going to make that when I come home. First youll think "What are you DOING?" but its okay. Ive done it before. Once... :D

Sarah, how am I going to talk to you now? You's so far away! :( But have a good time living away from home! Visit often! I love you so much! <3

Oh no, Ive run out of time. :( sorry! Have a great time everyone, remember to brush your teeth, and give Elder Ballards talk a try. ;)

~Elder Wille

Training Again

Hi Hi Family! I got moved. :( I was really sad to leave Palmares, but it also means that I completed what there was to be done there. :) Im now in the (more or less) rich part of town! My area is called Montese (Mohn-TEZ-ee) and the house is VERY clean. :D I also happen to live in the same house as the assistants to the president. :O I cant fubecar anymore. (slack off)

So, like the title says, Im going to have another son! And itll be my first American companion since the MTC. Ive had just about all there is here on the mission. Brazilian, African, (Cabo Verdiano) Argentinian, Paraguayan, and finally, after a year (one year exactly to the day) I get another American. :) October 2 2012 is when I left Elder Meeks, and October 2 2013 is when I get my new son! :) Massa, né?

So he is only half my son, em verdade. I know all this stuff because he already passed the first 6 weeks of training in the US somewhere and was delayed because of the visa. So, I get to show him around and complete Lukes training. Er, I mean the Elders... :D

Okay, story time! We closed the month with less baptisms than we wanted and planned for, but we still beat out the zone leaders. In the end, we had 9 baptisms just in the month of September. And then I got transferred.

Another story. So we baptized [names redacted], and they are just strong and powerful. [name redacted] smoked right before the baptismal interview, but had repented sufficiently to be baptized. Then we saw and guessed that he smoked twice more in the week between then and the confirmation, so we called President Souza as to what we should do. He gave us the jurisdiction to interview him and see if he had repented. If he confessed, we could confirm him. If not, it has to wait. He not only confessed, but also told his wife that he had smoked and wrote in his agenda to talk with the Bispo about it. Now, hes just firm as a rock. That couple has really come far in the Gospel. They dont just follow it, they actually live it. [name redacted] was in tears when we passed to say goodbye after the transfer call. She gave a powerful testimony that none of our work would ever be forgotten, that they would be strong and help lots of other families become strong too. She often said that there is nothing she can do to repay the changes we made in her family. Personally, I think theyre already doing it. Thats all I want in thanks, just pay it forward, share it with others, because I know how important and cherished this Gospel is. As Paul puts it, Its the power unto salvation of man. Romans 1:12, I think.

A weird thing has happened. I have developed this 'thirst' for reading the scriptures, especially the New Testament. Im also reading Jesus the Christ, which is absolutely fantastic! Ive never before had this 'thirst,' but its a welcome change more or less. Sometimes I just want to read instead of preach, but I cant do that. Theres people out there waiting for me.

Oh, I almost forgot. I continue being district leader in addition to training. :) Here we go!

Alas, I have forgotten my memory card. I think even Neville would be surprised. :P

Dad, your trip sounded like so much fun! Im so glad that you were able to sneak one in! I think thats one more trip that we have to add to the list of when I get back. :) You guys got very muddy, must have been a most excellent adventure.

Mom, you can really stop worrying about me now, cause Im living with the assistants. :) They're right up there with the President, the highest position of leadership possible for a full time missionary. I will be looked after very carefully. :) As for the package, could you send some AA bateries? The ones here are almost all garbage. I think 8 would last a good while for me. I still have AAAs, so Im all good there. Um... A raspberry scone mix? :D Those ones were the best ever! Thank you so much!

Sarah, how is life treating you? I havent heard much news from you, are you doing okay? :) Hows Hayden? Do you have any fun plans to go and do something crazy fun? Just remember how much I love and miss you! :)

Alisha and Toddy, hows the grown up life for you guys? How are you liking your new jobs? Elder Galli, from Argentina, would get along great with you guys, cause he likes to fart next to people. :D Hope you get a kick out of that. :) Im in my fourth area! Its crazy town here, they almost dont have places to use the internet! And they have planes landing a few miles away, they fly overhead every 15 minutes or so. (trunkeza!!!) But its all cool here.

Last question. When am I going to become an uncle? ;P

Well, this letter is getting pretty long, and my time is short. Bye for now, I will give you all the big details next week when I actually know some. :D Love and miss you all! Have a very interesting week!

~Elder Wille

Palmares 23-9-2013

Hi Family!

Well, I have a lot of time this time!

This morning, I made biscuits and gravy from memory! It was pretty dang close to the ones I usually make. They dont have the sausage like at home, so I improvised with ground beef and a seasoning that tastes exactly like sausage. Its rosemary and parsley, and I dont know how that works, but it did! :) We just got done playing volleyball, and that was fun. I got my serves down pretty good. :) We have kinda let go watching movies for now, maybe the next transfer.

I have a little story to tell you guys. Elder Tamanho gets some migraines every once in a while that last for 3 days. He got one recently, and a few days after, he told this story as his message to the members who gave us lunch.

He woke up with a migraine (called a chequeca here. sheh-KAY-kuh) and couldnt study because of it. We had quite a bit of work that day, and he had informed me of his condition. In the companionship prayer before leaving, I prayed that it would stop so that we could work normally. I tried to put it out of my mind, still being conscious that his head was hurting, and we went to work. Turns out that his head stopped hurting that very same day. His message at lunch was on faith, or prayer, one of those. But it is very important that they come together. I had asked Father to help because it seemed like the thing to do. And it worked. I had no idea what happened until he told the story. Im so happy to have a Heavenly Father that looks out for us and wants us to have success, all of us! Not just missionaries. :)

Sarah, your dreads are pretty sweet!!! I thought at first that your hair actually was that long, you got me fooled! :) You are so pretty, they do look really good on you! And Elder Tamanho thinks they look awesome. :) changing the topic, hows work going for you? Do you go with Dad like I did, or do you take your own car?
Ive had a lot of people ask this, so Im forwarding their question: What college are you going to go to?

Im more than halfway through my mission, its going by so fast! In the pictures, you have grown up so much! Its hard to believe that my little sister is catching up to me! You gotta stop until I get back, okay? :D

Dad, that project sounds like the bomb! I hope that all goes smoothly for the release date!

32 pullups? Holy cow that is a lot! We had a pullup bar last transfer, but the missionary leaving took it with him. My max here is about 8... :S hahaha.

It took me a half a second to understand how I could go to Egypt with you. Ah, the trunky-ness. Its a little worse this week, cause everyone is having problems lately. The work is going pretty slow, we arent going to make the 20 baptism mark this month. :( 3 fell through this Sunday because they didnt go to church. We are now trying to find new people to teach, with the transfers next week.

Ah, a quick question. Have you had the time to pay my tithing on those last paychecks and increases that I got? Its something that I got a firmer understanding and desire of here in Fortaleza.

Im still learning to play the piano. I can play top hand pretty well on the easier hymns, despite the very few hours I get to practice. I wonder if I will be able to knock your socks off when I come back. :)

Mom, is there some way to get raspberry freezer jam over here without melting? D: I was telling the guys about strawberry jam today, and Elder Bramwell made fresh italian bread today. It would have been a perfect combo...

You want the recipe for the cinnamon rolls with mashed potatos? I will have to ask him for it, I dont remember. :( Its just a wierd kook where they put just about everything in, Elder Whatcott says they do that a lot in the south.

Mom, thanks for teaching me handy skills of how to cook, its really coming in handy. :) I made a title for myself: King of the Breakfast Quick Breads. But really,

Im starting to look around for some stuff to send out to you guys. Mom, Alisha and Sarah, the jewelry here is about the same as there. Nothing really stands out as particularly Brazilian, except for the few things that have the flag or soccer teams on them.

And thats it for my letter. I think I will still be here in the next transfer, and the feira is on Monday. I will look for stuff to send you guys. Until the next time! Any movies that you want me to look for? They're a dollar here.

Okay, Im going now, love you all! Bye!

~Elder Wille

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