New Companion

Well, my new companion is Elder Higdon, from Idaho Falls, Idaho. My first companion ever was from there also.

Unfortunate this past week has been really crappy. Having to remember everything about your area is harder than I thought after 4 and a half months of being here. I got yelled at by a member because I missed an appointment with a friend of his because I was at home on Friday with a 101.3 fever. That same day we had to go to the mission offices to renew some visa stuff so the whole day was just terrible.

Anyway we have hopes that things will pick up this week, and we won't get harassed by the members. My new companion only has a transfer left, so he´s fluent in the language and is a good teacher, but he´s just a little bit trunky to go home. He served in the states for 6 months waiting for his visa. Also it's difficult just to speak Portuguese with him because it's so much easier to speak English.

Many people in the ward still don't know what my name is. It's a little frustrating, especially when I know their names and have taught lessons with them to their friends who were baptised.

Anyway all is well, just super tired all the time.

Elder Willard

Transfers

My companion is going home tomorrow, after 2 years (and 30 days, he loves to remind people about that). He is going back to Natal, Rio Grande do Norte. (Natal means Christmas in Portuguese.) My new companion is unconfirmed, but reports from my Zone Leaders is that it’s an American....which could be a problem for my language. My companion told me that I speak better than him....and he has 1 year and 8 months. But we will see; you will receive a better report tomorrow.

It’s been nothing but rain for the last few days. I'm not used to the lightning just yet; I flinch every time the road I'm walking in is filled with purple light. I love it except it’s almost impossible to make contacts in the street and more difficult to make contacts at the door when you have to yell over the sound of thunder.

We baptized a young man on Saturday and had a killer stake conference with an Elder Costa from the seventy. Talking about temples, I would recommend reading some of his stuff but...it’s probably in Portuguese.

I'm pretty nervous about the transfer. Like remembering all the people we taught and the members and where people live...it’s a little crazy. Oh, I'm super excited to get the package that was sent to me. It will be the first mail that I will get in Brazil. That's not a shot at anybody for not writing me, because I haven't written anyone.

I cannot believe that it is the middle of flippin September! That will make about 4 and half months that I have been in Brazil.

Anyway, Eu Amo vocês e quero que vocês comiam cereal para mim, tá? (I love you and eat some cereal from me, OK?)

Elder Willard

Busy September

It’s raining...really hard. Which makes it really difficult to make street contacts because Brazilians don’t like the rain and hide inside.

Our mission has set a goal to baptize 110 people for the month of September and make 4200 contacts per zone. Our companionship has two baptisms with another one on the way this Saturday!! He is eight-years-old and has a testimony and is extremely smart.

By inspiration we found a killer family last night, the mother is Batuque (a weird espiritism religion that does animal sacrifices and would be considered a cult in the states--we find lots of their sacrifices in the streets with mutilated chickens and sometimes cats), but by the end of the lesson, we asked her to pray and she said, Heavenly Father, thank you for the peace the missionaries have brought me, and when we said Amen, her son, Diego, was crying. We didn’t ask why but I think it was the spirit. I’m super excited to see them again.

It’s weird to think that I will get another companion soon, after almost 4 months with the same one. I’m afraid my new companion won’t want to work, or that I will become senior companion, or that I will move to a new area, or that I will train. So really, the end of this transfer has me with a lot of doubts and fears, but that’s what a mission is for.

Stress + time = Growth....I think...

This picture I have attached is the wonderful married couple we baptized and the President of the mission who randomly showed up..
 
The Church is true everybody! I know it is! The evidence is everywhere on my mission. It’s in the lives of those we baptize. Eat some barbeque sauce and do something American for me.
Eu Amo Você!
Elder Willard

Weddings and Baptisms

Tudo Bem!!!
Well crazy stuff happened this last week.

We had a wedding on Saturday with tons of non-members, which got me a little uncomfortable because it was in the chapel, and the husband-to-be´s friends
were kinda drinkers. But all was well except for the fireworks that went off right in front of the chapel with super loud worldly music, and some kind of laser show.

But the following day we baptized them at the end of all the church meetings. We baptized a family! They were super happy and excited. It was kinda funny,
we had gotten them changed into their jumpsuits and they were just waiting in front of the baptismal font doors and kept asking, “Can we go now? Come on let’s go!”
And the president of the mission just showed up for the baptism, which was a little unnerving. A couple weeks ago he pulled me into his office with my companion and said, “Don’t be surprised if I make you senior this next transfer or the following. Your companion is one of the best missionaries we got and you have been with him for almost 3 transfers. I expect to see some good things from you.” How am I supposed to be a senior companion?! I’ve been freaking out a little bit these last couple weeks, he also said I could start training!!

Other then those things, everything is good. Just trying to work hard. My biggest weakness is still the language.

I love you all
Elder Willard