Christmas!

Feliz Natal e Feliz ano novo.

Christmas was great because I got to talk to my family on Skype.

But in all reality it was my first Christmas away from home and for that reason it was the worse. What Christmas could be better than spending it with your family?

It is summer time here in Rio Grande do Sul and it truly is getting hot.

My companion Elder Nunes is used to the heat because from where he is from they don't have winter. He is progressing as a missionary just is a little timid at times to speak but he teaches well and has a desire to get better. It’s also his birthday on the 2nd.

I am so thankfully for being born in the Church; I don’t know what I did to deserve that.

Elder Willard

First Week

My new missionary is a little bit shy which I think is perfectly normal. I'm encouraging him to make contacts with people and the start our lessons with investigators. He’s from Macapá, Amapá. That's were Brazil starts in the North; his accent is a little hard to get used to...

We are doing a lot of finding this last week with lots of teaching opportunities. We have come across a lot of crazy people this last week...like one who seemed to be drinking garlic sauce while drooling it out of his mouth and screaming about how he loves saints. I gave him a Book of Mormon and was very grateful.

It just doesn’t feel like Christmas when it’s so flippin’ hot. But it looks like I will be able to talk to the fam using skype. Rio Grande is pretty wealthy at some parts.

Sinto que o Espirito do Senhor está me dirigindo para os eleitos. Parece que os jovens daqui são mais receptivos para ouvir nossa mensagem mas não me importo, Nós só precisamos um momento para testificar para que Eles possam sentir o Espirito e saibam que nossa mensagem é verdadeira.

[I feel the Spirit of the Lord is directing me to the elect. It seems that young people here are more receptive to hearing our message, but do not care. We just need a moment to testify so that they can feel the Spirit and know that our message is true.

Until Christmas,]

Até Natal,
Elder Willard

New Companion

Final transfers have arrived and well I will be training a new missionary from the MTC. I’m super excited and I just hope my language is good enough. I have to go back to Porto Alegre to pick up my companion and do some training.

This week was really cool. Elder Lazarte and I decided to go out and teach a lot of lessons in one day like 11, when this area had been doing 3 per day. We went out praying in our hearts all day long that we would find the elect and invite everyone to be baptized. By the time we got home we had taught 11 lessons. I'm starting to understand what Christ said about faith, that you can move a mountain with your words. If you truly believe that you can do anything. You are a child of our Heavenly Father who has eternal potential. You just have to exercise your faith and work and miracles will happen.

Eu sou grato pelo oportunidade a trabalhar como representante de meu Salvador, Jesus Cristo, e fazer as coisas que Ele faria.

Papai Noel é legal, mas Natal é chamado por Jesus Cristo.

[I am grateful for the opportunity to work as a representative of my Savior, Jesus Christ, and do the things that He would.

Santa Claus is cool, but Christmas is called by Jesus Christ.]

Also I watched a church video in Spanish and understood like half of it. HA!!

Elder Willard

Finally Moved

President Castro called me on Tuesday at about 3 o´clock and said, “Elder Willard you are going to be transferred to Rio Grande (5 hours away by bus).” I said that was really cool, but when? He said, “Tomorrow...” Regular transfers are not until the 11th of December. A missionary in my area was having some problems and was emergency transferred to my area and we switched areas. I had been in that area for 7 ½  months, so in less than 24 hours I was on my way, with all my stuff to a brand new area at the very bottom of Brazil. I was forced to buy a very expensive bus ticket with my own money (sorry Dad). The thing that bums me out the most is I have a baptism this Saturday and I won’t be there. But the president needed my help and he seems to trust me. The other missionaries think I will start training at the beginning of the next transfer.

My new area is called Cidade Nova and it’s tiny. You could walk from one side to the other in 15 minutes: a huge difference in that my last area was 3 ½ hours on foot. My new companion (for only a week) is Elder Lazarte from Nebraska and he’s half Bolivian. I'm helping him with grammar rules and speaking with more fluency. The area doesn’t have much going on in it with a tiny ward of 30 active members. We are going to get to work right away to get some people baptized. Elder Gull, from my last area said that he has baptisms marked for the 8th and 15th and 22th of this month. If anyone is willing to serve the Lord and work hard you can qualify for miracles.

Eu sou grato pela oportunidade a servir meu mestre e levar as pessoas para as aguas do batismo. Compartilhem o evangelho com todo mundo. Eu amo vocês.
[I am grateful for the opportunity to serve my master and getting people to the waters of baptism. Share the gospel with everyone. I love you.]

Elder Willard