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

The Power is on!

Saturday we did not have a baptism, after preparing and inviting every single person we could think of, our candidate called and cancelled 3 hours before. And thus we sat in the bishop’s office, calling our invites and said the baptism had been postponed. We will see about that. My companion said that has never happened to him before on his mission, which made me think that I was bad luck. But the good news from Saturday is the power came back on....after 8 days!

Another issue is I cannot seem to keep my white shirts white. I need to find some sort of chemical that can get stains out in Brazil. I bet I could find something not cleared by the FDA, HA! HA!

On the upside, I have my first wedding, Antonio and Nadir, on 1st and on the 15th, and two baptisms. They are already self sufficient, visiting church every Sunday for all the 3 hours. It’s just so amazing how simple it is to have a change of heart by doing the basics. Studying the scriptures, praying, attending church.

The last two days have just been terribly cold, and the 3 days before that were terribly hot. It’s a little frustrating, but I sure do prefer the rain to the heat.

The Temple was just terrific and it was different with another language, but it just strengthens my testimony that the church is true because everything is exactly the same in the temple. The church is true all over the world.

I happy to declare that I think I'm losing weight, but has yet to be proven scientifically.

Thanks for everything, I hope the spelling is better... Sabrina..(how can I sabotage your relationship now?)

Elder Willard

Temple Trip

We are going to the temple today, the Porto Alegre Templo, so our p-day is today. But the power is out at our apartment since Friday, so freezing cold showers, no washing of clothes, no refrigerator, no light, and lots of candles.

We have a baptism on Saturday and a wedding soon. The language is coming; my number one problem is understanding what is being said to me directly. When it’s a conversation with many different people, I understand almost everything, but when someone asks me a question directly, I don’t know what’s happening.

I don’t have much time because we have to go visit the senior missionaries to get power, which is pretty frustrating.

Eu Amo Vocês

Elder Willard

Visiting Parents

Some parents of a missionary who was going home this week came down to visit him for about a week. The elder took his parents to meet converts he had baptized, eat native food and see some sights. I don't think my parents would do that. I got to have dinner with them on one occasion and they came to visit our ward. On Sunday the American Mother called after, Help! I need someone who speaks English!! I was quite impressed that I was able to translate nearly everything being said for them. Can you imagine coming to a foreign land that you are not familiar with and spend a week there not understanding anything being said? But who knows. Maybe Dad would like to visit me or Sister Willard in our countries. I think Mom would go for sure.

 

All is well here. I'm just tired all the time. I never seem to catch up with sleep.

 

I love you all,

Elder Willard

Another Transfer

I never want to miss a family reunion. The only excuse I can think of is being on a mission. BUT, that’s awesome; was the reunion in Sequim?

Anyway, I’m staying with my trainer for another transfer which is great because after working this area a little bit, we are starting to pick the fruits of our labor. We have a guestimation of 6-7 baptisms this transfer alone. People are just coming out of the woodwork. We were teaching a gal who seems very interested in the message; she told us of an experience last week:

“I was going to work on my bike (motorcycle) and as I came to a traffic light, I had a choice of two different lanes. Something told me to stop in the right lane and so I did. Another bike behind me picked the left. After a few moments of waiting at the light, the bike in the left lane was struck by a car. I thought to myself what the missionaries had said to me, ‘As you come to know that our message is true, you will face trials, but God will help you.’”

Satan knows who needs our message and knows who the missionaries are talking to and he will do everything in his power to stop the work from progressing. Heavenly Father’s elect are out there and are prepared; we just need to find them and teach them with power.

Eu sei que a Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Utimos Dias é verdadeira, e que Joseph Smith foi chamado por Deus. A Igreja tem a autoridade de Deus para realizar batismo, recebendo o dom do Espirito Santo e muitos milagres. Nós podemos voltar e viver com Pai Celestial si nós vivemos o evangelho de Jesus Cristo.

Eu Amo você!!!

Elder Willard

Ask for Yourself

Well, we have another baptism this Saturday, a sweet 10 year old gal. So we are all super excited. Yesterday was pretty sweet, one of our investigators called us and said that she had gotten an answer about the Book of Mormon.

When she prayed she felt a light and a terrific feeling come upon her, said it was hard to describe, but then she started to read the Book of Mormon to her `bed-ridden´ mother and she said that she felt something, a feeling of great joy and peace surrounded her. It’s pretty amazing how much faith people have here in Brazil.

A lot of people here seem to get an answer in the very first prayer, asking Heavenly Father if the Book of Mormon is true. The people here have no doubts about the reality and divinity of Jesus Christ.

My trainer is staying one extra transfer on the mission and I think he will stay with me, which is awesome. I have a feeling we are going to baptize a lot of people next transfer. After working with some people for 3 months, getting them married, getting answers from God, resolving doubts, the fruits of our labors are ready to be harvested. Oh yesterday I had been out on the mission for 5 months exactly. I don’t know if it was a long time or very fast.

We just keep ‘finding’ people. This last week we found 14 new investigators. And I’m realizing that coincidences on the mission don’t happen.

Wow, it is nearly impossible to remember what happens during the week to tell you guys about it. But all is well and the mission is terrific and the hardest thing I’ve ever done, that’s for sure.

I love you guys,

Elder Willard