A little Basketball

The work here is kind of slowing down, which is frustrating; it will be almost 6 months that I have worked in this one area and almost 8 months on the mission on the 29th of this month. To find people right now is based only on references and inspiration. No one is progressing and our numbers of lessons are really low. But everything is great, trying to work hard everyday; you only need to be responsible to yourself and to Heavenly Father. You know if you are doing your best so keep doing it. You have a whole lifetime to look back on your mission, and I don’t want to feel like I wasted my time.

Personal struggle: getting up on time...yeah. Something to improve on this week.

Today for the first time ever, part of our district is going to play basketball which is a huge deal. It took me like 4 months to find a court and people that are willing to play and to find a ball which was super difficult in a country where everyone plays soccer and volleyball. So I guess we will see how that turns out.

I would like to get some covers for my scriptures, but everything I’m finding is kind of expensive. There is a member that makes leather cases and burns famous church art into them. But they are 50 reals per cover. I’d like to get some cool covers from the mission in Brazil, but what do you think I should do, Mom?

I’m a little scatter-brained right now and I don’t have much to write. But I love you guys.

Elder Willard

Conference Weekend

Well they changed the age of eligibility to serve a mission for men from 19 to 18 and women from 21 to 19. So Frazier, go as fast as you can. Get a call to Brazil and not England (that's where all the pansies go;-)

Unfortunately, I didn't understand too much of conference (in Portuguese) which was frustrating, but I got some golden nuggets for me personally, plus I was drinking Chimarrão during the Sunday afternoon session. Just a little Rio Grande Do Sul culture.

We have a little girl on the way to baptism, a girl to less active members who really wants to be baptized. It’s just difficult to bring them to church because they live kinda far away in the most dangerous part of our area.

My companion is killing me. I love him, don’t get me wrong, but he is going home on the 30 of October and he is super excited, so he talks about home a lot, which makes me realize how much longer I have left and it’s a little overwhelming. What I need to do is think about the work and nothing else.

It isn’t as hard as people think, but I get distracted by my companion who will sometimes make a list of things that he will do when he gets home or the food he misses or his family or friends.

But I know that I can do it, its just hard right now.

Mom, could you have Frazier email me again, or could I get his email? Zach, what are you and your wife doing? David, can I get some photos of you and your wife via email? Elder Huff, what is the field like?

The field is white already to harvest.

Elder Willard

Welcome to October

It makes 7 months that I have been on the mission. Many days it feels like the mission is impossible, but I do know that it’s more important than my selfish needs or desires. I need to do this service for my Heavenly Father.

We had a confirmation of one of our investigators, which was terrific; a member did it and not us. I want all members to be involved in all aspects of the work, even when we are ‘treated like dogs’ (words of my trainer). A member threatened to strike me in the head with a stick because we missed an appointment because I was at home with a fever. But the members’ testimonies are great at lessons.

The bishop asked me to pray in sacrament meeting, but not directly. He had a clipboard and a piece of paper with my name next to the words ‘primeiro orador’. The word oração is prayer, so I thought I would give the first prayer, but little did I know that orador really means ‘speaker’ like the English word orator. So I was called to speak with nothing prepared and no time to prepare...in another language!! But truly the Lord will put into your mouth the things you must say, in the exact moment.

The biggest lie about religion is that everyone needs to find their own way to worship/believe/practice their religions. “All roads lead back to God.” Wrong. “All you have to do is believe.” Wrong. “God will accept whatever form of worship you do, just do what YOU think is right.” Wrong. Heavenly Father gives us all the rules and gives them all equally to all of his children. If it were not so, he would be unjust and a liar. God is merciful, but we must do exactly what he wants us to do if we want eternal life. If your religion is want you think it should be, you’re doing what you want to do, so in reality you are worshiping yourself. It’s only through Christ that we can gain Eternal life. So do exactly what he told us to do. BE PERFECT!

The church is true, we have a really prophet like Noah or Moses, so we must hearken unto their counsel just as if God himself was talking to us. Because literally, the words of the Prophet are the words of God.

Elder Willard

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