Going so Fast

Cintia got an answer!

We went to visit a less active family to figure out why they didn't go to church and a friend of theirs, Cintia, told us that when she prayed she received an answer about the Church and that it’s all true. She said this with a big smile on her face.

 She went to Church yesterday and is progressing. But she has to get married first to get baptized, also there’s a young guy attending church that also could be baptized soon.

I feel like I was just here writing an email, I just don’t know what to write about.

Mom could you send me some recipes, by email, to make desserts like:

Texas sheet cake

Berry Delight

Brownies

Cookies

or anything American.

The mission is passing by really fast, I hope I don’t miss it.

Elder Willard

Carnival

This week has been very difficult. The city if Pelotas, which I have discovered is the 2nd most humid city in the world, postponed Carnival until this last week. For that reason it was super difficult to teach or find people, there was a lot of drunks and trash on fire for some reason as well.

There is a young man coming to church out of the blue this last two Sundays, we will see if we can get him baptized here soon. He’s 16.

Frazier: buy good shoes or boots, not the kind of shoes I brought. I haven’t worn a pair of shoes that has fit me for over 8 months. Go a little more expensive and get good work boots maybe. Manaus sounds awesome.

From what I’ve learned on the mission is that each state is like its own country because people don’t move or travel very much. There is even a difference in accent between cities only an hour apart here. 

I love all of you!!

Elder Willard

Tough Week

This week was....uh...difficult. We baptized the son of a less-active member to help her get reactivated again and it was working out pretty well. But during this week we passed by their house and as we entered, the husband was taking everything out of the house that was his. He was fed up with the relationship, with his wife that has been “nothing but a fight for 5 years,” and he was moving out. We started talking to the wife who explained what had happened and that they were splitting up.

After a little bit, the husband and the wife engaged in a argument that was very painful to hear. They began digging up the past from heavy drug use to prostitution. And the poor wife was just balling her eyes out. They screamed and argued and called each some pretty terrible things, and we sat and watched for 3 hours trying to resolve the conflict. We had established some goals and plans to improve the marriage and by the time we left they were smiling a little and laughing with us. We passed by their house on Sunday and things have improved greatly.

I am so thankful for the Holy Ghost and the orientation it gives to help people become better and heal lives.

Elder Willard

Floods

More baptisms!!!! We baptized three more young guys, Diogo, Wesley and Taylor. Brazilians love American names for some reason.

Transfers are today and I will stay here for at least another transfer in Pelotas, which is great because we can probably baptize more in this area. Another good thing is that I will stay with Elder Yopán for another transfer too.

We had a flash flood in area on Tuesday. It rained super hard for a lot of the afternoon and our street filled up with water up to the knees.

I only know that because we went walking through it to a member’s house that was filling with water. There is a river to the south of our area which is a ‘poop river’ where the sewage goes. That river filled up so much that it claimed the street next to it making it a huge river.

Four of us left our lunch (to help out a member) in white shirts and ties and umbrellas and waded through this massive poop river. The river was full of trash, but also turtles, and as we walked we saw turtles swimming around our feet. We also saw a massive rat swimming on the surface of the water.

What didn't help was that a couple of trucks passed by us in the street, causing waves that exploded over us. I will never forget that day.

But this week was really good; I’m excited to get back to work!

Elder Willard

Baptisms

We had a baptism of part of the family on Saturday and we will probably baptize the rest this week. This week was really hectic; we have had really crazy weather where it pours down rain for 15 minutes and creates floods. Then it stops and the sun pops up and makes everything extremely humid.

We’ve just been going, going, going!! Our zone’s goal for baptism this month is 25 and I think we need like ten more; we probably have another 3 baptisms this week, so just a few more!!

 Karolina, Bruna, and Inaiara are awesome and will help the ward out here in the young women’s group.

I sent some pictures of them.

I love you guys,

Elder Willard

Raining Bugs

We got the baptism scheduled of a family marked for this Saturday: Carol, Bruna, Inaiara, Wesly and Diogo. They are the children of a mother who is still not ready for baptism, but her children want to be. So we will focus on that for this week.

Also, Jeferson, one of our investigators, decided to get baptized, but needs to get married, but he said something really...legal. We taught the word of wisdom and after we invited him to live it he said basically, “Well..duh. I will do anything you guys say. Everything you guys say is true and right.” He knows for himself that the church is true.

Also we saw a weird phenomenon. We got home when it was very humid and dark and for some reason really bright lights were on, guiding our way home. Because of the brightness of the lights, thousands of penny size beetles were flying around the lights. As they were flying around, they would smash blindly into buildings four stories in the air and fall, hitting the ground. Most of the time they would die. So as we walked to our apartment last night, it was literally raining bugs.

I got the package, it was terrific, thanks alot mom.

Elder Willard

February

The other elders and I bought 10 liters of ice cream and we are gonna eat it today...and play a board game called Catan. Maybe Tennis again.

 

Anyway, we taught a lot of lessons this week and found a few investigators and 2 went to church, but we don't have much progress in the way of baptisms. We found two families that want to get baptized, but the parents have to get married first. Unlike in America where you can get married in a day, here the process is about a month. But the families really want to change and are willing to lay everything

aside to be baptized.

 

But all is well, I'm not doing so well at working out in the mornings, because I'm just so tired. I feel like I have a million and one things to say, but I just cant remember anything.

 

Elder Willard