Week 11 October 26, 2009

So, I bet everyone is just anxious to here how my first full week was here in the ¨actual mission field¨ and it was pretty dang good!! A lot of not knowing what was going on, but not bad!! I don’t even know where to start because there is so much to tell but I will start by saying thanks for all the emails!! I love hearing from all of you!!

So I really wish I could show you all what I am seeing here because it’s crazy!! I noticed that I never really explained Livrament last week, but brief a explanation is that it seriously is “hick ville” it’s SO funny!! People drive carriages and we see everyone, even little boys, riding ponies or little horses to school and there is absolutely nothing to do in this city so everyone just rides motorcycles around all the time!! I just we could ride them as missionaries! Ummm, there are a lot of green mountains and in my area there is a huge lake at the top of this mountain where we proselyte everyday. It’s a long walk, but the view at the top is worth it every time!

So this week was kind of long, but good!! Since my companion is district leader he has to do all these interviews for baptisms, so honestly we don’t really knock on doors or proselyte much, which kind of stinks, but whatever... we spend most of our time during the days walking to the other missionaries chapels, which is usually an hour to an hour and a half walk there and the same back, so we are tired ALL the time...

So the hardest part is that we are only teaching like 4 people at the moment, because of all the places we need to be, but 2 are becoming really strong and said that they know this Church is true!! So that’s good!! Honestly I still don’t really know what’s going on so it’s hard, but I think everything is going good with the people that we are teaching!!!

Today we had district p-day, which was so fun!!! We went to that lake and just hangout and played soccer and this game that is like cricket, that is huge here and had lunch!!! I made a cake, which everyone loved!! Dad I made your fudge sauce and everyone just loved it!!! I can’t believe I actually pulled it off perfectly! Even using different ingredients ha-ha!! But yes, it was a good time, took lots of pics. I'll probably be sending them home though mail next week!!

The weather is kind of weird!!! I have the biggest farmers tan cause it was SO freaking hot for like 2 days then we woke up one morning and it was like a blizzard of rain and wind!! This is the windiest city here they said but it’s was crazy and then its just warming back up!! But it’s going to start getting really, really hot ha-ha!! Looking forward to it............

Oh guess what, so I was waiting outside of my apartment and guess what I smelled!!! Grandma!!!!!!! Grandma I smelled you seriously it was amazing!!! It was your exact smell ... like the Sunday cooking combined with your house ahh!!! I was kind of happy and sad at the same time but it was so nice!!! Ahh I miss that smell!

And ya, we walk so much but then we eat so much!! Just a lot of rice and beans and meat and pasta! Nothing crazy this week! But I eat so much because I don’t know what’s going one so I just eat, kind of funny!!

Ahh, I know I have more to say but I can’t remember!! And my time is up so I hope that everyone has a fantastic week!!! Love you all!! And so long from Livramento! Love ya

Elder Wiscomb

PS if you’re ever having a hard time just read D and C 121 gosh it will help your life so much!!! I think I have read it 10 times this week! But its SO amazing and so true! This church is true everyone, I know it is!!! Love you all so much!!!!

Week 10 October 19, 2009

So what to say... gosh 5 days have passed by here in Livramento, but its good to start a normal week!! Everything is going ok! The city I am in is huge!! We have to walk like 2 miles just to get to our area and then after we have like mountains and stuff and its jut a really hard area!! Everyday we have to climb something called “Plano alto or planoalto” which means high plane and it's literally a mountain and that is where our bishop lives so we walk up that once maybe 2 a day.

It’s crazy because probably 75 percent of the people we are teaching are 8-18 and then we have a couple people 25 and 70! I think we are actually going to challenge someone to be baptized this week, which will be pretty cool! But I don't know, she said she was going to be coming to church last week but didn’t...

The people here are amazing! They are all pretty nice! Well at least they act nice. I don't know really what they are saying but when they think I know what they are saying they act nice hahaha. So everyone, the language is not coming too great, but I'm trying my hardest! And the people think its funny when I don't know, and some like it because they say “Oh now I have someone to practice English....” so I have actually been teaching a lot more than learning, which is hard...

So pretty much all we do is walk walk walk. Ha-ha it’s crazy!! But is been really cold and now I think its getting hotter cause its been hot for the last couple days so I think the hot is coming which is not good!! Sweat sweat sweat. And we don't have a washing machine because it's broken!! So that’s no fun!!! I haven't washed yet though.

The people are amazing and they feed us almost every day for lunch and it's usually pretty good. But we eat so much.

Since we are by Uruguay we got to go their today!! My mission goes 6 blocks into Uruguay so that's kind of cool!! It's way different though, everyone speaks Spanish, obviously.

Food is beans and rice with chicken probably every day. And my apartment is across the street from horses, so what I do every day is watch the horses run into their field from their stalls!! It kind of helps me with the stress I have... but it's nice. Our apartment smells and isn't that nice. It’s actually really dirty!! The blankets to get warm haven't been washed for probably 2 years, so they smell and I would wash them, but our washing machine is broken tough luck huh!!

Well that’s about it.... Santana Livramento is just great... trying my hardest and serving the lord!!

Molly just so you know they love Hannah Montana here its funny!! It makes me think of you whenever I here it!! Love you all!!!

Elder Wiscomb

Week 9 October 16, 2009

Hello family!!!!!!! So just to start out I can't believe that you guys missed my call... the one time that I was able to call, and you didn't answer but that's ok.... it would have made me homesick, just hear mom and dads voices made me really homesick!! So I broke my pinkie finger, so how I did it was playing basketball. The funny thing was, we were saying that someone was going to break something the day before, and of course it was me... so that is why my spelling is way off... so ya! I am suppose to get it looked at again but my Pres. said that it is not necessary, so whatever... I trust him.

So I'm gone from the ctm... now that I'm gone, I kind of wish I was back there!! I am sooo lonely. We left at 3 in the morning, which kind of stinks! But it was ok and we went to the Campinus temple... then we flew to Porto Legre and sat for like 4 hours then we had a 4 hours bus ride to Santa Maria!! We got there and went to eat at the President's house with his family and that was awesome, they are SO cool I love my Pres. We then went to the AP's house and they just kind of threw us all in a basement with 8 bunk beds, with dirty sheets and stuff and it was seriously just horrible... that was the first time I thought “Oh gosh. What am I getting myself into?” we got up after a long night, and went to the chapel and had breakfast and got our companions... then talked for a bit and then left for a 6 and a half hour bus ride to my first area...

So I am at my first place with my first companion. Its called Santana Livramento... it is on the border of Uruguay so we are sooooooooo freaking far!! My companion is Elder Gil. He is a Brazilian and is awesome but he only likes to speak English to me so that's hard but it is kind of nice being able to talk to someone in a language I know, after we were in a house speaking only English... he only has two transfers left so I think that I will end his mission! Everyone as been with their companions for two transfers or 12 weeks so chances are that's how it's going to be. It's super freezing here and our apartment is always cold and is in pretty freaking bad conditions. We don't have a washer but we have warm water and we can drink it here too, which is way nice. Where I am in Leivramento, its all hills... its crazy!! We walk sooooo stinking much!! The first couple days we have been here and we will be on one side of the valley and he says 'see over there' and all I can see is a mountain in the distance, and he says, 'that is where we need to go," and I just die hahah! We get there and no one is home!! It’s kind of hard! But we met the bishop he his really cool! And they all make pretty good food!! Just yesterday we ate something called Capivada, which is this huge river rat! But was amazing!!

I have met some of the coolest members! Well at least they looked cool, since I am not able to speak one ounce of Portuguese with them!! I swear I am never going to learn this language!!! Especially now since my companion only likes to speak English but whatever... so ya its hard!!

We haven't really taught that many people, just a couple and I didn't know anything, but that’s ok... I just said my testimony, in horrible Portuguese, and that’s all... its going to be ok, at least I have faith. It’s just hard cause all my friends are together somewhere and I'm just by myself... I'm separated from everyone, which is hard! But its cool cause here we get to go into Uruguay, which is awesome! We haven't yet but I think we are going to later!

Oh, by the way, my p-day is on Monday! So I will be writing you guys in a couple of days, my companion just wanted to write now cause we both didn't get to this week...

Something funny... I was walking in the street and I saw two dogs playing and one sat on the other and it reminded me of Willy!!! It was pretty sad!! I almost cried haha!! But oh well!

So ya love you all thanks for all your emails!!! Hope everything is just great!!! Love you!!! Muah”

Oh, by the way I set up a gmail account cause my ldsmail sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So use that one k. it's cwiscomb10@gmail.com

I love you all SO much!!!! Hope all is amazing!!! Talk to you all soon!!!!

Pineapple he got for giving someone a Book of Mormon
Coulson received his first package
Hanging out at the CTM
Track at the CTM

Arriving in Brazil

Lounging on the plane

Waiting in Texas

Week 8 October 7, 2009

Hello Family!!!!! I can't even believe that I have only have six more days here!! Time really has flown bye!! We leave on Tuesday and yes I do fly with everyone you saw in the airport!! We have a 4 hour plane ride and a 5 hour bus ride so its pretty far away!!

So what an amazing week we have been able to have!! Here the prophets and the apostles and church leaders words!! Wasn’t it absolutely amazing!! But before I start talking about that and proselyting I need to say a couple things…..

Gosh seriously where do I start! Let start with proselyting on Friday!! It was so much fun!! Imagine 12 boys in shirts and ties jumping out of a van in literally downtown Sao Paulo with black name tags on that was pretty funny cause we all had to get out way fast cause it was rush hour! But now to explain, it kinda reminded me of Barcelona Spain!! Super busy, I swear there was like a million people there, all trying to sell stuff then when the cops came they would run and stuff it was funny! So we got there and they kinda just left us it was weird.. but fun! So we went to this park and started to proselyting and it was amazing!! We got shut down a lot more times then we did at the ctm but I was expecting that and we only had like 3 minutes (walking and talking) with them because they were all trying to get back to work cause we went right after lunch! So we talked to a bunch of people and gave out like 5 Books if Mormon and it was an amazing experience! I'll tell you about one in particular!... So I saw some guy prob like 21 just sitting on some bench and so we went over there and started to talk to him (in our still pretty bad Portuguese)! We can talk about the gospel but when they start talking to us about anything else other then that I get way lost ha ha! So anyways, we teach him and he was way excited to get the Book of Mormon and then we went on our way! I looked back and he started readying and I was like “alright! At least he just didn’t stick it in his bag haha” and we went on teaching more people in the park! Then I glanced back prob like 45 minutes later and he was still reading, I was super surprised then I looked back like an hour and a half later and he was still reading!! It was amazing! He then came up to us after cause we saw him leave a phone booth and he had called the missionaries and has his first appointment. on Wednesday (today!!!) crazy huh!! Its crazy to think that a couple missionaries not knowing much Portuguese could change someones life buy bearing our testimonies and letting the holy ghost work through our simple words! Gosh I love this work! And I'm so excited to leave in a couple days! Oh and we go got to go to McDonald's after! and we have almost died on the bus like a thousand times!! Drivers here are crazy! But good… I guess. So anyways that was proselyting but lets talk about conference!! I got to sit by Craig every meeting so that was SO nice!! But wow is all I can say!! Ten hours of hearing people talk hasn’t ever gone by so fast!! It was crazy! I loved hearing everything and I really hope that you all watched the Saturday conference cause it was just as amazing as Sunday if not better…. And priesthood was ABSOLUTELY amazing!!! I can't really tell you who I liked the most cause I love them all but it was that pretty much the entire Saturday conference was one “love” and that “the godhead is true and they really do live” there were some amazing talks and these are just a few things that I got out of it!! And I hope that I say these somewhat close to exactly how they said it! I forgot my book to tell you exactly but here's a try… haha

Starting right off with Elder Scott on Saturday was SO good!! And one thing he said really stuck to me!! That was “trying to feel the spirit while doing sin is like eating a jalapeno and trying to taste a grape” so true haha And then that whole “arrow” thing or “aim high” by Russell Osguthorpe was good! Elder Bednar! And this was a way powerful talk!! This talk about family and love was amazing!! I love it so much!! And the bush stroke to picture analogy was amazing too! Jorge F Zebollas saying that “Gods would not request more then we can personally give but he will not accept anything less then our best!!” Elder Uchtdorf!! And he had a couple amazing talks! Oh gosh!! Talking about what us as members need to be known as it was so good!! I really wish I could go through all of them but I don’t have that much time!!! And ending Saturday conference with Elder Packer!!! He said one thing that really stuck out to me!!! He said “prayer is a personal door/key to heaven and the lock is on our side of the Vail” wow amazing!! Now priesthood!! I was SO sad not to be there with you dad, it was super hard!! Elder Packers was amazing!!! And Uchtdorf!!! Then Sunday it was amazing too!! Gosh Elder Erying always does an amazing job!! And then the afternoon on Sunday! Elder Holland!!! Oh my gosh wasn’t his testimony of the Book of Mormon amazing and how what he said about Joseph and Hyrum! It was seriously amazing!! Read it again! Maybe listen to it on the Internet, we have for the past two days and it never gets old to here him talk!! Of course Pres Monson was amazing as usual!!! His talk on service was amazing!! We found out some crazy things and sad and the other kinda scary and the other really cool So sad……….. Richard G Scott is coming to the CTM here in 2 weeks SO we just miss him kinda bumbed!! Crazy!!............. Santa Maria right now they say is the most dangerous city in Brazil at the moment!! I guess that it is raining off the hook and there are floods and houses are falling over and there have been like 4 tornado's which haven’t happen in 30 years so our teacher pulled us to the side and pretty much said be careful and that we are gong there for a purpose and stuff!! They don’t expect it to get much better….. Our mission pres. Pres Myrrha I here is just so tight!! He takes us paint balling and stuff and goes on hicks and stuff I here its crazy!!! I forgot to mention that we got to go to the temple again today!! Amazing as usual but kinda said it’s the last time we will be able to go for about 20 months they say!! Kinda sad!!! And no, the new temple in Brazil Fortaleza and that is all the way in the opposite direction haha So that’s all!! Ill write you all little things now! So I love you all and I hope that everything is just amazing!!! Love you!!! Hugs to all!! Next time you here from me I'll be in Santa Maria!!! Love you all!!!!!!