Week 17 December 7, 2009

Family!!! How is everyone doing!! I can’t believe another week is down in the mission field!! This week flew so fast and this next week is going to go by even faster cause we have zone conference!! And I am SO excited for that!!! Before I get started I just want to say thanks for all the cards and emails I received!! I have the best family and friends in the world thanks so much!!! So how is Salt Lake City everyone!! Cold.... I here that its pretty cold but here its getting hotter and hotter as the days go on... a little different. Quite honesty, I think I like the snow better, but whatever this is the least of my worries...

Just want to say thanks for the package with the tie and the candy and my I-pod!! Gosh it’s nice to have music again!! And awesome music too!! You guys did an amazing job!!! Love the Disney stuff!! I just received a couple

Funny story.... everyone loves High School Musical here and when I tell them that it was filmed at my school they go crazy.... I arrived at lunch this past Wednesday and they were watching it, and they didn’t know that it was filmed at my school and when I told them the freaked, literally freaked out Ha-Ha, it was so hilarious I wish I could send the image in my head but I can’t, it was just funny!!

But this week was crazy!!! A lot of working and a lot of knocking on doors, which is good!!! But something went on this week that is exciting, kind of like a Christmas present for me and my companion.... so my comp, the first thing he said when we walked in our house is... what is this.... this is prob the worst house in the mission, and it’s 45 minutes from our area... so he has been talking with the Pres about changing houses.... honestly changing house never crossed my mind... I thought that we were blessed to have a roof over our heads a microwave and a refrigerator and a desk to study, who am I to complain when we are teaching people that live in a wood shack with wood floors and horrible circumstances.... but my companion insisted on moving... so he has been talking, and quiet frankly if we are just looking while we are working I'm fine with that... so the President said that he would prefer us to live in an apartment, it’s more safe, so we were looking for apartments but in our area we only have 2 buildings and they are all full.. So I was like ok, whatever, not a big deal but then after 4 days of just looking a little during the day, it was night and we were walking a different way home and we looked up and saw this building out of no where and at the same time were like “yes” hahaha that’s the place and what do you know... it’s somewhat an apartment, probably better because we will be living with only one family on the top of a huge garage with them, but its sooo nice. And I think we are going to be moving this week so I'm excited about that!!!! It will be a good change I think!!! And it’s in our area meaning we don’t have to leave 45 minutes early to get home on time meaning more lessons!!! Good huh!!! So that was exciting!!

Another thing that happened this week is, we found a lot of families!!! We have been working a lot with the members that have fallen away, which has been cool!! And helping them return!! We have found many, and 7 came to Church on Sunday, which was awesome!! Things are going good here with the work!! The only thing that is hard is that we found like 4 families to teach but they all moved to different areas (only 4 streets outside our area) it doesn’t matter who teaches them but I just love these families and have become really close to them so its a bummer, but that’s ok!! The sisters will do a fabulous job with them!!!

I have realized just barely that I haven’t told you how we teach here in the south... its really different we don’t start teaching with the restoration... actually we don’t even introduce the Book of Mormon until the 3 lesson which was hard for me to understand and to accept, especially when the Book of Mormon is what sets us apart from all the other religions... but the people here in the south are SO excepting of Jesus Christ and they say it (he is everything) so that is how we contact people, we teach them about “the ministry of Christ” kind of a brief history of his life!! We start by saying he is the Son of God our Redeemer and Savior and how he showed us the correct road to take.... through his example on this earth, we have someone that can guide us... we all have a chance to be forgiven of our sins and He showed us how through baptism (and we explain the 3 things we need in baptism because everyone here says they have been baptized....) we explain that we need 1-need to know the difference between right and wrong 2-lots of water, to be baptized like Christ being emerged with water resembling the death and resurrections and 3-the authority of God! And then we explain how do we know if someone had the authority of God and we explain that when Christ was on this earth he established His Church- the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and that we show the picture of Christ giving the priesthood to the 12 apostle and that is how we receive the gospel but then what happened after Christ established the Church what happened... a Church that was established with (1 prophet, 12 apostles and the authority of Christ) I forgot to mention we show them this in the Bible too... he did the ultimate sacrifice the atonement in the garden of Gethsemane and after the people crucified him and the apostle and that THE CHRUCH WAS NO LONGER ON THE EARTH BECAUSE THE APOSTLES AND CHRIST WERE KILLED (a big part it ties into the next lesson) and then 3 days later he resurrected right... and then we ask.. But what happened to Christ’s Church that he established? We read in the Bible that there is 1 Lord 1 baptism 1 faith. So how many TRUE CHURCHES you think there are? They say one, because its true!!! But what happened to the Church of Christ... well that is the big question huh... and we say we have another lesson the (RESORATION) that will explain this can we return....

This is such an amazing work... it is so clear how Christ established his work in the Bible and that he is the same yesterday today and forever!! So that means that the Church of Christ or the true Church has to be the same and that is what we have today!!! If you really believe in the Bible and understand it its SOOOO clear... gosh I love this Church!! This is nothing better then the knowledge we are able to gain threw the Bible and the Book of Mormon!! I know that together we have the fullness of the Gospel!! I’m SO grateful of the knowledge that I have gain thus far on my mission!! It has been such a blessing in my life and a true life changes experience and I have only been gone for 4 months ha!!! Crazy!!! I know with all my heart that this Church is the true Church of Christ!!! And it is my duty, my OPPORTUNITY, to spread this with the people in Brazil!! A mission is nothing what I expected... its much more amazing and I’m living up every moment!!!

Well the work is fabulous like I said!! I love you guys with all my heart!! Hope that everything is just going amazing at home!! The day when we talk is coming closer and closer and I’m getting excited to tell you everyone and here your voices again!!! Gosh that’s all I want!!!! Have a fabulous week!!

Elder Wiscomb

Romans 1.16!!!!! Love this!! And love you guys