Week 24 January 25, 2010

Family!!! So where to start for this week!!! First thanks for everyone emails you guys are the best!!! But I am going to have to keep this short because I don’t have much time but things are going ok!!! Its crazy to think that a month ago today I was talking to you guys!!! But this week has been another difficult week, but another week of working really hard which is good!!

So to start off... we really don’t have a lot of families to teach right now. Quite frankly, only 2, its horrible... and everything was going good with one until they came to church with us this past Sunday and the members here go about talking with them in the wrong way!! The members here really are strong but the show there emotions in the wrong way!! Every family that we bring to church they like attack them.... its kind of difficult and just start pounding baptism down their throats... but we are working with them on that!! So the one family, we were planning on baptizing this week. we will see. After church it was just all different so we are going to return there on Wednesday and talk with them. We will see what happens. So that’s really about it!!

Like I said we have had a really hard time contacting people so we switched to contacting the less actives and we are seeing success there, which is good!! Also this last Sunday we had 3 less active families that came to church, which is really good!! So that was great to see and I think that they enjoyed it a lot!!!

But other than those, it’s been another difficult week!! I think I know every person here in Livramento and its getting really difficult to teach because we will be knocking on doors that I have already knocked on and they will say.... " I already said I don’t want to hear your message do you not remember" but that’s all right!! We just need to continue the work!! And just do our part as missionaries!! The Lord is preparing people for us to teach I don’t have any doubt in my mind!!

Something I learned this last week when I was reading about temples was something Elder Hales said, something that I like sooo much about the presence of the temple and when we have the opportunity to enter.... he said "we are on the world with being on the world" it was in Portuguese but I think its that more or less... and its so true we have the opportunity to be closer to the influence of our Heavenly Father through the temple and it's one of the greatest gifts that we have in our lives!!! Always remember how blessed we are to have the house of the Lord on this Earth and don’t take advantage of it!! Try and go as often as you can!!!

And something else really funny that happened, mom this is for you!! We had another elder in our house this last week for a second and he was looking at the pictures of the Christmas tree the Cooks sent and he though that you were my sister... it was pretty funny and then Teixeira said "ahh I though that was your sister too" ... so complement to you ahhahaha!!!!

Sorry this is a boring letter not much happened this week!!! But we have zone conference this week that is coming so I'm sooo excited for that and to see Elder Burnham, and president!! It should be great!!! I love you guys so much!! The Church is true I know it with all my heart!! We are so lucky to have the source of all happiness in our life!! I love you guys so much and have a fabulous week!!! Love you all!!! muah xoxoxoxxox

Elder wiscomb!!

Mosiah 2:41 the source of all happiness!!! Love you guys so much!!!

P- Day January 25, 2010 playing Volleyball

Their neighbors, they are trying to teach them

A family in the ward

A fallen tree after a bad storm that destroyed part of the city

Week 23 January 18, 2010

Hello family!! So this week we ended the division and it was nice to get my comp back ha-ha!! It was raining so hard on Tuesday and Elder Hyde said he wouldn’t leave cause he didn’t have anything to cover his body so we sat in our house until 4, until he had to catch the bus to go home!! I almost went insane just sitting there but it’s understandable a 2 hour bus ride all wet would be terrible hahaha!!!

Wow, so where do I start with this week.... we went from a great week to a week that was probably the worst week of all... to start off, all the people that we found last week they all fell and didn’t want to here more about the Gospel which is really hard and this week we didn’t find any more people and we knocked on almost 60 doors... it was a hard week because we worked sooo hard!! So to tell you a little but what happened...

The people that we thought were just great for baptism and were progressing really, really good, well they can’t get baptized because they aren’t baptized and they don’t have any desire to get baptized. Sooo ya that happened with the two families that we were going to challenge to get baptized this week to come... the same thing... to make it even worse... one of the couples...(well girlfriend and boyfriend that are old hahaha) after our discussion with them about the commandments and marriage and stuff and how happy our lives are and stuff and the happiness that they could have in there life.... they realized that they weren’t happy together and they began to argue in front of us for one hour and the next day they decided to separate... so I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing... I think it’s a good thing because they shouldn’t be living together, if they aren’t married anyway but I feel like we separated them... which kind of is hard but it’s a good thing that they realized.... so we will see what goes on with that situation this week...

So this week was a really, really, really, hard week. I was really down on myself because we don’t really have anyone to teach now. But I thought, “what does my Heavenly Father want me to learn from this experience.” because I remembered dad saying, “there is something to learn from everything that happens in our live”. And it was that I really realized the happiness and the difference the Gospel brings to families and to lives of individuals!! I really SAW the difference this week! And I have even a stronger testimony and an even more desire to spread the Gospel now!! Because I know the different it makes in families and lives of individuals!! It truly is the SOURCE of ALL HAPPINESS in our lives!!! And we need to always thank our Heavenly Father for this source of happiness in our lives every day!!

So this week, although was tough, it’s in the past and we are going to go back to work and find some new people!!!! We are going to have a good week this week I can feel it!! With all the bad things that have happened we are teaching one family that was a reference from the bishop here and they have 2 people in this family that are progressing really well! Right after this we are going there to teach them the Book of Mormon (my favorite lesson) and I can’t wait to bare my testimony about it!! Gosh this book has changed my live!! Its amazing the power and truth that is inside!!

Family sorry that this letter was kind of boring!! But another lesson learned another week that passed by soooo fast, and another week to come with a lot to do!!!! Gosh this work is amazing!! I am so lucky to live, eat, and sleep, the Gospel for to years! This gospel changes lives, I bare witness of it, because I have seen it first hand! I have seen the difference and the blessing, the love and happiness, the LIGHT and MEANING that the gospel of Jesus Christ brings to the lives of people! We are so lucky and blessed for the knowledge that we have through our prophet and through the scriptures and examples of members and many other things that the Lord had giving us to guide us though this live on earth that is so very difficult!! Always look for opportunity to spread the light of Christ with people throughout our daily live!! We read in the scriptures “the worth of one soul is great in the eyes of the Lord”!!!! Who knows!! Maybe you are the person that can change a persons live FOREVER!!!!! This gospel is eternal and to love of our Heavenly Father and Christ is eternal too!!! We are so lucky!!!

I love you guys so much!! Thanks for your emails and it sounds like everything is just great at home!! Stay strong and warm!! It sounds like its freezing there!! Its quite the opposite here its getting soooooooooo hot!! But I hope that everyone will have a fabulous week!! Love you with all my heart!!!

Until next week!!!

Love you all!!! Elder wiscomb xoxoxox

Hebrews 11: 1-3 & 6 (god is the reward to those that diligently seek him!!!) its a promise!!!

Part of Coulson's mission is in Uruguay

His Desk

Study Area

Closet

Kitchen

His Bedroom

The front room of his house

Construction Sign "Working Men"

The ward building

Cooking at his house

His ward building

The view from the top of the hill they have to hike everyday

Week 22 January 11, 2010

Hello family!!! How is everything going!! I am sure that everyone is just waiting to here what happened this week here in Brazil!! We have a lot to talk about because this was such good week!!!

But first Jake is home!! Gosh its crazy how fast time flies huh!! I can’t believe that he has already returned I hope that everything is going great and that it was such a great experience and that he is loving being home!!!

But this week, today, I do 5 months crazy huh hahaha but besides that… gosh what to talk about first!! So I have been wanting to knock on these doors in this little villa ever since I arrived here, so we planned on doing that this week!! And it was good!!! We found a couple people but long story short they are already members so we are going to help them return!! Help them recognize how much better life is when they have the blessings of our Heavenly Father in our life!!! But we still have one more street in this little village and I have a felling that there is a family waiting for us there… maybe its just a feeling that I want to have ha-ha but heck it makes me exciting to knock on doors so its good ha-ha!!

So this week, starting the first week in the transfer, we made a goal to work really hard this transfer and that is exactly what we did!! And it feels way good!! This week, in really only 5 and a half days of working, we taught 34 lessons and found 14 new people to teach!! Given that maybe 1 of these 14 new people will maybe go somewhere but President was talking to me and he said in every 25 people that you find you will baptize 1 or 2 people so this is why we need to continue working and finding people!!! He also said something to me that was really cool!! He said that every companionship has a family waiting to here the Gospel from there mouths this transfer so we have been fasting and praying to find this family!! We haven’t found it yet but we are going to continue working really hard with a lot of faith in our Heavenly Father to guide us to this family and I know that we are going to find it!!

So just a quick update with me!! With me, I am seeing a change in me for the better!! I am finally starting to understand and to love this work with all my heart and its such a blessing!!! This week I taught the lesson of the Book of Mormon for the first time and I absolutely love it!! Here in this mission Santa Maria, we have a separate lesson for the book of Mormon!! At first I was thinking “gosh this isn’t right we need to tell everyone about the Book of Mormon this is what separates us…” but this week I came to realize that we have a separate lesson because of the importance of the Book of Mormon!!! The people need to be prepared for this lesson really well and then we tell the whole story about how we got it starting with the Bible and talking about that and then talking about the story of Lehi and continue from there but its amazing!!! The Book of Mormon is SO important, obviously, and I'm SO grateful for the opportunity to teach about it!!!

Something cool that happened this week is that we did a family night with our neighbors and they loved the idea sooo much!!! So we are going to do it again and maybe they are the family that is waiting for us!! Who knows…?

And nothing more with Marta and Elton but we are just continuing working with them!! We have taught a couple lessons really, really (heavy if I can say this) ha-ha to Elton which have been good but he is progressing slowly!!! But nothing new…

We got a surprise this week!!!! This week the President decided to do the council of the leaders so all the leaders are there and I stayed here with my good friend Elder Hyde!! It’s been so fun!! We were in the same district in the CTM so its crazy having two Americans together for 3 days that don’t really know that much but you can really see the help of our Heavenly Father its amazing!! Today we will teach anther lesson of the Book of Mormon my favorite and it’s going to be good!! And then just work hard this week again!!!

But seriously everything is just amazing here in Brazil!! This work is amazing and when you really get lost in the work time flies and that’s the crazy thing and sad thing… I don’t know if I want time to fly because I love this work so much!!! This Church is true!! I know with all my heart and that we have a living prophet this day that receives guidance from our Heavenly Father!! It’s such a blessing to be a member of the true Church of Jesus Christ!!!

I love you guys so much and I hope that you guys have a fabulous week!!!! Hugs and kisses for all!!!!! You guys are they most amazing family in the entire world!!! Stay strong and faithful!!! Love you all!! Xoxoxoxo

Elder wiscomb

1 Corinthians 2:9 just love our Heavenly Father!!!!

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Week 21- January 4, 2010

Family!!! How is everyone doing!! Happy 2010 gosh it’s crazy to write that ha-ha!! So I hope that the festas of everyone were just fabulous and that you guys are all safe! It seems like everything is just amazing! So, to start just want to say thanks for your emails!! Sorry if I didn’t respond to all, the time is cut down now but just so you guys now I appreciate all!!!

So first where to start............. this week was a little weird I was sick for about 4 days.... actually I was really, really sick. So sick that we didn’t leave the house for 2 and a half days, and sister Mayahh said I shouldn’t have left the other day but I couldn’t just sit in the house anymore.... I had a fever of 104 for 3 days and I was throwing up and stuff it was a couple long days but it gave me a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do this year to come!! As we all do when we start a new year we establish goals and stuff right. This year it was kind of different havening a full year on the mission it was cool just focusing on mission goals!! And because I was sick and in the house I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do!! This is a weird way to look at my sickness but maybe the Lord did this so I could learn how much I love the people and how much I wanted to work!! The only thing that I could think about during these 2 days was “work, ahhh I need to work” and to be quite honest with you I have the BIGGEST desire to work and we are starting a new year, a new transfer, and I am just powered to go!!! aww I am sooo excited to work myself to death!!! The Lord works in mysterious ways huh ha-ha... maybe this was something to prepare me!!

But one of the days that we left the house to work, I had a really, really good experience!! We were teaching a person named Marta she has a really bad porb with smoking but she loves the Church and she is really, really, really intelligent, gosh she knows prob everything. I had an idea to talk about the priesthood and the blessings of a priesthood blessing because we have done practically everything to try and help her stop smoking... so we had a lesson about the priesthood and she didn’t know much about a blessing so we explained and we were sitting there ready to end the lesson and she said “do you think I could get one of these blessing to help me stop smoking” and this was exactly what I was hoping would happen.. Sooo long story short we gave her a blessing and we haven’t gone back, because that was only 3 days ago, but I hope that things are getting better... but it was a really cool experience!!!

Another cool experience was with Elton!! Like I said he already knows practically everything but this lesson we talked about temples and how he can receive by having a temple marriage and stuff I don’t know it was just a cool lesson also!!!

Gosh I love teaching these principals they are so true and sooo amazing!!! This is such a blessing to have the opportunity to wear the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be representatives of Him and bear testimony of Him and our Heavenly Father!! Something that we as members always need to be an example of!! We are so lucky for the gospel in our lives I am so grateful for the blessings I have received!!

So this week was kind of crazy!!! Transfers, sickness, but my love for teaching the gospel grew 10 fold!!!

I love you guys so much!! You guys are so special to me!! Thanks for your examples and your letters!!! Sorry this is short but time is up!! Until next week ok!!! Love you guys with all my heart!!! You guys are the best!!!

Elder wiscomb!!!

Joshua 24:15