My apartment

"This is a kid that is going to serve in japan... his the bishops son here.. his name ios nocolis... he shoud be getting to provo tonight... cool huh"

"this is Tiago.... he is an annoucer and stuff he is soooooooooooooooo cool!"

Week 77 January 24, 2011

Hey family!!!! How is everyone doing? I hope that all is well and it sounds like everyone is doing just great! So this week was pretty crazy! It truly passed by so fast I really don’t even know where to start!

So as all of you guys know last week we worked super hard for the 4 days that we were together and we invited all the people we talked to go to church and to learn and feel His spirit there…

This week, like last week, we worked our very hardest… we walked and knocked and taught and bore our testimony with all our heart every day, all day long! We made a goal that we would have 8 people in Sacrament meeting and that we would teach 35 lessons this week and that we would talk with 85 people each for the whole week…. So we went and we worked with all the strength we had! We seriously worked so hard that we both got back into our house just dead and when we both laid down we just passed out hahahah. But we made a promises that if we did that we would get up and be ready, recuperated with strength, with the spirit of the Lord and that’s exactly what happened… we ended up teaching 40 lessons and talking with about 100 people… and working until 9:30 practically every night.

We invited about 14 people to go to church and statistically, more then a half of the people that you invite to go to church end up not going for a lot of different reason… so we thought that we were going to reach that goal of 8…. So we set out yesterday morning at 6:30 in the morning walking to the very corner of our area to pick up a family and they decided that they didn’t want to go…so that was four down…. Then we passed by another house where we combined to go pick up another family and they decided that they wanted to sleep… so that was another 3 that decided not to go…. So that was already minus 7… we were thinking … “puxa vida o que estamos fazendo errado.….” but we really did give our best…

And as we were walking down the street one young man that we didn’t even combine with to go church runs out of his house and says can you wait for five minutes he wanted to go… so we waited… then came out 2 more girls that we were teaching so we though well at least we will have three.

So we get to church with these investigators and slowly but surely the Lord just blessed us with bring to church 5 more of our investigators…they come slowly and not when we called them to come but they came!! The Lord really does bless us when we give our best and when we work our hardest!!! I know that it was the Lord that helped us achieve this goal that we wanted so bad! And I know it’s through our diligence and our obedience, along with working we could be blessed in this form!

This week was always pretty crazy because one night rained like none other here…. And I mean non other…. Hahahaha and guess where we were… in the road, hahahah ya just one more day be sopping wet from head to toe. What a blessing huh!!! Hahahaha it truly was so bad! And we woke up early that morning to a phone call that said that the casa of some of the members were flooded with water up to their waist… so we went running and we carried out all of the furniture and stuff so that was pretty fun!!! By the morning it was sunny though….

I know that this letter is going to be pretty short but I just wanted to say that I know that the Lord blesses us when we are doing His will! I have no doubt about it! In whatever case it may be… in work, in the family, in studying, on the mission, or in life in general! If we seek for the kingdom of God before all things, the blessings of the Lord will come behind us! I have seen this and I know it to be true!!! I’m so grateful for my loving Heavenly Father and for everything that He has granted me in my life and on the mission! I know that I am teaching the truth that was restored though the boy prophet Joseph Smith! And I'm so grateful to share it with everyone!!! This is truly what makes me feel so happy and the love of my Heavenly Father!

Love you all!!!

Elder Wiscomb

Week 75 and 76 January 10 and 17

Hello family!!! How are all of you guys doing on the wonderful January day!! For me, I am doing just great!! I just finished the first week in the field and we are looking for the second week coming!

So as all of you guys know, I have gotten here in Cruz Alta and it’s been so much fun serving with my new companion in this important work of the Lord! Before I left Santa Maria, we had the leaders meeting which was amazing where we conversed about how we could get the numbers of lesson per companionship to go up… sadly we have missionaries that are teaching about 20 lessons a week when we should be teaching about 30-35… its just the lack of effort in the work…

We also talked about the role of the spirit in our work! After the training that was given, it made me think a lot! And then dad you sent some things really important that really hit me! I have been preparing a training for tomorrow and then we go to ijui next to pass it on the role of the spirit in our training and I will for sure use some of the things that you said!

Our first impression is so important! On the first visit we have to somehow let the sprit work so that the person feels the sprit and thirsts for more! It’s the spirit that they feel which will drive them to things that they aren’t used to! It’s the only way for someone to know and understand the gospel!

We came here to Cruz Alta on fire and ready to work… but sadly the area was dead… before I got here the LZ baptized like 10 people and didn’t look for any new ones…so here we are starting all over…. But it’s been fun we have been working soooooooooooo hard and we knocked and talked with everyone in the street and we had an amazing experience this week!!! And Cruz Alta is crazy because it’s ALL up and down… it’s like walk up and down in the Ave’s… everywhere you go it's soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo hilly… oh my hahaha will take pics next week…

Well Elder Ball and I, we decided to do a fast, in respect that the Lord will guide us to a family that has been waiting for us! Lead us to that elect family that is married!!! We prayed with a map in our hands and I felt we should go to some road and we went that day… close to the end of this little road we seriously found that family!! Their names are Ricardo and Alini! They are a young couple that are legally married and are sooo awesome!!! We are going to go back there tomorrow and there is no doubt in my mind that they have felt the spirit super strong and they will accept the gospel of Jesus Christ! It was the miracle of the week! The lord is truly giving us so much strength to work!!

Our president made a promise to us! If we come home dead tired every night the Lord with give us the strength necessary to work the next day and that is a goal that I have made for the rest of my mission… to give my best every day and to get in the house just dead tired!!!!!

So this week was difficult we worked so hard we truly taught 30 lessons in 4 days which is unheard of. We invited about 10 people to go to church and when Sunday came, we got 2 texts saying the 2 families were not going to be able to go then we passed by every other house of our investigators and no one was awake at eight… so we went back at ten…oh my we really, really gave it our best!!! And I was really sad that we didn’t see the results of our labor…. But I believe that this next week is going to be different!!! The Lord will bless us for our work… we just have to work hard. Super hard and the Lord will bless us!

Anyway I am so happy to be here in the field and to work my hardest for the Lord! I know that the Lord blesses those who are obedient… and that is what I have been trying to do! Do my best to be 100% obedient! I know that that is where it all starts!!!

I love you guys all so much and you guys just have a great week ok!!! I love you all and know that you are all always in my prayers!!

I know this church is true!

Elder Wiscomb

Week 74 January 7, 2011

Hello everyone! How are you all doing! I hope that all is well and that you guys are having a great January Friday! I hear that its quite cold their and it’s the opposite of what its like here in Santa Maria…. Its soooooooooo hot… its almost ridiculous… it has officially entered into the season where it’s so hot that you can’t sleep… where you are constantly sweating (when you are outside and not in an air conditioned office hahahahahahaha) but its pretty ridiculous… you walk outside and you can just feel your skin burning hahahahaha. I think it’s about time to buy another hat ha, since the last one was stolen ha-ha.

Well gents I was trying to think about what has happened this last week and to be honest it all passed soooooooooooooooooo fast that I can’t even remember! We had sooooooooo much to do this week that I really just don’t remember… there was the first and probably the only meeting of the sister in our mission… hahahaha it was quite funny we got to help and stuff and it was pretty funny to see them all go crazy after 6 or 7 months of not seeing their friends, and we had some really spiritual lessons too. We have two dates marked for Sunday right before I leave and I'm just praying that it will happen!!! They are ready but the mom just has some doubts. But after she will be super, super strong! So I'm just praying that it all goes through. And we also are teaching about 6 other people that are going to be baptized sooooooo soon that I will miss their baptisms, but that’s alright, its definitely not the first time that it’s happened.

So this last week we also had another missionary who was sent home early… his name is Elder Aguiar and I will be honest that he isn’t someone that should have been serving the Lord… he is the only one in our mission that I would say that about… president has been planning his leaving for about 3 weeks now and we finally just kind of forgot about it and we went on with our daily stuff just thinking that it was over and that he will stay and all would be the same… so anyway two nights ago we were ending our final lesson at about 9:05 and I got a call from president saying that he got permission to send this Elder home and he said that he wanted him out of our mission and Santa Maria the next day by 10 in the morning…. So ya SURPRISE I thought to myself. So it was a long night staying up late trying to call Flytour Emergencies and stuff and planning his travel to get back to Vitoria…

Anyway I guess this missionary did some stuff super wrong in the mission… and he really should have gone home but he wasn’t taking it in a good way…. He is refusing everything and we took him to the airport in the morning and he was literally yelling and saying all these bad things and stuff and I just turned to him and said “look you can scream and yell all you want but if you’re going to do that take of your name tag and tie first” and then he got super pissed at me cussing at me and stuff and I was just laughing in the bus stop he truly is not a pleasant human being… maybe one day I will tell you about this young man... but ya he’s gone and the mission is singing halleluiah!!!! Hahahaha

So as for where I am going to go starting the next transfer........................................... any guesses.................... I am going to CRUZ ALTA!!!!!! It’s a city where I have always wanted to go... and I'm super, super excited to start working really hard!!! As for my comp!!! His name is Elder Ball!!!! He is one of my best "American” Friends in the mission! Ya you heard it, another American comp I truly cant believe it... this is unheard of.... getting an American comp, and here I am with about 7 months of my mission left and I am going to have an American comp... how funny is that... I'm super excited though it’s going to be pretty awesome!

So this is the last couple days here in the office for me and transfers are going to be on Tuesday... so I am going to help Elder Jones try and get all the secretary stuff down and I am off.... I am actually going to pretty much stay the whole next week. Well until Friday that is because Elder Ball and I have to stay here for the leaders meeting on Wednesday and Thursday and I will be off to the next area Thursday night. I am also going to be living with one of my best friends Elder Giles!!!! Oh man it’s going to be such a fun time!!! Me Elder Ball and Elder Giles in the same house working soooooooooo hard it’s going to be awesome!!!

This next week I will have a lot to tell you guys and it should be amazing!!!!!

Well fam I just want you to know that I love you guys so much! I know that this gospel is true and I'm sooo excited for this chance to work all day long again and get tired physically and not too much mentally now hahahahahaha...

Well family, always remember that our Savior is at your side! He is there leading and guiding you, do everything that you can to feel is influence and direction in your lives! The way he works is though the small and simple ways, through the soft and quiet ways too... we really do need to focus throughout our life so that we can show that we want Him in, to lead us here on Earth!!

I love you all so much and thanks for everything!

Your missionary

Elder Wiscomb

"We found an apartment building that had the gate open so we went and knocked doors there."

The daily brush of the teeth after lunch

Week 73 January 1, 2011

Hello everyone!! Happy 2011-01-01... I really can’t believe it... Christmas has come and we have officially now entered into a new year. I hope that all the stuff that went on for Christmas and for the New Year was just amazing and that everyone is safe and has made goals for this next year to come!

First off how amazing was it using SKYPE with all of you guys… oh my gosh I can’t even believe how amazing it was to see all of you guys. You guys all look so amazing and to be honest it fells like nothing has changed. It feels like I have been gone for just about 15 days. But then again it feels like I talked with you guy’s a year ago. (If that makes sense)

For me, it was a normal night, charismas and last night… we worked until nine thirty and we got home and we made pizza because we have some people that are in our house because they are a little sick. Elder Abraham again. They thought that his appendix was going to burst which would have not been good… so they brought him here just to find out that he had a really bad infection in his stomach and it was because he used the same frying pan for about 2 months without washing it… ya that’s not good!! But the good thing is that pres and sister STOCKED our house with sooooo much food because they are here so we had pizza and ice cream last night!! And then we went to bed on time and woke up ready to study…. On the mission like I have always said, every day is the same… we don’t really think about Christmas or the New Years… I really don’t notice that it’s a holiday…

This week though, after talking with you guys, has been pretty amazing though… we have been working pretty hard. I still don’t know what’s going to happen with me… I asked to train again! I think that training is one of the most important parts and rolls in the mission, and also the most challenging! You receive someone that is new and is pretty lost. It's you that shows them how to work. They are going to learn how to be a good missionary from you, or hopefully they know better (if you are a bad missionary) and they will learn what “not to do”…. for me its something the I like because it forces you to be as obedient as can be. You really cant slack in the studies because you have to teach and study the lessons with the new missionary and in all you have a chance to mold the missionary to have good habits from the beginning! That is what I asked president and now we will see if that’s what the Lord has in store for me.

This week I had a pretty cool experience. For those of you who know Santa Maria, which is probably none hahaha, it’s a college school town with a bunch of Germans. They are truly a stern and stubborn people. Something funny is that I have gone many times almost the entire day of knocking on doors and not entering ONE time… and we had planned a day so of just knocking doors and we planned an area and everything… so we are on are way to this area and we end up passing in front of a street and I looked down the street (a little road off the side) and I felt like we should turn but I didn’t listen and we just kept on walking. About a block and a half down the street I said lets go back and knock on that street a couple streets back and my comps thought I was crazy but that’s all right hahahaha. They just decided to go because we were gong to knock doors in whatever way… so we ended up gong back to knock on the doors down the street.

Well we turn on the street and it was a little street with about 7 houses, way spread apart, that lead up to the mountain and we started knocking the first door… nothing and we already had to walk a pretty long way and everyone wanted to go back but I thought we should just keep going… so we kept going. The second door we knocked and got in. A women that lives alone that loved our message a lot but we haven’t been able to find her in her house again and then we left and the very next house we knocked on a house of another family that are married with two little daughters (we knocked on 3 houses and got in 2 times). This is like unheard of here in Santa Maria… the family and this person that we found are super special! They both loved our message but because of the holiday season it’s been hard to find them in their houses again but without a doubt in my mind we will and they will understand our purpose as missionaries which is to spread unto the world the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and if they do a simple prayer God will answer them and they will become great members of the church!!!

The moral of the story is that God will lead us in our lives! He always will! We just need to pay attention and listen! He is always there but its us that sometimes are far away from Him!

I know that this church is the church of God! I am so grateful for all that I have been given in my life, for my family, my health, for this New Year, for this chance to serve Him and for His love and direction in my life! I know that God loves all of us! And He wants to help us in this to have a wonderful year from the beginning! He will guide us, we are His children, the only thing we have to do is listen!

I love you all! Have a great first day in 2011!!!

Love your missionary

Elder Wiscomb!