HOMECOMING SUNDAY AUGUST 14 12:45 SACRAMENT MEETING STARTS

7:00 THAT NIGHT COME OVER FOR ICE CREAM SUNDAES

" At first sight"
"Waiting for Mom and Dad to come down from their room"

We have arrived in Brazil! It was so good to hug Coulson!

This family will be baptized one day!

The miracle baptism of the week!

Week 103 July 24, 2011

Hey family! How are all of you guys doing on this fabulous day! I hope that all had a great 24 of July, it sounded like you did. How fun it must have been going to the demolition derby hahaha next year we are going to have to do that for sure ok, along with all the rodeos and other things like that. No one forget ha-ha!

Well this week was just am amazing week! I truly saw a miracle of the Lord that happened! So as I’m pretty sure I mentioned many times, we had marked the date for our amazing family for this last Saturday to become members of the church of Jesus Christ but they were needing just a little bit more time they decided and it was something that was super sad for me… because they are ready there are just some minor things that are holding them back from taking this step together as a family! So anyway we had been super sad and we asked the Lord if He could put some people in our path that will be able to occupy the places of these 4 baptism that we would have had this week…

So what happened is we didn’t have anyone Monday but Saturday we had 3 baptisms! Can you believe it! Let me tell you this amazing story and how the Lord has blessed us in such big ways… so there is a women In the branch that was baptized about 8 months ago and we always saw her coming to church with 3 young kids… we knew that these young kids were her grandchildren and to be quite honest we thought that the 3 kids already were members of the church because they acted so well and come in a shirt and tie and stuff. Well anyway if not yesterday but 2 Sundays ago, our president of the branch said that they weren’t members and asked us to see what we could do about it… they have been coming to church for about 3months now and for some reason they weren’t members yet….

So anyway we figured out who the parents were and we started to remember that we kind of knew them already…and to be honest their parents are people that don’t really like the missionaries… the one time I ate lunch in the house, the grandmothers house, she was really rude and stuff and some other times as well, and for some reason they just don’t like the missionaries…

So we decided to go their Tuesday night and to be honest we went their just thinking we would try and get in and if we got in just talk with them for a second and leave…. just to try and make a friendship real fast, I didn't think they would let us in… so we said a prayer and we went… we knocked on the door and the mom came out of the house and stated talking to us and at first I think she didn't want to let us in but then I asked if we could and she opened the door and let us in… so the first step was done…. We entered the house.

When we got in we started to talk and stuff and shows our pictures to the family and made a great friendship with the family and we were thinking of leaving but the topic of the church came up and we took advantage of the situation! We started to talk about the kids going to church and I asked them if they liked and supported their children going to church and we talked a little bit about why they supported and what made them feel super good about their children going to church… then the mom (Jaina) said “they have actually talk and had been wanting to get baptized for some time know and stuff, but we think they aren’t ready.”… And something told me, “opa…. Got to take that commentary and show the parents that they are ready and invite them to be baptized as Christ was…” so we did… we talked a little bit then said that since they support their children in their decision in going to church we helped them understand that the baptism is a step that is super important in all this! And after a long talk about why they didn’t let them be baptized because of the missionaries in the past and how they stayed 4 hours a day in the house of their grandmother (the women that is a member off the church) doing nothing and how they thought that wasn’t right, they said “yes, they can” and so they were baptized and now we are teaching the whole family and they went to church yesterday and loved it!!! What a great blessing of the Lord!!!! The blessings of just working and not spending time in the houses of member’s ha-ha…

We have also seen some huge progress in many other investigators that I would love to comment about but I don't have any more time…

Anyway I just want you all to know… that I am so sad that this is my last week of working for the Lord 24/7 its been the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life. I have learned and feel like that I have grown up so much ha. I am so grateful for the power and the truthfulness of the gospel and what it does to the life of all of those who accept it! The experiences, feelings, the testimony, bah everything that has happened these last two years I will ever hold so closely to my heart forever! It’s something that I wouldn’t change for anything!

I love you all thank for all your support and your love!! Mom and dad!! I will see you this week!! Be waiting for a big huge hug!!!!!! Wow I can’t believe it…

Love Elder Wiscomb

Week 102 July 18, 2011

Hello family! How are all of you doing on this special Monday afternoon, and I hear that it's Donnies birthday!!!! Hahaha I hope that you guys are having a great time give him a big hug and a kiss for me ok!

Well family this week has just flown by to be honest… I don’t even know where the days have gone! It's been filled with so much excitement and also some sadness but the sadness is always followed up with joy ha-ha… so let's start from the beginning!

The other day at the beginning of the week we went to the house of Ana and Gilberto! We went there with the intention to give them this picture frame of the temple that I had made for them and on the sides (the little peaces of paper) are personal reasons or motives of why they are going to become part of the church of Christ! We had the lesson all planned which would have been about desires and Elder Oaks talk during conference, which is just amazing, and we had a member, which is just amazing as well! But when we got to the appointment it just didn’t go according to plan!

Well we got there and something just wasn’t right… you could just feel it… the air was heavy and to be honest it just didn’t feel like the spirit was in the house… Gilberto had left for a little bit and he didn’t get back until 8:30 and we had to leave at 9 and one of the daughters wasn’t there as well so I was just thinking and I had the impression that we had to switch the message so we did and we kept the picture frame in the car and we talked about the name of the church “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints”… so the we went explaining the name of the church using scriptures and the conference talk of we are invited and called to be Saints (I forgot who talked about it) but the lesson was really good! Anyway at the end they started to talk and they said that this Saturday is to early, and Ana can’t stop smoking and this and that and it just made me super, super sad!! Family, I haven’t ever seen a family that is more prepared than this one but the temptation and the addiction of the cigarette to Ana is making it so the spirit of the lord isn’t able to live in the their house! They said many other things and I left that house I think sadder then I have ever been on the mission because this is a family that knows the church is true and they really are ready to be baptized but at the moment sadly the worldly desire and addiction are holding this family back from making promises with the lord….

We weren’t able to go back this last week but elder Omer will be returning tonight and I will be going on a division but be praying that tonight the lord specify for some people that could become members the church in a couple weeks and that is exactly what the lord has delivered to our hands! We had a baptism of a young girl ha-ha, who is a sister of a member that moved here a couple weeks ago… and we are working with their family now. So one more prayer the lord has answered!

We are teaching this man that’s named Freitas! It’s a man that is super well in life lives on the top floor of a super nice apartment and stuff and its just a man that we did a contact with about a month and a half ago… this man is the man that the Lord has prepared his whole life to become a member of His church here on earth! It goes super well with what president Monson said that the area 70 passed to us the other day when he said, “ the Lord in a natural form puts in our path who he wants in his church”! This man it seems like has been waiting for this his entire life! We have been starting to read the book of morning with him and you can see the light and the happiness that has come to his life through the reading of the Book of Mormon! Unfortunately a week after we contacted him for the first time his wife who is a law professor had to go to Rio but she gets back next week! Every lesson Freitas says “its sad that my loving wife isn’t able to be here to share this sweet spirit and this knowledge which you have brought to our life!” what a special couple!

There are so many wonderful experiences, which I have had this week but sadly my time is up! I just want you to know family that I know this church is true! I am so grateful for the chance I am having to do the work of the Lord and I know that there isn’t anything else in the world that is more gratifying and more charitable then this work! I am so grateful for difficulty and trials in life! It’s a sure fact that during those rough times is when we grow closer and come to understand, trust, love and feel the closeness of our Heavenly Father in our life!! My desire is all of us both in the times of difficulties along with the time happiness and success can always be looking to have the presence of our Heavenly Father in our lives! Life is so much more rewarding and fun when we do this ha!!! Family I love you so much! Pray always together, read the Book of Mormon, and that’s where you start!!

Thanks for everything!! I love you all!!! Have a great day and a great week ok!!

Love you all!

Elder Wiscomb

Week 101 July 11, 2011

Hey family!! How is everyone doing on this fabulous summer day! I hope that all is well and that you guys are enjoying yourselves! Thanks so much for all the emails and the updates that I got this week! I really do love getting an update and knowing that you are all doing just great back home!

Here in Santo Angelo everything is just amazing! This week was just an amazing week with so many wonderful experience, I just hope family that I have enough time to tell them all to you!

This last week me and Elder Omar we have been working so hard to try and end my mission this month in the right way! After last weeks experience of finding an amazing family but them traveling this whole month it as a little sad and I have been praying to the Lord so much to put some people in our path that will be able to be baptized this month still and its amazing how the Lord always answers our prayers. We have been blessed with the Lord leading us to many families and people that are ready to be baptized! The other day we were walking in the road going to a meeting which we had marked and it was in an area where I haven’t work that much…. When we were walking in the road I had the great impression to knock at this house so we did…. We knocked and out came the mom that was sooooooooo happy to see us for some reason and to be honest I was a little scared hahaha…

When this mother came to the front gate she was laughing and said “you guys want to come in”? And we hadn’t even said anything…. Hahaha.. We were just like “yup”! Ha-ha we sad down and started to talk with this women and one after one her kids started to show up and sat down and talk to us!!! This women has 6 kids all above 8 years old… hahahaha and the most amazing thing is that 7 years ago the oldest and the only one that is living out of the house in Porto Alegre had the chance to get to know the missionaries and he was actually baptized in the church and is going to Church where he is!! We started talking with this women and she was just stunned and didn't understand how we are able to talk with young boys that have 8,10,12,13 and a young girl that has 14 years old and how we are able to make them sit down and hear the gospel in a very simply form!! It was a great experience to help that family remember and bring back all the amazing memories of the old times with the missionaries and how their lives had changed during that time to this present time… (Which hasn’t been a good thing)… the mother realized and remembered the light and the calmness and the spirit that the missionaries has bright into their lives and she cried when she told us!! It has been an amazing week with them!!

This week at church we were able to talk at church all the young boys but the mom and the father couldn’t go… that’s a different “long” story….

We are having some difficulties with this family, which is so special to me… Ana, Gilberto (this is how you spell it hahaha) Scarlett and Stephanie just because Ana is having a pretty hard time with being able to stop smoking she is really trying and to be honest I admire the force she is giving to do it but the temptation is sooooooooo hard for her!! I haven’t ever seen someone with such a hard time to let it go!! I have faith in the Lord that she will be able! I hope so because their date to be baptized is in 2 weeks… the 23!!!! Ahhh it’s coming down the last weeks!!! Be praying for Ana ok!! Thanks so much!! We will be teaching a great lesson about temples and we will be giving them a picture, which we framed of the Porto Alegre temple!

This week we also had a great meeting with the area 70 Elder de Araujo it was a great meeting and let me tell you he is very franc with his word but I believe that it is how it needs to be! We talked a lot about how we should be talking and how we should be leading when we have been called to lead! How it needs to be with firmness but in the same time with love! That is how we need to teach as well! When I was thinking about everything we talked about at home the next day… I thought about the gospel and how there isn’t any way we can “cut the corners” of the gospel!!! We need to be 100% part of it or 0% part of it… we need to do everything or quite frankly we might as well do nothing because one thing is sure… being part of the church of Christ isn’t easy… but then again why should it be…. We are counseled and told to be in the world but that we cant be of the world. As members of the church of Christ we have high standers, we have made eternal covenants with the Lord, we are striving to be “Saints” which means and we are trying to be as Christ is making our lives better every day!!

Then family I started thinking of all the people which I have taught and all the things which Elder de Araujo said and I have came to the conclusion that the people that don’t want to become members of the church of Christ I have realized that they just don’t want to leave some of the things that the world presents to all… drugs… drinking…. Just to name some few obvious stuff…. But this makes me soooo sad… because they are missing out on these celestial blessing which God has waiting for them…. If one would just experience the happiness that we have as members of the church of Jesus Christ they would understand where it come from and that consists of having a higher level of standards in life!! I am so grateful for how I have grown up and for everything that I have learned!! There is no doubt in my mind that it’s the gospel and the Church of Christ which we are members that has brought and brings this happiness that I have in my life, and I am so grateful for this!!

Well family sadly I am out of time!! I love you all so much!! You guys have a great week!

Love Elder Wiscomb

4th of July Lunch

Cool sister missionaries

Zone Conference

Cool sister missionaries...thought I would never say that hahah just messing!"

Family Night

Week 100 July 4, 2011

Hello family how is everyone doing on this fabulous day! So first things first, a happy 4^th of July for all of you back home!!! I hope that you guys just have a great day! I got some photos from Emmy this week of this last weekend and it looked like you guys were enjoying every moment! Get some fireworks and let them off for me ok. Ha-ha… I think here in Brazil I might just have to get some and have some fun too… hahahahaha just messing.

This week has been full with so many activities and amazing experiences! First of all last Monday night we did a family night with Gioberto. Ana, Scarlett, and Stephanie and it was just a great night! We taught a little bit about the Gospel of Jesus Christ; faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end and it was just great! But we taught it in a little different form! Thanks to mom (because you sent me all those good things to give to the people… we did a little bit of an activity… where I told a story which the moral was that “our lives are in our hands” we are free to choose what we want and I put something in the hands of everyone that was at the family night…. In the hands of some I put a necklace of a mustard seed to talk about faith… but the CTR ring and the pin tie for repentance… and so on and so forth…. But it was a great lesson and this family is getting closer and closer to the baptism date, which we marked!! The only thing that is holding them back at this moment is the mom stopping to smoke… we did a branch fast for her without her knowing and it now has been 2 and a half days that she hasn’t smoked!! Wahoooooooooooooo!! It’s been soooo long since she has done that!!! Oh man!! You want to know something funny! I don’t think that I have ever prayed so much for someone to stop smoking and I pleaded with the Lord to help her… to do anything He could to help her stop smoking…. The next day we went to her house and out of no where she said she got this huge cold and a sore throat and she said that she “couldn’t Smoke” ha-ha!!! The Lord is amazing huh!!! And Gioberto he is a police man and worked the night shift Saturday night all night for 24 hours then he got home at 8 A.M and showered and got the family in the car and came to church!! How cool is that!!! What an amazing family!!

This week we also had a great experience!! We were walking on the road in a division with a different missionary here (elder Nascimento) and all of a sudden out of know where I felt like I should knock on this door. So we went there and knocked and they just opened the electric gate and said “come on in… who sent you two elder”’ I was like ahhhhh "elects" hahaha we sat down with this family for some time just to find out that they have 24 years as members of the church! That actually they were the ones who practically started the church here in Santo Angelo and the dad was the quorum president, and the grandma was relief society president, and 3 of the 5 kids were baptized… now all the kids are grow up with their own families and no one is member of the church just the mom…. I was thinking OH MY GOSH!!! The mom continued to say that it had been 15 years that the elders passed by and stuff but they had always had the will to go back to church and to get active again!!! I don’t think I had ever been soooooooooooo happy in my life!!! I was thinking wow 4 amazing families of 4 kids in every family that all more then 9 years of age will be coming back to the church!!! Then we invited them to come back to church and they said yes!!!! But then they said that it won’t be able to happen until August… I thought oh man……… they are going to leave Santo Angelo for the whole month of July because it’s holidays here and its sooooooooooo cold!!! But it will be 4 great families for the next elders here!!

This week we also had a great Zone conference the whole conference was about the Book of Mormon!!!! And it was just amazing!! You know I don’t think I learned anything “new” but I was reminded of the importance of the Book of Mormon for the entire world! Then we talk about what it is and what it contains and the Bible testifies of the Book of Mormon and vice versa, it was sooo amazing!! The Book of Mormon is physical evidence that shows the whole world that what we have to share as missionaries is true! It confirms what is taught in the Bible and does it with clarity, and without any errors! We talked about the spirit that it has brought the world and into the lives of those who read it, and what it means to those who pray to know its true!!

Something that I have already gained a huge testimony about is that if one would open up their heart and read the Book of Mormon and ask God in the name of Christ if the Book is true, God will already answer the prayer of that person!!! And to honest those who would do this (ask God if the Book of Mormon is true) with a sincere heart and a real intention I already know what God will answer! The answer every time will be YES!! Every person needs to get to know the Book of Mormon, to read it, and it think about what is written then ask God because when one knows that the Book of Mormon is true that person will automatically know 3 more things….

1) That Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, because the Book of Mormon testifies of His life and His eternal sacrifice and the road He left for us!

2) That Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God! Which was called by God to restore the Gospel and the Church of Jesus Christ in its perfect form as it was in the time of Christ

3) And then we will automatically know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints is the Kingdom of God (the only true and living church of Christ) that has been restored on the face of this Earth in these last days, in preparation of the second coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!!

You know it all seems sooooo clear to me after!! And I felt sooo sad for not using the Book of Mormon in my teachings as much as I have should have my entire mission!! As missionaries here in the Santa Maria mission we are walking in the roads with the Book of Mormon in our hands now, I'm sure that other missions in the world have been doing that for decades maybe but here we just started it, and I can tell you that I am proud and honored to do just this!

For those who haven’t read the book of Mormon and family I challenge you to read and really imagine what the prophets of old are trying to tell us in their passages, I challenge all to do just that! Read the Book of Mormon and became a witness, like me and millions of others, that it is a book that has been sent from God, written by His holy prophets here in the Americas, to change the lives of those who read it!

I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and for His love and guidance in my life!! I know that President Monson is a prophet of God in these modern days that has been called by God to guide the world! Give heed to his teachings and his words, they are ever so precious and so important!!

I love you all and you guys have a great week ok!

Happy 4^th of July!

Love Elder Wiscomb