Hey family, June 15, 2011
Thanks for still praying for me, it's good to know. This week has been a little bit crazy this side of the mission. It sounds like things are sort of a race there as well. Anyways, I think I’m learning a little bit more each day about the mission life. I’m truly learning the importance of members. I've always known that members are the best way to have success but I’ve never actually experienced it. Here in my area of Guanabara I’m experiencing the negative effects of lazy members. Our branch is fairly receptive and accepting of all the investigators that come but the young men and woman in the ward are quite the opposite, due to a lack of discipline. We had an investigator come to church with us this last Sunday and he had to sit with us throughout all the classes because none of the young men in the ward wanted to meet him or talk to him. So now we have an investigator that's questioning his testimony a bit. But I suppose that this is all in the Lord's plan otherwise he wouldn’t have placed us in his path. But it really showed me how members are necessary to help during church itself and splits and references and the like. I feel definitely determined to help out more than I did before the mission when I get back home.
As far as the language goes, I feel like I’m at another stand-still. This, I’ve come to realize, is normal for me. I struggle with Portuguese for a week and then the next I feel very comfortable. Sometimes I struggle with with it for longer, which is the case of right now, but I’m not too worried about it. I feel like I can teach which is really all that's important. It's still almost impossible to socialize though, which makes it difficult in a social sense, plus the fact that the humor here is different, But on a lighter note, I’m getting along better with my companion than ever before due to the fact that I can understand him better, I just can't speak very well, but this will come with practice, and it's my goal to be able to be somewhat more comfortable at speaking by the end of this transfer.
So the other day was really cold, there was a ton of fog and it felt like it was an Oregon November. Anyways, I busted out one of those vests I have... It's the most hairy thing I've ever worn. It got my shirt all hairy. So I decided to wash it to try and get the hair washed off. The only problem was that I washed it with all my other white shirts, so all my shirts are hairy now. Which makes me think that there’s another way that I should wash cashmere?
An elder picked up the package for me. So I got a ton of good stuff! Thanks by the way! It's a good thing you sent chips as well because they don't sell tortilla chips here, and I would have had to use Lays potato chips. While I’ve been here, I’ve really wanting cookies. Can you send some recipes of chocolate chip, sugar, and any other “easy to make” cookies?
One thing I don't have that I want is a list of birthdays, mainly just family. Also can you send me the address of the Wagners?
My companion was sick last Sunday (I swear that it's Satan that does it, because every Sunday one of us gets really sick for just that day, almost as though he wants us to feel too sick to go to pick up our investigators for church--of course we're never that sick though). Anyways, I started reading 'Jesus the Christ' thoroughly. It's an awesome book. If anyone hasn't read it, they should. It's hard for me to read because the apostle uses all the big words that I had to forget trying to learn Portuguese, but he gives a great account of the life of the savior and everything in-between.
I found my electrical razor the other day, the problem is I don't have my charger for it, so I’m going to keep it until I head home and maybe I can find another charger and save me 60 bucks. Also I found my old journal, shampoo and my broken alarm clock! It was all stuffed in one of the pockets that didn't get torn off from the plane ride. It was definitely a tender mercy because that day was pretty tough.
Anyways, the church is true. I love you all! Good luck with the remodeling.
Love Elder Williams
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