Happy New Year 2012...by burning ties?

Hey family!                                                                  1-3-2012

This week was great.  The new area's tough, the zone in general is widely known as the "black hole".  There are barely any baptisms.  But then I got here and saw that the missionaries just pass by here with this in their mind and get discouraged and lazy so they don't work.  So I think the president put some good missionaries in to get the zone alive again.  For example the week I got here we found a family that's going to be baptized this Sunday (pray for them by the way, Marcelo, Alessandra, and Gabriella).  It's a good faith tester, to see if the missionary’s faith is good enough to work through these difficulties.  At the end of this second week our zone should have about 10 baptisms in total.  So in two weeks we should have 3 more baptisms than the 6 weeks of work last transfer.  The Lord is blessing us a lot here in the zone.  My new district's cool; its two sisters and two elders and us.  The elder's seem to be a little bit unexcited to work though, but it’s cool.  I’m jealous that I couldn’t have been there with the whole family to pass the New Year.  But it's pretty weak that you guys didn’t even wait til midnight.  We didn't want to but we didn’t have a big choice.  About 5 til midnight everyone let off their fireworks, like their big dog fireworks that are outlawed in the states.  Anyways, the fireworks went on for about 15 minutes straight, it was cool to see all the pretty lights and the stars and moon go away what with all the smoke.  In celebration me and Elder Merrick burnt a 2011 calendar and a tie.  I got some videos to show later when we get home also.  It's cool; we just speak English to each other, so I get to practice my English a little bit.  It's cool, he's just like me, except that he played semi-pro soccer and has a lot of money.             Love,  Elder Peter Williams

  Peter and his companion celebrating New Years by burning their old ties!

Peter's OTHER new Companion???

Peter is New District Leader in "Campo Limpo"!

Hey family,                                                                                          Dec 28, 2011

It was good to Skype Wednesday and Sunday with you all for Christmas!

So I’ve been transferred!  I left my old area and right now I’m in a completely different city in Juníai, in area Campo Limpo.  I also got my first American companion!  Elder Merrick Reynolds.  He's pretty legit, the first companion in the field that gets my jokes and subtle sarcasms.  Also he listened to the same music as me before the mission, metal, rap and all that crap.  So he's cool.  Anyways, this new area is prettier than any other I’ve passed by, with a lot of trees and cool looking stuff.  But the problem is that it's the hilliest area on the mission.  I think the Lord wants me to slim down these next few months.  The hills look like the hills in Switzerland and Austria...  So yeah...lots of walking!  Last Monday I told everyone that I was leaving and they got all sad.  A little girl started crying and got really sad and gave me her favorite picture of Michael Jackson.  I'd send a picture of it, but the internet sucks right now.  Anyways I’m the new District Leader of two sisters and two elders.  Now I have to worry about two more areas.  Anyways, I love you guys!  Keep up the missionary work and remember the prayers!

Elder Periquito Williams

Hey Family

Hey family!                                                                                                            Dec 13-11

So it looks like everything's all certain with Skype, I just need to find a place to Skype.  Anyways, at 1:00 pm next Wednesday the 21st we'll be skyping.  I don't have your guys' name.  So just add me and send me an email telling me what your guys' Skype name is and I’ll add you.  Also if 1:00 rolls around and nothing happens keep updating this email that you guys are using because I’ll be sending an email saying that there's a problem.  I might appear a little bit late because this next Wednesday isn’t a PDay so I’ll be working and all sweaty that day.

Anyways, how’s stuff?  I actually didn’t open the cards yet.  I was waiting on those.  I’m already on my last box of cereal though.  This week the zone leaders have been training me to become district leader and Friday I interviewed three of their investigators for baptism.  It was cool!  One of their baptisms was freaking weak; we spent an hour and half just talking about how he's following the devil for not being baptized.  Anyways, he ended up not being baptized, and he knows that he's not following God's will.  It looks like there's gonna be a lot of changes here on the mission.  We found some kid that wants to be baptized this Sunday also.  You guys should pray for him, Alex Junior.  His situations a little bit complicated.  He lives in a very bad neighborhood, his parents are druggies and his neighbors sell drugs, and drink a ton.  But his grandma is good.  Anyways, Christmas should be good. 

The bishop here is fine now, he's recuperating fast.  Also tell John that he can marry someday, but that he better not leave the area because I want to play “Smash” after the mission.  Tell Cassan that she's in trouble for not being able to Skype,  But that she can write me a Biiiiiig email instead.

Love you!

Elder Williams

Ah-Ha...Annie's been hiding peter's letters....

Hey family,                                                                                                         Nov 30, 2011

Annie didn’t send you guys the letter from last week so I copied it and pasted it.  Then I'll write the letter for this week.

 Thanks for the emails!  We baptized Rosalina!  It's cool; I learned that we actually saved a life to save a soul.  The day we found her she was thinking of committing suicide because of the depression that she has.  That day we found her she accepted baptism, and that Sunday she went to church.  I could tell a new light came into her eyes and she was happy again.  It's always cool to stop by and interrupt her reading the Book of Mormon.  Anyways, we have another baptism coming up this Sunday.  This one was a cool thing also, she was already going to church with her boyfriend in another ward, and we wouldn’t have ever found her if our zone leader didn’t do a contact on the bus. 

Skype should be sweet; I think it'll be me and Elder Lucas Rodrigues again.  He was the Argentinean that you guys saw last time we Skyped.  I doubt that Keenan's gonna Skype though, he's in the states right now right? 

It's cool to read that thought about reverence.  This ward that I’m in has a ton of it, which is going to be good for the people we're bringing to church.  Last Sunday I got the book that we're gonna study next year in Sunday school about the teachings of the prophets.  It's about George Albert Smith.  It's sweet.  It gets me thinking about personal development.  How we all need to get to the point of one of the apostles and prophets in our faith and progress before we can get to the point of Christ.  This is in part as to we have these books of the prophets.  Anyways, our bishop got in a bad accident driving some quad and almost died.  But he should be alright.  You should put his name in the temple because the temple's closed here.  Bishop Álvaro.  Which reminds me, the other day we went to the temple with our baptism to show her around and everything but it was all closed for maintenance and whatnot.  It sucked, but she liked it anyways.

Anyways, love you guys!

Elder Williams

Ok, here’s the other letter:

Hey Family!                                                                                                                        Dec 7, 2011

This week we baptized Tatiane, and we've got Francieli for this Sunday.  I was looking today at all the baptisms I’ve had on the mission and it looks like I’ve baptized almost all women.  Not like that’s a bad thing, everyone needs to get baptized, but it's showing the kind of people that I’m attracting.  Yesterday I was able to visit my old area because I went on a division with the zone leaders to help out the missionaries that are there now.  They've been having problems finding people to teach, so we went there and found some for them.  I'm learning a ton here on the mission, it's awesome, and I’m loving this area!

Anyways, for this Christmas we will be able to use Skype the Wednesday before.  So it'll be the 21st of this month, let me know when will be the better time, and we've got to find a place here that has Skype.   You guys are 5 hours behind, so probably 6-ish my time, 1-ish your time.  It's going to be sweet.  Also I learned that I don’t have any self-control. I got your Christmas package two weeks ago, and I’ve already opened everything.  Thanks by the way, now have a lot of cool stuff to go with my suit!  Also I got the bottle right when my old one broke.  The only problem is that Brazilians have a culture that if you eat something in front of them you have to offer some to them.  So I've got to eat all my stuff when they’re not paying attention, because it's us 4 there.  These pics are of me switching soccer teams to Corinthians, of the baptism of Rosalina, Tatiane, and kid that I’m helping get baptized for my zone leaders.  When I got that shirt, I entered the house of an investigator and within 5 minutes of knowing him, he gave me a new shirt so I switched teams.  They don't sell this shirt anymore and it was given on the 40th anniversary of the forming of the team, so it's pretty cool.  Anyways, hope you guys like the pics!  Love you!

Elder Williams

   

Rosalina's Baptism

Tatiana's baptism

  Peter got this soccer shirt from one of his investigators

Peter Wrote Two Letters!

Hey family,                                                                                                                                Nov 16, 2011

Thanks for the email!  I got transferred again.  Me and my new companion are opening a new area here.  We're still figuring out who everyone is.  We got lunch all figured out, and we should have one of the members give us some food tomorrow.  Yesterday in the area was eventful.  We're living in the house of our zone leaders.  They're cool, they were in my zone when I first got here and we played soccer a ton together.  My new area seems to be good.  It looks like the Lord has been preparing many people here.  We found many people that accepted baptisms and are very receptive.  I’m sad to have left my old area though.  The people we baptized there are super strong in the church and it was good to pass by there to say goodbye and whatnot.  Anyways, the mission rocks.  Yesterday in Lunch on of the zone leaders through a plate at me when I was half expecting it, and so we ended up breaking it in the house of the members, leaving a great first impression of the new elders here.  It's ok though, I’m American and he's from Argentina, so they just blamed on the fact that were strangers here.  Also me and my companion got lost yesterday, and we didn’t get back until 10:30.  We were walking around some ghetto and I think someone started following us, but we lost him and found our house.  We called our zone leaders but one's new and the other's got 1 month here so they didn’t help us out too much.

Anyways, 9 or 10 bucks for sunscreen is nothing.  It's 35 Reais so it'd be about 27 bucks here.  It sucks.

When you guys get your mission call, I’ll teach you guys some teaching techniques.  It's cool how truth in general works.  Using truth in relation to psychology and truth about the gospel are interrelated.  Like using techniques of working with the emotions of the investigators, so they are ready to feel the spirit when we talk about the first vision.  (It all starts the moment they see us.  It's legit!)

Anyways, I’m excited to see you guys this Christmas, I’ll let you guys know when I can Skype and whatnot.  I’m thinking of sending a package home also of stuff that’s taking up space in my bags here, so I’ll throw in a present also.  Anyways, thanks for your support and all that you guys are doing to continue the work of the Lord there in the states. 

Love you guys!

Hey family,                                                                                                                           Nov 24, 2011

This week was good, we managed to find a woman that will be baptized this week, and I’m pretty stoked!  The Lord has blessed this area and seems to have prepared many people.  The ward seems to be pretty sweet also.  Our area is huge and we don't live in it, so we have to walk 20 minutes just to get to work, I feel like I’m losing weight, but it's not really showing.  Yesterday we played soccer a good part of the day and I’m super tired.  Anyways there wasn’t enough time to write emails, so the president let us write today.  I learned these past two days that excitement/enthusiasm is an attribute of God.  Unfortunately it's not my strong point, but it's something that everyone needs to develop, it's because of un-enthusiasm that many relationships go downward and many people leave the church.  Anyways, the mission's sweet. 

Love you guys!

Elder Peter Williams

The Water's Warm... (Read both letters)

Hey family,                                                                                                                         11-8-11

So this week was good, we found a ton of people that have potential to be baptized soon.  It's cool to see how the Lord gives things to those who show that they are worthy of something.  Anyways, this year has been pretty bad for our whole mission.  We haven’t been baptizing too many people as we should be.  Our President is trying to figure out why.  What I've been seeing and hearing is that there are many missionaries that are slacking off, or they don’t have the right desires. 

Anyways, something pretty funny happened to me the other day.  I got a letter from a sister that was from the MTC in São Paulo.  She said that we never spoke, but that every time that she passed by me I always had on a serious face.  She knew my name and where I was serving.  She was wondering how I was doing and everything, then topped it off with a picture of her and the sisters from her mission.  It was pretty funny;  me and my companion had a good laugh.  Anyways, It was a good thing she was wearing a dress, or I would have thought she was a guy…  I saved the letter and the picture to show you guys when I get back.

I started bleeding on top of my nose cuz I was getting a pretty bad sunburn, so I bought some sunscreen.  Sunscreen here is freaking expensive, 35 Reais for 50SPF! Anyways, how’s the renovation going?  You guys finish the inside yet?

I always like hearing stories of inactives heading back to church, it gives me hope for some of my friends at home.  Also, I’m freakin stoked still that Nick got baptized, it's legit.

Anyways, I love you!

Elder Williams

PS, tell Kyle good work and to write me… Freak, I can remember dropping him off at the MTC... goes by quickly!

Hey Dad,                                                                              11-8-11

Thanks for the message, it was very good actually!  We've had a lot of inspiring messages from our president.  He's very spiritual.  We're finding a ton of people that will be baptized soon.  The Lord is blessing us with people to teach that are ready to be baptized.  My companion  and I had a talk and he's working on his homesickness.  As a result, we're knocking on more doors, increasing our contacts, and as we say in Portuguese "commanding the fire"! (He will be too busy to be homesick!)

The mission rocks, I’m learning a ton too.  Our District Leader got an emergency transfer.  One of the Zone Leader's went home early, so he’s been replaced, and for this last week of the transfer we're “district leaderless”.  I think I’m gonna get transferred, but I don't want to. I love this area, it rocks!  The members help out a ton now that we're getting their trust.  The baptisms have made them believe in us!   One lady here made the best food I’ve ever eaten here in brazil!  She also made us two cakes and homemade ice cream… so the wards getting a lot more involved with us!   Anyways, life’s good on the mission.  

Love you dad!

Elder Williams

Hey family!                                                                                                         11-2-2011

That’s so cool that Nick was baptized, that punk.  Tell him good work!  And that I hope he goes to Brazil on a mission someday!  It's also cool that Sam and Cassan will be heading to Hawaii, I'll certainly head on over there when I get back, and swim and surf and stuff.  In regards to the statement on the news about gas pumps being the dirtiest item to touch for bacteria and germs,  I think there’s a ton of things I've touched here in brazil that are WAY dirtier than ANY gas pump handle!  (I’m just building up my immunity for the end of the world.)  My new companion keeps talking about home and stuff and it's starting to make me homesick, luckily I think we'll be transferred.  He's starting to be a buddy more than a working buddy, so it'd be better if we were separated so that we both could work unhindered.  The mission's awesome, I’m learning a lot!  It's such a great blessing to see how much the Lord helps us out with our goals and our desires, so that we can become more like the Savior.  I know what you mean about reverence, there was one guy here that says everything on his mind.  I was sitting with him on his second sacrament meeting, and all meeting he was telling me about how irreverent everything's going.  Telling me that it was like we were in a bar or convenience store.  And because of that, he has doubts that this is the church of Christ, and didn’t accept our invitation to be baptized.  Reverence is something SO important.  Anyways you should let me know Keenans email address and not his mailing address. 

Im not too sure what I want for Christmas.  I bought a guitar btw.  It was super cheap.  So now I have something to do other than sleep and play soccer on P-Days.

We had our two baptisms last Sunday and Mateus got way soft and didn’t get wet, But he should be baptized soon, just some more work.

Anyways, I love you guys keep up the prayers and the missionary work on your end and i'll keep it up on this end also.

Elder Williams

Baptism of Karine and Lourdes